Keeping readers abreast of new developments in plumbing materials, products, tools and practices.
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Hey, Heads Up! Pete’s got some great new Pipe to improve the plumber’s lot: new tools. (This Gripper title by the way is not a reference to Sherlock Holmes.) (Though he (the Gripper) was a handyman). A bit of irony of this piece is that two of the tools (out of four) that I wanna share with you have embryonic connections to two, unrelated trades: electricians and the automotive maintenance industry. The third and fourth tools are examples of someone’s good idea translated into reality that benefits many intentions. However, what these four ‘entities’ share with plumbing is: the plumber’s need of employing gripping tools (in this case, pliers) for the execution of their trade. Pliers have been around for so many generations for so many purposes that as a topic it would pose a gargantuan task to fully dissect. And we won’t try. This Pipe, thankfully, focuses on a few procedures plumbers perform with the aid of pliers. One of these procedures is the installation of quality, cast brass kitchen sink basket strainers (the author’s choice). Photos 1 & 1a (This is one example for which installation (by yours truly) involves the use of a large and heavy pair of pliers.)
*Many attempts (even large automotive-like sockets) were made by tool designers to come up with a successful, specialized basket strainer installation tool (weighing a fraction of what has been until now the author’s choice) (Photo 2). The heavy pliers in the photo (Pete’s default choice) are best wielded by the owners’ of a ‘sturdy’ frame. (Plumbers develop strong wrists. Their grip is much stronger than non-plumbers). Those big, bulky pliers though are no fun to wield, under the sink!  Photo 2: Two points of contact It’s no wonder then Pete the Plumber was ecstatic when he recently discovered specialized gripping tools (pliers) designed for other trades that make his job easier. (The installation of basket strainers at the top of that list.) The first of the four pliers discussed (Photo 3) was designed for the ‘motoring’ crowd (‘spin-on’ oil filter removal/installation) but also NOW solves a long irritating plumber’s chore: easily tightening the kitchen sink basket strainers ‘installation/lock’ nut (Photos 4 & 4a). This new tool is also much lighter than his old parallel jaw tongue and groove version of slide jaw pliers.
* The author’s third blog, way upstream in July of 2017, titled: “Brass Is Best” has some advice on the selection of basket strainers, along with his thoughts on this topic on page 112 in his book “Installing & Repairing Plumbing Fixtures” by Fine Homebuilding’s Taunton Press (Photo 5).  Photo 5 Who’s Big Idea? *Slide jaw pliers had their beginnings in the automotive sector. They were especially handy at keeping the water pump packing nut (Photo 6) of early motor cars adjusted and through time simply became known as: “water pumps”. (Yours truly had much experience using a pair to keep his 1931 Ford four door Model A Victoria sedan (Photo 7) water pump packing nut adjusted. (The term “water pumps” may still be traded-about, even today, though the users may be too young/unaware of its origins.)
Change Horses The second specialized gripping tool (Photo 8) is a pair of pliers especially designed for electricians. (There’s even a lightning bolt etched onto the adjuster button.) When working with EMT (rigid steel tube) and metal boxes, ‘sparkies’ have castellated and hex lock nuts to tighten on EMT adapters (Photos 9 & 9a) for which this pliers V-jaw was designed.*
*The tips of the handles of these pliers were also designed to de-burr ‘somewhat’ the inside ends of cut-to-length EMT steel tubing so as not to scrape off electrical wire insulation when wire is pulled through. We plumbers may pay no attention to this feature due to our superior tooling and method of de-burring copper and Schedule 40 steel pipe. The author discovered that in most situations the 5 or 6-in. version of these V-jaw pliers also ‘handles’, with ease, the closet nuts (Photo 10) used with the ‘closet bolts’ for toilet bowl installation/removal (Photos 10a & 10b).
The author’s usual tool line-up for these tasks (Photos 11 & 11a) are a 7/16-in. box wrench ratchet and a ‘¼-drive’ mechanic’s ratchet with a 7/16” deep socket. Now, with these pliers Pete might be able to ‘lighten his tool belt’ and maybe even save a ‘walk back to the truck’ now and then.
