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Snap On pulling a Harbor Freight on Knipex?.....new water pump pliers....

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bobg03

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Damn bro didn’t I just see you saying in another thread you were done with tool trucks forever
Coming from the fella that throws the appearance of collecting tools whether he needs them or not cause ya know ya might need them someday, that is a bold statement

FYI 3/4 Inch drive is a great plumbing tool... :rolleyes:
 
OP
B

Buckgnarly

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I'm not debating warranty, just asking how y'all destroy pliers to need multiple replacement a year. I work heavy hydraulic backshop(a&p), we get corroded stuff and other super stuck items all the time. But I gotta say I've never destroyed a pair of piers and we're working with the good old set of regular snap-on's.

Now that I've think about it these will be great replacement for the old ones we use lol.

We are in agreement here tho, if you gonna replace stuff every year, a good warranty is king.

As said earlier, sway bar end links eat up vise grips! I Really, REALLY hope Snap On starts making the thin nose Malcos that were out for a very limited run.....PLEASE READ THAt SNAP ON!!! I use my thin nose Malcos sparingly for sway bar end links, but SO with warranty would be fantastic no matter the price.
 

Andres26tnt

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As said earlier, sway bar end links eat up vise grips! I Really, REALLY hope Snap On starts making the thin nose Malcos that were out for a very limited run.....PLEASE READ THAt SNAP ON!!! I use my thin nose Malcos sparingly for sway bar end links, but SO with warranty would be fantastic no matter the price.

Surprisingly my knipex needle nose locking pliers survived my rusty end links on my ford ******(UK spec). Need to try out the malco/snap-on's. I'm redoing my shops tools soon, so maybe I can buy these(water pump pliers) and try them out/report back on how they work.
 

CHI_Tool&Die

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Chicago, IL
I'm not debating warranty, just asking how y'all destroy pliers to need multiple replacement a year. I work heavy hydraulic backshop(a&p), we get corroded stuff and other super stuck items all the time. But I gotta say I've never destroyed a pair of piers and we're working with the good old set of regular snap-on's.

Now that I've think about it these will be great replacement for the old ones we use lol.

We are in agreement here tho, if you gonna replace stuff every year, a good warranty is king.
So, I can’t speak for mechanics but as a machinist, pliers get destroyed because I use them constantly to take out dowel pins from fixtures. The ends of the pliers deform like crazy after a few months. Twin grips help, but the way water pump pliers are designed helps me get better leverage to rock the head and pop the pins. I’m not just pulling like I have to with slip joints or the twin grips. Also, dowel pins are incredibly hard and every set of pliers from every manufacturer melts like butter when pressing on the pins.
 

neophyte

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As said earlier, sway bar end links eat up vise grips! I Really, REALLY hope Snap On starts making the thin nose Malcos that were out for a very limited run.....PLEASE READ THAt SNAP ON!!! I use my thin nose Malcos sparingly for sway bar end links, but SO with warranty would be fantastic no matter the price.
I wonder if brazing carbide grit onto vise grip jaws would help solve this issue.
The carbide grit would basically grip most steel even well hardened steel, which would then help prevent rotation, which can wear down jaws.
The serrations in the vise grip jaws if left in place, and an appropriate size grit chosen, might act as indents to prevent the carbide grit from dislodging from the brazing alloy.
I presume the heat could cause a detempering issue, so maybe remove the vise grip spring before brazing.
Maybe I’ll try this.
 

tarbellb

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Couple of takeaways here:

1) If you hate the video youre probably too old (its not great, im getting old)

2) The adjustment is auto ratchet by pulling up on the handle, no buttons- brilliant

3) They are made in Spain, how isnt everybody freaking out about this?
 

Steve_P

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Personally, I kill pliers like my Cobras trying to grab and pull on dowel pins and similar stuff at work. The jaws get chewed up pretty regularly. That is where Snappy’s warranty comes into play.

The mechanism kind of reminds me of the Facom/MAC plier wrench. I think they operate in a similar manner.


Snap On makes a dowel pin puller set to use with a slide hammer. Yes, stupid expensive and you need to have the space, but here's the metric version. Maybe also see if Williams has it.

 

i84x

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Bacho’s is now made in Taiwan
That's a shame, always been a fan of Bahco, good quality at a good price in my experience.
Looks like it'll become another brand that charges for its brand recognition rather than its quality.
 

