Needle-nose Pliers: Your Guide to Picking the Perfect Pair

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It can feel good to hold a big tool and wrestle with the huge pipe you’ve been struggling with, but every so often you may come across a tiny washer or some small wire you need to bend with accuracy. That’s exactly why every mechanic needs a good pair of needle-nose pliers, they’re the best for tight spaces. These tiny tools have long, thin jaws and sharp tips, so they can do jobs that normal pliers can’t. But with a whole bunch of options out there, how do you find the one that is going to help you get through the projects that make you feel like you’ve been teleported to Ant-Man’s world?

Best Needle-nose Pliers for Jewelry-Making: Shining Bright

Jewelry-making is a very delicate and complicated process, so naturally you are going to need a set of fine needle-nose pliers! When you are working with such expensive pieces you really don’t want to scratch anything, and smooth jaws help with that. That’s not all, you can’t drop stuff too (imagine losing a piece of diamond because your pliers weren’t up to standards), so you need a firm grip, in a way that lets you hold the material without leaving a mark.

Also, you should get one that is reliable. Box-joint needle-nose pliers help with better leverage and stability for handling the expensive gems you are dealing with, or bending those gold wires to turn them into beautiful chains. You need to think about comfort too, because the jewelry-making process can take hours, so a comfortable grip is important.

Best Needle-nose Pliers for Fishing: The Slim Figure That Will Hook You

Fishing can be hard on these pliers, with pulling hooks, grabbing slippery fish, and untangling messed-up knots; but there are things you can factor in with your choice to make it a bit easier:

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Saltwater Problems: The ocean environment is harsh and unforgiving even for the strongest, let alone a small, delicate needle-nose plier. If you choose the wrong one, you are going to have to deal with a lot of rust, so you may want to get a corrosion-resistant tool, made from stainless steel or titanium to save yourself the trouble.

A Good Grip: You need strong jaws with a good grip because it’s already hard enough to grab wet things as is. When you catch a fish, you need to hold tight, so you better get a plier with bumpy and coarse handles to give you some extra handling power.

Split Ring Feature: Built-in split ring openers can save you from a lot of trouble and pain. They can help with changing the lure when you have wet and cold fingers.

Best Needle-nose Pliers for Electricians: Power Up

We all know that you can’t risk it with electricity. One moment of distraction, or one faulty tool and you can be a goner. So, you need tools to keep yourself safe, but how to choose one?

Shock Blockers: There are certain standards your pliers need to follow. They need to be insulated to VDE standards and they should have a special coating that stops the current from jumping through a tool towards you.
Gripping Like Your Life Depends on It: Electrical work throws all sorts of wires your way, so you need pliers that can grab anything. You need pliers that can hold on tight to any size or type of wire.

Crimpin’: Firstly, let’s talk about crimps themselves. Crimping tools help you make connections between the wires and the connectors. Basically, it warps the connector on the wire to attach them together.
Comfort for Long Hours: Electrical panels can put your hands in weird positions. Get pliers that you and your hands are comfortable with, so you don’t hate your life when the job gets long.

Read more: Best Pliers for 6 Different Applications

Best Long Needle-nose Pliers: Reaching New Depths

We all (or maybe just me) have all gotten frustrated by screws hiding behind the fridge, or some shadowy wires that are at the end of your car’s dashboard if you share the same problem with me, long needle-nose pliers can be your best friend! You can reach those impossible spots with these tools, and let’s see how to pick one:

Size Matters, But Not That Much: It’s not a surprise that they come in all sizes, but the general range is from 10 to 18 inches. Getting longer needle-nose pliers may seem tempting, but if you go for it, you may mess up the handling. The 12-14 range is enough for most things, it gives you the sweet spot of reach and control.
Strength Over Flimsiness: If a plier is long but flimsy, it’s practically useless. You are better off getting a forged or stainless steel model, it helps with gripping tight and yanking stuff out. Get the winning combo: slim with enough gripping power.

Best Small Needle-nose Pliers: Big Results in Tight Spaces

Using some of these needle-nose pliers for more delicate tasks honestly feels like using chopsticks for brain surgery. If you need accuracy in your work, you may need a small needle-nose plier. They are usually around 4-6 inches, and are often used in stuff like jewelry-making, any electronics repairs, or even building miniatures. The smaller the plier gets, the more important jaw design becomes. Some jaws are almost like needles, they let you grab the smallest things with incredible control.

Best Bent Needle-Nose Plier: Corners and Creative Bends

This is the option you go for when you are dealing with awkward angles and tricky bends. If it wasn’t already obvious from the name, they have angled jaws, usually around 45 or 90 degrees. The bend helps you reach around corners or hold things at odd angles. The shape also makes it easier to accurately bend wires, since the design gives you more control to get the exact bend you need. As a bonus, bent needle-nose pliers usually have built-in wire cutters!

Best Locking Needle-nose Pliers: Hold Tight and Work with Ease

Normal needle-nose pliers need constant hand pressure to stay on the object, but the locking models have a feature that lets you clamp down on something and keep it like that with one squeeze. They also have an adjustment mechanism that helps you control the pressure so you don’t damage anything.

The Perfect Pliers for Every Project

There are a lot of fantastic options available on the market, and you can pick the one that matches your needs. As you’ve already read, there are a lot of tasks that require a needle-nose plier; so, good luck with your jewelry-making, fishing, fixing, or whatever you need the pliers for!

FAQs

What needle-nose pliers are best used for?

Needle-nose pliers can be used for a bunch of things, like:

Gripping small objects in tight spaces
Cutting wire
Bending materials
Removing pins or nails

How is wire stripped with needle-nose pliers?

They are not exactly designed to strip wires, but needle-nose pliers can handle small wires. There may be a small hole (usually at the bottom of the plier) that you can put your wire in. Insert the wire, squeeze the pliers, and pull the wire to remove the cover.