Here are the coolest pliers you can buy online or on Amazon for less than $100 in 2021. Having a full pliers drawer when you are working on cars is probably as important as having the right sockets. There are sorts of types of pliers but the most common ones you should have on hand are needle nose pliers, vise-grips (needle nose and standard), X-hinge style pliers, Knipex water pump pliers, diagonal cutters (dykes), and one or two pairs of very large style pliers.
I have created this list of the best pliers to buy in 2021 for automotive repair. These are absolutely essential to have if you don’t have a good pliers drawer. Lots of people don’t realize how much they will end up using their pliers once they own good ones.
Table of Contents
Best Pliers and Plier Sets 2021 under $100:
KNIPEX Tools – 2 Piece Extra Long Needle Nose Pliers Set With Keeper Pouch
For less than $100 you get these two awesome pliers from Knipex that are a new model. Why do they come in handy? They are made to have “holders” which mean when you are trying to grip that spring style hose clamp these are made to grab those and hold onto them while you wiggle them where you need. If you have worked on cars with the spring style hose clamps, then you know how hard they can be to get to cooperate. Some people, including the famous YouTuber BriansMobile1 will even cut his own grooves in his pliers so they grab these style hose clamps better.
It seems Knipex realized there was a missing niche in the market for pliers that can do everything well.
KNIPEX Tools 9K 00 80 94 US Cobra Combination Cutter and Needle Nose Pliers 4-Piece Set
Knipex 9K 00 80 94 US 4 Piece Pliers and Cutter Set Set includes:
- 8″ Long Nose Pliers w 12 AWG stripping hole (26 11 200 S1)
- 10″ Diagonal Cutter (74 01 250)
- 10″ Cobra Adjustable Pliers (87 01 250)
- 8″ Combination Pliers (03 01 200)
This set is great for the beginner for the beginner mechanic looking to supplement their pliers. The needle nose pliers come with a special hole for stripping wire. You also get a pair of 10 inch diagonal cutters. Along with that you get their patent protected Cobra adjustable pliers. You can’t beat the price on those pliers set in 2021.
It is a little bit more expensive than $100 last time I checked. We are talking about maybe five or $10 more. This is the best that you can buy if you are just getting started out working on your own car. These pliers are absolutely essential to own doing your own car maintenance. You have the tools to cut wire, grab things, move hose clamps, and do most anything you need pliers for. That is why this set is one of my favorites in 2021.
Channellock PC-1 Pit Crew’s Tongue and Groove Plier Set: 424, 426, 440, 460, 4-Piece
There is a reason why these are called the pit crew pliers set. Channel locksAre absolutely necessary to have in your toolbox in 2021 as a DIYer or mechanic. They’ll allow you to grab slippery things like shock towers or struts. They will also allow you to torque things down like rounded nuts or even removing stubborn radiator hoses.
When you need these you need them. You might not always pick them up, but when you do need them they’re the only tool that will get the job done. You can also use the large one too compress brake calipers slowly and get brake jobs done quickly and easily. No more fighting for brake pressing tool. Once again one of my favorite tools ever. Especially to save time on brake jobs.
Crescent 5 Piece 5″, 7″ & 10″ Curved Jaw & 6″ & 9″ Long Nose Locking Pliers with Wire Cutter – CLP5SETN
You might not think there could be much difference between vice grips and the quality. Honestly, I can see where you might think that but you couldn’t be further from the truth. High-quality vice grips, or at least decently made ones, just work so much better. Which is why I do like this set from Crescent. It isn’t the highest quality set you can buy and won’t break the bank, but for a beginner set of vice grips to have in your toolbox just buy them.
Here is what you get with the set:
- 5 piece set includes 5, 7, and 10 inch curved jaw locking pliers, plus 6 and 9 inch long nose locking pliers
- Versatile curved jaw also features integral wire cutter
- Plastisol dip on release lever for improved comfort
My favorite part of the entire set is the plastisol dip on the release lever. Once you start using these you will see how it really helps prevent fatigue and finger pain when you go to release the vice grips. How many of you have had to use a screwdriver or other tool to release vice grips because they were on so tight? I have, and it isn’t fun. These help prevent that.
Conclusion:
Buying pliers in 2021 doesn’t need to be difficult. I have compiled a list of some of my favorite pliers sets for you to buy in 2021 for doing DIY automotive repair or your own car maintenance. Trust me when I say there are certain tools you just absolutely must own to do car repair and pretty much every one of these tools above is an absolutely essential car repair tool. It doesn’t matter if you are working on your dad’s old Ford truck or your mom’s new 2021 Ford Focus.
Here are the coolest pliers you can buy online or on Amazon for less than $100 in 2021. Having a full pliers drawer when you are working on cars is probably as important as having the right sockets. There are sorts of types of pliers but the most common ones you should have on hand are needle nose pliers, vise-grips (needle nose and standard), X-hinge style pliers, Knipex water pump pliers, diagonal cutters (dykes), and one or two pairs of very large style pliers.
I have created this list of the best pliers to buy in 2021 for automotive repair. These are absolutely essential to have if you don’t have a good pliers drawer. Lots of people don’t realize how much they will end up using their pliers once they own good ones.
