Parallel jaw pliers, what are they good for, why a niche?

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Have you had a chance to use these yet? Any thoughts?

A little. I used them a couple of times to hold some bolts by the thread (sorry!) while I tightened nuts onto them, because I couldn't reach the head side at the same time. Held them lengthwise in the groove. Also used them to push in some panel pins into wood near glass that I didn't want to hammer.

I'm a bit spoilt for choice, having pliers wrenches already, and having around the same time bought a TwinGrip and long flat noses (fat duckbills).

The max jaw opening is 14mm, but comfortably in my stretched hand it's actually only about 10mm. So that's a bit limiting for thinking to grab them for anything and everything.

 

[KnurledNut]

A little. I used them a couple of times to hold some bolts by the thread (sorry!) while I tightened nuts onto them, because I couldn't reach the head side at the same time. Held them lengthwise in the groove. Also used them to push in some panel pins into wood near glass that I didn't want to hammer.

I'm a bit spoilt for choice, having pliers wrenches already, and having around the same time bought a TwinGrip and long flat noses (fat duckbills).

The max jaw opening is 14mm, but comfortably in my stretched hand it's actually only about 10mm. So that's a bit limiting for thinking to grab them for anything and everything.

A pin gripping slot on pliers is incredibly useful; an underrated feature.
Thanks for the update.
BTW, great photo of your pliers.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Slight tangent - parallel jaw locking pliers.

Gedore 137 P


Gedore 137 PA with smooth jaw (discontinued)


Stahlwille 6562 (similar but not the same, I believe).

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Bernard then spent the next few decades designing variations on the pliers,

Indeed. At last count I have nineteen (19) unique BERNARD pliers in my collection - many but not all of them parallel, or compound, which outgrew my board (old photo, currently being reconstructed) a long time ago.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I do have all sizes of the famous parallel compound pliers with side-cutters.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

But the most interesting variant to me might be what Schollhorn marketed as Vise-Pliers. Most similar in purpose to hand-vises or, I suppose, to any small locking plier-wrench with parallel jaws. The jaws are knurled with the same grip pattern as their most popular and famous pliers, but note that they have cruciform grooves for holding pins through the nose or offset.

(Apologies for three posts in a row and to @YesIHaveAHammer for going back when you just tangented! I mainly hang out down on the Vintage Board, but the title caught my eye when scanning this morning.)

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Not at all, I don't own the thread or seek to direct it

But actually we are still on the broader theme of parallel jaw pliers with some form of clamping or locking mechanism.

 

[jblnut]

I have a few pair of Vise-Pliers that I use as hose clamping/pinching pliers. They clamp flat and stay put.