Pliers are some of the most common hand tools used by today’s tradespeople. Designed for a huge range of applications, pliers are used to grip, hold, bend, twist, or cut certain materials.
Different industries tend toward different plier styles. Electricians, for example, can’t go without lineman’s pliers—an essential tool for cutting, bending, and stripping wires. Plumbers, on the other hand, rely on slip-joint pliers to grip water pipes and tighten or loosen fittings.
When it comes to pliers, the options are endless
Pliers have been a staple tool for centuries. From their earliest developments in the Bronze Age, inventors and manufacturers have refined the tool again and again, leading to the huge range of styles available on the market today.
Some common plier styles include:
- Tongue-and-groove pliers
- Lineman’s pliers
- Circlip pliers
- Needle-nose (long-nose) pliers
- Diagonal cutting pliers
- Locking pliers
- Many more
Some pliers have fixed jaws, while others can be adjusted to suit the size of the object needing to be gripped, bent, or twisted.
Choosing the right pliers can make or break a job
Because there are so many plier styles on the market today, it can be hard to make the right choice. It’s essential to know which pliers will work for your business’s needs. The best way to do this is to make sure you understand which pliers are best used for which applications.
For cutting, twisting, and gripping wire, look into needle-nose, lineman’s, or diagonal cutting pliers. Lineman’s pliers are the ideal choice for electricians thanks to their heavy-duty nature.
Needle-nose pliers are thin and long, making them perfect for working in compact environments. Electricians, jewellery-makers, and network engineers often use needle-nose pliers to reposition, bend, or snip wire.
Diagonal cutting pliers or wire cutters are used purely for cutting wire, rather than gripping or twisting. Commonly used by electricians, wire cutters can cut wire flush with a surface.
Choosing the wrong pliers can make a job much harder than it needs to be—so make sure you understand the benefits of each type before making a purchase.
Pliers can boost productivity and workflow
By choosing the right pliers for your industry, you’ll make life easier for yourself and your workers. If you work in the automotive industry, for example, you’ll benefit hugely from circlip pliers—a special tool designed to make circlip removal and installation a breeze.
If you work in an industry where attention-to-detail is paramount, and security is sturdiness is key, locking pliers can be an enormous help. Ideal for welders and plumbers, locking pliers provide a highly secure grip and a trigger for easy release.
Tongue-and-groove pliers, or Channellocks, are a type of slip-joint plier commonly used by plumbers. They’re highly adjustable, making it easy to grip and twist valves, hold objects in place, and remove nuts and bolts.
Conclusion
There are seemingly endless plier options on the market today—but if you’re equipped with the right knowledge about different plier styles and their applications, you’ll easily find the perfect tool to suit your business’s needs.