Knipex Needle Nose Pliers

[Jeeper]

Bought these maybe a month ago from Lowes. Was pulling a cotter pin from an axle nut and look what happened. Hopefully Lowes will warranty them.

 

[Monte]

oooops

 

[mrholeshot]

They will warranty them, No problem. While not the job the tool was designrd for Channellock needlenose would have probably done it. I normally use a pair of side cutters to pull them out because it's so much faster and I never reuse a cotter pin. THAT SAID I saw a pair of these in Lowes a few weeks ago and have been lusting for them. They have very small presission tips and well made. Any tool is prone to failure when used outside it's intended purpose. But if everyone used them as intended there would very rarely be a warranty claim on even the cheapest of tools.

 

[allinon72]

You can return anything at Lowes.

 

[billymade]

These work great!

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1646&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[chevy302dz]

Bought these maybe a month ago from Lowes. Was pulling a cotter pin from an axle nut and look what happened. Hopefully Lowes will warranty them.

While techinally they were not being used in the proper manner, that's pretty pathetic. Any decent pair of long nose pliers should be able to handle that type of use for quite some time before that kind of breakage occurs. Hopefully you just got a bad set, they will be warrentied and the next set will hold up better.

 

[Danglerb]

Shouldn't have broken, but makes me wonder, pulling it out, or prying it out?

 

[mrholeshot]

While techinally they were not being used in the proper manner, that's pretty pathetic. Any decent pair of long nose pliers should be able to handle that type of use for quite some time before that kind of breakage occurs. Hopefully you just got a bad set, they will be warrentied and the next set will hold up better.

Thats a hard call to make if you wern't there. I'm not a huge fan of Knipex they were being used for the wrong job. That would be like me saying my Snap-On screwdriver wasn't any good because it snapped the pist time I pryed open a brake caliper (I've done it). Wrong tool for the job period. I use Channellock side cutters and grab the big end and pull out cotter keys by getting the end of the cutter on the nut and pulling up on the back end. Not the correct tool for the job but works better than the tools made for the job. If they get dull I won't blame the tool

 

[chevy302dz]

Thats a hard call to make if you wern't there. I'm not a huge fan of Knipex they were being used for the wrong job. That would be like me saying my Snap-On screwdriver wasn't any good because it snapped the pist time I pryed open a brake caliper (I've done it). Wrong tool for the job period. I use Channellock side cutters and grab the big end and pull out cotter keys by getting the end of the cutter on the nut and pulling up on the back end. Not the correct tool for the job but works better than the tools made for the job. If they get dull I won't blame the tool

While everything that you said is true, I don't agree that there is any reason the pliers should have failed the way they did being as new as they are. Going from the pic there is no evidence of any bending so I can't believe the pressure was all that great, there's no evidence that they were ever heated up which could have made them brittle, and unless the OP is using them 20 hour days 7 days a week they're far to new for the break to be stress induced. While it is the wrong tool for the job it's not completely out of the tools range of function either and for a tool that new, that is considered to be in the top tier of quality a failure like that should not occur. Again hopefully this was just a bad set and the next ones will perform better, even the Germans can't make perfect tools all the time

 

[mrholeshot]

True but good tools break, cheap tools bend

 

[chevy302dz]

True but good tools break, cheap tools bend

I've always went with cheap tools bend or break, good tools bend then break. Kind of like Goldilocks, this one is too hard and this one is too soft this one is just right LOL.

 

[Bolster]

Bought these maybe a month ago from Lowes. Was pulling a cotter pin from an axle nut and look what happened. Hopefully Lowes will warranty them.

Be prepared for people to blame you for their breaking. People are very defensive about Knipex for some reason. See my broken pair at the end of this thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42128

You get the feeling from this board, that ANY time you use a Knipex and it breaks, that it's post-facto "the wrong tool for the job." If you were pulling marshmallows out of a bag and it broke, somebody would post that your Knipex were the wrong tool for it. Pliers are multi-use tools. I would think a pair of needlenose pliers should be able to pull a piece of wire from a hole, even if there is a dedicated tool for it.

