What makes a good pair of pliers
Millions of pliers are manufactured worldwide every year. Most of them serve their purpose. But when you hold a high-quality pair of pliers in your hand, you will feel it immediately. What makes KNIPEX pliers different than all the others?
The joint in pliers, like in this diagonal cutter, is of great importance and says a lot about the quality of the tool.
Easy running
The first impression that you get when opening and closing a pair of pliers provides a good indication of its quality. The joint runs smoothly and without play. The handles of the pliers open slightly, but they do not fall apart immediately.
The construction of a powerful, long-lasting pliers joint is a highly demanding engineering feat, since the precise manufacture requires the latest technologies and processes. KNIPEX devotes all of its creativity and competence to both.
Design of the effective points
The gripping surfaces or cutting edges of KNIPEX pliers are precisely shaped and designed in every detail to meet the requirements of the application.
Gripping surfaces are designed in such a way that workpieces can be gripped safely. For some applications, it is necessary to ensure that sensitive surfaces are not damaged. Cutting edges are manufactured with cutting angles, alignment and surface quality to within a hundredth of a millimeter.
Together with the right choice of material, this enables a wide variety of materials to be cut precisely and easily.
The gripping surfaces of the KNIPEX Cobra® are equipped with precise teeth.
The cutting edges are hardened inductively, which makes them particularly durable.
Longevity of the pliers
Careful manufacturing in every detail and first-class materials carefully selected for the respective application ensure the outstanding service life of high-quality pliers.
Cutting edges and gripping surfaces are exposed to particularly high loads. This is why these active points are additionally induction-hardened at KNIPEX using high-frequency current. This is how we achieve the intended load capacity and ensure a long service life.
The right balance is crucial here. If the active areas are too soft, they wear out quickly, if they are too hard, they become brittle and break out. The right proportions can only be found – as KNIPEX does – by combining engineering knowledge and experience gathered over generations.
Optimised force distribution
Working with KNIPEX pliers is easier.
This is because KNIPEX pays special attention to the construction of the joints. It is decided right here how much force has to be used to handle a workpiece. The correct position of the fulcrum and the possibility of using large leverage despite the compact design are the hallmarks of a highly effective pliers joint.
In the case of diagonal cutters with a special design, the required manual force can be reduced to more than half compared to commonly available products – at the same length.
The simulation of a diagonal cutter shows where the pliers are subjected to particularly high loads during the cutting process.
The handles of KNIPEX pliers are designed to fit the hand optimally.
Ergonomic design
KNIPEX pliers are also lighter. So you can comfortably carry the tool with you.
The lowest possible weight paired with maximum resilience leads to a significant reduction in fatigue in daily work. Thanks to the ergonomically designed handle shapes, KNIPEX pliers form a unit with your hand. The width of the pliers handles as well as their shape and material are ideally adapted to the hand's gripping behaviour.
A particularly favourable translation of the hand force and defined elasticity of the handles protect your muscles and tendons. KNIPEX pliers are available in different handle and length versions. This way every user can select the pliers that meet their particular requirements and preferences.
Quality Criteria: steel
The steel used is an essential basis for durable pliers that are safe to use.
Pliers must be designed for different requirements depending on the type, which is why KNIPEX uses specially selected and composed steel alloys that are melted and rolled in metallurgical plants in Germany or in neighbouring countries, depending on the application. The result: edge retention even with very hard wires, breaking strength even with high forces.
The quality of the steel is guaranteed by modern test methods.
Heat treatment in the annealing oven: a decisive step in the development of a pair of pliers.
The right heat treatment
Permanently high resilience and controlled work are achieved when the hardness of the effective points and the slight yielding of the pliers handles are in a balanced relationship.
For this purpose, at KNIPEX, the respective materials receive their special molecular structure in several coordinated heat treatment stages and thus the optimal ratio of hardness and viscosity. The result is the high level of reliability, ease of use, resilience and service life for which KNIPEX pliers are known.
Reliable quality
In order to achieve outstanding and consistent quality, great care and precision in production are essential.
The exact test procedures that continuously accompany the manufacturing process at KNIPEX are described in a certified quality management system; test results are continuously documented and statistically evaluated.
This enables our many years of experienced, trained and highly motivated employees to achieve the desired tight tolerances and the properties of the pliers from series to series - with every single pair.
The KNIPEX Cobra® is known for its biting force and resilience – properties that it has to prove time and time again on the test bench.