Knipex TwinGrip pliers are excellent, there’s no doubt about that.
I own two pairs, and while I don’t use them on as many tasks as I probably could – I largely stopped using slip-joint-style pliers a few years ago – they’re nicely featured and well-made.
They’re pricey too, but worth it to me.
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When they came out last year, I praised the Knipex TwinGrip pliers as not being your ordinary slip-joint pliers, due to the adjustable opening design.
This style of locking adjustment seemed new for slip-joint pliers. But it’s not!
I came across an older post in my archives – Stanley FatMax push-lock slip-joint pliers.
The Stanley FatMax slip-joint pliers featured a button-adjustment system and offered 3 locking opening width settings, rather than the style of pliers’ traditional 2-position slide-to-open mechanism.
Stanley FatMax had push-lock-adjustable slip-joint pliers at least as far back as 2012. Amazon’s product listing says the FatMax was first available in 2005.
Knipex TwinGrip pliers came out in 2021.
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The mechanisms could very different, but the concept is the same. Push a button to unlock and adjust the pliers jaws’ opening width.
I cannot find any other examples of adjustable slip-joint pliers, and so I’m going to accept Stanley FatMax as being the first such tool.
Wow. So Stanley, of all brands, came first, and then Knipex followed many years later. This isn’t quite fair to say, as the Knipex TwinGrip is certainly unique and very differently featured, but the shared adjustability concept does seem to have originated with Stanley.
By the time the TwinGrip pliers came out, I had long-forgotten about my post on the Stanley FatMax pliers from 9 years earlier.
The TwinGrip also appears to be a completely new design, whereas the Stanley more closely resembles traditional slip-joint pliers.
I don’t think Knipex did anything wrong here, I’m just surprised. Stanley FatMax was first, Knipex second. Or were there other locking slip-joint pliers I might have missed?
Stacey
Have you still got the Stanley’s? Could you comment on how they compare? The jaws are very different on the Knipex and I wonder if that’s a significant plus. The Knipec look cool, but not sure I’d ever use slip joint pliers. The cheap ones always annoyed me.
Wayne R.
I think calling the Twin Grip “slip joints” isn’t appropriate. To me, they’re almost Cobras with a different angle to the head. And that long slender torso gets it into places slip joints can only dream about.
The Twin Grip is to slip joints as a Chef’s knife is to a butter knife.
Stuart
I never bought the Stanley’s, but now wish I did.
Richard
Knipex are superior to fat max and irwin also had some “adjusting slip joint pliers ” i mean more than one company makes brushless impacts dont mean nothing whoever makes the better tool is who im buying
D3t
A different way to look at it: Knipex took their existing adjustable pivot and integrated it into slip joint pliers.
MM
That’s basically the way I looked at it. The Twingrips have the exact same system with the fine locking serrations and button which Knipex has used for a long time on their Cobras (and others). The Stanleys are a twist on the classic 3-position slipjoint pliers but they’re using a pushbutton instead of the rotating slip joint. Either way there’s still the 3 round cutouts in one jaw whereas Knipex has a large number of finer teeth.
Ray
Exactly!
Julian Tracy
Sometimes, regular style pliers are just the tool for the job. This Knipex pair would be my choice simply for the unique longer form factor.
Every time I use any of my Knipex pliers, or scan through them in my toolbox, I don’t think I’ve ever given a thought to how much they cost me, lol.
Jerry
I have a pair of the Knipex and they are awesome pliers but I do wish they had wire cutters.
The jaw especially seems to have had a lot of thought put I to it for maximum functionality. I consider them specialty pliers more so than general use. General use pliers to me would be regular slip joints because they adjust quicker and have wire cutters making them more a grab and go tool. The Knipex are the ones to grab when I’m thinking I need pliers for this specific purpose, like grabbing something round from the end. The jaws of the Knipex are awesome for holding a screw or bolt from the end, there is kind of a notch that keeps it from slipping out to the side, yet they still work very well for normal grabbing/holding/turning jobs.
