Knipex Cobra pliers

[SteveU]

Recieved the 16" & 22" knipex cobras yesterday, these things are huge! They appear to be well made, both have 'made in Germany' stamped into them. The 16" looks like it opens wide enough to take off most automotive oil filters while the 22" dwarfs that. Both have teeth angled so that they will bite into the work as you apply pressure rather than the more neutral teeth on vise grips. I now have all 5 sizes & they are my go to pliers for most things. Last summer I removed a frozen caliper bleeder screw with the 7" size that vice grips wouldn't touch. Highly recommended.

 

[Charlie's68]

were did you get the bigger ones? I have the 3 pack, and i love them.

 

[SteveU]

Thetoolwarehouse.net

 

[PaulToolz]

there's also a small 6" one - i have one, pretty much the same as the 7", just shorter handles. They're stubby and a bit awkward to use, but pack the usual bite and can get into tighter spots. Can't imagine the 22"....you could probably twist Godzilla's toes off with that one!

 

[ImportTuner]

Excellent pliers; highly recommended, even over Channellocks ... I only have the 3 pack; can imagine what I would need a 22" plier for ...

 

[64merc]

I've seen some Craftsman pliers that look like Knipex. Are they worth the money or should I go for the Knipex. I was just thinking of ease of warranty, but then again, I don't see the Knipex having to be warrantied anytime soon. I think this is what I'm thinking of - see below

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...Name=Hand+Tools,+General+Purpose&sName=Pliers

 

[chevy302dz]

I've seen some Craftsman pliers that look like Knipex. Are they worth the money or should I go for the Knipex. I was just thinking of ease of warranty, but then again, I don't see the Knipex having to be warrantied anytime soon. I think this is what I'm thinking of - see below

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...Name=Hand+Tools,+General+Purpose&sName=Pliers

I'm pretty sure these are made by Knipex, I know for a fact that they are produced in Germany.

 

[Matt Matthews]

I bought my cobra 3 piece set off S.O. and have fallen in love with them, Great plier and Have been thinking about picking up the bigger plier's.
They seem to get a great non marring bite at about any angle. I also highly recommend these...

matt

 

[eschoendorff]

I'm pretty sure these are made by Knipex, I know for a fact that they are produced in Germany.

Correct.

I have both the Knipex Cobras and Alligator pliers and they're both great. But I still reach for my FACOM first. When it comes to huge pliers, not many companies can do it as well as Channellock. Except Knipex....

 

[Joe B.]

Knipex makes the best pliers on Earth. I spent 5 years working on fire sprinkler systems and I carried a set of Knipex Alligator pliers with me every day. I used them like a pipe wrench and on rusty old bolts every day. They could do the work that you would otherwise need multiple tools for.

The Craftsman ones are the exact same as the Knipex. The only problem is that if you are only going to buy one, you should get the 12". The shorter Craftsman sizes don't give you as much leverage. The ones longer than 12" get a little bulky in tight places. My 12" pliers are 15 years old and saw 5 years of daily use. The teeth are worn down but they still work great. I don't think you would ever need to warrantee these unless you expect to be using them multiple times daily. I also have the two smaller Craftsman sizes. They are a great addition and I recommend them too but get the 12" first. I also prefer the Knipex Alligator pliers over the Cobra pliers. You don't get as precise jaw width settings as you do with the Cobras but you can change the jaw width setting much quicker when you don't have to push the button.

 

[ImportTuner]

Anybody know what is the difference between the Alligator pliers and the Cobra pliers; they look the same ...

 

[strizzy]

Anybody know what is the difference between the Alligator pliers and the Cobra pliers; they look the same ...

Cobras have a push button lock to adjust the size, where the Alligator are closer to your groove Channellocks, open it up, slide to size, close.

I have Alligators, cause there cheaper... and I'm not sure I would want to hassle with the button all the time.

Alligators:

Cobras:

 

[ImportTuner]

Cobras have a push button lock to adjust the size, where the Alligator are closer to your groove Channellocks, open it up, slide to size, close.

I have Alligators, cause there cheaper... and I'm not sure I would want to hassle with the button all the time.

Thanks ... I have the Cobra's but I saw the Alligator's in the catalog and was not sure of the difference ...

 

[Merkava_4]

I've got the 7 inch and the 12 inch. I've seen the 16 inch in the store and they're huge. The 22 inch would be beyond my comprehension.

