Knipex Pliers Wrench Review: A Toolbox Necessity

The German-made Knipex Pliers Wrench is a cleverly designed and infinitely useful toolbox staple. In this concise review, industry veteran Sean Mailen shares an overview of what makes the Knipex unique and how he uses them in his workshop. Read his Knipex Pliers Wrench review here…

Words and photos by Sean Mailen, with additional photos by Logan Watts

If you geek out on World Cup mechanic toolboxes like me, then you already know about Knipex and their Pliers Wrench. In the world of tools, I’d say this tool has a cult following. To the uninitiated, you may think, “That’s just a fancy adjustable wrench,” but there’s a lot of capability in this tool. It’s not until you use one that you fully realize its many uses and ingenious design. I’ve heard the question, “Aren’t Knipex Pliers Wrenches, or Knipex for short, just channel locks?” Channel locks, or tongue-and-groove pliers, are great tools, but they are not the same. I’m not sticking my nose up at tongue-and-groove pliers. They have their place, but they’re different.

Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

First, tongue-and-groove pliers typically have serrated teeth. This is a great feature for a homeowner or mechanic working on steel hardware, but bikes are typically constructed with lighter, more attractive anodized aluminum parts that you are trying not to scratch or gouge. Knipex solves this problem by having smooth jaws that are always parallel. Once you use the tool a couple of times, you realize how helpful this is. The lower jaw is in a linear groove to keep it parallel to the upper jaw through its complete range of motion.

Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

Tongue-and-groove pliers, however, use multiple curved grooves for the lower jaw to pivot around. When using them, you select the appropriate groove for the part you are working on. The single pivot motion of tongue and groove pliers means it only has one position in each groove that’s parallel to the upper jaw. When the jaws are not parallel, one jaw is contacting the part at an angle and with less surface area. As surface area mating decreases, the chance of biting, marring, or denting increases. Using Knipex, on the other hand, dramatically reduces the possibility of damage since the jaws always evenly grasp the part and give you as much surface area as possible.

  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review
  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

Another comparison is the classic adjustable wrench. These are a staple of any home mechanic’s toolbox and have been helping us keep pipes from leaking and trucks running for decades. Adjustable wrenches theoretically have parallel jaws, but they also have a vulnerability in their design. In this tool, the lower jaw moves in a linear fashion, similar to the Knipex, but the position is controlled by a worm gear mechanism. The worm gear, or adjuster, allows you to open and close the jaws. It’s a very efficient mechanism overall, but the downside is its sensitivity to play or backlash. It’s not the end of the world for most users; in fact, most users don’t notice.

  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review
  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

However, if you’re working on something you are very keen to protect, especially in anodized aluminum, then this may become apparent. Knipex solves this by using the force of grasping the tool handles and providing a compressive force on the part itself. The Knipex accomplish this by using a “tooth” at the pivot that forces the lower jaw to travel up or down as you squeeze or release the handles. This allows you to remove any backlash or slop from the system since your grasping force provides the compressive force and puts the pivot mechanism under compression. This play-free design, matched with the parallel jaws, makes for a very effective clamping force on the work piece that provides fairly even pressure across the mating surfaces. This same pivoting mechanism and design also allow you to ratchet the tool quickly to tighten or loosen hardware.

I’ve used Knipex Pliers Wrenches for several years for various tasks. I have the 5″, 7 ¼”, and 12″ versions. The 7 ¼” size is my favorite, hands down, and I’ve found the 12″ useful when I need quite a bit of leverage or more pressure as a mini press. The 5″ version is nice but doesn’t see that much use unless I have small hardware or older hubs to work on (it works as a cone wrench). Each Knipex has a different size range, and the 7 ¼” size can handle up to 1 ½” (40 mm) workpiece. I appreciate the large range, but I have run into jobs when I’m near the max size and wish it had longer handles for more leverage.

Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

This is when I reach for the 12″ version. Another advantage to the Knipex Pliers Wrench is its many uses. As Knipex says, they can “screw, grip, hold, bend, and press.” I’ve frequently used them to press together shock eyelet bushings and hardware. They can also provide superior clamping force compared to needle-nose pliers and allow you to grab and pull things apart that otherwise could be very difficult.

  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review
  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

Overall, I’ve found the Knipex Pliers Wrench a must-have tool. I see one area for improvement: the laser-etched position marking. It’s hard to read the small numerical print, and I find they get dirty easily, making them even less visible. Typically, I just eyeball the size, and once you use the tool a handful of times, you can do this quickly. It is easy to adjust the size with the push button as well. The quality and craftsmanship are what you would expect from a German tool maker.

Who’s this tool for?

I believe any home mechanic can find a use for these and especially a person who wants to simplify their shop or travels with their tools. There’s a reason this tool is in the toolbox of 99% of World Cup mechanics. It has such a variety of uses, and when I’m in a tight spot, I often reach for them. All of my suspension components are thankful for them, and I’ve saved a lot of anodization from getting scratched off with their use.

  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review
  • Knipex Pliers Wrench Review

I’ve never taken them on a bikepacking trip, but considering the trip and gear, I would consider taking the 5″ version since it’s small but could be very useful, depending on the problem. After having Knipex Pliers Wrenches for a year, I got rid of my adjustable wrenches since they were just collecting dust. I kept all my combination wrenches since they are better in tight spaces or repetitive tasks, and sometimes you just need two wrenches.

Pros

  • Parallel jaws keep even pressure and prevent marring
  • Clamping pressure keeps a solid hold on the workpiece
  • Large adjustable range that is easy to change
  • Quality construction from Knipex

Cons

  • Expensive compared to adjustable wrenches
  • Difficult to read jaw location print
  • Not the best tool to use in tight quarters

You can learn more about the Knipex Pliers Wrench at Knipex-Tools.com.

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