Kick *** Duckbill pliers!

[suss427]

First up, I am loving buying way too much stuff on GJ classifieds. This is a great community of tool fanatics!

So next up is duck bill pliers.

1)Who makes the absolute best?
2)Who makes the next best?
3)What should I buy?
4)What are common uses (I use for safety wiring in combo with knipex 8in side cutters)?
5)Should I just buy aviation safety wire pliers?
6)What are the best safety wire pliers?
7)Finally last question, are Assembly pliers and duckbill pliers the same thing?

I was thinking Knipex ~$35
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00972103000P

Or Snapon ~$35
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item_Lg.asp?picFile=/28100/28005.JPG[/IMG]

Matco,CM, Cornhol, MAC, CL..... others?

An aviation tech I occasionally work with swears by his MAC duckbill pliers. I have used his and think they are pretty good.

Thanks for any insight!
Dan

 

[shampoop]

I have lots of snapon and channellock pliers. I recommend channellock. Stores only ever have the very basic stuff, but they have lots of very nice stuff online.

They seem to be just as good as the snapon stuff and I actually prefer the grips. They are priced much more fairly too.

 

[dwm]

I've honestly never met a duckbill plier I didn't like. My most recent are Bahco and Channellock, and I like both.

If I were dealing with safety wire day in and day out, I'd buy safety wire pliers, if only to save myself from some hand fatigue.

 

[Outlawmws]

First up, I am loving buying way too much stuff on GJ classifieds. This is a great community of tool fanatics!

So next up is duck bill pliers.

1)Who makes the absolute best?
2)Who makes the next best?
3)What should I buy?
4)What are common uses (I use for safety wiring in combo with knipex 8in side cutters)?
5) Should I just buy aviation safety wire pliers?
5) Finally last question, are Assembly pliers and duckbill pliers the same thing?

I was thinking Knipex ~$35

Or Snapon ~$35

Matco,CM, Cornhol, MAC, CL..... others?

An aviation tech I occasionally work with swears by his MAC duckbill pliers. I have used his and think they are pretty good.

Thanks for any insight!
Dan

If you are wiring fasteners and the like, yes, 5) just buy aviation safety wire pliers



Here are mine, Top to bottom, My old safety wire pliers, A recent set of Channel Locks, that I really like for general use, An old set of Utica's that I got from my dads tools he left me, and a set of Krauters that are more heavy duty.

I like the last two better for small metal forming jobs. Nice squared off jaws and shoulders.

 

[Danglerb]

I like duckbills, SK, Utica, not sure what else I have, I was buying freely for a bit.

 

[woody 73]

I seem to recall that channellock make a very nice duckbill pliers and they will not set you back as much as the snap-on or knipex pliers.

 

[jeffk14]

I seem to recall that channellock make a very nice duckbill pliers and they will not set you back as much as the snap-on or knipex pliers.

^^^This^^^ About 18 bucks on Amazon IIRC.

 

[canuckian]

have a long set from Snap On that I love and use all the time. Also have a regular length set on the way to me from DonkDonk. Can't wait to get them!

didn't know channellock made a pair of duckbills though. May have to try em out!

 

[ourkid2000]

Back when I was in aviation school and was learning how to safety wire, they wouldn't allow us to use automatic twisters. We had to learn with our hands and using duckbills first.

Many of the guys had the more inexpensive Gray tools duckbills (which to my eye look like a dead ringer for the Channellocks. I bet Channellock makes Grays' pliers) and I have to say that they simply didn't work as well as the Snap On ones.

I had the Grays and my instructor had a few used Snap On duckbills that I used to bum off him. Anyways, the way that the Snap On duck bills grip the wire.......they pinch right at the tip, was much better than the Gray design that would grip further back. If you tried to twist the wire using the Grays in a real tight spot, the wire would slip out of the split tip while the Snap On grabs it perfectly right at the tip and you wouldn't lose the wire.

We practiced safety wiring the prop bolts on Piper Navajos and the Snap On plier made it much easier. Anyone who has done this job knows what a pain in the **** it can be (.041" lockwire with very little access). That was good enough for me, I bought a new set of Snap On.

This is a very specific job that I realize many people will never encounter. However, there is a very important difference

 

[suss427]

I seem to recall that channellock make a very nice duckbill pliers and they will not set you back as much as the snap-on or knipex pliers.

I have used CL duck bill pliers and they did not feel as effective as the MAC ones I was using. They required more effort and provided less gripping power. Has anyone actually used Knipex duck bills? I know the SO would be a pretty safe bet, but have not used them or even seen them before, same goes to the Knipex.

btw Thanks for the responses!