MM
They really did their homework on the jaw designs. On the Knipex website they had posted diagrams showing how the jaws were designed to hold flat parts at three points of contact rather than just two like standard pliers. The design really does work well. I have taken to keeping one of my two pairs next to my bench grinder. The TwinGrips are awesome for holding small parts against a grinder or sander, there’s a lot less opportunity for a part to go flying across the shop. They are honestly the perfect tool for that specific task, they hold parts great both end-on and sideways.
TonyT
I just got mine today (KC Tool via Amazon, $42), and the jaw design is why I got it – I wanted something that could do things like remove stripped screws and be pretty tough.
John+E
The jaw profile on the Knipex is what makes them different from the Stanley.They are great for tweaking wire nut with limited access deep in electrical boxes.
TomD
I think your experience is similar to almost everyone’s – slip-joint pliers are used “early in your career” until you work out what the actual best tool for each particular task is (slip-joint will often work, but rarely are the best).
And so advancements there are easily forgettable. I can’t recall the last time I used them myself (often when they’re the only thing that will “fit” the vice-grips are gonna be brought out anyway).
JoeM
I have noticed that about a lot of other tool companies, actually. Even when the company is entirely unrelated, if they take anything from a Stanley/Stanley FatMAX tool, they tend to make it in a better way, somehow.
Stanley and FatMAX are… well, they seem to make rather good tools. Your basic, middle-of-the-road tools that get by for DIYers and backups for Pros of all sorts of disciplines. There’s no arguing they’re usually built to last, or that they’re definitely up to the job they are designed for. But they’re never anything special, or exemplary. Yeah, I’ve got a Stanley FatMAX early years Anti-Vibe all-steel 20oz hammer that has not needed replacing or upgrading… but I’m pretty sure a Martinez is a superior hammer in every way. What’s more, I think the other main brands are all making better Anti-Vibe hammers than my old FatMAX. There’s plenty of design elements in each of the other brands that do anti-vibe single piece hammers, that probably came out of people not liking the model I have. So, yeah, they definitely improve on the design significantly.
I’ve come to kind of expect higher end, more pro or specialist level, brands would always, and will always, take a good idea from a no-bells-or-whistles brand like Stanley FatMAX, and make amazing products from what they learn. I don’t want to sound unappreciative for the great writeup, Stuart, but the initial reaction I had to this was “Well, Duh. Knippex is lightyears ahead of Stanley FatMAX. I would expect no less than an exemplary product from such an improvement.”
Michael DeAmicis
You missed the whole point about what twin grips are. They are really meant for using online to the wrist on rounded fasteners. The normal slip joint pliars function is just the base of them. Do some actual homework if you are going to write about something.
Stuart
No I didn’t. Here’s the news post: https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/knipex-twingrip-pliers/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Besides, what are slip-joint pliers mainly used for?
You missed the entire point of this post. I had long-forgotten about the Stanley, and come to believe the Knipex TwinGrip button-lock adjustable opening design was first of its kind. It’s not. Stanley FatMax did it first.
Is there more to the TwinGrip? Yes, but as you say it yourself, the [adjustable-lockable] slip joint function is the base of the tool upon which everything else is built on top of.
Avi
When writing something scathing where you leave yourself no wiggle room to back out, it is generally wise to make real sure there isn’t even a slight chance to see it another way. And even wiser yet to always leave an escape route in case you end up looking the fool.
Also was that supposed to be “in-line with the wrist”?
JoeM
Excellent point, Avi! not all of us have the same amount of wrist articulation, due to how we use our tools, as well as how long we’ve been using them. When I was 20, I could flip my hands flat to my forearms, in both directions. Now I’m 40, and I’m still flexible enough to get to ~90 degrees, but I can’t even touch my forearms.
So what angle of my wrist should it align to? I guarantee I have used a pair of pliers with a flexed wrist many times, in many configurations. Sometimes that was the intent, other times it was because I just, frankly, could not reach the fastener, and needed the pliers as a reaching tool. Slip-joint, needle nose, long-reach needle nose, vice-grip, Leatherman… didn’t matter. Pliers do not always point the same direction every time.
