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Review of Wiha’s New Soft Grip Combo pack with Pliers Wrench and Auto Pliers by David Altman 

Soft Grip Combo Pack With Wrench & Auto Pliers, 2 Piece Set
Pliers Wrench 10.5″/267mm OAL. Adjustable jaws – 1-3/4″ round / 46mm Hex
Auto Pliers 10.0″/250mm OAL. Adjustable jaws 2.0″ round / 50mm Hex.

I have used tools every day of my life since I was a little boy.   I am fascinated by all the different tools out there, from plumbing, electrical, woodworking, Surgery, Dentistry, Auto industry, Watch and Jewelry making, Cycling, motorcycle repair, etc.  There are literally millions of tools out there, for every discipline to every kind of product. There are some many specialized tools.

I work in the area of creating and building solutions for folks with disabilities.  I work with all kinds of machinery, all kinds of material and use all kinds of different tools.

I was very excited to get the new pliers combo set by Wiha.  I have used both the Pliers Wrench and the Auto Pliers for about two weeks now on a variety of fixes.

The Bottom Line – Both pliers

I really like the overall design, weight, functionality, quality of both the Wiha Auto Pliers and the Wiha Pliers Wrench.  From my two weeks of continuous use, they are built to last.  Comfortable handle design on both pliers.  I thought the overall design and features on both the Wiha Auto Plier and Plier Wrench were well thought out.

Suggestions for improvement on both pliers

Tools can always be improved upon.  I would like to see this Wiha line of pliers come in several other sizes. I would like to see a 12”, 7” and 5”.   Current pliers come in 10” overall length. Also the industrial finish on both the pliers is nice touch, but how about a nickel finish.  That certainly would not improve the functionality only the aesthetics.

 Wiha Auto plier 10” specifics

The jaw design has micro gripping teeth in the front and rear and larger gripping teeth in the middle. The design takes into consideration the variety of uses it could potentially have. The leverage is excellent, and the one handed ease of adjustability is just awesome. This Wiha plier rocks!

Auto plier & sliding lock mechanism

Most every time that I put the tool away in my bag or pocket, it would trip the sliding lock down to open the pliers.  Although the feature is very nice and even has one of the ribs raised so that the thumb has a place to slide the lock down (nice feature), I would like to see this slide lock with a little detent.  Or better yet the riveted hinge has part where the sliding lock, slides up on to hold the plier closed.  If that little “finger” had a curve on the end, the tool user would have to slightly pull the handles toward each other, which would allow the slide to easily slide down.  The reverse operation to close and lock the plier. A word of caution that might take away from the ease of use of this feature.

I would also consider having an accessory of “pliable  Jaw Protectors”. That would slip over the Alligator jaws for non marring situations.  Just a thought!

Since I only used them for a couple of weeks, it is yet to be determined if the oil hardening of the tool will hold up.  So far, the teeth of the jaws still maintain their integrity.  A user has to make sure that the toothed jaws are clean and sharp. Greasy or worn down jaws can result in compromised safety. Since the soft grip lock feature of holding the work piece, I feel this will decrease the risk of muscular fatigue and repetitive strain injuries.
Weight of tool is excellent, .30kg or 10oz.  This plier is light and strong.

Pliers Wrench 10.25″

Excellent design, and function.  This plier Rocks as well. I love this Wiha plier Wrench.  Again, I would like to see this plier in different sizes.  It would be nice to have a 7” and 5” for EDC (every day carry), as well as a 12” for larger fixes.

The one consideration or concern I have with this tool is the weight.  It comes in at 1 lb-4oz or .55kg.  It is strong, sturdy but a little heavy for continuous use.  For me personally, and I don’t want to sound contradictory, I like the overall weight of this tool.  But I do feel that tool users may have some difficulty, sustaining continuous use, b/c of the weight.  Fatigue in the forearm could be a factor.

Pivot area for this plier is a little thin on the back side. As you open the top handle of the plier, the back side edge is a little thin.  I agree there is not a whole lot of force placed in this area but something to consider. (see photo)

One other thought, I would like to see a little bit thicker handle grips to protect the palm of the hand.  I like the material, and the slight bends in the handle itself to fit the hand but I would like to see a little bit thicker grip. I would put thicker hand grips on the larger size pliers, 12” 10” and leave the thickness alone on the 7” and 5“ in the future if they will be manufactured.

Caveat: With the exception of tools for precision work (e.g., watch making, microsurgery, carving), the handles and grips of hand tools should be designed for a power grip. The belief that smaller tools should have smaller handles while larger tools have larger ones is debatable.

Price is just right, very reasonable for this high quality plier set.  I always have felt that it is not just the cost, it’s the quality.

The more I use these Wiha pliers the more I like them. These are high quality tools with very well thought out design.  Can they be improved upon, absolutely?  If everything was perfect, we would never learn therefore we would never grow.