Buying guide · Craft & making
Chainmaille pliers for beginners
Buy two that suit the rings.
For a first pair, buy two identical smooth-jaw flat or short-nose pliers. The £12 Speedwox setup is enough to try the craft; two Xuron 475s are the better-balanced buy for aluminium and small decorative rings; two Knipex 35 12 115s cost more for wider jaws, a box joint and tougher-ring headroom.
Quick answer
Which chainmaille pliers should a beginner buy?
Buy two of the same smooth-jaw flat- or short-nose model. Matching pliers remove one variable while you learn to twist rings open and closed without pulling them out of shape.
- 01
Spend about £12 on two Speedwox flat-nose pliers only if you are testing the hobby and are willing to inspect both jaws closely on arrival.
- 02
Spend about £42 on two Xuron 475s for the most sensible first setup for bright aluminium, coloured aluminium and small jewellery-scale rings.
- 03
Spend about £80 on two Knipex 35 12 115s when you already expect to use firmer rings, want wider jaws and value a precise box joint enough to carry the extra cost.
The picks
The three two-plier setups
Each Amazon page sells one tool, so set the quantity to two. Prices below are the representative total for two before any delivery charge.
SPEEDWOX 5-Inch Duck Bill Fine Pliers
Best for: A first bright-aluminium swatch when keeping the two-tool spend near £12 matters most
The short, flat smooth jaws give a beginner useful contact area without the ring-marking teeth found on many cheap general-purpose pliers. At 122 mm and 67 g, it is compact and spring-loaded. Buying two identical tools keeps the first technique simple, and the live UK price is low enough for a trial rather than a commitment.
- Smooth, flat jaws and short 122 mm body suit simple jump-ring handling
- Double-leaf spring and dipped handles reduce the effort of repeatedly reopening the tool
- Roughly £12 for two leaves most of a starter budget for known-size aluminium rings
- UK owner reviews repeatedly report burrs, uneven halves and jaws that do not meet cleanly
- Small handles and basic joint finishing are less comfortable and consistent than the two dearer picks
Xuron 475 Xuro Grip Short Nose Plier
Best for: Bright or anodised aluminium and small jewellery-scale rings where access and light handling matter
Xuron designed the 475 around jump-ring opening and closing rather than adapting a general workshop plier. Its short smooth jaws put the grip close to the joint, while the light return spring and 58 g body suit repetitive weaving. Specialist and owner evidence agrees on its control with small rings, making two 475s the straightforward default.
- Purpose-designed short smooth jaws improve access around small rings and tight weaves
- Light 58 g body, cushioned non-slip grips and a concealed return spring suit repetitive use
- Strong manufacturer, specialist and recurring owner-community support for beginner chainmaille
- Narrow jaws can mark or slip on larger, thicker and harder rings
- Slim handles may feel undersized to people with large hands or those who prefer a fuller grip
KNIPEX Electronics Pliers 115 mm
Best for: Beginners committed to the craft who expect firmer bronze or stainless rings and want a durable precision setup
The 35 12 115 combines smoothly ground flat-wide jaws with a backlash-free box joint, double spring and substantial multi-component grips. That larger contact area and precise joint are the meaningful upgrade over Xuron for firmer rings. Buy two identical tools if you want maximum consistency; one can later be swapped for a narrower nose when a tight weave demands access.
- Backlash-free box joint keeps the jaws aligned under repeated precise gripping
- Wide smooth faces spread pressure and offer more control on firmer rings than a narrow nose
- Multi-component grips, low-friction double spring and carefully rounded edges support controlled repetition
- About £80 for two is hard to justify if the hobby or preferred ring material is still unknown
- Wider jaws are less nimble in very small rings and dense weaves
- Mirror-polished steel is not maintenance-free; one current UK owner reports serious rust
Trade-offs
What spending more actually changes
Price matters less than jaw condition, ring material and how the handles fit your hands. The tiers are still meaningful because joint construction and jaw geometry change as you move up.
Entry: inspect before weaving
The Speedwox pair has smooth faces, a return spring and useful short jaws for very little money. UK owner feedback also reports burrs, uneven halves and jaws that do not meet, so quality control is the compromise.
Mid-range: the easy default
The Xuron 475 is light, short-nosed and purpose-designed for opening and closing jump rings. Its narrow head improves access but concentrates pressure, so it is less suitable as rings become thicker or harder.
Premium: precision and jaw area
The Knipex adds a backlash-free box joint, wider smooth jaws and multi-component grips. That improves control on firmer rings, but the bigger head can be clumsy inside tight weaves and the pair costs roughly twice the Xuron setup.
How we chose
How we chose beginner chainmaille pliers
We looked for smooth gripping faces, short or flat jaws, a return spring, a comfortable handle and an exact Amazon UK listing. Manufacturer specifications established dimensions and joint design; specialist comparisons and professional user reports supplied ring-size and durability context; several chainmaille-community discussions exposed recurring comfort, slippage and finishing patterns. Amazon owner reviews were used as a fault-pattern check, not as proof of performance.
