Husky Self-Adjusting Groove Joint Pliers Review

Husky, Home Depot’s house brand, has recently expanded their hand tool lineup with several new designs, including this 10-inch self-adjusting groove joint pliers.

There’s something about “self-adjusting” that sends chills down my spine, but these pliers actually work quite well. They’re also very reasonably priced at just $11 via Home Depot.

Like other water pump pliers, these pliers are most useful for gripping hex fasteners, pipes, and odd-shaped parts.

One-Handed Automatically Adjusting Pliers

Husky describes these as for one-handed use. More specifically, they say that the self-adjusting feature allows [for] one-handed fast, automatic adjustment. While technically true, the pliers really require two free hands to set them up prior to adjustment and use. When you think about it, all pliers of this general style designed for one-handed use, regardless of how they’re adjusted.

Marketing claims and “one-handed” nit-picking aside, these pliers really do adjust quicker than other pliers of their kind. The self-adjusting mechanism is smooth and consistent, and even quicker to use compared to other pliers that must be manually dialed-in to a particular opening width. With these pliers there’s no need for trial and error, they just automatically adjust to the right opening, every time.

How Does it Work?

To open the pliers, spread the handles and slide the moveable jaw all the way down. You can move it back up to manually close the jaws, but that’s not necessary.

When you squeeze the handles together to clamp onto an object, the moveable lower jaw self-adjusts to close the gap between it and the top jaw. Once the jaws are clamped onto an object, they behave as regular tongue-and-groove or groove joint pliers would.

The silver spring-action plunger creates a temporary pivot point where it contacts the top handle. As you squeeze the handles the top handle slides along the plunger and the lower jaw clicks up to close the gap.

When the jaws are in contact with an object or workpiece, the main pivot takes over and the pliers behave as any other groove joint pliers would.

Fit, Finish, and Ergonomics

The fit and finish of these pliers are better than I expected, with the jaws clean and burr-free and the pliers working perfectly straight off the card. I noticed that the horizontal jaw has a bit of horizontal play, but this is not out of the ordinary for water pump-style pliers.

The jaws are designed for multi-purpose gripping needs, with a straight front section shaped to grip flat objects and the V-grooves for round, square, and hexagonal-shaped objects.

The handle grips are rubbery and comfortable, although they’re not as soft and cushiony as the grips found on more premium pliers. They are far more comfortable than the grips attached to Kobalt’s self-adjusting Magnum Grip pliers.

Summary

Husky’s new self-adjusting groove joint pliers are comfortable to use, and they are speedier to adjust than ordinary groove joint pliers. They’re strong, versatile, and inexpensive.

I typically prefer 8-inch water pump pliers, but this 10-inch size is more generally useful due to its larger jaw opening and greater leverage. Hopefully Husky will come out with smaller sizes in the future – I would buy an 8-inch model without hesitation.

Overall I have no real complaints with the pliers, and can easily recommend them. While they are not quite as comfortable to use as the more premium pliers in my toolbox, they cost a fraction as much. At $11 they’re a great buy.

Buy Now(via Home Depot)

These pliers are made in China and are covered by Husky’s guaranteed forever free replacement policy.

Thank you to Home Depot and Husky for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for benchmark and comparison purposes.

To promote their Husky products The Home Depot provided us with product samples for review consideration. They did not tell us what to say about the products. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.