History: Bear Jaws Bird Shears 157SM

For the 157 series tools, Bear and Son simply took the handles from a Super Bear Jaws tool and substituted heavy duty shears for the pliers. On the 157SM Bird Shears model, a gut hook (also called vent hook) was added. The result is a heavy duty tool that is well suited for cutting through tough material like sticks, bones, and leather, making it ideally suited for the outdoorsman.

Jaws

• Jaws are heavy duty shears. Much stronger than ordinary scissors.
• Spring loaded.
• A tab locks the jaws closed when not in use.
• Brushed stainless finish.

Handles/Frame

Handles are same as Super Bear Jaws 156 tool. The sheet metal itself is noticably thicker than that of any other plier multitool. Pivot screws are torx drive.

SUPER BEAR JAWS is stamped into one handle, USA into the other. One side of the tool is stamped with an inch scale, the other side in metric.

Finish is polished stainless.

Blades and Tools

• Clip point knife blade, with half-serrated edge. Measures 2-1/2" long (65mm)
• Saw blade
• Medium flathead screwdriver
• Wire gut hook (vent hook)

Locking Mechanism

None.

Other Features

An often-overlooked advantage of Bear multitools is the ease at which the implements can be changed to suit the user. Spare components can be obtained directly from the manufacturer.

Sheath

Sheath is woven nylon with a velcro closure. A leather backing with cross loops allows for both vertical and horizontal carry.

Dimensions

• Length open = 8" (203mm)
• Length closed = 4-1/2" (114mm)
• Width closed = 1-3/8" (34mm)
• Thickness = 11/16" (18mm)
• Weight = 6.9 oz (196g)

Variations

None.

Background

Bear -vs- Remington

(note choke tube tool on Remington)

Made in the USA.

Related Tools

• The Bear Jaws Gardener 157GT is almost the same as the Bird Shears tool. The only difference is the Gardner gets a weed cutter blade instead of the gut hook.
• The Remington Bird Hunters Tool has REMINGTON stamped on the handle, and its medium screwdriver blade doubles as a choke tube wrench tool. (see photo at right)
• Crescent ToolZall Maintenance Pro says TOOLZALL and MAINTENANCE PRO on the handle, and it gets a file blade instead of the gut hook.
• Red Devil Painters Multitool has Red Devil logo stamped on one handle, one shear jaw notched, and an array of scraper blades and pry bars.

More Info