Klein Tools D2000-9ST Ironworker's Pliers, Heavy-Duty Cutting, 9-Inch

No. The D2000-9ST is not insulated. The blue plastic-dipped handles are there for grip and quick identification in the pouch, not shock protection, and Klein states plainly they are not intended for protection against electrical shock. If you're working energized, you need a tool rated and marked as insulated. Eye protection is called for whenever you're cutting with these.

That's what they're built for. The D2000-9ST twists and cuts soft annealed rebar tie wire, and the induction-hardened knives handle ACSR, screws, nails and most hardened wire. The cutting knives measure 0.781 inch long, and the high-leverage design puts 46 percent more cutting power at the knives than a standard plier joint.

Ironworker's pliers like the D2000-9ST have heavy-duty knurled jaws and a square nose sized for grabbing and twisting rebar tie wire, and the spring-loaded hook-bend handle lets the tool self-open so you can work one-handed down a mat of rebar. A standard lineman's plier is set up for gripping and twisting conductors, without the spring return or the tie-wire twisting emphasis. If you're tying rebar all day, take the ironworker's pattern.

Jaw capacity is 1.25 inches, with a jaw length of 1.594 inches, width of 1.44 inches and thickness of 0.625 inch. That's enough bite for bundled tie wire, bolts and small stock, but it's a gripping and cutting plier, not a pipe wrench substitute.

Overall length is 9.35 inches with a 5.41 inch handle, and the tool weighs 1.1 pounds. That's the usual 9-inch plier footprint, so it drops into a standard leather plier pouch. Note there's no tether attachment point on this model, so it isn't set up for tie-off at height.

Yes. The D2000-9ST is made in the USA from custom US-made tool steel, with a precision-hardened plier head and a hot-riveted joint so there's no handle wobble in service. For agencies and institutions with domestic-sourcing requirements on MRO purchases, that origin statement is Klein's own.

The handles are spring-loaded with a hook bend so the pliers self-open between cuts, which is what saves your hand over a long day of tie wire. The joint is a locking type, so the tool can be held shut rather than springing open in the pouch. Klein also tempers the handles specifically to absorb the snap when a hard wire lets go.