This was also my first lasting job with the absurdly cheap Chinese lasting pliers. My overall impression wasn’t too terrible. They’re a little bit wonky in the hand, but that could be down to my preemptively wrapping the handles with leather.
The long, tapering beaks of the pliers certainly have their uses. If you really need to pick at a pleat, they’re thin enough at the very tip for that. But the way they widen out means that you can get a more secure grip on layers by choking up the “bite” you take. That also spreads out the area where the teeth are pulling on the leather, lessening the risk of tearing out.