Jaw Covers for Slip Joint Pliers

The Jaw Covers 449.1 fit over the steel jaws of the 449/1PYTHON-US Slip Joint Pliers and turn a hard-jaw plier into a soft-jaw plier. The covers don't replace the jaws; they slip over the existing jaws and grip the workpiece through a layer of polymer instead of bare steel.

The use case is finish-protection. The Python's steel jaws grip steel parts cleanly, but on aluminum, titanium, polished components, or anything with a delicate finish, the jaw teeth will mark the workpiece on the first squeeze. Spending five minutes refinishing a marked seatpost after gripping it with bare pliers is a problem you can avoid by spending five seconds slipping the covers on first.

When to use

• Holding a polished aluminum seatpost or stem during work elsewhere on the bike
• Gripping a titanium bolt for removal when other tools have failed (and the bolt's head will be reused)
• Clamping a finished frame tube during accessory installation where the plier needs to be the steadying tool
• Grabbing the body of a small electronic component (a wireless shifter battery, an electronic-shifter junction box) without scratching it
• Pulling a stuck part where you need plier-grip but the part's surface needs to survive the operation

The covers are not for high-force work. The polymer is soft enough to mark under the kind of full-leverage squeeze that a plier can deliver. The covers protect the workpiece from light-to-moderate gripping force; for high-force, use a vise with the right jaw material, not a plier.

Specs

• Polymer jaw cover, pair
• Fits 449/1PYTHON-US Slip Joint Pliers (sold separately)
• Article number: 449.1

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The Python line of slip-joint pliers is Unior's premium plier family for the bicycle workshop. The polymer jaw covers are the accessory that lets the same pliers serve double-duty: hard-jaw on steel parts, soft-jaw on finished surfaces.

Pro tip from our mechanics

Most working shops own one pair of "delicate-grip" pliers; slip-joints with permanent soft jaws; and one pair of "regular" pliers. The 449.1 covers turn the regular Python into the delicate-grip plier on demand, saving the cost (and the bench space) of owning two pairs. Our workshop hand tools guide covers the plier line and the rest of the workshop hand-tool layer: Workshop hand tools every bike shop needs →