AJHD

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Bacho has been producing tools in Asia for decades now
Nothing new here just new to you

I'm in the US and my only real exposure to Bahco has been their adjustable wrenches.

Don't think I've owned or handled any other Bacho tools.
 

Model A Fan

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Another European brand bites the dust it seems. (n)
WHO CARES, BUY MURICAN! STOP SUPORTIN CHY-NA, YOU PORBABYL PUT YER GRASS CLIBBINS IN THE ROAD TO KILL US HOG CRANKERS. GOBBLESS BORHTER.

Wera makes a lot of tools in Vietnam it seems. Lots have sent manufacturing overseas. GEDORE used to make a lot of cheap wrenches in India.
 
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Etchase

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Sears went overseas long before Stanley got involved and had almost no US made products by the time they sold the line. Stanley actually reshored some production. Craftsman never made wrenches that performed better than the overdrives.
 

Jack Ryan

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My 1/4" + 1/2" ratchet set was made in Taiwan

I'll try to source the part # and snap a pic

You do realise that Taiwan and China are different countries.

Taiwan has been making quality tools for decades but the move to China is newer.

Chinese manufacturers are perfectly capable of making quality tools but in an effort to reduce costs and maximise profits, many importers don't check that box. Over time, the situation should improve. I just don't wish to be the guinea pig.

Jack
 

tarbellb

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You do realise that Taiwan and China are different countries.

Taiwan has been making quality tools for decades but the move to China is newer.

Chinese manufacturers are perfectly capable of making quality tools but in an effort to reduce costs and maximise profits, many importers don't check that box. Over time, the situation should improve. I just don't wish to be the guinea pig.

Jack
Bacho has been producing tools in Asia for decades now
Nothing new here just new to you

You do realize I said Asia and never anything about quality or lack of
-------------------



Link to retailer with COO of China, I believe mine is mix of Taiwan and ?

Nothing stamped on the tools themselves? I think this kit is circa 2012, maybe earlier? So my point of reference specifically is not decade(s) but at least 10+ yr

PXL_20250421_200845172.jpgPXL_20250421_200947505.jpgPXL_20250421_200951240.jpg
 

neophyte

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I'm in the US and my only real exposure to Bahco has been their adjustable wrenches.

Don't think I've owned or handled any other Bacho tools.
Bahco was a major European tool manufacturing group, that also owned a number of other European tool brands.
They may gave been Europe’s “largest tool manufacturer” although I’m not completely sure.
Bahco started out with a man named Johan Petter Johansson, who invented the “Swedish Pipe Wrench”, which is still the basis for many European pope wrench designs.
Johansson also went on to design the modern “Crescent Style” adjustable wrench.
A Industrialist named Berndt August Hjorth acquired the sales and marketing rights to Johansson’s designs, which Johansson was producing in a factory Johansson built, and Hjorth later acquired the factory etc, which was placed under a corporation called AB BA Hjorth & Co.
“Bahco” was an acronym for AB BA Hjorth & Co.
By the 1970s, Bahco was a major industrial manufacturer with a number of divisions of which tool manufacture was just one.
Meanwhile another Swedish industrial conglomerate, Sandvik, a major manufacturer of steel, as well as involved in mining, and a number of other areas, decided to get into the tool manufacturing business, maybe as market and test area for their steel and carbide products.
Sandvik bought the US based Disston Saw and Tool brand from H.K. Porter in 1976, and then later bought Record tools in 1982, although Record Tools was later sold in 1985.
In 1991, Sandvik bought the Bahco Tool group section of Bahco, and then sold Bahco, and its subsidiary brands to Snap-On in 1999.
As for the tools.
Bahco was known for introducing its “Ergo” line of tools in the early 1980s, focusing on ergonomics, which included everything from gardening tools, to chisel handles, etc.
Bahco chisels were fairly standard in the woodworking industry, as were the “Sandvik/Bahco cabinet scrapers, which seem to still be sought after due to the quality steel.
Bahco also introduced carbide replaceable tipped scrapers for scraping paint etc.
In addition, Bahco owned the Lindstrom plier brand, which was considered one of the go to brands for high quality precision pliers for the jewelry industry, and also had a presence in the electronics industry.
Bahco was also known for their gardening pruners.
These were all standard products sold to professional users in the USA.
Ironically, after Snap-On purchased Bahco from Sandvik, the Bahco branded tools disappeared from a number of segments, or became harder to find.
Snap-On at one point did try using the Bahco branding for USA made J.H. Williams Industrial tools, which basically just had Bahco branding slapped on the Williams tools.
That ploy didn’t seem to work, and the Bahco brand sort of dissapeared to a large extent, unless a person was ordering thru the Snap-On catalog, which I doubt lots of woodworkers were.
 

