20 Best Snap Ring Pliers Set (2023 Updated)

Best on the market. Ergonomic grips that make it easy to hold onto the pliers. Tips are strong and hold onto the clips. Easy to change from external to internal. Case is designed to hold pliers in for easy removal and putting back and lock into place.

I had to rebuild/repair a CV half shaft. The boot was torn and instead of replacing it I simply replaced the torn boot! The pliers came in very handy to remove and reinstall the snap ring retainer. The verity of sizes helped to have the correct one when needed.

I expected a good tool and I expected even a good snap ring plier can be hard to stay in the snap ring “eyes” under use. Well I was very pleased to see the tips are machined at an angle which means you don’t have to jam the pliers into the snap ring holes with force to keep the pins it the holes.

This work really well on the eyes with some wear on them.

I used this product to remove circlips on my Honda lawn mower self proppelled drive system. It was a bit difficult to initially switch out the included adapter and get the tool working correctly due to the pin coming loose a couple of times, but once it was correctly placed it worked fine.

For the value of the money I spent on this tool, I would say it is pretty good because you get some additional adapters with the tool for more than one application. The tool is versatile and effective when properly changed out with the new adapter and the pin set.

It is pretty well constructed as you would expect from Irwin tools.

The main selling point of this product is its incredible value. The tool came with four different heads. Honestly, it is a bit annoying to use, but not the most annoying pair of vise grips that I have ever used.

Due to the interchangeable mechanism, the tool just doesn’t feel as solid. Then again, the advantage of having multiple grips is that you can find your preference. Honestly, for me, I could’ve used any of them and I would’ve been fine It did well enough when I used it to snap on retaining rings onto hubs for my RC projects.

If you are like me and are only using these grips for small projects, I do recommend buying this model over a more expensive/higher-end one.

For those wondering, the pins on my pair measure about 1. 2mm and 1. 4mm in diameter for the straight set of jaws. For the 90 and 45 degree jaws, I have measured between 1. 4 and 1. 5mm in diameter. Other reviewers have reported a little bit of play in the jaws.

I have noticed this as well. It is not a deal breaker for me, and I have used one hand to stabilize the jaws when it has become an issue. However, I can understand how some people in tight spaces with only one hand free have been upset at the relatively large amount of play in the jaws.

For reference, my jaws have a few mm of vertical slop in the jaws, perhaps more if you really put some pressure on it. That being said, I like the selection of 4 different jaws that it comes with, and the option to change from interior to exterior opening.

If you need a high quality tool with tight tolerances and very little slop in the mechanism, look elsewhere. For a casual user like myself, this is perfectly fine, and allows you to perform some repairs that would otherwise be nearly impossible.

These are a nice set of snap ring pliers which for the most part does what their designed to do however, the tips could be stronger and the pitch on the tips need to be angle out better. I use these for lighter snap rings because they are not strong enough for the heavy snap rings used on F350 front axles.

I had to buy a different pair for the heavier snap rings. These seem to be well made, I only use a couple of them from the whole set but the price was right so i purchase the set instead of individuals.

Great value and bigger than what I could find locally. I used these to remove the large internal snap ring holding a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid steering column together to change out the steering torque angle sensor.

Got referred here by makuloco YouTube dude.

The OTC Stinger snap ring plier set is well made. Each tool can easily be set up for internal or external snap rings. These are light to medium duty pliers. Can be used on snap rings up to about 2. 5 inches in diameter.

They have fixed tips that are not interchangeable, which I prefer. The latching case keeps them organized and in one place.

This is the right tool. A special purpose tool. Makes the job effortless. I can literally take the rings off, or put them on, in 2 seconds. Without this tool, you will try to pry the rings off using pliers, Vise Grips, screwdrivers, and anything you can think of.

Best case scenario is that you damage the ring, and you have to buy new rings. Maybe you damage the pipes. Or the ring goes flying and you lose it. Worst case is you get hurt. I’ve had the rings pop off and fly into my face.

I’ve lost a little skin and blood. Get this tool. Save yourself the heartache and grief. You could lose an hour or more, struggling with the rings. Get it done right. Made In U. S. A.

There are just OK. The knurled edges of the tips do still slip a lot when removing circ clips and snap rings. , espcecially if they have any sort of angle at ring tips, which many do. The tool has already started to wear at the tip.

I don’t know of there is a better product out that bites into internal snap rings better. It works, but still is a bit frustrating to use.

