I bet you have pliers at home. One or two pairs are definitely there.
But how many different types can you immediately name?
3, 5, maybe 10.
Don’t answer that. There are more than 100 types of pliers.
We’ve collected all of them in this most complete guide. Let’s dive right in.
What Are Pliers?
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:
Pliers, hand-operated tool for holding and gripping small articles
or for bending and cutting wire.
— Britannica
The anatomy of pliers consists of a pair of metal levers joined at a fulcrum
positioned closer to one end of the levers, creating short jaws
on one side of the fulcrum, and longer handles on the other side (Wikipedia).
from Patent No. 335,694
Thomas G. Hall
February 9, 1886
Pliers drawing #2
from Patent No. 477,066
Sanford Obadiah Root
June 14, 1892
↓
In this guide, we have tried to collect all the types of pliers with names that meet this definition of anatomy.
Contents
1. Combination Pliers
Combination pliers are used in a wide variety of settings, from the home to the workshop.
They make it possible to grip, handle, and manipulate a variety of objects.
The shape of these types of pliers varies. But generally, the main feature of the combination pliers
is the jaws with three or more sections for gripping, cutting, stripping, and other functions.
Okay, here we go to the types of combination pliers.
Combination Pliers
(the most traditional design)
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- serrated gripping surfaces
- pipe grip
- cutters
Angled Combination Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- serrated gripping surfaces
- pipe grip
- cutters
High Leverage Combination Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- serrated gripping surfaces
- pipe grip
- high leverage cutters
Needle-Nose Combination Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- pointed jaws (needle-nose)
- smooth gripping surfaces
- serrated gripping surfaces
- pipe grip
- cutters
Combination Pliers With Build-In Socket
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- smooth gripping surfaces
- serrated gripping surfaces
- pipe grip
- cutter
- socket wrench
.
Lineman’s Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- cross-hatched gripping surfaces
- high leverage cutter
- crimping die for wire ferrules
- serrated gripping surfaces
Lineman’s Fish Tape Pulling Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- cross-hatched gripping surfaces
- high leverage cutter
- fish tape puller
📖 Related Reading: Our reviews of the best lineman pliers
Electricians’ Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- serrated gripping surfaces
- wire grip
- precision wire stripping holes
- wire cutter
- crimping dies for wire ferrules
.
Pliers for Electrical Installation
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- clear-cut outside edge
- smooth gripping surfaces
- serrated gripping surfaces
- pipe grip
- crimping die for wire ferrules
- wire stripping holes
- cable shears
.
Flat Nose Pliers With Cutting Edges — Precision Mechanics Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- flat long jaws
- smooth gripping surfaces
- wire cutter
Snipe Nose Side Cutting Pliers — Radio Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- pointed jaws (needle-nose)
- serrated gripping surfaces
- wire cutter
Snipe Nose Side Cutting Pliers (Radio Pliers) With Angled Jaws
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- pointed jaws (needle-nose)
- angled jaws
- serrated gripping surfaces
- wire cutter
Snipe Nose Side Cutting Pliers — Stork Beak Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- half-round long tapered jaws (snipe nose)
- serrated gripping surfaces
- wire cutter
Snipe Nose Side Cutting Pliers (Stork Beak Pliers) With Angled Jaws
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- half-round long tapered jaws (snipe nose)
- angled jaws
- serrated gripping surfaces
- wire cutter
Snipe Nose Pliers With Centre Cutter — Telephone Pliers
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- pointed jaws (snipe nose)
- serrated gripping surfaces
- center cutter for soft wire
- smooth gripping surfaces
2. Wire Strippers
A wire stripper is a small tool that you can use to strip the outer insulation off of conductors.
It looks like a pair of tweezers and has one or more sharpened teeth which grab onto the insulation
to pull it off.
Most have several rows of teeth so they can grab several strands at once.
They are typically used for stripping wire or cable and removing the outer sheath
from communications cables or other metallic cables such as power lines.
Okay, here we go to the types of wire strippers (also known as stripping pliers).
Automatic Insulation Stripper
Key feature — automatic adjustment to conductors with standard insulation.
Self-Adjusting Insulation Stripper
Key feature — automatic adjustment to conductors with single-layer insulation.
Insulation Stripper With Adapted Blades
Key feature — circular cut for tough, hard insulation materials (rubber, PTFE, silicone, radox, Kapton).
Universal Insulation Stripper
The perfect tool for NYM cable stripping.
