The Japanese-made Vampire Vampliers have a patented design of vertical and horizontal serrations inside the jaws with curved teeth at the nose. This feature allows the tool to "bite" into screw heads of various shapes without slipping or damaging the surface of the mounted screw. Made of carbon-treated steel, they are much easier to use than screw extractors or locking pliers, according to the manufacturer, because of the way the tool grips around truss, round or pan head screws. Additional features include a spring-loaded return, wire cutters and ergonomic elastomer handles.
The review
Lou Fort, lead technician at K.A.R.S. Inc. in Huntingburg, IN, has "used lots of pliers." He was curious to find out if this new set had the better "bite" which the product's box boasted of.
"In one job the Vampliers saved a minute or two while in another it cut a good 15 minutes off the clock," reports Fort. "The 'Vampliers' all but eliminate the need to drill/cut/grind out otherwise impossible-to-remove hardware. I honestly believe if I can get the jaws to it they (the pliers) will remove it."
The pliers were tested on several applications. Fort used the Vampliers to remove tamper-proof screws used to hold ignition lock housings to the steering column without having to cut a slot out with a saw blade or dremel-type tool. He also used them to pull out seized, front-brake pad pins on a mid 90s Toyota 4Runner.
"They also were put to task on some (Dodge) Intrepid headlamp housing bolts with rounded heads, and a few mass air flow sensor tamper-proof torx head bolts," recalls Fort.
In all these tasks, the pliers worked as advertised.
"The 'Vampliers' concave relief with both vertical and horizontal serrations at the business end are what make this pliers so unique," explains Fort. "These pliers can do what no other pliers I have seen or used can when it comes to removing stripped out, low-profile screws, bolts or nuts."
When asked to list features about the pliers that he likes, Fort first mentions the pliers' jaws, but then adds that he likes "the ergonomic elastomer handles and the protective sleeve to keep the business end safe when not in use." Fort also likes the spring-loaded handles that open automatically when the tool is released, as well as the built-in wire cutters.
Fort likes the pliers so much he rates them an impossible "11" on scale of one to 10. He hopes that Vampire will make different models of Vampliers in the future.
"It sure would be nice and handy to have a couple different sized wire stripping cut outs, say in between the handles by the spring," suggests Fort.
