Pliers are the hand tool you reach for most, so it pays to buy ones that still grip and cut cleanly in ten years. This collection is built around Knipex, the German benchmark, alongside Bosch and Bosch Professional VDE pliers, Gedore sets, Stanley FatMax tin snips, Wiha and Narex: combination pliers, side cutters, long and snipe nose, water pump pliers, crimping pliers, wire strippers, cable shears, bolt cutters and pipe cutters.
Choosing pliers
- Side cutters. Standard diagonal cutters (Knipex 70 01, Bosch 160mm) handle copper and soft wire. High-leverage cutters (Knipex 74 01 and 74 02, Bosch VDE 200mm) cut piano wire and nails without straining your hand.
- Water pump pliers. The Knipex Cobra in 87 01 and QuickSet 87 21 patterns is the plumber's standard, with push-button jaw adjustment and a self-locking grip on pipe. The Alligator 88 01 is the simpler, cheaper version.
- Pliers wrench. The Knipex 86 01, 86 03 and 86 04 have smooth parallel jaws that work like an adjustable spanner without marking chrome fittings.
- VDE insulated. If you work on electrical installations, Bosch Professional VDE pliers and sets are rated for 1000V. Non-VDE pliers with dipped handles are not insulated.
- Length. 160mm pliers suit electrical and bench work; 200mm and 250mm give the leverage for site and plumbing jobs.
Knipex pliers: why the premium
Knipex drop-forges its pliers and individually hardens the cutting edges, which is why a pair of Knipex side cutters still cuts cleanly long after cheaper pliers have gone blunt. We stock the core electrician's, plumber's and mechanic's patterns, with mini and XS versions for the pouch. See the whole range under Knipex, matching screwdrivers, and boxed kits in hand tool sets.
In stock in Cape Town with nationwide delivery, free over R2000. Call 021 674 2119 if you need help picking the right pattern.