Built-in knurled screw and lock nut allow adjusting pliers for stripping up to Ø 5.0 mm or 10 mm² conductors with plastic or rubber insulation.
Insulation Strippers With Cable Shears
The improved version of Universal Insulation Stripper has built-in cable shears.
Built-in knurled screw and lock nut allow adjusting pliers for stripping up to Ø 5.0 mm or 10 mm² conductors with plastic or rubber insulation.
Wire Self-adjusting Stripping Pliers
Pliers have self-adjusting cutter hole for cutting a wire or stranded wires up to Ø 5.0 mm.
Electronics Wire Stripper
Designed for single, multiple, and fine stranded cables stripping up to Ø 0.1 up to 0.8 mm with plastic or rubber insulation.
Built-in knurled screw and lock nut provide step-less adjustment to the required diameter of the wire.
Electronics Wire Stripping Shears
Designed for cutting and stripping solid, multicore, and finely stranded conductors.
Pliers have knurled screw and lock nut for step-less adjustment to the required diameter of solid or stranded wire.
Automatic Stripping Pliers
Designed for multi-core cable stripping with uneven cross-section.
Extremely suitable for highly flexible TPE-U-pipes, PUR and PVC cable sheathing, rubber leads.
Wire Stripper For Fibre Optics
Designed to remove the primary and secondary coating of fiber optics.
Stripper For Round Sheathed Cables
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- round sheathed cable (e.g. NYM) stripping hole
- precision stripping holes for single conductors
Diagonal Insulation Stripper
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- diagonal cutter
- precision stripping holes for single conductors
Precision Insulation Stripper
Designed for thin cables stripping.
Wire Stripper-Cutter for Solid & Stranded Wire
Built-in functions (from tips to handles):
- serrated gripping surfaces
- stripping holes for single conductors
- cable shears
- bolt cutter threads
3. Gripping Pliers
Gripping pliers are useful for holding cylindrical objects or flat material you wish to rotate,
such as nuts and bolts.
They can be used to add leverage during assembly, or even as a pincer-like tool
that allows you to lift heavier objects.
Gripping pliers also is great for crafts, maintenance at home, and travel.
Okay, here we go to the types of gripping pliers.
Flat Nose Pliers
The most traditional design of gripping pliers.
Mechanic’s Pliers
.
Mechanic’s Pliers With Angled Jaws
Designed for gripping spark plugs and round components.
Round Nose Pliers
.
Round Nose Pliers With Cutting Edge
The improved version of Round Nose Pliers has a built-in wire cutter.
Halogen Bulb Exchange Pliers
Has plastic-coated gripping surfaces for the wedge base bulbs installation.
Long Reach Needle Nose Pliers
— Assembly Pliers
.
Long Reach Needle Nose Pliers With Transverse Profiles
— Assembly Pliers
.
Telephone Pliers
.
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4. Circlip Pliers
[header picture]Circlip pliers are also called buttonhole clippers or buttonholer pliers.
They are a particular type of hand tool designed for installing and removing small C-clips.
This mechanism is used in a wide range of equipment including car engines,
flashlight batteries, cameras, musical instruments such as pianos and guitars,
televisions, printers, copiers, toys such as Matchbox cars, and models kits.
The jaws of circlip pliers are designed to grip tight and not slip during
use so you will never have to chase C-clips when trying to remove them from a fastener area.
Okay, here we go to the types of circlip pliers.
– – –
Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in bore holes
Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in bore holes with 90° angled jaws
Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in boreholes with 45° angled jaws
– – –
Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts
Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts with 90° angled jaws
Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts with 45° angled jaws
– – –
Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts
Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts with 90° angled jaws
Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts with 45° angled jaws
– – –
Precision Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in bore holes
Precision Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in boreholes with 90° angled jaws
Precision Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in boreholes with overstretching limiter
– – –
Precision Circlip Pliers For internal circlips in boreholes with overstretching limiter with 90° angled jaws
Precision Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts
Precision Circlip Pliers For external circlips on shafts with 90° angled jaws
– – –
Precision Circlip Pliers for external circlips on shafts with overstretching limiter
Precision Circlip Pliers for external circlips on shafts with overstretching limiter with 90° angled jaws
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5. Pincers
[header picture]Pincers are a type of hand tool that has two jaws, or prongs,
designed to grip and lift or hold objects. They may be composed of a set of clamps,
or a pair of tongs joined by an axis of mutual elbow joint.
Pincers are often forged from steel and fitted with sharpened teeth that allow them to
grip objects securely.