Jack Ryan

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You do realize I said Asia and never anything about quality or lack of

Bahco manufacturing in China is new to me.

What were they manufacturing there decades ago?

Jack

Perhaps re-read what you responded to.

For that matter, I don't know what the quality of the Chinese Bahco tools is - it may be very good. I am just wary because of what I have experienced with other manufacturers moving to China (and other places).

Jack
 

tarbellb

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Perhaps re-read what you responded to.

For that matter, I don't know what the quality of the Chinese Bahco tools is - it may be very good. I am just wary because of what I have experienced with other manufacturers moving to China (and other places).

Jack

You inferred China Jack, I only said they moved mfg to Asia decades ago

Go ahead and keep saying China is capable of high and low quality, that is also decades old information
 

F-22

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Bahco manufacturing in China is new to me.

What were they manufacturing there decades ago?

Jack
A bunch of stuff for the last 20 years. The tools that weren't made there were generally made in Spain by SNA. Stuff from Sweden is long gone (maybe saw blades still, and their morakniv is now chinakniv too).

I have a Bahco socket made by Williams. It's the standard snap on/williams socket. I have seen the "new" china made sockets in store too (actually side by side, 15mm was still US made stock and the 13mm was China). The Chinese one is completely different, satin finish instead of chrome, different pattern, seems much lower quality to me when side by side.
 

Jack Ryan

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A bunch of stuff for the last 20 years. The tools that weren't made there were generally made in Spain by SNA. Stuff from Sweden is long gone (maybe saw blades still, and their morakniv is now chinakniv too).

I have a Bahco socket made by Williams. It's the standard snap on/williams socket. I have seen the "new" china made sockets in store too (actually side by side, 15mm was still US made stock and the 13mm was China). The Chinese one is completely different, satin finish instead of chrome, different pattern, seems much lower quality to me when side by side.
I guess it is market specific. I haven't seen any Chinese Bahco tools until recently.

Jack
 

Steve_P

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I have a decent amount of Bahco stuff- files, various hand saws, hacksaw blades, hacksaw frame, adjustable wrenches... with most bought 10-15 years ago. IIRC, the only items made in Sweden were the wood handsaws, hacksaw blades, and Morakniv (which is apparently now China). I can't remember where the hacksaw frame was made - the heavy "ergo" one. The bow saws for tree limbs that I have are Portugal, and IIRC the large files are also. I have two sets of Bahco combo wrenches that are the USA Williams Supercombos with Bahco stamped on them- I bought them when they were being discontinued in 2010.

This is obviously old data, and all of this production may be in other places now.
 

neophyte

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I have a decent amount of Bahco stuff- files, various hand saws, hacksaw blades, hacksaw frame, adjustable wrenches... with most bought 10-15 years ago. IIRC, the only items made in Sweden were the wood handsaws, hacksaw blades, and Morakniv (which is apparently now China). I can't remember where the hacksaw frame was made - the heavy "ergo" one. The bow saws for tree limbs that I have are Portugal, and IIRC the large files are also. I have two sets of Bahco combo wrenches that are the USA Williams Supercombos with Bahco stamped on them- I bought them when they were being discontinued in 2010.

This is obviously old data, and all of this production may be in other places now.
The hacksaws used to be made in Sweden, and might have still been when you bought yours.
 

mreisner

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I got a set of them yesterday and used them a couple times already in areas where I would normally use a second wrench. I am extremely impressed with them. The adjusting mechanism is almost psychic as in it seems to do it by itself. I may get a second pair to keep in my semi truck as they can grip a whole lot of things and if you're short on a tool they can substitute for a lot. I'm very impressed with the grip on them. Not a big fan of water pump pliers in general, but these are winning me over!
 

mreisner

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As said earlier, sway bar end links eat up vise grips! I Really, REALLY hope Snap On starts making the thin nose Malcos that were out for a very limited run.....PLEASE READ THAt SNAP ON!!! I use my thin nose Malcos sparingly for sway bar end links, but SO with warranty would be fantastic no matter the price.
I missed out on them, but I did make a set by grinding them down slowly with my Surface grinder as to not detemper the Jaws.
 
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