Best Pliers and Plier Sets 2021:
KNIPEX Tools – 2 Piece Extra Long Needle Nose Pliers Set With Keeper Pouch
For less than $40 you get a great copy of a much more expensive catch can and they include some clamps, screws, and hose to get you starter.
Pro tip: buy a higher quality hose and hose clamps for the oil catch can. The hose will degrade fast unless you use a hose that can withstand hot and cold and oil exposure. I highly recommend buying this hose kit
which will fit the intake and outtake ports for this oil catch can and will last a long time.
The clear lines these come with typically look cool at first, because you can see all the gunk flowing into the catch can, but they will ALWAYS degrade faster than black hose under heat.
ESPEEDER Oil Catch Can Tank Polish Baffled Reservoir
Black 300ml
Once again a slightly different style and it really just depends on what you like for the look of your vehicle. The ESPEEDER oil catch can do not have a big bulky vent coming out of the top so it does look cleaner. However, if you are putting an oil catch can on any 4×4 or truck style vehicle you may want to go with the vent style catch can for a better look.
It is pretty funny in the description of the catch can they remark that the hose is a “free gift” and that you should definitely buy a better hose. I do not know why all these kits are selling it with these hoses (I am sure it is to draw you in) but in reality, you do need to buy separate hose (inexpensive).
PQYRACING Compact Baffled 2-Port Oil Catch Can Tank M16×1.5 Inlet Outlet 160ml
This one is great if you need a small and cheap oil catch can for your car. Maybe you don’t have a ton of extra space and want something really compact. This oil catch can have a capacity of 160ml vs. the others listed above which either have 300-400ml.
What does this mean to you the buyer? Well, you will have to empty it more often. Make sure to place it in an area of the car that you can easily unscrew the container and empty it accordingly. You do not want the oil catch can to overflow and then it will just suck the same gunk right into your engine again.
That is why a lot of oil catch cans have dipsticks so you can check the level. My advice is to just check it weekly then figure out how often you need to be draining it based on how much it is filling per week of normal driving.
This oil catch can is also insanely cheap at only $20 roughly on Amazon. It has great reviews as well. Click here to read the reviews for this oil catch can on Amazon.
Sporacingrts Compact Baffled 2 Port Oil Catch Can
Silver
It will come with zero instructions. Just like many of the other catch cans on my list. This is because these are generally copies coming straight from China with no markup at all to the consumer.
You are getting these at roughly the cost of manufacturing them and shipping them. I mean think about it, this is a $20 item and it is made from aluminum and shipped to your door. Sorry, but for that price, you are just lucky that you can buy these things.
How to Properly Install an Oil Catch Can:
To install it correctly you should just google your car and “installing an oil catch can.”
Someone is likely to have done it on your exact car and can walk you through the process. For every car, it is different and different strategies for placement of the catch can work better. I know that isn’t very helpful, but unfortunately, it is way too complicated to talk about every single type of engine and the best placement for each type of oil can. You will have to make your own decisions at some point if there isn’t enough information out there already.
If you’re still not sure if you should be using an oil catch can in 2021 watch these videos. They mostly work best on cars with a lot of engine blow-by (burn a lot of oil) or modern cars that have a direct gasoline injection system.
Lots of these cars end up having problems with oil and crust building up on the intake valves. This is because no gasoline is sprayed over the valves (cleaning them in a normal car without Direct Gasoline Injection). This means some cars at around 30,000 miles can have problems with coated intake valves and loss of horsepower etc.,
Lucky for you there are tons of informational posts about how to install catch cans on pretty much every modern engine. For some general guidelines, I recommend a couple of YouTube videos for installing oil catch cans. Here is the most informative catch can video on Youtube to get you started.
Do I Need an Oil Catch Can?
- To find out if using an oil catch can on your car is appropriate, just google it.
- If your car has a direct gasoline injection system then, by all means, I recommend you install an oil catch can.
- Just avoid all the potential problems of build up on the intake valves.
- It can be extremely expensive to repair if you have to take the intake manifold off and blast the valves.
- However, since I cannot spend a ton of time researching every different car and whether people have had good success with an oil catch can, that part I will have to leave up to you.
- You will also need to decide where to install the oil catch can, and what lines you want to tap to do it. Some people also install two oil catch cans (for certain cars,) and you will need to see if that is a good option for you on your car.
Conclusions:
Oil Catch Cans are fun items to install on modern cars with direct injection engine, or just engines with a lot of engine blow by. You get to watch them fill up with nasty oil gunk and know that you are keeping that from being burned in your cars combustion chamber.
The spark plugs, intake valves (on DGI vehicles), and exhaust ports will thank you. As a benefit, you may even get better gas mileage, and potentially avoid a SUPER expensive service where a technician has to blast the intake valves of your vehicle with an abrasive material to remove all the carbon build up. Can anyone say Ford Ecoboost engines?
Go buy an oil catch can watch a video on how to install it, and make sure it doesn’t leak. The biggest leaking item is intake and outtakes ports being loose after install so make sure you tighten them nicely and use a thread sealant tape if needed.100