Стево
You shouldn’t compare KNIPEX and STANLEY. They are on a different quality level!
Stuart
Maybe, but it’s still true!
Avi
And that is exactly why they should be compared, for plenty of people for whom this isn’t one of the main tools for their livelihood, a cheaper tool that does the job is the more economical choice. Not everyone can waste 20 dollars on something better that they don’t need. And sometimes it is just refreshing to see credit given where credit is due, especially on the internet.
JoeM
That is the point of comparing them! Showing the improvements made on the higher quality product, shows what makes a quality product worth so much more money. It’s a way of showing those really cheap humans (I have called them “My Family” for many years, though I have now outlived all but one of them.) who always argue “But there’s this cheaper one… Nothing else is worth it!”
Pull up an article showing the detail of how, why, and the limits of, the difference between them will shut up those detractors you know, that always look down on people who invest in quality tools! There’s some times when you’re just a little short on the funds, and you need just that little bit more to afford the right tools, and if you have to humble yourself before those who will always invest more to have other people do the work instead of themselves… These articles help prove the point about investing in higher quality DiY Tools. There’s a lot of run on sentence there, but it’s necessary to be specific exactly what type of people this Article helps. Anyone trying to have a reason to truly invest in their tools!
Ray
They borrowed the teeth design from a certain Japanese plier that flexed way too much and whose teeth wore too quickly. It was also too small.
It grabbed screws from side as usual but also from the front. It was novel
Knipex then used their superior German steel and added their replaceable cobra joint No more flex. No more premature teeth wear
Only suggestion is make a smaller one for tight spaces. And a needle nose one for circuit boards.
Ray
An improved version of Vampliers
Adam
I have that very pair in my plier drawer right now. It is similar to the Knipix, but isn’t as slender and doesn’t have the rounded screw grabbing capability at the tip.
I can’t find any COO on the exposed metal, which has a gloss finish, but would have to guess Taiwan. Too nice of a build to come from China at the time in my opinion. Mine doesnt have a smooth change from one position to the other anymore, as there seems to be some sand in it.
I have to go grab the Knipix from another location, but I know that I’d rather grab them than the Stanley ones, due to the overall plier and handle size
Ct451
I got the fatmax a few years back mainly because it said made in France on the package and wanted to see what that was all about. I never use them. The button offers nothing to me and just makes me fiddle with and look at to change. I will occasionally use regular 2-position slip-joints to perpendicularly push rubber hoses onto nipples in hard to reach places. I can adjust those with one hand with out even looking. Just one circular jaw opening that is close to the front would have been better instead of the two these have.
I have combination pliers for grabbing worn nuts an bolts from above and I don’t see the need for the twingrip adjustments for for this job.
MM
I think Stanley has had a plant in France for many decades. I inherited an old tape measure from my father, it is a Mabo Supermatic no. 118, made in France. Nothing about Stanley on the exterior, however the blade inside it is marked Stanley, and also made in France, and I am quite sure the blade is original; this is a tape which does inside measurements and it has a special blade with offset markings on the bottom surface to facilitate this so a random generic blade wouldn’t work in this tape.
Ct451
I think it was wishful thinking that it had some facom DNA in it. It turns out that the ones you used to get with Japanese cars are the best examples of slip-joints although the steel quality has declined in recent years
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512MYlxPUrL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
David
I’m a farmer and carry slip joint pliers as a general purpose tool. Love mine for replacing “make-a-belt” for exhaust fans, replaced cable clamps, hose clamps and etc. Love your writing Stu!
David Townson
Stuart
I can definitely see this working for things like that.
Thank you for the kind words!!
Ct451
I think the button is just too flimsy for carrying around with other tools (which tend to be bare metal). At the minimum it needs that protecting ring that the Stanley has around the button. I have managed to damage the one on the pliers wrench in a regular toolbox. I think it was $3-4 to get a replacement.
