Tip of the day

[dodge man]

Large channel lock pliers. This seems to be a rarely needed tool for me, but is also often the most important tool in my garage. I originally got this large set of channel locks for removing stubborn oil filters. They work really well for this as long as you can get to the side of the oil filter. They also work well for putting the ball on hitches. They also can work well for rounded off bolts, as you can usually get a better grip than with vise grips. The bigger the channel locks the better. Total length should be over a foot long.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I worked for a guy that would threaten to fire you if he saw channel locks in your tool box. I was fixing high speed label applicators at the time.

I do have a set a home and when you need them (rarely) nothing beats them.

 

[dodge man]

I can understand that, if your lazy and don't get a socket and ratchet, you can ruin stuff with a set of channel locks.

 

[creekbend]

Channel Locks are a valuable asset to an individual's tool collection. Just be sure to purchase the original Channel Lock brand. I have discovered through out the years that the "off brand" ones are not reliable and don't hold up under certain conditions. Just a thought.

 

[Western]

I caught a "helper" using channel locks to remove the regulators on my torch bottles. I wasn't happy, especially since I had a rubber handled wrench in the tray just for that. They do have there uses though, I use mine generally for pipe fittings ect tra.

 

[300UGUY]

I have a couple of pairs, keep one in the truck just to do trailer balls. Another is a large oil filter plier. That helps a lot especially when a filter is hard to get to.

 

[Sterff]

I worked for a guy that would threaten to fire you if he saw channel locks in your tool box. I was fixing high speed label applicators at the time.

I do have a set a home and when you need them (rarely) nothing beats them.

Same thing with adjustable wrenches and claw hammers :laughing:

 

[joshuabardwell]

I only use channel locks rarely, but I do find them to be an invaluable tool some of the time. I have a portable solar electric fence energizer, and the channel locks are great for pulling the piece of rebar I use as a grounding rod out of the ground. Clamp on near the ground and start twisting back and forth while applying steady upwards pressure. It slowly works its way out. They're also good for bending metal rod, where you can clamp them on one end and put the other end in a vice. You don't have to be squeezing and bending at the same time.

I confess that I have occasionally used two big pipe wrenches on nuts for whom I did not have a big enough box wrench. Now I have two big adjustable wrenches, which are still not ideal, but it's really expensive to buy a set of box wrenches or sockets in very large sizes, especially when I so seldom actually need them. IMO, better to just have a couple of adjustable wrenches and make do. Are they very bad for rounding off nuts?