 

[Fedwrench]

Knipex pliers are my favorite pliers. Those 22 inch models come in handy for squeezing large things together. I've seen techs use them to compress disc brake caliper pistons and broom techs use them to hold chain links together. They can be real expensive off of the truck but, they're not too bad from an online vendor.

 

[bchee]

The Craftsman ones are the exact same as the Knipex. The only problem is that if you are only going to buy one, you should get the 12". The shorter Craftsman sizes don't give you as much leverage.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00945430000P

I went to look for the 12" Craftsman pliers, but couldn't find them online, or in the store. They do say 'made in germany' as has already been mentioned. Does anyone know if they still sell the 12"

 

[Merkava_4]

Why not just go to your local industrial store and buy the 12 inch Knipex Cobras? That's how I got mine.

 

[bchee]

The only place I know about here is Grainger, and they don't sell to individuals.

I figure if they're identical, I would get the Craftsman brand using a coupon, and it would be easier to warranty later (though I probably wouldn't need to replace them).

 

[Merkava_4]

The only place I know about here is Grainger, and they don't sell to individuals.

All you have to do is tell them you work for so and so and then they'll sell to you. Whenever I go there, I just use my prior employer's name.

 

[RenegadeEngr]

Grainger will definately sell to you. The Knipex Cobras are awesome, I got a pair recently and they are the real deal. It seems like Channelocks stuff has gone down hill, they have to much play in them and aren't as robust as they used too.

 

[nissan_crawler]

http://www.aktoolsonline.com/index.html

I prefer the cobra's since they don't adjust themselves at random.

 

[eschoendorff]

Grainger will definately sell to you. The Knipex Cobras are awesome, I got a pair recently and they are the real deal. It seems like Channelocks stuff has gone down hill, they have to much play in them and aren't as robust as they used too.

Are you serious??? My current Channellock stuff seems to be as robust as ever!

 

[old salvage]

Okay I just mic'd out an old pair of Channellock 420 pliers (pre 1965).
Jaw thickness is .302 and .3095. Thickness of neck at the channels is .250.
I wont bother to measure the handles themselves since modern ones are covered with plastic and there would be no comparison, that is unless someone wants to cut the grip off their handles.

 

[gotmud13613]

Are you serious??? My current Channellock stuff seems to be as robust as ever!

AGREED I wouldn't give up my BIG AZZ Channellocks for nothing, as well as my smaller ones

 

[eschoendorff]

Okay I just mic'd out an old pair of Channellock 420 pliers (pre 1965).
Jaw thickness is .302 and .3095. Thickness of neck at the channels is .250.
I wont bother to measure the handles themselves since modern ones are covered with plastic and there would be no comparison, that is unless someone wants to cut the grip off their handles.

I don't think that I would go by jaw thickness as a standard. I wouldn't mind having a slightly thinner jaw for accessiblilty issues. Ever mic'ed a set of Knipex? Those are thin too. Also, remember that there are steels being used now that didn't even exist in 1965....

 

[old salvage]

Right. True waterpump pliers have really thin jaws.
the way everyone raves about Knipex I'll probably be getting a pair soon.
No question that technology (metrological) has gone up but I dont know if that carries over to hand tools as much as it should. I think (or am paranoid) that at some point tool mfg's stopped making stuff better so that people will have to buy more. Part of the whole planned obsolescence/throw away culture thing.

 

[johnny1290]

I've been getting knipex pliers for a little while now...all are top notch. I only have the 6 or 7" cobra pliers, just used them today and worked well...all the teeth are real sharp on the needle nose, linemans pliers, and cutters work well. I need the larger sizes now. I haven't seen any dulling or chipping of the teeth in the needle nose as I have seen in my old sears model.

I don't think anybody would be disappointed with their stuff.

 

[Dstosh]

I just picked up a set of matco/knipex Alligator 7",10" and 12" for 60 bucks shipped on ebay. Glad I didnt pay to much because they said matco.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Knipex-3X88-3-P...ryZ46579QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem DOH!

 

[bchee]

I checked that auction. I didn't see anything about Matco...

 

[Dstosh]

I checked that auction. I didn't see anything about Matco...

My bad. I bought a matco set of pliers. They say knipex right on them. Price on matco's website is 120 something. I found that auction after and noticed that they said knipex on them. Glad I didnt pay more than 60 bucks for them ( The matco ones)

 

[MajorPayne]

i love everything knipex...they all are amazing tools

i suppose thats why companies (ie matco) rebadge them

i just got some needle noses, diagonal cutters, and the cobra pliers recently, and have had and used numerous other knipex tools in the past...they are the BEST at making pliers