Skil’s new 8-inch Ratch-N-Lock pliers are self-adjusting ratcheting locking pliers that just came out for the 2013 holiday season. Skil claims that they replace a whole assortment of pliers, wrenches, locking pliers, clamps, and sockets, and even say that this may be the most useful tool ever developed.
The pliers look a little bulky to me, but you can’t really judge a tool by how it looks. For instance, the new Kobalt Magnum Grip locking pliers and Kobalt Triple Cut multi-cutters are great examples of tools that look useful but perform terribly.
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After Fred mentioned the Ratch-N-Lock pliers in a comment earlier today, I placed an order for one and will soon be on my way to pick it up at the local Home Depot. Fred mentioned not being impressed with the pliers, but I feel compelled to test them out for myself.
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
The 8″ Skil Ratch-N-Lock pliers are priced at $20.
These pliers are made for Skil by Iron Bridge Tools, an OEM company I typically associate with cheap gimmicky tools. Hopefully the Ratch-N-Lock is able to change my feelings about the brand.
Here’s a quick TV commercial-style video that shows how they work:
Hang Fire
The huge size of this tool reminds me of my brother’s saying, “it looks like a tool that will do well where any tool would do well.”
I also tried the Kobalts on display at Lowe’s and couldn’t get them to lock. I wasn’t impressed.
Stan
Just saw this tool at my local Home Depot the other day and honestly I wasn’t impressed. This was very bulky and the teeth felt fairly malleable as well.
However in the back of the back of the package, in very small print this read “made in China” as well. So I am not surprised at all though.
But honestly, this tool will never replace traditional tried and true sockets and wrenches though. As chances are, this will likely mar the surface of the screws/bolts or outright strip them completely.
Allen
Just when you thought pliers couldn’t get any more ridiculous.
Ross
If nothing else, they look like they should do an extremely good job of pinching fingers.
Jason
I will say its weird it’s branded by Skil I never really think of the brand when it comes to hand tools.
jesse
It’s an ugly, gimmicky kludge of a tool with too many moving parts , and not very sturdy looking. Add in the China country of origin, and this looks like a poor buy.
fred
Let’s give Stuart a chance to try it out. My quick try at the HD display near me did less than convince me – but maybe I was prejudiced by the even more klugey Dewalt ratchet wrench that was displayed along side.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-Twin-Tec-Adjustable-Ratcheting-Socket-Wrench-DWHT72610/204465076?keyword=DEWALT+TWIN+TEC#.UqBwKSyA2Hs
Stuart
The pliers are interesting. Gimmicky and less than ideal, but they’re a few steps above Kobalt’s Magnum Grip pliers and locking pliers. I don’t like them at all, but at least they work as advertised.
As for the Dewalt TwinTec, it’s a dog bone wrench, but one of the better designs I’ve seen. Bulky and a little weighty, yes, but easier to adjust and less gimmicky than the all-in-one dual-size universal socket dog bone wrenches that came out in recent years.
Johnny
Ugly? Am I the only one here who thinks it actually look quite good? I mean compared to all the other laminated pliers hanging around the shelves, this one actually looks like its either forged/precision cast.
Anyways I’ve ordered mine from THD also. Looking to try these out soon !
Alex
They don’t work. I was so excited when I saw the commercial, I promptly went and got a pair… and I am so dissapointed in them. I even tried them on an already loose bolt with bo success. They don’t really ratchet, there’s just a grooved peice in the center that makes the pliers slip. If anyone has had sucess with this tool, I want to hear about it.
Andrew Lawton
My wife saw these and got them for me for Christmas as I enjoy new and unique tools. There are 2 settings using a switch, one for a plier type action, the other for a locking ratchet. The tool works as advertised, but based on the complexity of the design, I can see problems in the future with heavy use, which might explain only a 1 year warranty. Most hand tools like Craftsman have a lifetime warranty. I also hoped that this tool would have been made in the USA – NOT! Another Chinese import. I will just have to hope I get my $20 out of it.
M Jones
I just bought one. They DO ratchet, as long as you have the little ratchet lever in the down position. They seem reasonably strong though they do not have tight tolerances. They wont grab anything less than an eighth of an inch thick tightly at all, so keep your Klipex pliers nearby, but they are simpler to use than a standard pair of Vice-Grips or Channel-Locks as they are self-adjusting and do grip most objects tightly when the ratchet is engaged. For the limited use I will put them through they should be fine. But DON’t get rid of your sockets, pliers or other wrenches just yet!
M Jones
I meant Knipex Pliers…
dave
I got a pair at a yard sale for a buck so im not out to much if they don’t perform great but still usefull