For Chainmail we recommend flat smooth jaw pliers. Only for very tough materials, such as large gauge Stainless should you use pliers with teeth. (Teeth tend to scratch, scar, and generally damage softer metals.)
Wide, flat nose pliers are best for larger gauge and interior diameter rings. The size of your pliers is always personal preference; larger hands will always benefit from larger pliers and smaller hands will always benefit from smaller pliers, etc. These Flat Nose Pliers are best for armour size jump rings of perhaps 18 gauge and larger and with an interior diameter of 1/4" and larger. You will need one pair for each hand in order to make chainmail.
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Handles not very comfortable for large hands
These pliers worked well, but I found my hands would cramp and fatigue very quickly. I found upgrading to pliers with a wider handle were more comfortable for my hands.
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Perfect for heavier gauge rings, great value
I purchased these when I saw they were recommended in the Japanese ornament kit tutorial. While I have one pair of wide-nosed pliers (another brand) already, I thought I'd give these a try on the 12G rings that are used in that project. They work great in my dominant hand (instead of the bent nosed pliers I usually use), giving me a good grip on the bigger rings and heft that's needed to close them properly. They're economy, so don't expect nice cushy handles, but for the price they do the job very nicely! Great value.