January 05: Combination pliers
- are a tool box essential. But, as James Stanbury finds, performance varies, and price is not always the best indicator | |
Why is it that those who wouldn't normally entertain the idea of carrying a penknife happily pay serious money for a multi-tool? Well, our theory is that although knife blades, corkscrews, mini- scissors and screwdrivers are useful, it's the pliers that really set multi-tools apart.
Just think of all the typical tasks combination pliers can handle in a motorhome. Tools with decent blades will cut wires, hoses, string and even strip wire insulation. And the main jaws have too many possible uses to list here.
DETAILED WRITE-UP FOR EACH KIT, MAY BE FOUND IN THE JANUARY 05 ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE. |
Halfords Combination Pliers
Price £6.99
Tel 08457 626 625
Performance 3/14
Worth the money? 1/6
Overall score 4/20
These combination pliers from Halfords are
similar to those in the Halfords three-piece set. However, where you effectively paid £5 for them last time, now they're now nearly seven quid.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Facom 187.18CPE
Price £19.14
Tel 01332 755 799
Performance 8/14
Worth the money? 1/6
Overall score 9/20
Almost unbelievably, the only difference between this and our 'Best Buy' is that the jaws are chrome finished here. That's literally all that drives the price up. In theory, then, there should be no difference in performance, but there is.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Kamasa PL1186
Price £3.99
Tel 01926 815 000
Performance 6/14
Worth the money? 6/6
Overall score 12/20
On the face of it, these are pretty basic pliers. The handles are well shaped, but they're only coated in standard plastic. The jaws move freely enough, but that also means there's a bit of play up top.
BUDGET BUY No. 2
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Halfords Pro Combination Pliers
Price £9.99
Tel 08457 626 625
Performance 5/14
Worth the money? 2/6
Overall score 7/20
With reference to things being overpriced, this is very much the downfall of these pliers. In practically all ways, they mirror Laser's 2857. There's the same arrangement of flat jaw, wire cutter and behind-pivot
jaw.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Unior No 408
Price £9.05
Tel 01332 755 799
Performance 6/14
Worth the money? 3/6
Overall score 9/20
Uni-who? Well, Unior is an up-and-coming brand from Slovenia, and some tool pundits are getting quite excited about it. To be fair these pliers are deceptively good, but a bit pricey.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Clarke CHT110
Price £6.99
Tel 01992 565 300
Performance 5/14
Worth the money? 6/6
Overall score 11/20
The first three-piece set in our line-up, and the really remarkable thing about it is the low price. If the combination pliers are anything to go by, these are cracking tools for the money.
BUDGET BUY No. 2
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Argos 546/4892
Facom 187.18TE
Price £15.69
Tel: 01332 755 799
Performance 9/14
Worth the money? 3/6
Overall score 12/20
Anyone who uses these pliers will appreciate why they came top in this test, despite the cost, for which you could buy a full set of spanners. The handles are coated in a kind of rubbery plastic, which is comfortable, easily gripped and appears extremely durable.
BEST BUY
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Halfords Three-piece Pliers Set
Price £14.99
Tel 08457 626 625
Performance 3/14
Worth the money? 3/6
Overall score 6/20
Fewer than £15 for a set of three pliers? Sounds good, until you look at our 'Budget Buy No.1' Clarke set, which sells for less than half the price. Especially as the Clarke combination pliers easily outperform the Halfords' offering here.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Laser 2857
Price £4.99
Tel 01926 815 000
Performance 5/14
Worth the money? 5/6
Overall score 10/20
These are much more nicely finished than their award-winning Kamasa cousin (previous page). The jaws are satin-finished chrome vanadium, and the handles are coated in the same pleasing, non-slip substance used on Clarke's Pro 113.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Clarke Pro 113
Price £5.86
Tel 01992 565 300
Performance 6/14
Worth the money? 5/6
Overall score 11/20
Another Clarke pair of pliers, another incredibly priced, high-performing piece of kit. The handles are well shaped, providing comfort and plenty of gripping power. This time, though, they're covered in a soft, high-grip compound, which is an improvement on plastic.
RECOMMENDED
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
*** BEST BUY ***
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Clarke Pro 114
Price £8.80
Tel 01992 565 300
Performance 6/14
Worth the money? 3/6
Overall score 9/20
Take a pair of Clarke's Pro 113s (above, right), make them 9.5in long, and you pretty much get these. There's a straight jaw, wire cutter and a behind-pivot jaw which is easily usable because it's long enough to accommodate the spring, with plenty of usable length left over.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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Laser 3242
Price £5.99
Tel 01926 815 000
Performance 5/14
Worth the money? 4/6
Overall score 9/20
Trust Laser to reinvent the humble pliers after all these years. On these, the jaws remain parallel, no matter wide you open them out. It's a great idea, and it makes the tool brilliant for gripping nut and bolt heads, where traditional jaws tend to bite in only one spot.
FULL WRITE-UP IN THE MAGAZINE
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