I use one of those jar grippy thingies, but maybe it was past that?That finish is for real. I over tightened the deck on mine once and had to use pliers to get it off. I gasped when it slipped in the jaws, but unless you really look and get the light just right, steel pliers didn't even phase it. I'm sure I could polish out the practically undetectable scratches if I tried.
I was quite impressed. Definitely a quality DLC finish. Tough as nails. Or tough as pliers anyway
Shhhhhhh, don't tell anybody, but if all my gear was gone, it is without a doubt the first thing i would get back