Purchased this set as a present for my better half :) & she loves them...they are really fine at the tips which is what she needed for her work. The tips themselves are precise & match well when closed, not like many cheapo generic pliers available around. The handles have a plain smooth plastic sheath, which i do actually prefer an old pair of beadsmith's i have which have a soft rubberish sheath instead. I have a small gripe about the fact that one of the more used pliers of this set, the spring does not seem to work as it should, its a bit "sticky", whereas the rest are super smooth...maybe in time if i look at them well, may need to bend them into shape or so, not sure... overall nice set here & its great to hear many a time as she's working that she loves the set :)