Pliers Wrench XS

Bottom Line Up Front: I bought these 71/4(180 mm) pliers because I wanted a set that I can keep comfortably in my pocket at work. They accomplish that nicely.This is not my first set of knipex pliers. I am a big fan. I already own a set of 10"(250mm) plier wrench. It works great but it's large, not very comfortable to carry around all the time. The issue is not just the length but the width of the head assembly. As you can see pictured next to both the 7 1/4(180 mm) and the 10" (250 mm) Cobras, the cobras actually have a smaller width footprint even at that length, which makes pocketing the ten inch set doable, albeit it sticks out.I like these a lot, very versatile, doesn't mar fasteners, excellent leverage for squeezing or bending, and fits nicely in pocket to keep on hand. I wanted something big enough to grab the things I work on, 1 1/2 jaw is great, but small enough footprint I will keep with me. Cobras are more versatile but it is nice not leaving teeth marks on everything you grab.

If you need a pliers wrench, this is the best one on market. Very high quality workmanship, forged steel, fit and finish are flawless, hardware smooth, handles have quality coated grips, machined surfaces are precise as are the forged surfaces. No unreasonable slop, and no binding. The jaws meet dead on. The design in my opinion is superior to all others I've seen in this style as well. Very well thought out, it's perfection! I think Knipex is the the first with this design as well, proving there's still opportunities to innovate on plier type tools that have been around for hundreds of years. Well done Knipex!Like all the Knipex pliers wrenches, it will reliably grip a hex head or nut, sheet metal (for bending), or just clamping and gripping flat objects. The 12" pliers wrench I'm reviewing was useful at all detent positions, and most handle grip positions. In most instances, selecting the next detent will bring the handles to the optimal size.I think the 12" and 7" are going to be your most useful sizes of this tool, I now own both, as well as the Cobras. Keep in mind these have flat jaws, so they're no going to dig into a workpiece, which may be useful for plumbing fixtures, but not as much for rounded parts. I think any tool bag should have both style tools in these sizes.Are they better than other tools on the market? For years, I've always used Channellock products, and they're high quality and made in the USA too, but as far as I know, they don't yet have this style of tool. Regardless of the design, I've found the forged steel and hardening of the German made Knipex tools to be a little better optimized vs. the US made Channellock and Klein, but overall similar in quality of the forged parts and the machining (Klien does have a pliers wrench out now, but I didn't care for the design). Without metallurgic testing, this is just my opinion, but I have no complaints for the steel alloy, hardness and toughness of any of these tools. I will say (the newer and non chromed) Channellock's tools are far more rust resistant than Knipex. Channellock applies a layer of varnish on their tools. Of course, I did buy the black phosphate Knipex vs. the chrome. I don't want chrome chipping off my tools. Rust and corrosion proofing is something Knipex should work on improving even with non-chrome tools. You know corrosion is an issue when you receive you new black Knipex, and they're in a plastic bag, covered in oil (the handles are not, but the metal is soaked). I've never seen this packaging with the US made tools, but it's common with tools from China. Also, it goes without too much elebroation that the Knipex tools are superior to similar tools coming out of Taiwan and China. On the other hand, you do have to pay for the quality, as these 12" pliers wrenches are at least 7x more expensive than the ones sold at Harbor Freight. Are they 7x better, no, I doubt it, but if your workpiece is a multi-million dollar piece of equipment or if you're in a situation where it's life and death depending on if you can repair your vehicle (such as out in the middle of nowhere), I'd want the Knipex. That, and I'm sure the resale value of this tool will always be good.Please understand that these tools will not always replace an open end wrench or socket, and in most applications it can't. In fact any adjustable tool typically won't fit into tight confinements and/or apply the torque needed. For those instances where the tool will fit and can apply the necessary torque, the pliers wrenches are excellent, and like I said, this is the best of the best. Will these replace an entire set of open end wrenches? Yes, in some cases. Can you change the spark plugs on your car with them? No way, but you might pull off changing the oil. (btw, this is not recommended, please use a proper socket on a drain plug, if not for you, the next guy who buys your car.)Recommendation.., 5 stars, and a must have tool for any technician. For a do it yourselfer, or as a junk drawer family use tool, this is a great tool to have, but probably it's overkill. Let's face it, if it's in your junk drawer, it's going to get lost or stolen, and will probably rust. This is a serious professional grade tool. For myself, it's an everyday carry in my tool bag, and my tool bag does not contain any open end wrenches.

These 7" long by 1½" max capacity compact smooth jaw pipe wrench pliers (a replacement for my channel locks) are phenomenal, as expected with all of Knipex's hand tools. I got a chance to borrow one of these that belonged to my journeyman and I was hooked immediately.The finish is quite nice, the weight balance is great, they feel very nice in the hand, open and close effortlessly, and the slide-lock button is easy to use and of low-profile design so it won't hang up on stuff nearly as much as others I've had before like the Milwaukee ones.The way the mechanism is designed, even though they open and close with barely a thought, they'll hold themselves onto a fitting practically on their own, and just pressing the top side will cause them to squeeze tight.Exceptional design, I'm happy to have bought my own finally after borrowing them as often as I could! LolI'll report back once I've used this specific one for a while to confirm/bust the myth that literally everything Knipex makes is the best-in-class.So far it's been true of their linemans' pliers with the fish tape puller and crimp features (7 years and still cutting ¼/20s no problem), and their wire/side-cutters (we call them by the same name the Danish use to describe their earthen seawalls). I have the 10" straight and 6" angled-head wire/side-cutters; they are also 7 years old and have been fairly often cutting steel grid wire for that whole time, with no issues.TL;DR: I'll be shocked if these are anything less than fantastic like everything else I've ever got from Knipex. Lol if you read the whole thing, thanks for coming to my TedTalk! 😅

I have used these every single day the past year and they have held up amazingly. Super comfortable in your hand and small enough to fit in a back pocket.

Highest Quality. This tool is for serious mechanics

Beautifully crafted, well worth the cost. Everything always feels better when one has high quality tools at their disposal. Fits perfectly in your pocket. This is my 4th Knipex pliers variant. Highly recommend this small, but capable tool.

Quality tool that's worth the price. Works like a charm. Only limitation is the short handle length limits how much force you can apply to a tough nut or bolt, but that's no different than working with a wrench or socket set. Recommend it to anyone.

This is really nice. That’s what my husband wanted. It’s high-quality piece of equipment. But make sure you look at the dimensions. It is small.