Bolster
Well-known member
Found these 8" Bahco Big Mouth Ergo Adjustable Joint Pliers (8231) on Amazon for $14.
They look to be similar to the 7" sold by Snap-on for $46 or the 10" sold for $52. Their claim to fame is that they "...feature 12" capacity in an 8" pliers!" Max open jaw size listed 1.5" which seemed OK, but it looked bigger in the photo. I was curious, because I've been looking for big capacity in the smallest possible pliers for my "traveling" box that is always over capacity. Seems emergency plumbing always calls for really large pliers.
The 8231s arrived the other day, and they actually measure 8-3/4 from tip to tip (should be called 9" pliers). Made in France. Ooo la la. A little quirky, like you'd expect from the French, but I'm keeping them. Positives outweigh negatives IMHO.
Negatives
- Jaws move just 3/4" of an inch from open to closed. The workaround, obviously, is to adjust the pliers to fit the project. But that's not a lot of jaw swing between open and closed.
- Lower jaw moves side-to-side about 1/16 inch in either direction from the top jaw. It's a function of the design, so you can't expect the top and bottom jaws to close in perfect alignment each time.
Positives:
- Really do have a capacious opening size for 9". Max open size is 2.5", but is unusable at that opening. The bottom three ratchets are not functional at all (so why are they there?). When you squeeze the handles at max open, you'll get three ratchet clicks to the first useable notch. At that location, max open is 2.25", much more than the advertised 1.5" (it is 1.5" closed at max opening). That's pretty serious capacity, so despite the redundant ratchet settings, I list this as a big positive. That's a lot of opening on any plier, let alone a 9" plier.
(Interesting, it looks like you could tease a little more opening capacity out of these if you'd file or grind a protruding flange on the foremost grip, where the soft grips end and transition to the metal.)
- The thumb button adjuster looks plastic in all the photos but it's not, hurray. Press it to adjust, simple. If you open wide, you can ratchet it closed to the adjustment you want without pressing the thumb button. But to open wider you must press.
- LOVE the depth of those jaws! From throat to tip of the jaw is a whopping 2". These are some serious deep-throat pliers.
- Look and feel of the jaw teeth remind me very much of Knipex cobras. Sharp teeth. Only time will tell how hard the jaws are.
- As comfortable as they look.
I rate these TWO ROASTED GOPHERS UP because of their large capacity (opening AND depth) in a compact tool, their European design and manufacturing (which I hope means well-hardened jaws), and their bargain price. Try a pair and tell me if you agree.
Some photos with competitors:
They look to be similar to the 7" sold by Snap-on for $46 or the 10" sold for $52. Their claim to fame is that they "...feature 12" capacity in an 8" pliers!" Max open jaw size listed 1.5" which seemed OK, but it looked bigger in the photo. I was curious, because I've been looking for big capacity in the smallest possible pliers for my "traveling" box that is always over capacity. Seems emergency plumbing always calls for really large pliers.
The 8231s arrived the other day, and they actually measure 8-3/4 from tip to tip (should be called 9" pliers). Made in France. Ooo la la. A little quirky, like you'd expect from the French, but I'm keeping them. Positives outweigh negatives IMHO.
Negatives
- Jaws move just 3/4" of an inch from open to closed. The workaround, obviously, is to adjust the pliers to fit the project. But that's not a lot of jaw swing between open and closed.
- Lower jaw moves side-to-side about 1/16 inch in either direction from the top jaw. It's a function of the design, so you can't expect the top and bottom jaws to close in perfect alignment each time.
Positives:
- Really do have a capacious opening size for 9". Max open size is 2.5", but is unusable at that opening. The bottom three ratchets are not functional at all (so why are they there?). When you squeeze the handles at max open, you'll get three ratchet clicks to the first useable notch. At that location, max open is 2.25", much more than the advertised 1.5" (it is 1.5" closed at max opening). That's pretty serious capacity, so despite the redundant ratchet settings, I list this as a big positive. That's a lot of opening on any plier, let alone a 9" plier.
(Interesting, it looks like you could tease a little more opening capacity out of these if you'd file or grind a protruding flange on the foremost grip, where the soft grips end and transition to the metal.)
- The thumb button adjuster looks plastic in all the photos but it's not, hurray. Press it to adjust, simple. If you open wide, you can ratchet it closed to the adjustment you want without pressing the thumb button. But to open wider you must press.
- LOVE the depth of those jaws! From throat to tip of the jaw is a whopping 2". These are some serious deep-throat pliers.
- Look and feel of the jaw teeth remind me very much of Knipex cobras. Sharp teeth. Only time will tell how hard the jaws are.
- As comfortable as they look.
I rate these TWO ROASTED GOPHERS UP because of their large capacity (opening AND depth) in a compact tool, their European design and manufacturing (which I hope means well-hardened jaws), and their bargain price. Try a pair and tell me if you agree.
Some photos with competitors:
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