Have you ever noticed how many items that surround you are crimped with hog rings? Hog clips are used in the upholstery of your sofa; they seal the sausage that you had for breakfast, and even the parts of the wire cage for your pet hold together owing to hog rings. The tool that allows you to install hog clips is hog ring pliers, and, in this review, I will try to help you choose the best hog ring pliers for your needs.
You may need hog ring pliers for versatile purposes to make your life more comfortable. Owing to special grooves in jaws, these pliers can hold a hog ring and curve it around any object. Furniture and car upholstery, caging, fencing, and meat processing are only some spheres in which hog ring pliers will be extremely helpful for you.
Best hog ring pliers review
C.S. Osborne & CO. 1440-CO – best overall
If you are looking for heavy-duty hog ring pliers, I am sure you will like C.S. Osborne & CO. 1440-CO. These top-quality pliers are made of alloy steel which makes them highly durable. Produced in the USA, the item is perfect for 3/4″ rings and can be used to work with different materials.
One of the main peculiarities of this product is bent at a 135-degree angle vinyl handles that allow you to reach even hardly accessible places. Owing to the spring-loaded mechanism, your hands will not get sore fast as you will not have to open handles each time.
Compared to Ion Tool, this product does not come with a set of hog rings, yet it is heavier, and its size is almost 11 inches, while the rival is only 7 inches long.
From my own experience, I can assure you that these pliers are especially applicable to fencing, furniture, and auto upholstery. They are comfortable holding and squeezing with one hand but still too small for crimping 1/2″ bungee cords.
My verdict is that C.S. Osborne & CO. 1440-CO are the overall best hog ring pliers owing to their durability and application versatility.
Key specs
- Material: alloy steel
- Weight, lbs/g: 0.63/286
Pros
- Made of heavy-duty material
- Ideal for 3/4″ rings
- Have a spring clip to reduce hand fatigue
- Bent handles for better reach.
Cons
- Hog rings are not included.
Ion Tool – best budget
If you do not want to compromise between quality and budget, Ion Tool should be your choice of a hog ring tool. This reasonably priced product for professional use is only 6.75 inches long and weighs 0.88 lbs. Made of alloy steel, it is sturdy enough to crimp the hog rings of 3/4, 1/2, and 3/8 inch size. Rubber handles are comfortable for repeated use, and a spring clip helps keep a ring in the jaws.
A nice bonus that you will receive together with the pliers is a kit of 150 galvanized 3/4″ hog rings for upholstery. Owing to galvanization, you can be sure that these rings will not rust as fast as polished rings usually do. The item is appropriate for such spheres of use as fencing, netting, car, and furniture upholstery, traps, sausage casing, bungee cords, cages, etc.
Compared to DEWALT P7DW, Ion Tool does not have an automatic feed system, so you have to load each hog ring manually.
While I really liked these small hog ring pliers, I was not happy with the quality of hog rings as they have sharp ends, and they would not crimp to a uniform size. Another thing that irritated me was the grooves to hold the rings; they are either misshapen or too shallow because the clips would slip out easily.
All in all, Ion Tool is the best hog ring pliers for fencing that you can get for a reasonable price.
Key specs
- Material: alloy steel
- Weight, lbs/g: 0.88/400
Pros
- Made for professional use
- Appropriate for hog rings of 3/4, 1/2, and 3/8 inches
- Comes with a set of 150 hog clips
- Can be used for versatile purposes.
Cons
- Hog rings have sharp ends
- The grooves to hold the rings are misshapen.
DEWALT P7DW – with automatic feed system
If comfort and safety at your working site come first for you, then you will enjoy automatic hog ring pliers DEWALT P7DW. The main peculiarity of this tool is a spring-loaded magazine feed. The manufacturer guarantees comfortable operation with one hand owing to little weight and ergonomic grip. This item is made of hardened steel, while the yellow handles are made of rubber.
This tool uses 11/16-inch hog ring fasteners, and it actually comes with a 1000 ring kit. Produced in the USA, these pliers are ideal for fences, cages, labels, netting, fabric, and ornaments.
Unlike C.S. Osborne & CO. 1440-CO, this item cannot get to hardly accessible areas because its handles are not bent. Thus, this tool will not be very helpful with upholstery because its design does not provide excellent visibility.
I find it extremely convenient that these pliers can load rows of hog rings so that I do not have to load each one by hand. But at the same time, I did not like it that the staples don’t fully squeeze all the way tight, leaving a small opening no matter how hard you squeeze the handles.
In general, DEWALT P7DW is a great tool with an automatic feed system that will allow you to complete many jobs efficiently.
Key specs
- Material: metal
- Weight, lbs/g: 2/907
Pros
- Has an automatic feed system
- Made of hardened steel for durability
- Comes with 1000 hog rings.
Cons
- The hog rings do not squeeze fully
- Not appropriate for upholstery.
Knipex 91 92 180 – best for upholstery
Do you need hog ring pliers for auto or furniture upholstery? If you do, then pay attention to Knipex 91 92 180. This small tool produced in Germany is designed especially for such purposes. Of course, the spheres of use are not limited to mere upholstery, and you can apply these hog nose ring pliers even for making traps for crabs or lobsters, gardening, and building wire cages.
This 7 inches long tool is made of hardened steel that is supplemented with exceptionally comfortable handles for easy grip. The hinge is smooth and tight, the spring-loaded mechanism makes the product even more practical for use.
In comparison with DEWALT P7DW, the rival does not come with a kit of hog clips, and you will have to load each ring manually. And it is the most expensive among similar tools, but the price can be justified by the quality of the product.
Even though the manufacturer claims durability and sturdiness, I do not find these pliers appropriate for heavy-duty tasks. They would work perfectly only with lighter-gauge hog rings.
All flaws aside, Knipex 91 92 180 are the best hog ring pliers for upholstery.
Key specs
- Material: special tool steel
- Weight, lbs/g: 0.34/154
Pros
- Especially good for upholstery
- Made of hardened steel for durability
- Comfortable handles for easy grip.
Cons
- Does not come with a set of hog rings
- Not appropriate for heavy-duty tasks.
Hog ring pliers buying guide
Straight or angled hog ring pliers?
There are two types of hog ring pliers – straight, and angled ones and each of these types can be more appropriate for completing different tasks. Thus, straight jaws are usually used for versatile purposes when you do not need to reach some hardly accessible and tight sites. Angled tool, on the contrary, gives you additional visibility and allows you to get to any spot, which is especially comfortable for upholstery and sausage making.
Regular or spring-loaded hog ring pliers?
You can find both standard and spring-loaded hog ring pliers on the market. The latter are generally more expensive but, at the same time, more comfortable to use with one hand as a spring clip keeps the jaws open. You can put a hog clip in the grooves with one hand and press the handles with the other hand. You will not feel any fatigue in your wrist even during repeated use of the pliers owing to the spring-loaded mechanism.
Hog rings’ sizes
Needless to say that the size of hog ring pliers that you choose will depend on the size of hog rings that you plan to deal with. Some spheres like meat processing require smaller hog clips and thus smaller pliers. Yet, you will need a heavy-duty tool that will open the jaws wide in case you need to crimp large clips for bungee cords.