The Old Way Among the four ‘slide jaw’ pliers discussed in this Pipe, the slide action (being able to adjust) falls into 3 camps: 1., the slow but ‘tried and proved’ tongue & groove (Photo 12); 2., the new, quick, pre-set (with spring loaded adjustment button) (Photos 13 & 13a); and the Quick Set, with arced notches all in one handle (Photo 14).
The author has purchased many of this latest type. The few times he’s been disappointed with them is because ‘overly worked’ (too worn) specimens are more lent to failure: Plumbers may have a pair (or two) gripping usually threaded steel pipe and fittings and when the final squeeze is applied (usually audibly) the jaws on one pliers loses its grip. Now, that one is not worth saving. Tongue & Groove designs (Photo 15 & 15a) use a stacked series of arched grooves on one jaw and on the other, a cast-in tongue (‘groove runner’) and stout round pin. Down the center of the arched grooves runs a slot. When the handles of the pliers are fully spread apart, the tongue is moved out of the way (disengaged) and guided by the pin, the handle slides up and down this slot quickly while the plumber adjusts the jaws ‘to fit’. When the handles are brought closer together the slide adjustment process stops, the groove running tongue is once more engaged and locks-in that slide position, and now a gripping/squeezing force takes over to perform work.
Slide jaw pliers Pete probably uses more than any other of his tools. When you are assembling horizontally lain components and the plier handles are going UP and DOWN, the heft of the tools isn’t a big deal. Now. Try using the tool/s horizontally (while you are standing/kneeling/lying on your back). If the task at hand isn’t solved fairly quickly you’ll wish you worked-out at the gym. (That’s why aluminum pipe wrenches are marketed.) Using slide jaw pliers (tongue & groove, pre-set and quick set types) (both tightening and loosening) once adjusted and gripping a target part or material (nut or brass/steel pipe?), the plumber will need to release his/her grip, re-set the plier jaws, compress, and swing plier handles in either of two directions to satisfy intent. Are you assembling or disassembling? When working on your side, under a sink, versus on your knees in front of a sink, there’s more chance of muscle fatigue. When during this “repositioning” movement, using tongue & groove and quick set versions there’s a chance the jaws do not remain in adjustment and the plumber has to repeat this adjustment process. No big deal most of the time. A kitchen sink, two lav basins and two tub waste and overflows (day’s work?) and your pliers don’t need to be in the best shape. (Just maybe a little cursing and finger bruises later the job gets done.) To repeat any one of these tasks (any too soon) with the same pliers merits a replacement. Now in this case, the question arises: should you purchase a standard ‘parallel’ jaw, tongue and groove or parallel Quick-Set, or consider a change. The author suggests readers take a look at the third tool discussed, the Hipulx parallel jaw, pre-set (push-button) slide jaw pliers (Photo 16). This is not a tongue & groove design. Instead it uses opposing notches with a spring loaded ‘button’ (Photo 17) to push to activate release. When depressed and held, the two handles can be slid back and forth to make an adjustment.
Oh, Squeeze Me It’s not so much as how one adjusts the choice of pliers as much as how long they stay adjusted. The Hipulx pre-set design (Photo 18) makes sense for those working with multiple, same sized/shaped parts (1&1/4, and 1&1/2-in. slip-nuts for sinks (KS & Lav), and tub W&O’s. Plus, flushometer toilet, bidet and urinal “bright work” when the ‘soft’ (included) jaw covers are in place (Photo 19). These ‘good idea’ pliers the author believes, will prove very popular with plumbers because the sliding handles have a lock button (compared to tongue & groove and quick set) and the lower jaw slides to fit with a squeezing motion. Great for repetitive movement on faceted parts and because of the slide action being ‘lockable’ these pliers too will stay in adjustment when knocked around on a job-site. They will be appreciated when working on tubular waste slip nuts, especially. But they are heavier which will influence speed of acceptance.