That said, Lowes will replace it, and Knipex would also likely replace it for you, as they did mine.

 

[djb2]

Errrmmm, exactly what job is needle nosed pliers intended for if not jobs such as this?

Yes, there probably is a German tool to straighten the left side, and a second for the right side of the pin. And another pair of tools if the long end is on the wrong side. And a sleeve to align it perfectly with the hole so a screw type puller can extract it.

But that doesn't mean a needle nose pliers is the wrong tool for the job, or that using it for that purpose is abusing it.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

use a cotter pin pulling hook
or cut the ends and just screw the nut off

 

[Bolster]

Errrmmm, exactly what job is needle nosed pliers intended for if not jobs such as this?

Yes, there probably is a German tool to straighten the left side, and a second for the right side of the pin. And another pair of tools if the long end is on the wrong side. And a sleeve to align it perfectly with the hole so a screw type puller can extract it.

But that doesn't mean a needle nose pliers is the wrong tool for the job, using it in that way is abusing it.

Couldn't agree more!!

 

[Monte]

Knipex recommend part #38 71 200 for pulling cotter pins
http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=group_detail&parentID=1336&groupID=1340

Style 7: 70° bent, half-round jaws, suitable for pulling split pins. For gripping tasks in confined areas

 

[Stuey]

There could have been a defect in the metal.

Even if the pliers were used improperly, I wouldn't expect that type of a breakage so easily.

 

[Bolster]

Well, that's 3 potential defects reported here at GJ the last couple weeks then. That I can recall.

 

[W_KY]

As noted, maybe there is some special made tool just for pulling cotter pins but I find it ridiculous that these broke. If they can't survive that, imo they need to be built better. Shoot, I have a cheap-o pair of HF needlenose that would do better than that.

 

[Jeeper]

So my friend was the trying to pull the cotterpin...not sure if he pryed or pulled or what. The castle nut was pinching the pin so that is why it woudn't come out. There may be other tools for that job, but i have pulled out many of cotterpins with my old craftsman needlenose and haven't had any problems.

Lowes allowed the return. The guys said i needed a reciept, which I didn't have. Luckly, I bought them a month or so ago and he looked them up and did the exchange. Disappointing that something that expensive broke like that. Maybe I will switch back to craftsman or channellock.

 

[treasureseeker]

On the good note, you now know how to get a new Knipex from Lowes for a replacement if ever needed. That is a flaw in the steel but happened at the area with the most stress, where the side radius meets the flat of the jaw.

 

[Davefr]

I would almost bet money that he used one side of the needle nose tip and put it in the cotter pin hole and then tried to lever it out across the edge of the nut.

I really doubt that gripping the pin tightly caused this type of failure.

 

[mrholeshot]

Be prepared for people to blame you for their breaking. People are very defensive about Knipex for some reason. See my broken pair at the end of this thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42128

You get the feeling from this board, that ANY time you use a Knipex and it breaks, that it's post-facto "the wrong tool for the job." If you were pulling marshmallows out of a bag and it broke, somebody would post that your Knipex were the wrong tool for it. Pliers are multi-use tools. I would think a pair of needlenose pliers should be able to pull a piece of wire from a hole, even if there is a dedicated tool for it.

That said, Lowes will replace it, and Knipex would also likely replace it for you, as they did mine.

I don't defend Knipex because I don't really care for most of their stuff but in this case it was absolutly the wrong tool for the job. Those are delicate and precise pliers. A lot would depend on the size of the cotter pin. As with everybody else here I was assuming.

 

[bchee]

If you were pulling marshmallows out of a bag and it broke,

LMFAO

 

[Hlidskjalf]

I am familiar with those needle nose pliers because I use mine daily. The tips are more delicate than my channellocks and ideals. I love them because they are great for grabbing wiring and connectors. I definitely wouldn't expect ther precision tip to pull cotter pins.

