Combination Pliers

Combination pliers are the tool that lives in the apron pocket. Twisting a brake-cable end straight, gripping a derailleur spring while you reinstall a pivot bolt, biting through a zip tie that's about to catch on a rotor: a working bike shop reaches for this plier dozens of times a day. The reason this one earns its keep is that the jaws are forged to last and the cutter near the pivot stays sharp under cable-strand wear.

What it does well

The jaw face is split into three sections, each designed for a different grip. The front jaws are serrated for round stock like cable housings and small fasteners; the middle section is knurled for flat-stock work; the side cutter at the pivot is for severing cable, zip ties, and stainless brake-housing strands.

The cutter is induction-hardened separately from the rest of the jaw. That's a deliberate process choice: the cutting edge gets the hardness it needs to survive thin-strand wear, while the rest of the jaw keeps the toughness it needs for grip work. A jaw that's hardened uniformly across the cutter and the gripping face becomes brittle in one place or soft in the other.

The dual-material handle is grippy without becoming sticky. The two-density grip absorbs hand fatigue across a long service afternoon; the harder core gives the lever stiffness you need for serious clamping.

Where it earns its space in the bike shop

• Cable end crimps. Light pinch on the knurled middle section sets the cap without shearing it off.
• Brake housing cuts. The side cutter is sized for stainless strands; pair with a quality cable-housing cutter for cleaner ferrule ends.
• Zip-tie removal. Faster than reaching for the dedicated side cutter; the front jaws steady the tie while the cutter trims.
• Pulling a stripped quick-release lever. The serrated front jaws grip the lever shaft without marring the chrome.
• Holding a derailleur spring. Front jaws clamp the spring leg so you can index the cage during reassembly.

Specs

• Construction: drop-forged jaws, induction-hardened cutting edges
• Handles: dual-material grip with VDE-insulated coating
• Designed for daily shop work; the jaws survive twenty years of pivot cycles

Made in Slovenia, since 1919

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The plier metallurgy is the same process used across the chain-tool and torque-wrench lines: forged from a billet, hardened and tempered, then finished with trivalent chrome plating to corrosion-resistance standards. The cutter section is induction-hardened in a separate step so the cutting edge stays sharp on stainless brake-housing strands while the rest of the jaw stays tough enough for grip work.

Pro tip from our mechanics

If you only own one plier, this is the one. The decision tree for when a different plier is the better call lives here: Pliers for bike work →.