External Retaining Ring Circlip Pliers, Bent Jaw

The bent-jaw version of the external-ring pliers is the second-position external tool; what a workshop reaches for when the ring sits in a pocket the straight 532PLUS jaws cannot enter. The bend angles the jaw tips off the handle plane, giving the pliers a reach the straight-jaw version cannot make without forcing the angle.

The geometry is identical to the straight-jaw 532 in every other respect; same jaw-tip dimensions, same hardness, same retention force on the ring. The bend only buys back the access angle.

What we use it for, in the shop

• External rings retaining seal carriers on the bottom face of air-spring shafts, where the surrounding lower-leg casting blocks a straight-on approach.
• External rings on damper-cartridge subassemblies that sit recessed in the cartridge body.
• External rings on derailleur internals where the parallelogram geometry blocks the direct angle.
• External rings inside any pocket where the straight-jaw 532 cannot reach the ring's outer holes.

A workshop doing damper-cartridge or air-spring service across multiple brands generally owns both the straight 532PLUS/1DP-US and the bent 534. The straight version handles the easy access; the bent version handles the cases where the casting geometry was not designed with a service tool in mind.

Specs

• Jaw geometry: bent, external (jaws spread on squeeze, expanding the ring)
• Bend angle: angled off handle plane for recessed-pocket access
• Material: premium plus carbon steel, drop-forged
• Heat treatment: hardened and tempered
• Finish: trivalent chrome plated to ISO 1456:2009
• Article: 534PLUS/1DP-US

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. Bent-jaw geometry for external rings in tight spaces; the second pair you reach for after the first cannot fit. Same drop-forged premium plus carbon steel construction; the bend buys access, not a different working hardness.

Pro tip from our mechanics

External rings in damper-cartridge subassemblies sit in pockets the straight-jaw cannot enter. Bent-jaw is the next-tool answer; the workshop reaches for it once the straight version has been ruled out by the geometry of the part in front of them. The 532 and 534 pair the way the 536 and 538 pair on the internal side: easy case, harder case, same tool family.

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