Pincers can be used for a variety of purposes such as opening bottles,
lifting heavy items, turning doorknobs or locks, pulling weeds, and many more.
Okay, here we go to the types of pincers.
– – –
Carpenters’ Pincers
Hammerhead Style Carpenters’ Pincers
Potters’ Pincers
(Brick Pincers)
– – –
Glass Breaking Pincers
Glass Nibbling Pincers
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6. Cutting Pliers
[header picture]Cutting pliers are designed for the cutting of wire or cable.
They are smaller and thinner than general-purpose pliers with a strong jaw
opening that enables you to dig into tight spaces of crimping and cutting cables,
including wire rope.
Some cutting pliers have serrated jaws. Serrated cutting edges allow to cut wire
by pushing them away from the head instead of pulling them toward it.
They allow you to cut through tougher materials more quickly, without dulling the
tool’s edge as quickly.
Okay, here we go to the types of cutting pliers.
– – –
Diagonal Cutter
High Leverage Diagonal Cutter — Power Side Cutter
Bolt End Cutting Nipper High Lever Transmission
– – –
Electronics Oblique Cutting Nipper
Electronics End Cutting Nipper
High Leverage End Cutting Nipper
– –
End Cutting Nipper
End Cutting Nipper For Mechanics
Compact Bolt Cutters
– –
Bolt Cutter
Concrete Mesh Cutter
…
– –
Diagonal Cutter For Plastics
Diagonal Cutter for plastics 45° angled blades
Diagonal Cutter for plastics 45° angled blades ver.2
– –
High Leverage Centre Cutter
Cable Cutting Pliers
Curved Jaw Cable Cutter
– –
End Cutting Long Reach Pliers
Lever Action Top Cutters
— Lever-action End Cutter
…
– –
Long-Reach Diagonal Cutter
Long-Reach End Cutter
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7. Water Pump Pliers
[header picture]Also known as tongue-and-groove pliers.
They are primarily designed to hold nuts or turn bolts in place.
It consists of two pairs of clamps that can be fitted over each other to grip objects
of various shapes, including the odd-shaped bolt head.
In addition, it is possible to rotate objects while holding them in one position
using this pair of pliers.
Okay, here we go to the types of water pump pliers.
– – –
Water Pump Pliers
Hightech Water Pump Pliers
…
– – –
Siphon and Connector Pliers
Siphon and Connector Pliers With Exchangeable Plastic Jaws For Sensitive Surfaces
…
– – –
Pipe Wrench 90°
Pipe Wrench 45°
Pipe Wrench S-Type
– – –
Mini Water Pump Pliers With Groove Joint
Oil Filter/PVC Pipe Pliers
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8. Cable and Wire Rope Shears
[header picture]Cable shears are used for cutting soft copper and aluminum cables in electrical construction.
It can cut single conductors up to 6 mm thick and multiple stranded cables up to 10 mm wide.
Also suitable for cutting plastic coated copper wire, stainless steel cable,
braided nylon fishing lines, and many other flexible twine materials.
Okay, here we go to the types of cable shears.
– – –
StepCut Pliers
Cable Shears
Cable Shears With Twin Cutting Edge
– – –
Cable Shears With Opening Spring
Cable Cutter (Ratchet Action)
Bowden Cable Cutter
– – –
Wire Rope Cutter Forged
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9. Crimping Pliers
[header picture]Crimping pliers are essential for any electrician, mechanic, hobbyist, or handyman
who needs to join two pieces of metal or components.
These pliers are easy to use — simply slide them under the prongs of the tool and squeeze,
forming a tight seal between the two pieces of metal or components-no ratcheting required.
They work with a variety of materials including aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and brass.
Okay, here we go to the types of crimping pliers.
– – –
Crimping Pliers
Crimping Pliers For Two-hand Operation
Crimping Pliers For Scotchlok™ Connectors With Side Cutter
– – –
Crimping Pliers For Wire Ferrules
Crimping Pliers For Wire Ferrules ver.2
Crimping Pliers For Wire Ferrules With Front Loading
– – –
IDC Connector Crimping Pliers
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10. Electronics Pliers
[header picture]Electronics pliers are small hand tools, similar to normal pliers except for their smaller size
and additional features like spring-loaded jaws, wire cutters, cell phone grips, and more.
This enables you to work with smaller parts and components like cell phones, mp3 players,
or other electronic devices without damaging them.
