Review of the Knipex 2618200SBA Long Nose Pliers with Cutter, 1000 Volt Rated, 8 Inch
The company Knipex manufactures these high quality tools and as always I prefer to buy my tools from a reputable brand instead of going with some cheap brand from the local hardware store. I do a lot of electrical work and long nose pliers are very important for me. When wiring things such as lights I want something that will safely allow me to bend solid wire in a hard to reach location. One of the things I’ve noticed about all Knipex brand tools in general is that they have very good grips. This is very important to me since I know that my hands will not ache after long periods of strenuous use. Knipex manufactures a whole series of pliers, and although I don’t need all the specialty ones I highly recommend a pair of flat or flat-nose pliers, combination pliers and a side cutters. These tools usually come in the color scheme of a yellow and red handle with the company’s logo on the side.
Design and Function
Needle nose pliers differ from universal pliers mainly because of their longer and flatter shape. This makes them especially useful for reaching into difficult places. It is also nice that these pliers have an integrated wire cutter near the edge so you don’t need to switch tools to cut a wire. These pliers come in two sizes, you can either get them with a length of 8 inches or 6 inches. I myself prefer the longer version, because you can work with it better in the hard to reach spots. The jaws are made out of a vanadium steel alloy that has been cased hardened in oil for maximum strength and added corrosion resistance. I used to keep all my machine tools in a felt padded wood tool chest to prevent them from rusting; however with this specialty tool steel that isn’t so much of an issue. The insides of the jaws are also serrated to prevent things from slipping out. As I mentioned earlier the handles on these tools are very comfortable, but they also serve a second purpose. The rubber lined material that makes up the grip is also a very powerful dielectric meant to resist voltage up to 1000V. I practice a lot of safety and typically never work on live circuits unless I have to, I perform lock out tag outs and always use a fiberglass ladder. Since I mainly work on household circuits the maximum voltage I’m ever exposed to is 240VAC but it’s nice to know that I have that protection.
Price
These tools aren’t cheap and they can usually be found between $30 and $40 USD. When you consider that it is a quality product with a lifetime warranty you can’t go wrong.
My opinion
A set of needle nose pliers should be found in the tool box of any hobbyist, electrician or construction worker. At 8 inches, these pliers don’t take up a whole lot of space and should fit in your tool box quiet easily. Due to the good design of these pliers I can highly recommend them. Overall I rate these pliers 5 starts because the high price of a quality tool is rather irrelevant when it comes to getting the job done right.
