Neil,
  I have the Sears/Craftsman version which is nearly identical to the
astro-pneumatic that you reference.  It is handy to have them lock, but
sometimes I have to squeeze more to get that last little bit.  They do make
the job a lot easier in most cases.
  Some volks discard the spring clamps, but I recommend that you reuse
them.  In my overly complex subie conversion cooling system I have a lot of
clamps, a mixture of the spring and the screw types.  The ones that work
loose and leak are always the screw type.

Larry A.
  currently replacing the "rear" crank seal in my EJ22

On Fri, Jun 6, 2014 at 7:29 PM, Neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> In tackling the cooling system of my '88 Westy (WBX), I did what I
> "shouldn't" by using a large set of adjustable pliers to slide the
> spring clamps down each hose. Not all are removed yet.
>
> This:  http://www.kmstools.com/knipex-spring-clamp-pliers-93102
>
> looks like an interesting alternative; the grips in jaw can be
> rotated. Certainly a recognized brand name.
>
> Anyone used the above type of tool for VW spring clamps?
>
> They're pricier than these:
> http://www.kmstools.com/astro-pneumatic-hose-clamp-pliers-91449
>
> though I wonder if they would open up the large clamps far enough.
>
> Neil.
>
>
> --
> Neil n
>
> Blog: tubaneil.blogspot.ca
>
> '88 Westy http://tinyurl.com/c8rlw6p
>
> '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"  http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
> Vanagon VAG *Gas* inline-VR Engine Swap Group:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/d7gd5ej
>