 

[gwunsch]

I have a pair of Klein smooth duck bill pliers that I needed one time for a transmission rebuild. Worked great for the job. They have a pretty stiff action, as do the other Klein pliers I have.

 

[bmxr4life87]

The mac ones don't have near the bite the teeth aren't as precise I have both short and long snap ons that I wouldn't trade for any thing else. The jaws are wide flat and square with amazing teeth

 

[earlthegoat2]

Ive got an old set of Uticas. I rarely ever use them truthfully. Once in a while I find a good use for them and it makes me feel good that I have them.

 

[tyndall]

Another vote for channellock. Or Gray. Or Knipex. The snap-ons felt too big to me and Proto seemed really cheap. Channellock also makes a nice pair of needlenose without the stupid cutter.

You'll find you are always using them for something other than safety wiring so I consider them more important than safety wire pliers, but you're really going to want both.

And for your next question you haven't asked yet, Milbars are the best.

 

[rlitman]

My favorite wire nose pliers (same basic design as duckbills, but they come to a point) are actually Craftsman (the ones with the black handles). I like the matching duckbills, but never bought them, as I've got a pair of Knipex, and channellocks in the same drawer.
I kind of like them both. The Knipex I have are really old, and have very thin tips that can get into places that the CL's cannot.

 

[suss427]

Another vote for channellock. Or Gray. Or Knipex. The snap-ons felt too big to me and Proto seemed really cheap. Channellock also makes a nice pair of needlenose without the stupid cutter.

You'll find you are always using them for something other than safety wiring so I consider them more important than safety wire pliers, but you're really going to want both.

And for your next question you haven't asked yet, Milbars are the best.

Question asked: What are the best safety wire pliers?

 

[suss427]

7)Finally last question, are Assembly pliers and duckbill pliers the same thing?

Can any Guru's explain this technicality? (Knipex duckbills look different than most others, and what I posted is called assembly pliers )

 

[Old Donn]

Guess I don't get out much. Got my dad's old Utica and a Craftsman pair that came in a set I bought. Can't say I've ever used either.

 

[rlitman]

Question asked: What are the best safety wire pliers?

I've got Malco's but they are certainly not the "best". Snap-on makes a set that can go clockwise AND counter-clockwise. That's handy in some situations, and pretty uncommon in a safety wire tool.

 

[shampoop]

Also make sure to take into consideration, channellock usually makes many versions of the same style pliers. Most people buy the cheapest smallest version and that's what most stores stock. Make sure you look on their website.

 

[ourkid2000]

I've got Malco's but they are certainly not the "best". Snap-on makes a set that can go clockwise AND counter-clockwise. That's handy in some situations, and pretty uncommon in a safety wire tool.

They are all the same..........every one of the mechanics I work with has a set of reversible twisters. They're all different names but don't let that fool you. Snap on, Proto, Matco, Gray, Blue Point.....you name it. They're all 100% identical, and all made by Milbar.

 

[Outlawmws]

They are all the same..........every one of the mechanics I work with has a set of reversible twisters. They're all different names but don't let that fool you. Snap on, Proto, Matco, Gray, Blue Point.....you name it. They're all 100% identical, and all made by Milbar.

Does Milbar make all the non reversible wire twisters also?

I have two pair, both marked "Jet Twister" and "M-84", which is interesting since one pair dose not have the twist and lock mechanism.

The one with the mechanism has "Robinson Wire Twister" and a Pat. No on the opposite side.

 

[rlitman]

They are all the same..........every one of the mechanics I work with has a set of reversible twisters. They're all different names but don't let that fool you. Snap on, Proto, Matco, Gray, Blue Point.....you name it. They're all 100% identical, and all made by Milbar.

Yeah, after posting that I realized my use of the word "makes" was incorrect, and should have read "sells". Much of their stuff is like that.

 

[worknhard]

5)Should I just buy aviation safety wire pliers?
Yes

6)What are the best safety wire pliers?
Robinson... or Milbar (which acquired Robinson years ago). You can occasionally find surplus Robinson M-84 Jet Twisters for $10-$20, otherwise new ones under the Milbar brand run $70-$80.

 

[matthew]

I have a set of Knipex 29-11-160:

They're nice pliers, quite fine ends, but as they're only 6", they're a bit short for some applications. For wire twisting, or places where access isn't an issue, I'd go for a little longer pair first.