If you work with electrical components, look for a pair with properly insulated handles.Ĭase or wallet: A case is always a nice addition, giving you a convenient way to store and transport your snap ring pliers set without them getting mixed up with other tools. Never assume that these will protect you from electric shocks. Handles: These are often the basic plastic-dipped type, though you can find more comfortable combinations of rubber and plastic. These allow you to exert a lot of pressure (much more than you could with ordinary pliers) with minimal effort. Threaded bar and T-bar: Though not common, some heavy-duty snap ring pliers replace the standard handles with a threaded bar and T-bar (like you find on a bench vise ).
The user releases the ratchet once the snap ring is in position. The ratchet means you don’t have to maintain hand pressure. Large automotive and engineering clips require considerable force to open. Ratchet: On heavy-duty retaining ring pliers of several types, you'll also find a one-way ratchet. This might seem like a minor benefit, but it can make quite a difference to your hand comfort if you're using the pliers all day. Springs: These are often incorporated between the handles, returning the pliers to the “rest” position. To prevent this, these tools usually have some kind of adjustable stop or locking pin. Locking pin: One of the problems that can occur with both changeable heads and tips is the overextension of the snap ring that we mentioned before. They can be fiddly to swap, and if you're not careful, it's all too easy to lose them on a workshop floor. The only drawback is the number of small parts you have, both the tips themselves and the retaining screws or clips that hold them in place. These sets have a variety of angled tips and can also be switched between external and internal operation. These are fine for hobbyists who only need to use the tool occasionally, but you're unlikely to find them in the toolbox of a professional.Ĭhangeable tips: These are more robust than changeable heads because only the part that enters the snap ring holes is changed, and these are often made of very tough spring steel. The problem with this is that a changeable head isn't usually as strong as a fixed head. Instead of having lots of different pliers, you just change the head. Changeable heads are one solution intended to reduce this number. It's sometimes difficult to get pliers with a straight tip in between components - inside an engine bay, for example - so 45° and 90° options are available.Ĭhangeable heads: If you add up a few sizes and a few different tips, it's easy to see how a snap ring pliers set soon ends up including a half dozen or more tools. This is why these pliers are mostly sold in sets. If you're working with even a small selection of snap rings, you’ll soon end up needing several tools. Snap rings can be damaged if overstretched or distorted, so these tools open less than standard general-purpose pliers to prevent this. Thus, the snap ring is extremely popular.īestReviews Snap ring pliers set features There are other means of securing things on shafts - using a washer and cotter pin is a fairly common way - but they almost always require more than one component and more than one operation to fit, and they are more expensive to make. Snap ring pliers either close the O to fit inside a shaft, and the ring then springs open to fix itself securely in the groove, or the pliers open the O a little to place it over the shaft and then “snaps” closed when released. To suit both applications, there are external and internal types. In most cases, snap rings are designed to fit into a narrow groove, providing a physical barrier that prevents a component from sliding off a shaft or out from inside a bore. Sizes range from less than 1/10 inch to over 40 inches (the latter requires special tools - there's no way to make snap ring pliers that big). Retaining rings are usually flat, but some have beveled edges, which helps with proper location. These holes allow the insertion of the ends of the snap ring pliers. On each of the ends there's a lug with a hole in it.
Most are a steel O shape that isn’t quite a fully closed circle - it has a break in it, a small gap for opening and closing. They have a number of names, including circlips, C-clips, and R-clips. They're also called C-clips and Seeger clips, the latter after German engineer Willi Seeger whose company developed an early version.
Snap rings are also widely known as circlips.
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