Pliers are used to grip, position, tighten, loosen, and cut certain metal elements. Learn about five types of pliers: slip-joint, water-pump, linesman, locking and needle-nose.
Slip-Joint Pliers
This tool gets its name from, you guessed it, its slip joint. Rather than pivoting from a fixed rivet, these types of pliers feature an adjustable pivot point that allows the two pieces of the plier to shift, extending the range of the jaws. Slip joint pliers can grip materials of varying thickness. The jaws of the slip joint will generally consist of two parts. At the mouth, the jaws have a flat, serrated texture to help with gripping flat surfaces. Behind those, the jaws typically curve out to grip rounded surfaces, like pipes and rods. These are some of your more “general purpose” types of pliers and are very common in tool sets. They work well in a variety of gripping applications, but depending on your particular pliers’ features, can find some usefulness bending and holding, crimping metal, looping wire, and cutting wire and soft nails. In a pinch, you might use them for loosening and tightening nuts. Ultimately, slip joint pliers are really handy tools to have around.
Water-Pump Pliers
The water pump pliers act like a pipe wrench. However, it is lighter and easier to use than the pipe wrench. Generally, it is more suitable for household non-professional emergency or simple installation of water pipes. Of course, the clamping force is not as good as the pipe wrench. For clamping flat or cylindrical metal parts, it is characterized by multiple positions (three to four steps) of the opening width of the jaws to accommodate the needs of different sizes of parts, for automobiles, internal combustion engines, agricultural machinery and indoor pipes. Tools commonly used in installation and maintenance work.
Linesman’s Pliers
Linesman’s pliers – aka electrician’s pliers, side cutting pliers, or Kleins – hinge at a set pivot point. The jaws have the flat front with shallow serrations for gripping flat objects, and which also allow electricians to twist wires together. Right behind the front of the jaws, these types of pliers include side cutters that allow the user to cut wires. Even though they usually have dipped handles, most aren’t insulated and you shouldn’t work on live connections with them. Buy a pair with plastic grips, but keep in mind that the plastic alone is not sufficient to protect you from electric shock. Do not use these – or any other tools – on live wires. Always remove the fuse, turn off the breaker, unplug the cord before performing any electrical work.
Locking Pliers
Locking pliers work well for clamping down on things, especially during those times when having both hands free is helpful. They have a double-lever action that allows them to act as a hand-held vise – hence the name Vise-Grips (a proprietary name from Irwin Tools) that most people use for them. The jaws on these type of pliers close like you expect from any set of pliers, but with the added benefit of locking down with much greater pressure. Locking pliers release their hold once a lever on the handle gets triggered. You can adjust the jaw width by dialing a screw drive at the end of the handle. Locking pliers can find action in a multitude of applications, such as those you might typically use pipe wrenches, adjustable wrenches, and clamps. They can be used on reusable fasteners, though you’ll want to be really careful with this type of application.
Needle-Nose Pliers
Needle nose pliers will have a longer jaw that tapers down to a point. These types of pliers work well for more delicate tasks or jobs that need to be done in smaller spaces. Bending wires, holding fittings, placing fasteners, and even cutting, needle nose pliers do a lot of work that a more heavy-duty plier might not excel at. Needle nose pliers also use a set pivot point. The jaws typically have a knurled surface, as well as side cutters. You can also find models that have their tips bent to 45° and 90° if you need access to awkward spaces. Along with having a solid place in most professional tool bags, you’ll find nearly every fisherman also carries at least one.
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