Used Knipex

The part-number system

Knipex numbers have three groups: XX YY ZZZ. The first two digits are the tool type. The middle two are the handle style. The last three are the length in millimeters. Once you know that, a Knipex listing reads itself.

So 87 01 250 is: Cobra, dipped handles, 250mm (10"). 86 05 250 is a 10" Pliers Wrench with comfort grips. A T suffix (87 01 250 T) means a tether attachment point. The exact middle-code meanings vary a little across models; the type and length are the reliable parts.

What makes them worth buying used

Knipex pliers don't really wear out. The Cobra's push-button adjustment and the Pliers Wrench's parallel-jaw mechanism are the two things that could fail, and in practice they don't unless the tool was run over. Cutting edges on the 70-series are induction-hardened and stay sharp for decades. A used Knipex with intact grips and clean edges is functionally new.

Prices stay firm used because the tools are genuinely superior at their jobs — nobody who's used a Cobra goes back to a channel-lock — and the buyer pool is trades that know that.

Fakes — and they're good

Counterfeit Knipex is a real problem, concentrated on the Cobra and Pliers Wrench because those are the most searched. Some fakes are close enough that a photo won't tell you. Tells that hold up:

• Price. A "new" 87 01 250 at half retail from an unknown seller is fake. Knipex doesn't discount like that.
• Forging marks. Genuine Knipex has "KNIPEX" and "Germany" forged into the head, crisp and deep, plus the part number. Fakes are often laser-etched or shallow-stamped.
• Adjustment feel. On a real Cobra the push-button adjustment is precise with a distinct click at each position. Fakes are mushy.
• Jaw finish. Genuine jaws are precisely machined; teeth are sharp and even. Fake jaws are cruder.
• Grip quality. Real dipped handles are smooth and fit tight; fakes bubble or peel at the edges.
• Seller pattern. Dozens of "new" Knipex listings, overseas, all the same few part numbers.

A used, obviously-worked genuine Cobra from a plumber's cleanout is a safer purchase than a "new" one from a seller you can't verify.

Insulated (06) tools

Same warning as any insulated hand tool: the 1000V rating depends on intact insulation, which you can't verify from a listing. Buy VDE-insulated Knipex new if you'll rely on the rating. If you just like the handles, a used 06-series is fine as a non-insulated plier.

What to inspect

• Forging marks in the photos. Deep, crisp, includes "Germany."
• Cutting edges meet cleanly with no light through them.
• Cobra button clicks through positions; Pliers Wrench jaws close parallel and the slide locks.
• Jaw teeth on Cobras/Alligators — sharp, not rounded.
• Grips — not peeling. Cosmetic on 01/02, functional on 06.

Where the value is

Genuine, visibly-used Knipex from trade cleanouts. The less-hyped models — Alligators, TwinGrips, needle-nose, circlip pliers — sell for less than Cobras and Pliers Wrenches and are just as well made. And the full tool-roll sets, which aren't faked and often come out cheaper per-piece than buying the Cobra alone.