The Principle of Pliers
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The Principle of Pliers
Pliers are one of the best and most widely used hand tools. They only have three parts—handles, jaws and a pivot—but those three parts work remarkably well at gripping, turning, and cutting. Pliers fall into two categories: slip joint or fixed joint.
Versatile slip-joint pliers are found in nearly every household. The slip-joint enables you to adjust the jaws to fit the size of the task, whatever basic task or repair job you're undertaking. Fixed-joint pliers are not adjustable but they are quite effective, especially for jobs that require a strong grip. You may know them by their name brand, Vise-Grip®.
Other specialized pliers include pliers for electrical work; needle-nose pliers for working with small objects; diagonal pliers for snipping wire; and bolt cutters, which are long-handled pliers with short jaws that can cut through chain, wire mesh, and bolts.
