Pliers extend and increase the strength of your hand’s grip. They’re simple levers, with the joint as the fulcrum: By pressing on the handles, you magnify your holding power and direct it to the tiny point where the jaws meet.
Every toolbox contains a fistful of pliers, with various sizes, jaws, joints, and handles, each suited to a particular task. But for all their differences, pliers come in just three basic types: locking, adjustable, and nonadjustable.
Locking pliers tighten mechanically onto the workpiece, freeing you to pull, twist, or even let go without losing your grip. Adjustable pliers can be sized to a variety of openings, while the jaws remain parallel so they can grip bolts or pipes. (Avoid the familiar slip-joint pliers that have a figure-eight joint perpendicular to the handles — you’ll likely skin your knuckles when the tool slips.) Nonadjustable pliers move around a fixed joint, sometimes aided by a spring to open the jaws.
No one pair of pliers can do everything; turn the page to see which you’ll need around your house. In all cases, look for simple but substantial tools with a smooth-operating, tight joint, and choose ones that are sized to the job at hand. Expect to pay about $20 to $30 for a decent pair — you won’t find hard, tough steel for bargain-basement prices.
Locking Pliers
Grip the workpiece with these pliers, then adjust the jaws with a turn of the screw at the base of the handle. Squeeze the handles and the jaws lock tight in place, freeing you to concentrate on bending, pulling, or twisting without losing your grip.
1. Curved-jaw
Features: Serrated jaws shaped to wrap around round objects.
Best for: Freeing frozen nuts and bolts, pulling nails, removing broken screws, and other demolition tasks. Acts as a clamp in a pinch.
Find curved-jaw pliers here.
2. Long-nose
Features: Long, serrated jaws that close tight at the tips.
Best for: Getting an unbreakable grip on small things, such as staples, pins, and broken screws in hard-to-reach places. If you were marooned on a desert island, you could survive with just this tool and a pocket knife. Find long-nose pliers here.