Lee Valley Contingency Pliers

Special buy. Limited stock.

While you can’t prepare for every contingency, you can certainly be ready for many unplanned situations with a few versatile tools. That’s the idea behind this tool set – with five interchangeable heads, it’s like having a whole array of tools in one for unexpected wiring work, plumbing jobs, household repairs and more.

The set fits in an 8 1/2″ × 5″ case just over an inch thick. Changes are quick; just hold the jaws closed, spread the handles and slide out the head, then pop another in its place. You may be surprised at how firmly it locks in place – for an interchangeable tool, the fit is better than most.

The lineman’s pliers will likely be the most useful to you and a reliable default in many circumstances. The inner surfaces of the 1 9/16″ jaws are flat for the first 1/16″ at the tips, allowing them to meet flush for a precise tweezer-like grasp, followed by a fine-toothed section for a firm hold. A coarse-toothed gap (or “burner hole”) in the middle serves as a wrench. Next to the hinge, 5/8″ long, hardened, double-bevelled side-cutter edges cut wire, cable or small finishing nails, with a pattern of points and flats within the adjacent recess to engage nuts or bolts from 3/8″ to 5/8″.

The crimping tool has 1 7/8″ toothed needle-nose jaws for precise work, and recesses for crimping insulated and uninsulated wire from 22 to 10 gauge.

The straight shears have thick, steep-bevelled blades, suitable for cutting cardboard, leather or sheet metal, with micro-serrations on one blade to prevent stubborn materials from slipping or twisting as you cut.

The cable shears have stout blades for use on tough materials but with curved edges that apply a better hold on round materials such as hose or rope up to 1″ thick, branches up to 3/4″ or wire cables up to about 3/8″ in diameter.

The wire stripper jaws have seven recesses for neatly stripping wire from 22 to 10 gauge, with single-bevel wire cutters at the hinge.

All tool heads are well made from heat-treated steel, with cutting edges hardened to Rc50-55 and a return spring in the hinge for ease of use. The comfortable, contoured 4 1/2″ handles have a polypropylene and thermoplastic rubber coating to cushion your grip.

Covering a range of duties, this is a well-conceived multi-tool at a modest price for this level of utility.