If you are expecting that task from these pliers, look elsewhere.

 

[caper]

I pull cotter pins with my Snap on pistol grip needle nose all the time.I've never considered them to be the wrong tool for the job.I'm grabbing a small piece of thin steel,that's what needle nose pliers do.If it was a large pin or heavily rusted I'd probably grab my side cutters but usually they aren't necessary for small pins.

 

[wreckercologist]

I snapped the tip off a pair of Mac tools branded Knipex 45 degree bent needle nose pliers while pulling a cotter key. The were replaced with no questions asked, but that was on the Mac truck. I would expect that Lowes would help you out too.

I've gotta agree with all the others saying that those are not the correct tool. Pick up a cotter key remover...........the also work on a lot of other stuff too.

 

[shovel]

Needlenose pliers may not be THE correct tool for the job, but pulling a cotter pin should not be out of the realm of a pair of pliers! I have used Craftsman, Channellock, Knipex and no-name brand needlenose pliers to pull cottter pins and worse. I have never "abused" or broken any of them! If the Knipex wont do this job, they wouldnt be in my toolbox. Saying that, and owning knipex needlenose pliers, I would think they were defective. Lowes would prolly exchange them. I think some of you guys are being a little too **** about what pliers should be used for. If there ever was a multi-purpose tool, it would be pliers! Thats my take on it anyway...

 

[z28snksknr]

I don't defend Knipex because I don't really care for most of their stuff but in this case it was absolutly the wrong tool for the job. Those are delicate and precise pliers. A lot would depend on the size of the cotter pin. As with everybody else here I was assuming.

..... delicate pliers?

you'll have to defend that for me. They are made of steel, no? What exactly constitutes a "delicate" set of pliers vs. a "general use" set? Do they purposely make this set so "precisely" that they are weak by nature and should only be used on soft, delicate jobs that require 0.00001" tolerances on the grip knurls?

I don't know exactly HOW the failure happened in this case, I just know that it SHOULDN'T have happened. I've been downright abusive with my 5 or 6 sets of C-Man needlenose pliers and none have ever bent, broken, broken then bent, or bent then broken.

I would expect more from a $30 pair of needlenose pliers.

 

[mrholeshot]

..... delicate pliers?

you'll have to defend that for me. They are made of steel, no? What exactly constitutes a "delicate" set of pliers vs. a "general use" set? Do they purposely make this set so "precisely" that they are weak by nature and should only be used on soft, delicate jobs that require 0.00001" tolerances on the grip knurls?

I don't know exactly HOW the failure happened in this case, I just know that it SHOULDN'T have happened. I've been downright abusive with my 5 or 6 sets of C-Man needlenose pliers and none have ever bent, broken, broken then bent, or bent then broken.

I would expect more from a $30 pair of needlenose pliers.

The pliers are very hard steel, they are very thin and small. The fact they they are hardend so they grip so much better (for their intended job) they are way overloaded as they are not made for such a side load. They are excellant for doing the job they were made to do. Putting a side load is like putting a side load on a quality srewdriver. They just snap. Just like a screwdriver isn't a pry bar neither is a set of small needle nose a cotter pin puller. There is a reason they make cotter pin pullers. That is to keep from screwing up other tools and to make the job easier, It this had been a set of Habor Freight pliers people would be lined up to blame China. Wrong tool for the job period. He may as well been using those Knipex as a prybar

 

[Thedroid]

How about a pic of those pliers side by side with some of your other pais. A close up of the tips would be nice. I've looked at those pliers before, and I remember the tips tapering down much thinner for more delicate work. I wouldn't expect to be able to squeeze those pliers full force grabbing something small with the tips. Iirc those tips make my so's look blunt

 

[superautobacs]

So my friend was the trying to pull the cotterpin...not sure if he pryed or pulled or what. The castle nut was pinching the pin so that is why it woudn't come out. There may be other tools for that job, but i have pulled out many of cotterpins with my old craftsman needlenose and haven't had any problems.

