Stanley FatMax 4-84-488

Best price: £33.30Contact: www.stanleytools.eu

At a touch over £30, these pliers have got to be very good to justify their top-notch price tag. But despite excelling in some areas, they’re simply not accomplished all-rounders. The best points are the brilliantly shaped, well padded grips, as well as the super-sharp cutting blades. But the slightly stiff, gritty-feeling opening and closing action is far from great. And as with Sealey’s AK8579, what appears to be a decent presentation tray seems too thin to stand up to use for very long. Also, at this price level, the combis and long-nose pliers should be more than 160mm long.