One handed vs two handed rivet gun
Updated: October 2026
The panel shifts as soon as you let go, or the rivet will not snap however hard you pull. A product title treats those as one problem. A one handed vs two handed rivet gun choice is about which hand is busy, and about how much leverage the rivet needs. The only one-handed kit in this comparison is the Libraton 919009. Most other rows are two-handled pliers, listed on the [rivet gun comparison](/hub/pliers/rivet-gun). Prices are amazon.co.uk figures from 15 October 2026. The Products Compared editorial team did not measure handle force.
The panel shifts as soon as you let go, or the rivet will not snap however hard you pull. A product title treats those as one problem.
The panel shifts as soon as you let go, or the rivet will not snap however hard you pull. A product title treats those as one problem. A one handed vs two handed rivet gun choice is about which hand is busy, and about how much leverage the rivet needs. The only one-handed kit in this comparison is the Libraton 919009. Most other rows are two-handled pliers, listed on the rivet gun comparison. Prices are amazon.co.uk figures from 15 October 2026. The Products Compared editorial team did not measure handle force.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Handles | Nosepieces | Weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  LIBRATON Libraton hand rivet gun 900913 | Two-handed plier | 2.4–4.8 mm | 730 g | 8.8 | about £14.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  LIBRATON Libraton one-handed rivet gun set | One-handed, safety lock | 2.4–4.8 mm | 1.19 kg | 8.5 | about £29.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  ValueMax ValueMax 4-in-1 rivet gun kit | Two-handed plier | 2.4–4.8 mm | 500 g | 8.3 | about £13.01 | View offer |
On this page
What you are actually choosing
One-handed means the gun should set the rivet while your other hand stays on the work. Two-handed means both hands go on the handles, so the sheet has to be clamped or held by someone else. Neither phrase is a quality grade. A one-handed gun does not automatically pull harder. These pliers do not claim a nose that retains the rivet so you can let go.
If the sheet moves, you need a hand or a clamp on the work. If the mandrel will not break, you need leverage or an easier rivet. The LSLANSOON drill adapter at £11.04 needs a drill and includes no rivets.
One-handed: a free hand, not a free pull
The Libraton 919009 costs £29.99 and weighs 1.19 kg, with four tool-free noses from 2.4 mm to 4.8 mm, 200 aluminium rivets, four drills, a removal nozzle and a blow-moulded box. It scores 4.3 from 2,491 reviews. The same reviews say a strong arm was required, one person used two hands, and a stem stuck after a single rivet.
The Libraton 900913 bullet claims one-handed use at £14.99, and that gun is still a two-handle kit. If you need aluminium up to 4.8 mm and a hand on the sheet, the 919009 is the match here, if you can supply the effort the reviews describe.
Two-handed: leverage, reach and weight
Use two handles when the rivet is the hard part and the sheet is already held. Both hands on the grips are the leverage these short kits offer. The ValueMax at £13.01, the Rolson at £5.98 and the Libraton 900913 at £14.99 are that shape, all limited to 4.8 mm. They are awkward the moment the panel needs the hand you have just committed to a handle.
Longer handles are the next step when a short plier will not finish the snap. The WORKPRO is 250 mm at £19.99, with a 6.4 mm nose, and reviews both praise larger rivets and say large rivets stopped working. Extra length does not free a hand.
Lazy tong, and the condition
A lazy tong multiplies the pull into one long stroke and is often sold up to 6.4 mm. UK Workshop comments on ducting call lazy tongs awkward where the arms cannot open: under a fascia, in a cabinet, or against a gutter already on the wall.
If the other hand must stay on the panel, and the rivet is aluminium up to 4.8 mm, buy the Libraton 919009 and expect a strong-arm squeeze. If the sheet is clamped and a short plier stalls, use a two-handed gun, and treat a 6.4 mm WORKPRO nose as a trial. The squeeze, once you have chosen, is on how to use a rivet gun. The two-handed top pick for ordinary aluminium is on the best pop rivet gun page.
Common questions
When is one-handed the right choice, and when are two handles the point?
Choose one-handed when a hand must hold the panel and the rivet is aluminium from 2.4 mm to 4.8 mm. In this set that is the Libraton 919009 at £29.99. Reviews praise shed and boat use and still require a strong arm. Choose two handles when the sheet is clamped and the mandrel will not snap in a short plier. The WORKPRO at £19.99 is the long gun, and its reviews disagree about large rivets. Handle length is for force. It does not hold the workpiece.
Is a one-handed gun weaker?
Not by definition, and not stronger either. The Libraton 919009 uses the same 2.4 mm to 4.8 mm noses as the short pliers, weighs 1.19 kg, and has reviews that mention effort. Judge it by the free hand. Stainless or 6.4 mm makes it the wrong diameter, not a hidden heavy-duty tool.
What is a lazy tong, and where does it fail?
A lazy tong is a long scissor-action riveter, often listed up to 6.4 mm, that needs room for the arms to open. It fails under a fascia, inside a cabinet, or in ducting hard against a wall. UK Workshop comments make that point for duct work. A price on another retailer’s page does not put one into this amazon.co.uk set.
Does a plier hold the rivet so the other hand is free?
Not these pliers. You keep the mandrel seated by holding the gun on the flange, which ties up the squeezing hands. A rivet-retaining nose, as Stanley describes on the TT55D, is a different feature, and that gun is not in this table. The Libraton 900913’s one-hand claim does not add it. Clamp the sheet, or use the one-handed 919009 and accept the effort.
Should I buy a drill adapter instead?
Only if a drill will do the pull and you already own one. The LSLANSOON at £11.04 includes no rivets and scores 3.7 from 460 reviews. Reverse clears the stem, and too much reverse can split this style of head. It does not fix a rivet that is too hard for a hand gun. It also does not hold a moving panel unless you can run that drill one-handed in the space you actually have.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and standards sources listed in the research digest, checked with the amazon.co.uk prices and stars dated 15 October 2026. Shelf prices can change.
- ISO 14588:2000 Blind rivets — Terminology and definitions (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- ISO 15977:2002 Open end blind rivets with break pull mandrel (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GESIPA UK: Find the right nosepiece (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- GESIPA UK: Calculate the length of blind rivets (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- JRP: Blind rivets application guide (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Westfield Fasteners: DIN 7337 blind rivet tables (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 15 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 15 October 2026)