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How to use hog ring pliers on a fence

Updated: 16 October 2026

The magazine is empty, the leaflet is a thin sheet, and the first squeeze either misses the wire or feeds two rings at once. This is how to use hog ring pliers in this comparison: load the strip the plier is sold for, close one ring on the mesh and the line wire, and stop when the feed is outside what the listing describes. The steps follow Spaldings’ UK sequence for the Rapid FP222. The tools are on the [wire fixing pliers comparison](/hub/pliers/wire-fixing-pliers). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Products Compared set this out on 16 October 2026, not from a timed trial.

The magazine is empty, the leaflet is a thin sheet, and the first squeeze either misses the wire or feeds two rings at once.

Our top picks

Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings

Best overall

Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings
8.6/10about £35.71
View offer
QWORK QWORK C-type hog ring kit

Preis-Tipp

QWORK QWORK C-type hog ring kit
8.3/10about £18.98
View offer
BREUAILY BREUAILY wire fixing pliers

Alternative

BREUAILY BREUAILY wire fixing pliers
5.8/10about £13.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Load the strip and close one ring
  2. 2.When the magazine jams
  3. 3.Handle lock and the cutter
  4. 4.When to stop

Load the strip and close one ring

Spaldings, a Lincoln supplier, describes the FP222 in three beats. Load a strip into the magazine, place the mouth over the wire link and the tension wire, squeeze, then repeat. Rapid says the FP222 takes only VR22. A VR16 strip, a QWORK C-type ring, or an M clip will not feed, and UK reviewers say a similar-looking refill fails the same way. If the first ring will not sit in the mouth, stop. Which family to buy is on the wire fixing pliers buying guide. UK buyers say the reload is not obvious. Practise one close on two loose wires. The ring should sit around the mesh wire and the line wire. Amazon’s bullets say “high capacity” and print no count. QWORK’s bullets do state 50, and that figure belongs to QWORK. On the BREUAILY or the GMMG you place one M clip, not a VR22 strip.

When the magazine jams

A jam feels like a squeeze that does nothing, or like two rings in the mouth together. UK FP222 reviews describe missed rings, two rings feeding at once, and the last rings in a strip misfeeding. Stop. Do not keep pumping the handles. Clear the loose rings, and if the strip has buckled start again with a fresh end of a matching VR22 strip. On the QWORK kit, UK reviewers push the strip when the magazine stops and clear a jammed ring with a second pair of pliers. One review says this happened about every fourth clip. Do not copy pneumatic manuals about air lines and jaw bolts onto a hand plier. If the mouth will not reach the crossing, the nose is too wide for the hole. MeshDirect’s line is about 25 mm and larger for an automatic head. That limit is on hog ring pliers for chicken wire.
Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings

Testsieger

Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings
8.6/10about £35.71
View offer

Handle lock and the cutter

The FP222 listings state a handle lock for storage. UK reviewers say the plastic catch falls off in the grass. If you remove it to squeeze, keep it. Once it is gone, the handles no longer clip shut for the shed. One UK review of the kit says the cutter cannot be used while rings are loaded. Empty the magazine before you nip a tail. High-tensile line wire needs a specialist cutter. QWORK’s grip is called insulating with no voltage, so that is not a live-cable rating. Ring families are on wire fixing pliers ring sizes.

When to stop

Stop when the ring family and the plier disagree, when you cannot clear a double feed without bending the mouth, or when the nose will not enter the mesh. Straining a new line, cutting high-tensile wire, and a boundary that has to meet BS 1722 are fencer’s work. You call someone because the wire is under strain, not because the plier has a magazine. After a close that looks right, tug the mesh. A ring that opens in your hand will open under stock. On a length that carries sheep, a fencer should see the work if you are unsure. For a garden net on an existing wire, that tug is the check.

Common questions

How do you load a magazine plier the first time?
On the FP222, Spaldings’ sequence is the one UK suppliers print in words: put a VR22 strip in the magazine, set the mouth over the mesh wire and the tension wire, squeeze, and look before you move on. Rapid says this plier takes only VR22. UK buyers report learning the reload from a video. Practise on two loose offcuts.
What do you do when two rings come out together?
Stop squeezing. UK FP222 reviews describe two rings feeding at once, and the last rings in a strip misfeeding. Clear both from the mouth and start again with a straight end of the matching strip. Do not keep pumping the handles. If the refill is only similar to VR22, change it. A lookalike ring is a known cause of a feed that will not settle.
Should you take the handle lock off while you work?
UK reviewers of the FP222 say the catch gets in the way or falls off in the grass, and some take it off while they clip. The listing describes it as a storage lock, so if you remove it, keep it. Losing it means the handles no longer clip shut in the shed. Taking it off does not fix a jam.
What if the strip will not advance?
On the QWORK kit, UK reviewers push the strip when the magazine stops and clear a jammed ring with a second pair of pliers. On the FP222, the matching fault is a missed ring or a double feed, cleared by stopping and reloading a VR22 strip. Do not follow pneumatic manuals about air lines and jaw bolts. If the hole is too small for the mouth, the strip is not the fault.
When do you stop and call a fencer?
Call a fencer for a new boundary that should meet BS 1722, for straining line wire, and for cutting high-tensile wire. Those jobs are outside a hog ring plier. Also stop if you cannot clear a double feed without damaging the mouth, or if the fence carries stock and you are not sure the rings will hold.

Related pages

Best wire fixing pliers

Wire fixing pliers

Wire fixing pliers: buy the right ring family first

Hog ring pliers for chicken wire: will the nose fit

VR16 vs VR22 hog rings: which plier actually feeds

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 16 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file. The same Rapid kit was also seen at UK trade shops at about £42 to £69 including VAT. That is not the Amazon shelf price.

  1. Rapid: Fence pliers guide (VR16 and VR22) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. MeshDirect: Small hog-ring pliers and mesh hole size (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS 1722-2:2020 strained wire and wire-mesh fences (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Conservation Handbooks: Handling, straining, fixing and joining wire (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE: UK law on design and supply of work equipment (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. amazon.co.uk: Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings (B00H2KCXDS) (retrieved 16 October 2026)