Best Lee Valley NWS Slip-Joint Pliers

The German firm NWS (Nöthen Werkzeuge Solingen) makes tools that are widely recognized in Europe for exceptional quality, innovation and performance.

This tool’s slip-joint mechanism engages with 11 stops over a 2″ range, letting you adjust the jaw opening for a close fit with the fastener. With just a firm push on one handle, the jaws quickly slide closed; if additional fine tuning is needed, the push-button jaw release fully disengages the stops to permit careful positioning. The hardened, asymmetrically notched jaws capture three sides and two corners of a fastener for a secure hold with less risk of rounding the corners.

Teeth are set with an opposing bias for solid grip, and the small slot near the jaw tips serves as a nail or wire holder. Jaws are machined flat on the sides, so you can set the pliers flush to an adjacent surface to grip fasteners that project only slightly, and at less than 5/16″ thick, the slim jaws can access objects in tight spaces where bulkier designs cannot reach.