Why you'll love them: This high-value set of five American-made pliers from
Channellock gives you everything you need to get a handle on just about any task you'd need them for.
All of our aforementioned picks are highly adaptable to a wide number of tasks for which you might find yourself needing pliers, but unfortunately, there's no single tool that can tackle every job.
Pliers come in a wide array of lengths and styles for a reason: There are a lot of objects of different shapes and sizes that need to be grabbed, pulled, twisted, and so on, and if you're a dedicated do-it-yourselfer, then you'll eventually need more than one pair of jaws.
As we've mentioned, a single pair of pliers won't set you back a fortune, but if you need to buy a bundle of them, then it can get pricey quick. That's why Channellock, an American icon in the world of pliers, is our favorite pick for buyers who want to buy a nice set of inexpensive tools without skimping on quality.
This set comes with five pairs of Channellocks: a six-inch slip-joint, a seven-inch cutter, an eight-inch long nose, and two of the brand's namesake groove-lock pliers. The two groove-lock pliers are 9.5 and 10 inches, with the larger one offering a considerably wider range of jaw opening positions.
This offers just about everything the average user could need in one handy package. The pliers also come in a nylon tool roll, although you may want to replace this or find a better place to keep them long-term.
Channellock pliers are still made in the US, which is even more impressive given their low price. They are incredibly sturdy in comparison to other budget-friendly tool brands, although the groove lock pliers aren't as nice as our favorite adjustable pick, as these lack the push-button adjustment, which we found more convenient than the standard tongue-and-groove system.
They're still very solid tools, though, and represent the best value of all of our picks: At around $60 for this set, you're getting great American-made pliers for about $12 a pop.
Pros: Five different pairs of pliers for virtually any job the average user will encounter, they're made in the US, feel very solid and sturdy compared to other low-cost tool brands, and they're an excellent value
Cons: Groove-lock pliers lack a push-button adjustment, and the tool roll feels cheap
Buy the Channellock 5-pliers set on Amazon for $59