What a weird tool! Who knew they existed? When you need ’em, you really need ’em. Like when a little hollow metal cylinder with threading on both sides gets tightly screwed into the of an expensive brass plumbing fixture through a bizarre sequence of unfortunate events and there is no way to grip its own inside to unscrew it.

Unless you have. reverse pliers! Also handy when incandescent glass bulbs break off, leaving their metal base in the fixture socket with nasty shards poking out. Oh yeah, probably also useful if you are a professional who actually knows what lock rings are.

Seems sturdy, well-made, etc.

Needed external plier for use on F350 front hub. These were a reasonable price and were long enough to reach in to the snap ring. They look good, have smooth and tight action, and come with extra tips, wrench, and set screws for each plier.

Unfortunately, neither pair did the job. The tips for the external set are angled in the wrong direction which made it impossible to hold onto the snap ring. The internal set also could not maintain grip.

The end result was to remove the external snap ring by cutting it with a hammer and chisel. Returned for refund.

These might work for you if you are removing small snap rings (less than 1. 5 inches). They are simply not strong enough for what I was trying to use them for which was removing an A/C compressor coil snap ring that was around 2 inches across.

The length of the tool and the double X design makes for a flexible tool that struggles with even modest snap rings. You might have better luck using the angled pins but I specifically bought these for their reach and the fact that they came with straight pins.

Look elsewhere if you are doing work with substantial snap rings. If you need reach and the snap rings are small these will probably work just fine. They should list the intended uses and limitations of this tool in the description.

Now I have to try and return an open tool to Home Essentials Direct. A much cheaper set of Tekton snap ring pliers did the job in about 30 seconds. I have linked it below if you like to see if it would work for you.

https://www. Home Essentials Direct. com/gp/product/B000NPPATI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

I needed to remove thick snap rings that retain the front axles of a 2011 F350 4×4. I bought this set, instead of just the external pliers, because the cost of the set was marginally higher than the cost of just the external pliers.

The GearWrench external pliers were not stout enough for that task. After an hour of trying, I researched and then purchased the Knipex 4911A3. With the Knipex, it took me one minute to remove the ring on both sides.

Because they work. These pliers have “precision” in the name to distinguish them from the standard product which has external springs, box joints, and turned tips. These pliers have adjustable joints, internal springs, and spring wire tips.

The tips are not changeable, they are crimped in. When you wear out a pair of tips (hasn’t happened to me yet), you have got your $25 worth of use, go buy another pair. The tips are canted outward on external ring pliers and inward on internal ring pliers.

This is a great feature as the clip will work it’s way toward the pliers when under tension and tend to stay on the pliers until tension is released. Great feature. This set will handle 3/8″ (10mm) to 2 3/8″ (60mm).

If you are an R/C car enthusiast or a gun or airgun or paintball gunsmith, you will need a separate pair of external pliers that will handle 1/8″ (3mm) to 3/8″ (10mm). Thank the engineer in the sky they don’t particularly make 1/8 to 3/8 Internal snap rings, but if they did, Knipex would probably make them.

You may want straightsKnipex 4911A0 External Straight Precision Retaining Ring Pliers 5. 5-Inch or the angled onesKnipex 4921A01 External Angled Precision Retaining Ring Pliers 5. 2-Inch sometimes they go out of stock, but don’t hurry, buy them from Home Essentials Direct as they are about $10 less expensive.

Knipex also makes bigger pliers for those of us who fool with big tractors and earth movers. These are very good tools, they are drop forged steel and should last a long time doing what they were designed to do.

Exactly what I needed to get the job done right. Save yourself a lot of time and wasted effort. Use the right tool for the job. This ring plier set is top quality. Also, the delivery was very timely.

Will keep Zoro in mind and limit myself to Amazon next time I’m looking to buy tools.

One use of these while servicing my Kubota’s front axle and my old Craftsman set with removable tips went immediately in the trash. Supposedly the Craftsmen set could do ext. rings on shafts up to 2″ (~51mm).

Ha, right! This shaft was ~1 5/8″ (~41mm) and there was no way though matter how many times I tried, no matter what tips I used or how I had them installed. I decided on this set of Knipex after reading many reviews here and elsewhere saying fixed tipped pliers are the only way to go.

You know what, they’re absolutely right. I enjoy mechanical work when I have the right tools, but I always felt that “snap” had more to do with how they’d fly away (assuming you even got that far) than it did to do with their springy composition.

