Dewalt has launched new Slidelock pliers, which work differently compared to popular button-lock adjustable pliers such as the Knipex Cobra.
The new Dewalt Slidelock pliers are advertised as being fast to adjust, slim for fitting in tight areas, and more corrosion-resistant than the brand’s older button-adjustable pliers.
Dewalt says they Slidelock pliers have a “dual-adjustment mechanism,” presumably for larger and finer opening width adjustments.
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It appears there are two styles – pliers with V-jaws such as shown here, and I also spotted a listing for straight-jaw pliers.
I found these pliers in 8″, 10″, and 12″ sizes. Pricing starts at around $21 for the 8-inch pliers.
Buy the 8″ Pliers at Home Depot
Buy the 10″ Pliers at Home Depot
Buy the 10″ Straight Jaw Pliers at Home Depot
Buy the 12″ Pliers at Home Depot
Buy the 2pc Set at Acme Tools
At this time it looks like the pliers are only available online. According to online product descriptions, the pliers are made in Taiwan.
I would have expected MaxFit or Tough Series branding if the new Dewalt pliers were set to launch at Home Depot, and perhaps they’d be Craftsman-branded if they were set to launch at Lowe’s.
There are plenty of adjustable pliers that you can open and then slide closed for coarse adjustments. It’s not clear how these new Dewalt pliers operate, and whether they slide open, closed, or both.
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I find the new Dewalt Slidelock pliers design uncompelling, but it’s good to have more options.
Knipex tends to be the king of adjustable pliers, with the Cobra as my go-to for premium pliers, and the Irwin Groovelock (Dewalt sibling company) is a good choice at a lower price point.
Big Richard
“At this time it looks like the pliers are only available online.”
My local Farm & Fleet has had them on the shelf for a few weeks now. Well, at least the 8″/10″ 2 pk. They seemed decent in the hand, I almost thought the grips were a little too bulky. I debated buying them to give them a review, but at $40 I passed.
https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1647124-dewalt-8-and-10-sidelock-v-jaw-plier-2-pack.html
Daniel
They do look bulky! At $40 bucks I’d just buy the Knipex. Tried and true. The new Tekton’s look nice.
Seems like everyone is jumping on the Cobra bandwagon. The question is are they making a better plier than Knipex? So far I haven’t seen one I thought was better.
Jared
I’d be curious to hear Stuart’s take on whether there are any pliers BETTER than Knipex cobras – or at least directly competitive.
I have Proto J260MGs that I like quite a bit (made in France, so I assume they’re actually Facom production). I don’t have the same size in Cobras for a direct comparison though. I’m also fond of NWS pliers generally – there’s the NWS 1660-12-180 that’s also a push-button water pump plier.
Neither of those are cheaper than Knipex, so there’s no obvious reason to choose them instead – but sometimes I like to be different.
Stuart
NWS is on-par, sometimes preferable.
Big Richard
It was $40 for the 2pk, so “only” $20 a pop. So you are getting two pliers for the price of one Knipex.
Peter
That pretty much mirrors my opinion. Every one is copying the cobra without really innovating anything. Minor style changes but not really even matching the small iterative optimizations that Knipex themselves have been making.
Unless you only rarely need pliers and are on a budget most are not even worth considering. Even then in this case being only a slightly cheaper copy they are not compelling. Just another “Also Ran” in an over saturated market.
If you want a cobra style pliers and will actually use it just by the real cobra pliers.
Farmerguy
I wonder why the copycats can’t copy the original cobra. My understanding the patents ran out on cobra and pliers wrench in the not so distant past. If so, why isn’t there an exact match? Is there other patents preventing this or lack of technological or metallurgical knowledge missing?
Saulac
I believe it is trademarks.
Jack D
I’m pretty sure trademarks only apply to the name. So the original question remains…why not an exact copy?
Matt
For the price, these don’t seem very compelling. You’re not far off of knipex money. Only budget option I’ve liked are the Doyle from harbor freight, when 40% or more off, they’re good value and have held up well