11 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

 

I’m in the process of swapping all my crankbait split rings and hooks to these after bending out and nearly breaking a split ring in a tournament. The KVD triple grips I’ve used for a few years. They’ve been quite good to me 

 

I had a 7lb tilapia turn a stock split ring into a pretzel, and I've lost a couple of small bass that completely bent out stock Rapala split rings. There are a few companies I trust the stock hardware on, but everything else gets upgraded split rings (Owner hyperwire round for hooks and oval for line tie) and hooks (Mustad 1x strong 2x short EWG).

13 hours ago, DEPS_250 said:

The thing with the Owner Zowire's that I can't get over is the SHAPE and DESIGN on the bend.

 

The bend on the Owner Zowire's has that aggressive/acute upturned angle at the very bottom. That aggressive/acute upturned angle kind of looks COOL and makes the hook look more modern and 'techy/cyberpunk-ish'. Kind of similar to aggressive angles on a modern sports car.

 

On the other hand, it also just looks weird and kind of 'off' for guys like me, who prefer a traditional round bend. 

The turned in point & the upturned angle at the bottom you mentioned is the reason they are superior to round bend hooks. The turned in point grabs fish flesh faster just like a circle hook does. It then penetrates quicker than a round bend. And lastly that funky bend you talk about keeps fish hooked up better by not allowing the hook point to back out as easily. I change out all my treble hook baits with Owner zo wire hooks. It’s expensive but well worth the improved hookup ratio & reduced loss of catches. Also use a lure retriever when you get snagged. And if that doesn’t work wrap your braid around a piece of wooden dowel like a broom handle for pulling lose snags. Don’t tighten down your drag to do so because it just causes braid dig in on the spool & weakens the braid. It can also distort the spool.