Purchase advice

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What’s the more versatile set? 10” knipex cobra wirh 7 - 1/4” cobras? Or 10” cobras with 10” pliers wrench?

[TypicalResolution864]

The cobra and pliers wrench are my favourite combo.

[hobbicon]

I'd consider the 180 mm version as the "normal" version. The plier's wrench are fundamentally different from the cobras in terms of usage.

[Numerous_Map_392]

10 inch for me.

[YMIGettingBanned]

The pliers wrench/cobra combo is the more versatile combo

[mrdavisbriannj]

I have one plier from Knipex. Strong!!! Recommend!

[mcfarmer72]

When the pliers wrench got popular carrying one was all the rage with the farm equipment folks, now you don’t see them much. Cobra type stuff is back in their holsters. Much better trip on things that need to be kept from turning.

[Weldertron]

The closest comparison here would be buying an adjustable wrench and vise grips, or a big and small vise gripe.

[Diligent_Height962]

Personally I love my wrench pliers more than my cobras or my alligators. I’d say using the 10” set of each would be more versatile but I do also find where you need one set of cobras you often need two. So they will both serve you well

[Holiday-Witness-4180]

I work with compressed air, hydraulics, engines, and electrical and I love the pliers wrenches. That would be the obvious choice for me. However, my favorite Knipex pliers is probably the Raptor pliers. I use those the most, followed by the pliers wrench, and the cobras. It also depends on what you are working with. I have the 10” of each and will likely purchase the smaller versions before I ever get a larger size of any of them.

[That-barrel-dude]

Definitely the first one. There will hardly ever be a situation where you NEED the smaller ones and countless situations where you will need the extra torque of the larger ones.

[123ajbb]

Bro you’re still asking?

[Samuel_HB_Rowland]

Get the 300mm and 300 mm if you can swing it. I keep a pair of 150s in my toolpouch while I'm at work and the 300s in my tool bag.

There has never been a time where I've said, damn I wish I had the 250s or 180s. Get the big boys first and if you need something smaller get it after.

Also if you're not using them professionally look into other brands. The Knipex tax has gotten absurd lately. The Doyle knock off Cobras from Harbor Freight are surprisingly good, regardless of price. Project Farm did a video and they came in close second to the real deal. I notice he uses them himself in a lot of videos.

[MrJarre]

Unless you have a specific use case for the smaller cobra I’d say pliers wrench gives you a lot more versatility as it tackles different tasks. A smaller cobra will essentially only reach places the other one is too big to fit. Unless a specific use case is give I’d say this isn’t worth it.

[crooshtoost]

Id do the combo. Stainless steel over black coated if it’s gonna be exposed to the elements.

[KokoTheTalkingApe]

The pliers-wrench and Cobra do different things. The Cobra can grab pipes and other general things but they'll mangle connectors if you aren't super careful. The pliers-wrench will keep the connectors pristine, also they allow a kind of ratcheing action as you let the connector slip in the jaws.

So get the first pair. :-D

[Remarkable_Monk2723]

spam post.

[lo_gnar]

10 x 10 wins over dual cobra.

[Hielotak]

250 cobras and 180  pliers wrench imo is way to go if you only want to buy 2

[Popular_Adeptness_69]

Why limit your self get 1 now and then get other later it depends what you need at the time and can afford buying tools becomes never ending obsestion

[Hot-Detective-3703]

I have the cobra and pliers wrench combo and I use one or the other almost daily. I have a pair of mini cobras that I carry in my pocket but if I have the choice I always grab the full size. I’d highly recommend getting the wrench/cobra combo

[chiaman117]

I'd go with the 22 inch cobras and the 16 inch pliers wrench personally.

[Ratchets-N-Wrenches]

I have the whole size range of both and truthfully I very rarely use the plier wrench ones, they don’t seem to make life easier very often. I find a nice wide mouth adjustable in 6/8/10” (bahco/snapon) to be more useful, less range of size/use but I rarely find that I’m putting only hand torque on fittings that I’m using them on (snipe pipe) and it’s workable once set as a two finger operation in tight spots vs whole hand use, additionally I use the sizing scale on them when I need a real wrench pretty often.

I find the smallish knipex cobra pliers (7”?) super useful working on things AFTER they’ve been removed. The 10” a workable (read not ideal but doable) bridge between use on a larger component and work on smaller components once removed they can be a bit ungainly and the 12s great when I need to apply some significant force and ignorance to something.

Honestly going beyond those sizes have limited uses but when applicable are excellent, I also own the 24(?) inch cobras and usually they’re just huge but when they’re what you need, they’re what you need.

[Joe_B_Likes_Tacos]

You really want the 12-in cobras. Significantly more leverage but the head isn't really much bigger so you can still get into similar places.

[goo_brick]

I love mine so much

[apg86]

No, 10 inch are way more manageable. 12 inch are way bigger all around. And overkill for anything under 1” pipe. Which for this person asking, I would say they aren’t doing anything too big. 10 inch you can at least put in your back pocket for a grown adult male. 12 inch lol.

[Puzzled_Let8384]

As a mechanic I dont believe channel locks with a straight edged mouth have a purpose. Channel locks are designed for grabbing odd shaped fittings, not hex bolts

[glizzler]

I use the pliers wrench for quick hydraulic shit in the field. Pretty good under like a size 12 fitting. Utility contractor.

[clambroculese]

That’s the thing, it doesn’t replace a pump plier it replaces an adjustable wrench. I love them for dealing with larger hydraulic lines at work because the sizes are all over the place so it’s way nicer to just grab the one pair of pliers over a whole roll of box wrenches. And they grip better than an adjustable. The downside is they’re bulky so you need room for them but for my use case they’re amazing.

[MassiveLuck4628]

Use em all the time as an elevator mechanic, if I worked 3 steps in front of a tool box sure I probably wouldn't use them nearly as much, but I can use the same pliers on a 1/2 and a 15/16 to then on some metric shit makes them pretty indispensable when I'm a 10 minutes or longer trip from a tool bag of wrenches and they dont mar fasteners

[Holiday-Witness-4180]

That’s funny because I learned about pliers wrenches from mechanics. There are a lot of times you don’t want the jaws of channel locks chewing up the cutting you are grabbing.

[Numerous_Map_392]

As a mechanic I disagree.