SKIL RATCH N LOCK PLIERS
Hello, and welcome to my video review of the Skil Ratch-n-lock pliers. As you can see, this is no ordinary pair of pliers, in fact, it isn’t and ordinary pair of anything. The concept was laid out well, a pair of water pump pliers that would also double as a clamp, and a vise grip, and a pipe wrench, and a wrench, and…. A ratchet?? The locking feature of the pliers allows you to integrate the Ratcheting cams, which are located inside the jaws, these cams allow the pliers to turn in the opposite direction without moving the bolt, much like a ratchet. Unfortunately, this stocking stuffer gimmick, spreads itself to thin and cannot backup its claims with any performance. Basically this is a tool that was designed to do everything, but its not good at anything. In the category of the one-tool-fits-all section of Walmart there many other tools with the same problem. Targeted to everyone, made for every job, but suitable for no job. The only thing the ratcheting cams are good for would be rounding off the heads of bolts and nuts. The cams have fairly aggressive grooves, like those of a pipe wrench, however they are the worst enemy of a brass fitting. A few “ratchets” on a small brass fitting would render it useless, as it slowly ate away at the corners. Onto the clamping feature, the self-adjusting design is counter intuitive to this tool being used as any type of clamp or vise grip. When the bottom jaw of the pliers is contacted while applying pressure, they stop the tool in its tracks. Leaving the operator without the ability to put any real force on the object he or she is clamping. This also seriously hinders the ability to use as a pipe wrench, the pliers just scratch the surface but never dig in enough to get a good grip. Lastly, the overall bulky design of the tool prevents from being used in even moderately tight spaces.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love tools and there may well be a job out there that is well suited for the Ratch n Lock. I give Skil credit for trying something new and innovative, but I would recommend that they take this one back to the drawing board so that they can give us ( the consumer) something to brag about. That does it for me, but be sure to leave a comment below, give me your opinion about the Ratch n lock. Do you love it, or hate it. What kind of jobs have you used it on? And as always be sure to subscribe.
Post time: Feb-04-2017