Learned the hard way: safety wire pliers vs. standard pliers on a Garrett engine cowling

I had to replace a locking tab on a Garrett TPE331 cowling last week and realized my standard pliers were just not cutting it for the safety wire. I cheaped out and used them anyway, and it took me nearly 20 minutes to get one set of wires twisted right. A coworker handed me his actual safety wire pliers and I finished the whole job in under 5. Has anyone else found a brand of safety wire pliers that actually hold up after a few years?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.troy22d ago

Did you notice a big difference in how clean the twists looked after, or was it more about the speed? I'm curious if the grip itself made it easier to keep tension while you worked.

jade322d agoMost Upvoted

Wait @park.troy, isn't the tension more about your hands than the grip itself?