Using electronics pliers can reduce stress in your hands because of the smaller size
which can lead to less pain in the long run when working with different devices.
Okay, here we go to the types of electronics pliers, and their uses.
– – –
Electronics Pliers
Electronics Pliers With 45° Bent Half-round Jaws
Electronics Pliers With Long Trapezoidal Jaws
– – –
Electronics Pliers With Long Trapezoidal 45° Bent Half-round Long Jaws
Electronics Mounting Pliers
Electronics Diagonal Cutter
– – –
Precision Electronics Diagonal Cutter
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11. Grip Pliers
[header picture]The grip pliers are designed to hold objects firmly in place and clamp them securely.
Ideal for holding pieces together while gluing, screwing, or welding, they are also strong enough
to grip rough wood and plastic shims without crushing them.
Okay, here we go to the types of grip pliers. (not the same as gripping pliers)
– – –
Grip Pliers — Locking Pliers
Long-Nose Grip Pliers
Long-Nose Grip Pliers With 70° Angled Jaws
– – –
Welding Grip Pliers
Welding Grip Pliers With hHgh Webs up to 40 mm
Grip Wrench
– – –
Blacksmith’s Tongs
Blacksmith’s Tongs With Wolf’s Jaw
…
– – –
Seaming Pliers
Seaming Pliers With Angled Jaws
…
– – –
Balance Weight Pliers
Wide Jaw grip Wrench
Conduit Locknut and Reaming Pliers
– – –
Slip-Joint Pliers
Slip Joint Pliers Hose Clamp
Fencing Pliers
– – –
Ironworkers Pliers
Adjustable Pliers
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12. Jewelry Pliers
These pliers are ideal for those who make jewelry regularly and want to increase
their efficiency without compromising on the quality of workmanship.
The tips of the jaws have been carefully chamfered to provide a comfortable
grip when closing small rings or clasping bracelets or necklaces.
Jewelry pliers feature a lightweight design that reduces hand and wrist fatigue while working.
Okay, here we go to the types of jewelry pliers, and their uses.
Half Round Pliers —
Ring Bending Pliers
One of the jaws has a half-round cross-section for ring curving and forming.
Round Nose Jewellers Pliers
Pliers are great for bending loops and curves in metal sheets and wire.
Flat Nose Jewellers Pliers
Pliers are great for gripping wider surfaces, bending angles in metal sheets and wire, and for opening and closing jump rings.
Snipe Nose Jewellers Pliers
The main uses of these pliers are bending metal sheets and wire in awkward to reach places
Double Nylon Jaw Flat Nose Pliers
Key feature — nylon jaws that protect the wire from scratches and dents, when opening and closing large jump rings or when using wire wrapping techniques.
Snipe Nose Precision Jewellers Pliers
The main purpose of these pliers is for opening and closing jump rings, wire wrapping techniques, bending metal wire, and sheet metal.
– – –
Flat Nose Parallel Pliers
…
Snipe Nose Parallel Pliers
…
Round and Concave Nose Parallel Pliers
…
– – –
Double Nylon Jaw Flat Nose Pliers
Snipe Nose Precision Jewellers Pliers
Stone Setting Pliers
– – –
Crimping Jewellers Pliers
Wire Bending Pliers
Loop Rite Pliers
– – –
Square Rite Plier
Hollow/Round Nose Piers
Hooked Jaws Dimple Pliers
– – –
Metal Hole Punch Pliers
1-Step Looper Pliers
Coil-Cutting Pliers
– – –
Jump Ring/Loop Closing Pliers
Reshaping Rings Jewelry Pliers
Split Ring Pliers
– – –
Round and Concave Nose Parallel Pliers
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13. Other Types of Pliers
[header picture]And finally, let’s find out the other types of pliers, and their uses.
– – –
Piston Ring Pliers
Piston Ring Pliers ver.2
…
– – –
Screw Extraction and Lineman’s Pliers
Screw Extractor VamPliers
Revolving Punch Pliers
– – –
Tile Breaking Pliers
Spark Plug Socket Pliers Milled Jaw
Spark Plug Socket Pliers Long Jaw
– – –
Trim Clip Pliers
…
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{in progress}
References
1. Pliers Tool. Encyclopædia Britannica.
2. Pliers. Wikipedia.
3. United States Patent and Trademark Office.
4. DATAMP — Directory of American Tool and Machinery Patents.
Hi, just wanted to say, I enjoyed this article. It was practical.
Keep on posting!