Two identical pliers are the clearest first purchase. One straight and one bent or chisel-nose plier can be excellent after you know your preferred hand position, but it complicates a beginner comparison and the result is personal. The Xuron 486 bent nose and 487 chisel nose were considered as second-tool alternatives; generic multi-tool jewellery kits were rejected because they commonly include cutters, round-nose or serrated-jaw tools instead of two suitable gripping pliers. Maun parallel pliers, Wubbers, Lindström and Tronex options lacked a sufficiently reliable exact Amazon UK listing at the time of checking, or were excessive for this first-pair brief.
Use and care
Protect the rings, pliers and your hands
A smooth jaw prevents tooth marks, but it does not make every plier safe for every ring. Technique and material still set the load.
- Check that both jaws meet evenly and have no burrs or sharp corners before the first ring. Return a badly finished new tool rather than trying to rescue it after it has marked a project.
- Open jump rings by twisting the ends past each other, not pulling them apart sideways. Use as much jaw surface as the weave allows and keep fingers out of the closing path.
- Stop if a ring repeatedly slips, the handles bite into your hand or the joint visibly flexes. A larger or wider-jaw tool is safer than forcing a compact jewellery plier.
- Gauge labels are not universal: 16 AWG and 16 SWG are different diameters. Match the actual wire diameter, metal and ring size to the tool, especially for stainless steel.
- Knipex specifies an oil film as corrosion protection for its mirror-polished head. Wipe the jaws clean and renew a light protective film as needed, keeping oil away from the ring gripping faces during use.
Sources
Sources and checking notes
Specifications come from makers and exact product pages; selection and cautions are cross-checked against specialist comparisons, professional experience and repeated owner-community reports.
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01
The Hobby Library · Chainmail Making for Beginners
Directly relevant beginner guide recommending two smooth-jaw pliers and a first bright-aluminium European 4-in-1 swatch; it also identifies the Xuron 475 as a later comfort upgrade.
Open source -
02
Xuron · Essential chainmaille pliers
Manufacturer guidance on using two pliers and on the short, flat, smooth-jaw design and intended jump-ring role of the Model 475.
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03
Knipex · Electronics Pliers 35 12 115
Manufacturer dimensions, 70 g weight, 22.5 mm jaw length, 2.0 mm tip width, smooth flat-wide gripping surfaces, box joint, double spring and corrosion-care information.
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04
The Ring Lord · Selecting pliers
Specialist comparison of jaw shapes and wire-size limits; rates the Knipex 35 12 115 as a durable smooth-jaw wide-nose tool and the Xuron 475 as a fine, narrow option for small rings.
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05
Metal Designz · Pliers: the good, the bad and the awesome
Experienced professional chainmaille retailer's long-use comparison: smooth action and beginner control for Xuron, with the narrow head becoming a limitation on thicker rings.
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06
Blue Buddha Boutique · Pliers for chainmaille beginners
Specialist beginner advice supporting two flat-nose pliers with smooth, ungrooved jaws as the uncomplicated starting format.
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07
r/chainmailartisans · Any tips in what tools to use?
Owner discussion recurring across other threads: Xuron is a strong default, Speedwox is a workable budget route, and budget jaws may need edge inspection before use.
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08
r/chainmailartisans · Beginner pieces and tool upgrade question
Recent owner pattern on Xuron comfort and small-ring control, Knipex durability and stronger-material use, plus the limitation of narrow handles for some hands.
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09
r/chainmailartisans · Tools for anodised aluminium
Community evidence for smooth-faced pliers on coloured aluminium and repeated Speedwox/Xuron use, with explicit warnings to check sharp edges and choose for personal hand fit.
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10
Amazon UK · Speedwox 5-Inch Duck Bill Fine Pliers
Exact ASIN checked live: Flat Nose Pliers option at £5.99 each, sold by Speedwox and dispatched by Amazon, with four shown in stock. Product page states 122 × 47 × 9.2 mm, 67 g, smooth jaws and a double-leaf spring; UK reviews repeatedly flag occasional burrs and jaw misalignment.
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11
Amazon UK · Xuron 475 Xuro Grip Short Nose Plier
Exact ASIN checked live at £21.18 each and shown in stock. UK owner reviews repeatedly mention comfortable grip, short-jaw control and suitability for opening and closing small jump rings.
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12
Amazon UK · Knipex Electronics Pliers 35 12 115
Exact ASIN checked live at £40.20 each with an active delivery offer and add-to-basket option. Listing confirms the 115 mm model, mirror-polished head and multi-component grips; owner feedback is strongly positive on precision but includes a material rust warning.
Open source
Guide information and links checked 14 September 2026.