Truper Heavy Duty Lineman’s Pliers Review

Lineman’s pliers are one of the most important hand tools in a meter tech’s arsenal of tools. A good set of lineman’s pliers allows you to cut and bend wire with ease. They also need to be durable enough to be used at times as a hammer. Now, trust me I know that they are not a hammer but can you honestly tell me that you have never used your pliers to beat on something? One of the things that meter techs use lineman’s pliers for is cutting meter seals. Most of these types of meter seals have a steel wire which is harder than copper. This means that the pliers must be up to the task of cutting the steel day in and day out.

Now, I know that the Klein Tools 9-Inch High Leverage Side Cutting Pliers are pretty much the standard in the electrical field. But what if you need a set of pliers that work just as well but are different than everyone else? Are there any options out there?

Truper Heavy Duty Lineman’s Pliers

Truper is not a new company but it is not as well known in the electrical field as names like Klein, Greenlee and Ideal. But, they do make a good set of lineman’s pliers. Their 9″ heavy duty pliers are made of forged chrome vanadium steel which is supposed to be two times stronger than carbon steel. They also feature a good comfortable grips. The finish on the pliers is a satin finish which helps with rust resistance.

My Review

So, what do I think about the Truper Heavy Duty Lineman’s Pliers? All in all I think that they are a good tool for any toolbox out there. I do not think that you would be disappointed if you made the purchase. Now, there are a couple of things that I would like to mention about these pliers. The overall length is about 9.5″. The distance from the pivot point to the end of the handle is about 7.5″. This means that you get good leverage when using these pliers.

The grips are comfortable and they offer a raised portion to help aid in holding on to the pliers. I also feel like this helps keep your hands from slipping if you need to use the pliers to push something as well. I also want to note that the grips are not for use on live circuits. So, keep that in mind when using these pliers. I have used Klein Pliers most of my career and one difference that I notice between these and the Klein are that the head of Truper pliers seems to be larger. That could be a good thing if you are using the pliers to bang on things because of the added mass. It could also be bad if you need to get into tight spaces.

My biggest complaint with the pliers is the jaw design. You can see in the picture below what I am talking about. Just below the cutters there is a gap when the jaw open. More than once while using these pliers to cut wire the wire has fallen into that gap. This prevents you from cutting the wire because the gap portion clamps down on wire. Once you get used to it, there is no problem. Just something I though I would point out.

Conclusion

Would I buy the Truper Heavy Duty Lineman’s Pliers? The answer is yes. Although they are not perfect they are perfectly capable of handling any task with ease. Whether it be cutting, bending, pulling wire or wiring up CT’s these pliers get the job done.