The Knipex Cobra Hightech Water Pump Pliers 150mm, Model Number 87 01 150 SBA, is a compact adjustable pliers built for gripping, turning, and holding pipes, nuts, and fittings. This is a water pump pliers designed for gripping and turning pipe, nut, and fitting connections in tight spaces. If you need a small pliers that still gives you real holding power, this is the kind of tool that earns a permanent spot in a service bag instead of sitting in a drawer.

What makes this Cobra useful on the job is how much capacity Knipex packed into a 150 mm body. It handles pipes up to 1-1/4 inches or 32 mm and nuts up to 30 mm, which is a lot from a tool weighing about 0.31 lb or 145 g. The 11-position fine adjustment lets you dial in the jaw opening closer to the workpiece, so the fit feels more deliberate and the handle span stays comfortable in hand.

The push-button adjustment is one of those features that sounds simple until you use it every day. Instead of fighting a loose slip-joint setup, you set the jaws directly on the workpiece and go. Once loaded, the self-locking design helps keep the tool from slipping on pipes and nuts, so more of your effort goes into turning the fitting instead of squeezing the handles harder.

Knipex backs that grip up with the right materials. These pliers are made from forged chrome vanadium electric steel and are multi-stage oil-hardened for durability. The gripping surfaces use specially hardened teeth with an approximate hardness of 61 HRC, which matters because the jaws need to keep biting cleanly after repeated use on stubborn hardware. This is not just about hardness for the sake of a number. It is about the tool continuing to hold when cheaper pliers start rounding off.

The box-joint design is another big reason pros stick with Cobra pliers. It gives the joint a double-guide layout for better stability under load, with less twist when you're leaning into a fitting. Knipex also calls out a secure hinge bolt catch to help prevent unintentional shifting. In plain terms, the adjustment stays where you set it, and the pliers feel more solid when you're pulling hard.

For real-world use, the compact size is the story here. This tool is a good fit for work around sink supplies, shutoff valves, hose fittings, small mechanical assemblies, electrical locknuts, and general repair work where a full-size tongue-and-groove pliers is overkill or just will not fit. The dipped plastic handles keep the profile slim, and the built-in pinch guard is there for a reason when you're adjusting fast on the fly.

These Knipex pliers are a strong pick for plumbers, maintenance techs, mechanics, installers, and general contractors who want a small adjustable pliers that still grips like a serious tool. It is also a smart upgrade for serious DIY users who are tired of compact pliers that slip, spread, or chew up hardware without holding it. If your work regularly happens in cabinets, mechanical rooms, service carts, or crowded tool bags, this size makes a lot of sense.

Small Cobra, real working grip

The Knipex Cobra Hightech Water Pump Pliers 150mm is one of those rare compact hand tools that actually works like a full-size tool when the job gets awkward.

• Who it's for: Plumbers, maintenance techs, mechanics, and serious DIY users who need a compact adjustable pliers for service work, cabinets, tool pouches, and tight mechanical spaces.
• Why it stands out: The combination of 11-position adjustment, self-locking grip, hardened teeth, and box-joint stability gives it more control than the average small slip-joint pliers.
• Worth knowing: This is a 150 mm tool, so it is built around access and control, not big-handle leverage. For larger pipe work, step up in size. For everyday small fittings and hard-to-reach hardware, this one is tough to beat.

• What is the maximum capacity? The pliers grip pipes up to 1-1/4 inches or 32 mm and nuts up to 30 mm.
• How many adjustment positions does it have? It has 11 fine adjustment positions for fitting different workpiece sizes.
• What is it made from? It is made from forged chrome vanadium electric steel and is multi-stage oil-hardened.
• Where is it made? This Knipex pliers is made in Germany.