PLIERS A AND STRAIGHTEDGE BUILD SAFE CUTTERS by Jack Burgess Going beyond needle-nose pliers ... While tweezers are my most-used tool (February 2013 MRH mrhpub.com/2013-02-feb/land/#66), I use my pliers and cutters a lot too. My collection of nine pliers includes needle-nose, flat-nose, and round pliers. I also have eight diagonal cutters and flush cutters. About 40 years ago I purchased a set of three matched pliers (nee- dle-nose, flat, and round) which I still own. They were beautiful, with chromed bodies and red vinyl handles. They seemed perfect. But those pliers were set aside after a tool-buying spree 10 years ago. They were replaced with a number of Xuron tools. Unlike many hobbyist tools these days, Xuron manufactures high-grade tools for a number of users, including hobbyists, and they are all manufactured in the USA. The Xuron plier I use the most is their Model 450 Tweezer Nose Plier. [1] They can be purchased directly from Amazon for about $15 (Xuron does not sell directly). These are traditional • INDEX • TABLE OF CONTENTS