Both modern pipe wrenches and most slide-jaw pliers employ parallel jaws. The pipe wrench’s parallel jaws work by a ‘jamming-of’ (binding) and the slide jaw pliers by squeezing. Both actions, when working with round materials and parts (pipe & fittings) ‘make work’ with a minority jaw-tooth count. (Illus. 1 & 1a) Pete’s mentor, fellow plumber Larry Weingarten (larryweingarten.com) has an impressive collection of antique/unique plumbing wrenches and pliers which he displays in classroom settings. (Unbeknownst to us both until many years later, Larry’s first car was also a Model A). There were some intriguing methodology in those old tools of Larry’s that still work well today but are no longer popular in the market.
Round versus Flat Parallel jaw pliers work best with flat surfaces. For a Full Service plumber this occurs mostly working with the faceted slip-nuts on tubular wastes, continuous wastes (under sinks) tub waste and overflow’s, ‘bright’ (chromed or other electroplating) bidet and closet (toilet) parts and components (‘spuds’ and flushometers (Photos 20 & 20a) and wrench flats on drainage clean-out plugs (Photo 21). (Pete used to employ permanently in-place, non-marring, nylon coated tongue & groove, smooth jaw (parallel) slide-jaw pliers for this ‘bright work’ (Photo 22). Now he prefers the ‘snugger’ fit of the Hipulx, with soft guards in place. With the ‘guards’ on there are no scratches in the finish.
Reunion Jaw preference changes when we go from flat to round materials and parts. The ubiquitous ‘die cast’ slip nut in (Photo 23) (which the author abhors) has such wimpy wrench flats that yours truly places this part in the round-ed category and ripe for the last pliers discussed, the quick set type Crescent Dura-Plyer (Photo 24). These pliers are not drop forged as are the others and consequently they are lighter to wield. But the author finds them sufficiently stout for working with ½-in. and ¾-in. Schedule #40 steel and brass pipe and fittings prior to pipe wrench ‘snug-up’. These Dura-Plyer’s have superior tooth-to-material contact than both V-jaw and parallel jaws on round surfaces (Photos 25 & 25a).
Alike But Different But, what about any functioning differences between tongue & groove (Photo 26), quick-set (Photo 27), and the new pre-set (button lock) slide pliers (Photos 28 & 28a).
First, our new ‘pre-set’ type slide-jaw pliers too uses a ‘tweaked’ tongue-in-groove method for adjustment. But in this case, the ‘grooves’ in the respective handles are opposing v-notches (Photo 29) not arced grooves like quick set versions Photo 30) or tongue and groove. On the Milwaukee and Hipulx brand slide-jaw pliers shown in this article (Photos 31 & 32) along the handle slot are v-notches. Pressing ‘the button’ activates the locking/unlocking mechanism temporarily, allowing the plumber to slide open the jaws to make ‘a fit’ (completed adjustment). When the spring loaded button is released, the slide action of the jaws is locked and the plumber now applies ‘squeeze power’ to continue their work. Those pliers stay in that particular adjustment until the plumber changes it by again pressing the button and sliding the handles. (Knock these off a step ladder or work surface and it’s ‘no worries mate!” Pick them up and they are still properly sized.) Suggestion: Maybe ‘throw’ some color on them (paint or tape) and they’ll be less likely to ‘clock out” (mysteriously disappear) like has happened to most of us.
Well, that’s it. Pete the Plumber hopes he didn’t put all of you readers to sleep (unless you were in bed trying to get there.) If the reader is a ‘handy leaning’ person, or is friends with one, they should know that the Crescent Quick Set pliers, due to their lighter weight (and less $$) might pose the best choice for those of you who are just beginning to build your plumbing tool collection. They work best on rounded but do accommodate flat shapes (Photo 33).  Photo 33: Crescent Dura-Plyer on 1&1/2-in. brass slip nut ‘flats’ Note: The author wishes to thank Brian and Plotzke Hardware for the run of their store while taking pics (and I didn’t buy anything that day!”) Until Next Time (when again the urge is no longer suppressible) P.t.P.
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Peter Hemp is a San Francisco East Bay residential plumber and plumbing author and former R & D steam vehicle plumber. His hobbies are ocean kayaking and touring the Left Coast by bicycle. Archives
March 2026
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