PHAM NEWS | OCTOBER 2025 28 Tools & Workwear
Plumber’s choice of premium tools
Over his 15 years in plumbing and heating, Grant has seen big changes. Payment, for example, is now simpler. “When I started out, you had a paper invoice and somebody would either give you a cheque, give you cash or they’d pay you by bank transfer. Now I pull out the card machine and say it’s £120 and the customer just taps their phone. Happy days.” Materials have evolved too.
Big personality and even bigger passion for his trade, Grant Gundelfinger (pictured above) has carved out a place in plumbing and heating as a technician who has skill, commitment and a determination to keep industry standards high.
G
rant Gundelfinger is a man you won’t forget. A former biker, the red braces that once held
up his leather bike trousers now hold up his work pants (although the braces are black with green flames these days) and with a neat but impressive handlebar moustache, Grant makes a big impression. Director of Leeds-based plumbing and heating business Mayfly Group, ADHD advocate and clay pigeon shooter, this is a man who approaches life and work with commitment, character and a sense of fun. Grant’s route into the trade
didn’t follow the traditional apprenticeship path. Retraining in his late twenties was a gamble, but one that paid off. Plumbing, he found, was deeply interesting to him – a niche he discovered was his passion. Over the years he has gained broad experience across domestic and light commercial work, handling everything from minor servicing
jobs to large-scale projects, seeing them through from initial planning to completion. Grant’s standards are
high; client satisfaction and professionalism are central to the way he works and he believes both should be the benchmark for the wider industry. Determined to prove that skill and commitment matter, he entered Installer of the Year three times before finally winning in 2021. The recognition cemented his place as one of the industry’s standout voices.
Shifts in the trade Grant’s work might be his passion but he is candid about the pressures of the job: long hours, heavy physical demands and the constant need to justify value to customers who often struggle to tell a professional from a handyman. Yet he remains committed. “There is definitely a masochistic side to the industry because we have to work incredibly hard,” he admits, “but I love it.”
Multilayer composite pipe (MLCP), underfloor heating and copper press fittings are now commonplace. “None of it’s particularly new,” he says, “but it’s become more mainstream. Everyone’s using it much more readily, but it’s changed the way you approach jobs. It’s changed the way you price jobs.” Grant is keen to keep an eye on how the industry is moving forward, particularly in the shift towards greener energy. Heat pumps are one area he’s passionate about, even if uptake has been slower than expected. “I’m spending as much time upskilling, trying to move with the times, looking at heat pump installation for example.” He’s also watching closely how hydrogen heating systems could be part of the future energy mix. For him, adapting to change is just as important as mastering the day-to-day work.
Trusted kit But there are some things that have stood the test of time – his top tools. His first encounter with KNIPEX came during a tricky boiler repair when he borrowed a set of 250mm Cobras from a colleague to remove a stuck flow turbine on a boiler. The stubborn nut gave way instantly. “These are good,” he remembers thinking. After years of replacing
worn-out kit, Grant had finally found tools that lived up to his standards and today, his toolkit is full of KNIPEX essentials which have become multitools, used in all kinds of ways. “I still use the Cobras,” he says. “The XS Cobras and XS Pliers Wrench are great for adjusting radiators. The TwinGrips are good for getting carpet up. I
use the Long Nose Pliers, which actually were not meant for plumbers, they’re meant for mechanics, but they’re perfect for getting into all the nooks and crannies in boilers.” Durability is what impresses
him most. “The Cobras and the Pliers Wrench are phenomenal. The geometry, the torque, the strength, the quality of the steel. The workpiece will suffer first, it won’t be the tool. From my experience, I’ve yet to break one.”
Behind the tools Grant’s respect for KNIPEX deepened further after visiting the company in Germany. “I’ve never seen such investment in their people,” he recalls. “Mr Ralf Putsch, the owner, sitting at a table having lunch with some guys who are on the factory floor who’ve clearly been grafting their backsides off. It’s a multi-million euro enterprise where the top guy cares about the people on the shop floor. Ralf took the time to come and talk to me. He knew who I was and why I was there.” That level of pride and
professionalism resonates with Grant. As someone who has worked hard to prove himself in a competitive trade, he values tools and companies that hold themselves to the same high standards. For Grant Gundelfinger,
t Grant with
KNIPEX product manager Tom
Liedtke
plumbing and heating isn’t just a career; it’s a craft, a calling, and one he is determined to do justice. With Mayfly growing, technology evolving and the right tools at his side, he’s ready for whatever the industry throws at him, moustache, braces and all. ◼
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