To anyone who doesn't own Knipex pliers, I have four words for you: You are missing out. To anyone who does own Knipex pliers, you know what I'm talking about. Do you hate crescent wrenches? Do you hate channel locks? I don't even need to ask. I know you hate them. I have the tool for you.

Go ahead and Google it. You'll never see a single bad review about these pliers.

Behold, the Knipex adjustable pliers. This set is in 10", 8", and 6" sizes, measured in length. I bought it for $150 from Chad's Tool Box online. You can buy the individual pliers if you so choose, with or without the comfort grips, colloquially known as the bitch grips, but as you can see from my toolbox drawer here, I like Knipex and I really like lots of Knipex, so I bought the set.



These are German-made pliers and exactly like their cars, they're overbuilt with innovation that really makes you wonder why things weren't done this why sooner.



As you can see, they can open up wide enough to make a dentist proud.



[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/RgExYTv.jpg[IMG]

Unlike a channel lock which might have six positions, you have a whopping amount of positions to choose from. Choosing the perfect grip distance has never been easier. All you do is press a button and slide the wrench to whatever position you want.



Here is the backside.



And here's a blurry angled picture.



Here's the best part about these pliers which makes them stand out from any other.

Put the top edge of the plier on your nut, then press the button and close to fit.



And now instead of like a crescent wrench, you don't have to tighten, turn, loosen, remove, move, and repeat. What do you do? You can ratchet it!



Now here's the other cool part. This are the pressure points of a normal wrench.



Here are the pressure points of Knipex plier.



Because of this, as long as you maintain even the lightest amount of pressure on the top side of the wrench, it will stay tight. Observe:



This is a bolt head on my engine stand. You can see the engine's flexplate in behind. It is very obvious that the plier would fall on its own if I were to leave it, but because of the 10:1 leverage ratio, the lightest amount of pressure on the top side will keep it gripped and locked.

Now for the cool part. I'll show you how the ratchet system works.

Apply a light amount of pressure to the bottom side and the wrench loosens and works its way over the bolt head.



And then automatically locates itself into a proper position to begin tightening again.



Apply some downward force and it is now locked.



For video references, view the product video.


Knipex is my go-to plier brand.

 

$150 for three? Ouch! But good tools are good tools. Why though - just asking - would I reach for those instead of a box end or combination wrench? Or these are just a better choice than a crescent - OK, but why so many?

 

Trust me, if you ever use these, you will understand. If you Google up any reviews, it's the same story. Use them and you will understand. They are no replacement for a proper combination wrench, unless you're working with something that has the space to fit in the larger size of the plier, but they are a replacement for crescent wrenches and channel locks. Both crescent wrenches and channel locks are a pain to use. They're bulky and you have to fiddle around with them. The Knipex pliers are extremely easy to use and rapidly accelerate the time it takes to tighten down a bolt with the ratcheting features.

If I could only own one plier out of all the pliers out there, it would be the Knipex 10" Adjustable. It is worth the money. I cannot stress this enough.

Why so many? Because this brand has proven its worth to me. Nothing beats them.

 

Ok. I will try a set out, on your rec. amazon has them?

 

Why wouldn't you just grab a socket instead

 

If I had to make a recommendation to someone unsure of the product, it would be to only buy the 10" as the 8" and 6" are rarely used but I use the 10" all the time. Amazon has them, yes. You can get one with or without the comfort grip.

It was only an example. Sometimes you can't use a socket. If you've ever had to use a channel lock or a crescent wrench you would know what I'm talking about. This product replaces both of those.

 

Knipex has been a high quality company for many years. I used to have a pair of these style:

And if I ever find out who took them I will use them to remove certain parts of their anatomy. I think I paid $55 or $60 for them back in 98.
Thanks for the review.

 

I love those Cobra pliers. They grip hard! Watch at 1:25 as this guy stands on a pair.

 

Manufacturer of wrenches have long since moved past this. Snap On calls it Flank Drive, Gearwrench and Danaher calls it Surface Drive, Matco calls it Opti-Torque Pro, and so on. Pretty much every wrench and socket short of a Harbor Freight/ Wal Mart has some variation of a drive face modification to avoid rounding off corners so badly.

 

Yes there are options out there, but like I said the Knipex pliers don't replace combination wrenches but they do replace crescent wrenches, which have no face modification.

 

Wow! The OP sounds like an ad from a distributor.

I do agree about Knipex quality though. I bought a pair of their diagonal cutters a year ago to replace the worn out cutters in my box. I use them regularly for work and love them. I'll have to try their new adjustable pliers to see how I like them.

Crescent and Channel Lock used to be good names, but with time they've cheapened things up. That's the traditional American business model; build a quality product and develop a strong reputation, then start to cheapen things up so the profit margin increases, then just before your product looses it's reputation because it's turned to junk you sell off the company for a huge profit and let the next guy take the loss.

 

You'd better be right about these.... I'm $60 poorer because I'm a tool hoor and can't pass up something cool. Got a set of 86 05 250 10" pliers in the mail.

 

Haha, I'm only an enthusiastic consumer. I have their fancy diagonal cutters with the sliding hinge that puts the lever point closer toward the cutter for more leverage. They cut through everything! I also have their mini bolt cutters. I haven't used them too much, but my buddies who are chainlink fencers have the same pair. They use that plier to cut 3/16" steel all day, every day and it lasts them a whole year. They tell me no other plier has lasted them a month.

You're welcome. That's all I have to say.

 

I have two pair of Knipex dykes and they've survived years of abuse cutting heavy wire, TIG filler, stick rod, safety wire, and whatever else I could get between the jaws.

I don't currently need the cool pliers, but based on Knipex cutters one thing I would not worry about is breaking them.

I abuse my tools because the job is what matters and anything which breaks needs a better replacement. Knipex quality is exceptional.

 

It's been a month now. How do you like them?