Mack
This comparison doesn’t make much sense. You really need to be more observant and do some more research before you make a comparison between Stanley slip joints and Knipex Twingrip.
There are many companies that offer slip joint pliers of a basic or intermediate quality. Such as Irwin, Kobalt, and Channel Lock. The Knipex twingrip wasn’t designed to compete against Stanley tools. The twingrip was made to fill a niche that competes directly against Vampliers. Vampliers is a Japanese company that makes high quality pliers for removing fasteners and other unique tasks. The TwinGrips most important feature is it’s jaw design. It can grip a broken bolt or screw or crown head fastener that is stripped out and allow you to grip it with the tip of the jaw.
Compounding the versatility by making it a slip joint plier on top of offering these jaw advancements is what makes the Twingrips such a good buy. The pushbutton adjustment is just a borrowed feature from Knipex’s other plier offerings. Stanley just offered a push button design to compete with more modern offerings from it’s homeowner focused competitors.
Stuart
What exactly doesn’t do make sense to you?
There are two button-adjustable locking slip joint pliers designs – one by Stanley FatMax, and one by Knipex that came out 10 to 15+ years later.
These are the ONLY two button-adjustable locking slip joint pliers I have come across. I forgot all about the FatMax, and seeing it again prompted this post. Since the Knipex TwinGrip came out, I had mistakenly believed it to be the only locking adjustable slip joint pliers. It is not.
If you can, please read the post again and point out to me exactly which of my statements is lacking in observation or research.
You say that Knipex borrowed features from their other pliers designs. Stanley FatMax did that first, too. You can see an example of this on Amazon.
Stanley FatMax walked this path first, Knipex TwinGrip followed in their footsteps. It’s possible that Knipex engineers were inspired by Stanley’s design. It’s also possible for two hand tool brands to have similar ideas at different times.
If you – or anyone – has a comment land in the spam folder, I can mark it as not-spam, which would hopefully set the spam filter straight.
Sometimes, though…
One reader changed one part of his name – adding punctuation to it, and every single comment of theirs since then has landed in moderation. I approve them each and every time, and yet the very next comment – moderation.
Raycr
I own several Vampire models. They are nice looking pliers.
But when you squeeze them hard trying to grab a tough screw the handles really flex. You feel like something is going to fail but it doesn’t
But is a disconcerting feeling
Finally the teeth really show significant wear after removing just a few screws. Why buy pliers you have to baby?
The Knipex are much stronger steel and a larger more robust design. Again that pivot joint is replaceable So pay that initial higher price and enjoy the tool.
Pops
God I hate slip-joint pliers. They never seem to be the right tool, just the tool you have in the moment.
Bill Clay
Does anyone who has used the Knipex TwinGrip can make some comparisons to the Engineer PZ-59 and the Vampliers VT-001-8?
I’ve heard others say that the Engineer and Vampliers jaws are soft and deform easily. I wouldn’t think so with Knipex based upon other pliers of theirs that I have.
I want to get some kind of screw holding pliers, but have been holding off…
Thanks.
Raycr
I have one engineer and 3 Vamps. Tiny vamp needle nose is useful for tight work areas.
They have now gotten much more expensive.
First they are very pretty to look at but are for small hands.
Second when squeezing hard to remove tough screws the handles flex like crazy. I had a higher opinion of Japanese hand tool strength before using them.
Third after removing half a dozen screws I was shocked how chewed up the teeth on the Vamps had become. I do not know how hardened the screws were.
I now only use them when I can’t fit the Knipex as I don’t want to wear them out.
The knipex is built like a tank. No flex and the teeth are super sharp and really grab. As long as some part of the screw sticks out it will grab it.
Knipex gives you more leverage and power than the vice grip style of the Engineer without having to readjust the Engineer.
You do not know you need this type of plier until your in a jam and you are pleasantly surprised how easily it solves your problem.
I just wish they also made a smaller one like 150 size and a needle nose model.
Hope this helps.
Raycr
Get the multi grip for comfort.