These Knipex pliers made these retainer rings trivial to remove and reinstall. I even took others out to *play* with ’em and to go a bit further with my cleanup and repair work. One of those was external on a 70mm shaft and tho this plier set has a stated upper range of 60mm, the retainer was removed easily.

What may not be obvious to a casual observer who’s not seen these up close is how the working bits at the tip are canted outwards for the ext. rings and inwards for the int. rings. The removable tips I had prior always canted inwards and for ext.

rings this caused the ring to slide off the tips before you could open the ring up at all. I just wish I had purchased these 30 years ago. So many headaches I could have avoided. Though I would never have giggled as I’ll likely do every time I use these in the future now — ’cause I know.

So I bought these as a replacement for the Pittsburgh brand I bought initially. Those were the worst of the worst, couldn’t even use them once. That’s what I get for trying to be frugal, or so I thought.

So I purchase the Quinn pliers and use them 3 times for light duty work on a riding mower and like another review stated, something has malfunctioned in the selector switch and they are now stuck as outside ring pliers only and have too much play in them to be reliable.

Do yourself a favor and save yourself the frustration by staying away from these “reversible” all in one pliers and just bite the bullet and get a snap ring plier kit.

I bought these because they are larger than the set I already had. The space between the tips is greater allowing the circles to open slightly wider. BUT, the larger gap between the tips isn’t much larger at all once they have PRESSURE on them and are in use.

They are also much thicker in the middle, making it difficult to get the pliers into tight areas (which is where they are always used). They did get the job done- but they were not inexpensive! They are very pricy and yet very cheaply made.

Not sturdy. Wear eye protection.

These may work for light occasional use, but they are NOT a serious tool set. The handles are twisted, the end pins go in different leaned directions, the storage box is very thin flimsy plastic. I’ve gotten a lot of tools from “HF”, but none ever looked and felt this cheap.

If you’re really looking for even a decent set of snap ring pliers, these are not it!.

When trying to use in tight space the jaw was to big to get the tip into snap ring. So I had to file a contour on the jaw so tip would go in to snap ring. Not recommended for tight places.

Not as good as high end tools but adequate for DIY stuff. Got me out of a bind. Only needed it once ‘ don’t know if it would hold up to daily use.

I’ve been looking for a good set of snap ring pliers, I found one!

Just as advertised. PROTO Stanley have always made good tools in my book.

Nice budget set that has held up well after several months of use..

I went ahead and purchased this set of knipex circlip pliers because I didn’t really have a need for the entire set that also included the 90 degree angled pliers. This set contains 4 pliers with size ranges of 19-60mm, 12-25mm for both internal and external type clips.

To help with the internal clips, 2 of these pliers are spring loaded to help you get the pliers where they need to go. The little details that really did it for me were the points that go into the circlip holes.

They are angled slightly away from the direction you need to squeeze. Because of this, I rarely have any slip off of clips any more. Once you try them out, you’ll see what I mean. That alone made this set worth the investment.

Suggestion: the easiest way to install a spigot on a closed top barrel is after you drill a hole, insert a piece of string or wire through faucet hole then out top bung hole. Slide internal parts of faucet down the string to position through the bottom hole.

Attach outer part of faucet snugly.

I don’t often use a tool like this but it sure is nice to have the needed tool when the job presents itself. The design, fit and finish of the set of KNIPEX pliers is excellent. I will keep them until I’m too old to tinker and I can already see the resale value of quality pliers is very good.

Would certainly recommend and will buy this brand if ever needed.

It was a very good purchase, it was a used item but well taken care of. Price was good, good quality. Works very well. However if I had to say anything bad about the item I really wasnt expecting it to be as heavy as it is, might be as Heavy as a regular cord item but less bulky but I say it does work great I am definitely not dissatisfied at all.

These snap ring pliers are garbage! Don’t waste your money on them. They are flimsy. The pins are not oriented well so they do not grab the snap ring. My needle nose pliers work better then these things.

First time I was disappointed by Knipex. The tips were not well machined – rather rough – they are supposed to be angled to help prevent the ring slipping off. Did not work in several cases – used a $10 cheap pair instead.

I would get the Cornwell reversables set for 1/4 the price.

Funny how the simple things can make or break a tool. I’ve had a few snap ring pliers with changeable jaws that are a waste of time. Jaws are way too flimsy to work. I’ve had the more solid pliers that you change how the handles are assembled to change from inner to outer snap rind.

Those work better but the pins are not optimized for how they need to engage the snap ring, so also have issues. These Knipex pliers are made right and work well. I tried them on an item that I was having trouble with and they held and manipulated the snap ring just fine.

