Stanley 3 Piece Plier Set - solid value for light duty
Written: Jan 05 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: They do what they are supposed to
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: For casual use these are a nice value
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| some_guy5's Full Review: Stanley 84-114 3-Piece Basic Plier Set |
This year I got an especially nice surprise in my Christmas stocking. In addition to the usual far too much candy, Santa also included something I really like and will use a lot, the Stanley 3 Piece Plier Set.
My Needs
Now I already have several pairs of pliers but I still needed these for several reasons. For one, my pliers were terrible, and I do mean terrible. Right out of college I got the world’s cheapest tool set. Given the number of tools from this set I have actually broken (the screwdriver stripped if you can believe that, yes the screw was stronger than the screwdriver) I was literally afraid to push those piles too far. Another reason I needed more pliers is because they are just so darn useful. We have a rule that you put tools away after you use them, thus making it so that you know where they are the next time you need them. Well this doesn’t always happen, and I have been guilty of it as well. My pliers are often as likely to be found around the house or in the basement as in the tool box. So now the pliers will be easier to find if for no other reason then that there are now more of them to be found. I use pliers really just for household choirs such as tightening or loosening the odd nut, putting together toys or furniture, etc.
Features and Construction
The Stanley 3 Piece Plier Set includes a slip joint plier, a needle nose plier, and a diagonal plier all of the 6 inch variety. The diagonal pliers edges are hand ground of chrome nickel steel for a durable cutting edge. All of the pliers are made of forged steel with a rust resistant finish. The rust resistant part appeals to me since my cheapo pliers are all rusty. The handles are covered in a kind of foam for a comfortable grip and the package actually advertises that the handles are double dipped for comfort. The foam is black in color. One important point for pliers is that they grip whatever you are trying to ply. The needle nose and slip joint pliers offer machined jaws for better gripping.
My Experience
I find the needle nose and slip joint pliers get used all the time and the diagonal pliers seldom. Do you have a hard to reach nut? If there was a way to attach the water line to the refrigerator for the ice maker other than using needle nose pliers then I would like to know how because I could not think of another way to reach that nut. Slip joint pliers get used for darn near everything, most recently in my house for changing my license plates and getting the stubborn top off a bottle of vanilla extract. My diagonal pliers served me recently to cut links of chain for a rack we were hanging. In each case the Stanley pliers performed perfectly. Now those tasks hardly push the limits of the tools, but that is the norm for around the house use. The balance of the pliers is fine, they feel nice in my hand, and the action on the joint is very smooth in all 3 cases.
Conclusion
At $15 for the set (at Home Depot anyway), I think the Stanley 3 Piece Plier Set is a pretty good value. Stanley is a middle of the road brand name as far as quality, but I don’t see any reason to buy heavy duty pliers if you are just going to be using them around the house like I do. These are great for light duty and I recommend them.
Recommended:
Yes
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some_guy5
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