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How to use compound action pliers

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have the new pair in your hand and a cable or a clip in front of you. How to use compound action pliers is mostly about where the work sits, and about stopping before you force a jaw that will not open. The extra pivot makes the same squeeze feel stronger. It also makes the gap smaller than you expect from ordinary combination pliers. This page is the method. The [compound pliers comparison](/hub/pliers/compound-pliers) owns the six rows. Materials and the 70% claim sit on the [wire-cutting page](/hub/pliers/compound-pliers/sub/compound-pliers-wire-cutting). Do not use this sequence as a way to find out whether a cable is live.

You have the new pair in your hand and a cable or a clip in front of you. How to use compound action pliers is mostly about where the work sits, and about stopping before you force a jaw that will not open.

Our top picks

DEWALT DeWalt compound-action linesman pliers 200 mm

Best overall

DEWALT DeWalt compound-action linesman pliers 200 mm
9.6/10about £18.49
View offer
Craftsman Craftsman 8-inch compound-action diagonal cutters

Alternative

Craftsman Craftsman 8-inch compound-action diagonal cutters
9.4/10about £26.08
View offer
STANLEY FATMAX Stanley FatMax compound-action combination pliers 215 mm

Best value

STANLEY FATMAX Stanley FatMax compound-action combination pliers 215 mm
8.8/10about £16.79
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the handles move
  2. 2.Making the cut
  3. 3.When the tool is at fault
  4. 4.Where a professional takes over

Before the handles move

Prove the conductor dead first. HSE HSG85 treats dead working as the normal plan: isolate, lock off if you can, and test with a proving unit on a known live source, then on the conductor, then on the proving unit again. Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 sets three conditions before work on or near a live conductor. None of the six listings is marked to BS EN IEC 60900. A yellow-and-black grip changes nothing. If the cable is unidentified, or the job is a consumer unit, stop and call a competent person. Put on eye protection. A cut end can flick. Seat the work in the cutter if you are cutting, and in the serrations if you are gripping. PUWER 1998 expects work equipment to be suitable. A nicked edge or a twisted jaw comes out of service before the next squeeze.

Making the cut

Open the handles and look at the gap. UK reviews of the FatMax 215 mm pair say it does not open enough. A UK review of the DeWalt three-pack puts all three at about 10 mm. If the wire will not enter, do not bounce the handles. Place the wire as close to the joint as it will sit, then squeeze once until the cut finishes. If the handles spike and the metal does not part, stop. A notch-and-slide on some high-transmission cutters is a Knipex TwinForce method, not a FatMax or DeWalt instruction. If your pair has no notch, you need a different opening. A spring is claimed on the DeWalt 200 mm linesman and the 190 mm long-nose, not on the FatMax or Craftsman bullets. If there is no spring, open the handles yourself. Stiffness that remains after a drop of oil on the pivots is a fault.
DEWALT DeWalt compound-action linesman pliers 200 mm

Testsieger

DEWALT DeWalt compound-action linesman pliers 200 mm
9.6/10about £18.49
View offer

When the tool is at fault

A narrow opening is often the design. A storage lock that will not hold is a different problem. The DeWalt 200 mm listing claims a locking mechanism. The one UK review says the safety catch does not hold and the pliers were found open in a bag. FatMax and Craftsman bullets do not claim a lock. Rust on arrival, a long-nose bent after three days, or an edge nicked on a gauge-8 screw, are faults. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route when a new tool is not as described. Take a chipped cutter out of service. If the linkage has play, or the handles flex when you clamp hard, stop using the pair as a press. If you needed a wide, simple combination plier, the versus page is where the search terms change.

Where a professional takes over

Call a competent person for consumer units, unidentified cables, and any live work argued under regulation 14. Call one if the tool has already touched a live conductor. Do not keep cutting to see if it sparks. Stop and get medical help for a deep cut or for debris in the eye. A compound-action pair stores more force in a short travel. For which head to buy next, use the buying guide. If the wire will not enter after you have seated it at the joint, put the tool down.

Common questions

Where should the wire sit in the jaw?
As close to the joint as it will go, in the cutter if you are cutting, in the serrations if you are gripping. The tip is for reach, not for the hardest bite.
What if it will not enter?
Stop bouncing the handles. Check the gap against the part. UK notes on the FatMax and the DeWalt set describe openings around 10 mm or not enough. A wire that will not enter needs a different pair, not more force.
Do I squeeze harder or stop?
Stop when the handles spike and the metal does not part. Extra body weight chips an edge that was meant for copper. The 70% claim is not a licence to cut screws.
Can I cut a cable to test whether it is live?
No. Prove dead first, then cut. These pairs are not marked to BS EN IEC 60900. Cutting is not a voltage test, and a coloured grip does not change that.
How do I deal with a stiff new pivot?
Oil the joints if the tool has sat unused. Work the action on scrap copper. If it stays stiff after oiling, treat it as a fault. One overseas FatMax review said one-handed use was almost impossible after oiling.
The lock will not hold in the bag. Is that how I am using it?
On the DeWalt 200 mm pair, the one UK review says the catch does not hold. That is the lock, not your packing. FatMax and Craftsman listings do not claim a lock.
When do I stop and call someone?
Unidentified cables, consumer units, any conductor that has not been proved dead, a tool that has already touched live metal, and any deep cut or eye injury. The method ends there.

Related pages

PUWER and toolbox tools

Compound pliers

Best compound action pliers for the job in hand

Compound action pliers buying guide: head and gap

Compound action vs combination pliers explained

Compound action pliers cut wire: claim vs metal

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE HSG85 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN IEC 60900:2018 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. PUWER 1998 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Screwfix: DeWalt 200 mm compound-action pliers DWHT0-70276 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Maun Industries: what compound-action pliers are (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Wonkee Donkee Tools: how combination pliers work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Knipex: high leverage combination pliers 02 01 200 (retrieved 19 October 2026)