My Favorite Pliers Got an Upgrade

As a reed maker by trade, I make a lot of reeds. Like, a lot. Which means my tools really matter, and what I choose to use and how I use it can have an impact on my health. I do my best to be conscious of how much time I spend in big blocks doing the same repetitive task and make sure to take frequent breaks. About a year ago as I was ramping up to open my business and making reeds for my own personal stock, I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to keep my hands healthy and avoid injuries. As I was looking into options, the idea of additional grips on your tools came up, and I had seen a few posts on double reed Facebook groups of people adding padding and tape to their pliers. I felt like there had to be a pre-made solution, as there are many trades that use hand tools.

Enter the jewelry Etsy shop, CreatingUnkamen. This business sells jewelry making supplies but they also make these grips that are cushioned and thick to decrease your range of motion while using the tool to avoid injury. I snagged a “standard” size of grips for my Rieger (Knipex brand) pliers, and about a week later my reed making life was changed for the better.

I will not lie, they are difficult to get on. The instructions tell you to wet the existing grip surface to help the additional grips slide on, and it was definitely needed. After the initial effort, they are snug and only had to be cut to length slightly. I would never worry about them coming off, and I’m not sure I would like to try to get them off haha.

These grips aren’t so much cushy and soft as they are adding a thick layer so your hands don’t have to work as hard while using your pliers. I have yet to run into any issues with pain in my hands, and don’t really even feel fatigue after long sessions at my reed desk. I also consider my hands to be relatively small and don’t feel that I have any issues with the additional size of the grips. I loved my Rieger pliers before, and now they are one of my favorite tools I own.

I hope that if you too find yourself spending hours at your reed desk forming reeds and adjusting and putting on wires that these additional grips may help serve you and hopefully extend our reed making lives just a little bit.

I would love to hear in the comments how you keep your hands healthy or some of your favorite tools or tool add-ons! As always, happy bassooning.

disclaimer: I bought these grips with my own money and was not paid at all for this review, I just think they're awesome!