...

I would almost bet money that he used one side of the needle nose tip and put it in the cotter pin hole and then tried to lever it out across the edge of the nut.

I really doubt that gripping the pin tightly caused this type of failure.

That's a possibility. OP, do you know if this was the method of attack your friend used? Did he bend the cotter pin ends straight before attempting to pull it out? Did he take a socket to the castlenut to crack the nut loose and back off? There must've been room to tap the pin end with a small hammer to...if he was short of tools, he could've used the pliers to tap the ends. Doing that should break the cotter pin free of rust/grime/whatever's build up in that hole.

 

[bushhawg73]

These work great!

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1646&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I have a pair and there is no easier way to pull out pins than a pair of these as long as you have the room.

 

[dankicksass]

I've never pulled a cotter pin with a pick, always Channellock's pliers, though I have no Knipex unless you count the Craftsman-branded Cobra 10 I picked up this weekend. The pick seems like an invitation to a puncture wound to me.

FWIW, the Cobras don't feel as sturdy as any 10in or even 8in Channellock pliers in my box, lots of handle flex. I wouldn't buy them, but for warranty replacement I won't complain too much. They are much nicer than the Irwin China Cobra clone (Groovelock) my dad brought home some samples of a little while ago though. The only Knipex tool I'm actually interested in purchasing is the Pliers Wrench.

 

[Seanbev24]

I would almost bet money that he used one side of the needle nose tip and put it in the cotter pin hole and then tried to lever it out across the edge of the nut.

I really doubt that gripping the pin tightly caused this type of failure.

That's the first thing that came to my mind. Axle nut cotter pins are just big enough to get the tip of those pliers through the end. If the cotter pin wasn't straightened enough, prying on it could break any brand of needlenose.

I could care less about defending knipex, but in this case it sounds like the OP's buddy used the wrong tool in the worst way. The wrong tool usually works ok IF you use it right.

I'm with the other guys. Dikes make quick work of cotter pins. I never reuse them either. I keep a box of various sizes in my cart.

 

[ATTappman]

So nobody else uses these SK cotter pin removal pliers?

 

[mrholeshot]

The only Knipex tool I'm actually interested in purchasing is the Pliers Wrench.

I hate those things, I had a set for about 6 months and ended up selling them on ebay. Useless for me

 

[mrholeshot]

So nobody else uses these SK cotter pin removal pliers?

I get them out faster with these.

 

[737mechanic]

I have never actually seen a list telling me what the job of needle nose pliers is but I can say I have a 5 dollar pair of long needlenose (have no idea were I got them) that have pulled many cotter pins and they are still going strong. Unless the cotterpin he was pulling was of some massive size even a cheap set of needlenose should hold up to such a task.

Normally I reach for my CHANNELLOCK Side cutters when I need to pull cotterpins as this has proven to be the easiest way to do it. I have had the same pair for about 20 years and they have seen tons of cotter pins and other cutting actions and they still deliver like the day they was new.

Best cotterpin puller ever made.

 

[MrMark]

The pliers are very hard steel, they are very thin and small. The fact they they are hardend so they grip so much better (for their intended job) they are way overloaded as they are not made for such a side load. They are excellant for doing the job they were made to do. Putting a side load is like putting a side load on a quality srewdriver. They just snap. Just like a screwdriver isn't a pry bar neither is a set of small needle nose a cotter pin puller. There is a reason they make cotter pin pullers. That is to keep from screwing up other tools and to make the job easier, It this had been a set of Habor Freight pliers people would be lined up to blame China. Wrong tool for the job period. He may as well been using those Knipex as a prybar

That is one of the best posts I have read on here. I don't always agree with Holeshot but he has nailed this one. Nothing else to say. It was tool abuse plain and simple.