They are pricey, but the lack of frustration makes them well worth the cost. The outside pliers are spring loaded to be open, the inside pliers are not spring loaded. It might be nice if they were loaded to close, but not a big deal.

These pliers work and work well.

Just bought a like new set from a pawn shop for $80 !!!!! SUCKERS!! A very professional set for a mechanic shop

This is a pair of tools, one for inside and one for outside snap rings. They have 16” long handles, wide jaws, alternative tips, and a ratchet that are ideal for large (~3”-5” diameter) snap rings. We needed to disassemble the rear hub of a single swingarm motorcycle.

they bent the 1st minute for a 6″ inner snap ring, they need to be thicker on the handles, i had to smash them together to get them to work, then i ordered a pair from Caterpiller and they look the same, but haven’t tried them.

these items will not come in a closable box only an open plastic one with no lid so they fall out easily

Having struggled for an evening with 2 circlips in a door handle using an old pair of needle nosed pliers and a kitchen knife, I knew I needed something better before I tackled a similar job again. The choice is bewildering.

From items at throw away prices to tools that cost more than seems reasonable to spend. I went for these because I could see they were quality items. nicely machined and finished. Made to do the job perfectly.

Fitted into a robust tool roll. Was i let down when the package arrived? Certainly not. These are high quality, professional tools made to do a job perfectly. they work as they have been designed to do.

The tips are beautifully manufactured to fit even the smallest circlip. The only problem is I don’t know when I will have another circle to replace but I do know I will be ready for it!.

Due to inappropriate use I managed to break the tip on one of my Knipex circlip pliers trying to remove the rusted locking screw on a hubcap, it had already shifted the other 3! Looking for a replacement I came across what I needed in this excellent set which comes with a good quality tool roll.

These will be used properly in future, I should not have listened to my mechanic who suggested using them to remove the hubcaps, for the correct purpose these Knipex pliers are a superb quality tool and very strong, the one I needed to replace was over 15 years old.

It is well worth paying the extra for these rather than cheaper brands and this set is very good value for money from a very efficient supplier who sent them very quickly.

Great tools. Usually when you grab snap rings you wait for them to fly off the pliers. But these have a little bit of a angle to them and do NOT let go of snap rings. I would highly recommend this set.

Same thing you’d buy off the Matco truck for a fraction of the price since they haven’t put their eagle on it.

There’s nothing quite like removing circlips/snap rings with cheap pliers that bend allowing the ring to go airborne! Working on a tractor I struggled getting inside and outside rings to cooperate. It took me 3x as long as it should due to slippage and being unable to grip the ring easily.

After purchasing the Knipex tools, I kicked myself repeatedly for not having these in the first place! The job becomes a no-brainer and no-struggle with these tools.

Finally got to use these the other day. I knew I would like them and they really are as great as I expected. I had some really thin bendy snap rings that wanted to twist badly but these pliers got them.

A bit of a struggle but would have been near impossible with my old cheap set. These really look well made. Worth every penny to me.

Little pricey but, you get what you pay for. Good quality set of snap ring tools. Best snap ring tool I have owned.

Hands down, this is the nicest set of snap ring pliers I’ve ever used. At work, we have several different types and brands, none of them hold a candle to Lang Tools product. These work with ease and go from inner to outer in seconds.

My fellow workers come to me daily to use em. My only caveat to them is they come back to me clean, and if broken, replaced with ANOTHER identical Lang snap ring plier. These are used on the snap rings which hold the roller pins on heat treating furnaces.

We go through roller pins almost daily, and even if they aren’t broken, we inspect them by removing the snap ring. The Lang snap ring pliers get a workout and have performed flawlessly each time.

These are by no way meant to be used on a daily basis in a shop environment. They are not that comfortable to use, even a little awkward compared to mechanic shop brand tools. But they get the job done when you need to work on some garden equipment.

The nice thing about them compared to the type with replaceable tips is you don’t have to go looking for the tips. Plus you can keep them in the case and not in your tool drawer. They may not fit nice and snug in the case, and yes they get out of place even with the lid closed, but at least they are all in one location.

Although I now need to have a larger storage space for the entire case.

I was told that Snap on has purchased Lang. If so, Snap on will inflate price considerably. tis is a very nice set at a realistic price. Great value in my opinion. I recently used thevlage pairbto remove a large snap ring from wheel bearing hub.

This was an easy job, thetips held on well to ring. I should probably purchase another set. Great product without killing your bank account.