Welcome to the second installation of TYEPRO Transparent, where we take an analytical approach in comparing our own TYEPRO tools to some of the most popular knot-tying assistants on the market. We hope you will find this thoughtful approach helpful to making a tool choice. Today we’ll be comparing our tool with the Quik Tye Knot Tying Tool, a plastic tool that offers two funnels, which rotate into place to help with threading.
We’ll be comparing these devices along five categories: Ease of Threading, Assistance with Knot Tying, Additional Functionality, Safety and Price. You can review the basis for our comparisons here.
The biggest knock on the Cinch Tie tool was its total lack of assistance in the area of threading the eyelet. The TYEPRO was born from the idea of helping angling enthusiasts with failing eyesight and shaky hands, so we designed our tool to make threading the eyelet as simple as possible. The Quik Tye is much better on this front than the Cinch Tie. Unfortunately, its ability to choose between “large” and “small” eyelet sizes also works against it: Selecting the correct end of the tool to use, positioning the eyelet to line up properly and closing the tool can be tricky.
Much like with the ease of threading, the knot-tying assistance of the Quik Tye comes up short of that offered by TYEPRO. Although it may seem, based on first glance, that the two tools offer similar tying capabilities after threading the eyelet, the TYEPRO’s design and ergonomics allow it to make necessary twists for an improved clinch knot and others. It’s possible that a Quik Tye could manage the same task, however it would be much more difficult due to its square shape, especially for someone with shaky hands.
We’ve introduced the additional functions that the TYEPRO offers before: a clipper for trimming your line and a lanyard to keep it nearby for when you need to tie a new knot. Quik Tye has a clip for attaching the tool to a belt loop or pocket, and it also has a loop for a lanyard. Unfortunately, you’ll need to provide your own lanyard in order to completely take advantage of this functionality.
As with our prior comparison, neither of these tools is “unsafe” for the responsible angler. As with tying by hand, there’s always a chance of minor harm when working with an open hook. Be careful when working with both the TYEPRO and the Quik Tye, and you won’t have anything to worry about.
As will be the case in many of these comparisons, the Quik Tye is going to be the cheaper option between it and the TYEPRO. We’re not ashamed to admit it, as some of that price increase can be justified in the improved functionality discussed earlier. If you want to see an explanation behind the cost of a TYEPRO, we encourage you to check out this article.
We’ll be rating cost as 3 for tools less than $6.00, 2 for tools between $6 and $11.99, and 1 for tools over $12.00.