Hot or Not: Extractor Nail Puller Pliers
By Sean O'Hara
Extractor pliers grab on to nails, staples, and brads even if the head has been clipped off – or was damaged when you tried to remove them with conventional hammers or prybars — then provide leverage (via a curved head) to allow you to pull the fastener cleanly.
The idea is that as you push the handle down to rotate the fastener out, you’re also pushing the jaws closed, so you put a lot of force on the fastener without putting too much force on whatever the fastener is stuck to.
We’ve had pretty good experiences with these, removing finish nails from custom molding and trim without damage or from the front or back-side.
But the real question here is: does anyone really need a $25 pair of nail puller pliers when there are locking pliers and prybars around? Let us know what you think in comments.
Extractor Pliers [Knipex]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
May 9th, 2007 at 10:45 am
I have found that just using a pair of end cutters for wires works great. Put the nail in one side or the other and rock the wire cutters to the side and the same result is achieved. Almost everyone has a set of pliers that included these in them, so no special tools needed. I just removed and entire house of trim and redid the floors using the wire cutters and it worked great.
May 9th, 2007 at 10:45 am
If it was not obvious - Not.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I ordered a pair of these a couple months ago and have only used them a few times. The construction quality is very high and they do make things like refinishing upholstery a snap. Not sure if they’ll find a home in everyones toolbox but certainly in mine. If they could lower the price a bit I’d give them a ‘Hot’.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I too own a pair, and they do their job quite well. I hesitated purchasing them because you have to add shipping to the amount, but they are made well, and they do as stated. They are big so getting into tight areas is an issue. Their beauty comes about through the fact that the jaws close parallel (this more than anything give the tool its advantage). When you pull back the curved portion adds strength to the pull. I am happy with the acquisition. Rating: HOT
May 9th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
A big pair of Channelocks works good, has a round head for cam action, etc.
I have used the slide hammer type of nail removers for big nails and they do work well.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Should you really need to pull enough nails to need something like this? I do like linesman pliers for staples though.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Personally I’ve found a good pair of end nippers with a good rounded head work fine. Probably cheaper too. The pair I use is probably 50 years old.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I use an old pair of Heller hoof nippers. Flea market, 2 bucks.
May 9th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
After trying to extract 16 gauge finish nails shot from my nailer with a 10″ pair of end nippers I would have to say Hot! End nippers seem to work better on standard round nails. I have used them to extract round nails from the backside of trim many times successfully. But after having to remove the square nails from a piece of trim I had just put up with my air nailer, the nippers failed me. No matter how lightly I squeezed them, when I rocked them to the side to extract the nail, I cut the nail instead of extracting it.
I think the extractor nail pullers would fair much better at pulling the square air nailer nails because they grab the nail over a large area, not cut into the nail.
May 9th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
This is actually my go-too tool for harvesting skidwood. Usually after midnight, usually in the freakin’ rain.
Duz wot is sez on the packet.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
HOT. I have a pair and have given away two pairs locally and taken two pairs to a woodworking shop in Switzerland. Everyone loves them. The head design is small and allows you to get closer to walls or into a corner. The design allows good leverage. The parallel clamping jaws and offset teeth create a strong grip on the fastener while reducing the chance of shearing it. One of the pairs given away is used daily to breakdown pallets and remove the air-driven, clipped head, rosin coated, thin-shank screwnails. They work very well and have shown limited wear after months of daily use. Better and faster than any other method used. The superior gripping strength also allows you to pull nails, head and all, through the material. The material must be clamped securely, but it can be done will minimal effort and a cheater pipe to extend the handle. I used this method, rather than back the nails out, to recover a bunch of pressure treated decking. I wish they came in a bigger and a smaller size. When they do, I will be buying one of each for myself, and a couple additional pairs to put into Santa’s bag. These are one of my preferred gift items.
May 10th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Many times I have had to use wire cutters or pliers to get a nail with a broken head out of a board, anything that helps that process can only be good, and as for the cost, most of us probably have four or five hammers lying around anyway. how much did all those cost… I would say hot.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I use them all the time. I also work for Habitat for humanity and have volunteers use these as well due to there being less of a chance of damaging the trim pieces they are working with. On a typical interior trim day with a dozen or so people on site I usually have three nips around.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Hot. I often pull lots of nails out of interior walls before painting. Some people have them every where. Also sometimes old shutters were nailed instead of screwed to the house. This thing is faster and easier for removing lots of nails quick.