AndyRV7

AndyRV7

Well Known Member
I own a couple pair because I heard they were a must-have for airplane maintenance. But I haven't run across anything yet that I don't think I could have done just as easily with a pair of needle nose or regular pliers.
 
They are the go-to pliers for safety wire, in addition to safety-wire pliers, and let me get into all sorts of places while holding things more securely than a needle-nose pliers will do.

They are among the ten most-used tools I own.

Dave
 
David Paule said:
They are the go-to pliers for safety wire, in addition to safety-wire pliers, and let me get into all sorts of places while holding things more securely than a needle-nose pliers will do.

They are among the ten most-used tools I own.

Dave
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I couldn't agree more. The old greybeard who helped me assemble my ECi kit engine tossed my safety wire pliers in the trash. He taught me how to use the duckbill pliers to start my safety wire and hand wind it to completion.
 
N941WR said:
The old greybeard who helped me assemble my ECi kit engine tossed my safety wire pliers in the trash.
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That's funny; I 'inherited' a set of safety wire pliers by retrieving them from the trashcan. Old guys can be overly dramatic, sometimes. Make sure your duckbill pliers are smooth-jawed, without knurling for use on safety wire.
 
Short answer = EVERYTHING
Duckbills are the handiest tool in the toolbox. So handy that I picked up several pairs at a used tool store and have a pair in every toolbox.

Heck, I even use them for some of the jobs for which they were designed, not to mention thousands of jobs for which their designers didn't foresee their use!
 
What makes them better though. I'm not seeing it. I googled duckbill pliers and couldn't find any story about what they are designed for.

I could understand the smooth jaw argument for safety wire, but the last pair of safety wire pliers I just bought had waffled jaws (my first pair was smooth). And they seem to be a pretty popular plier even with the textured jaws.

I have to say that I did use them to remove the brake cylinder cotter pins when I rebuilt my matco cylinders recently. The thin jaw helped me pry the cotter pin ends away from the castled nuts. But I could probably have grabbed the pins with needle nose pliers and pulled them away from the nuts just the same.

So what makes them function better for these things you use them for?
 
AndyRV7 said:
What makes them better though.
So what makes them function better for these things you use them for?
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Maybe we should buy a pair and find out. I never owned a pair and until I saw this thread I didn't know I couldn't live without them ;)
.....and I have a LOT of specialty tools.
 
JonJay said:
Maybe we should buy a pair and find out. I never owned a pair and until I saw this thread I didn't know I couldn't live without them ;)
.....and I have a LOT of specialty tools.
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I have 2 pair, and sprung for the Knipex ones!:D
 
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