Lisle.....Are you a fan?

[impactims]

There seem to be some heavy hitters.

MAC, Cornwell and Snap on use them as a source for a variety of things. Auto Parts Stores carry a lot of their stuff.

But....

I see a lot of **** too.

What is your opinion?

I personally have some of their broken bolt extractors and a stethoscope. That's it.

I do have carbide scrapers with the MAC name on them, and I am sure that they come from Lisle.

Have not used the bolt extractors yet (that's a good thing!) however the carbide scrapers are pretty nice.

It seems that they stick to odd ball stuff. Things that other manufacturers don't offer (mostly).

How much do they actually make in house though?

 

[Fedwrench]

Back in the day it was KD tools or Lisle if you wanted aftermarket automotive specialty tools. KD was killed off by Gearwrench. Lisle increasingly moved tool production offshore in recent years. Many of today's Lisle tools don't even have Lisle or a part number stamped on them. I think you have to judge each tool on its own merits.

 

[impactims]

Back in the day it was KD tools or Lisle if you wanted aftermarket automotive specialty tools. KD was killed off by Gearwrench. Lisle increasingly moved tool production offshore in recent years. Many of today's Lisle tools don't even have Lisle or a part number stamped on them. I think you have to judge each tool on its own merits.

They have a factory in Clarinda Iowa with a few hundred employees. They have to be making some stuff in house. Swivel Grip oil filter wrenches maybe? Perusing their site, I don't see country of origin and I would assume that if it is USA then they must be making it in house. Their Jeepers Creepers look like they might be a USA thing too.

 

[shoggoth80]

I don't have any real complaints. I've got some Lisle in my personal stuff, and there's enough of it kicking around work. Not always the nicest finish, sometimes a little rough/industrial with some products, but they've worked. I've personally got a hex bit socket set that was still US made, an oil filter socket, spark tester. The latest Lisle I bought for work was a valve spring compressor. Not fancy, but seems stout. Our exhaust expander however has seen better days. Tap sockets still going strong, minus the ones guys lost. We did kill one brake pad spreader. I wasn't able to warranty that because I have no idea what distributor we bought it from It was well over 15 years old at that point. Just bought another to replace it.

Read good things about their pocket pry bars. Tempted, but I've got a pair of other brands, so it's not an easy sell. Lol.

 

[dnschmidt]

I like them. They are an innovative company and advertise in all the trade magazines that they pay inventors for novel tools. Some of their tools look crude but I've never had one that didn't do what they said it would do. That's good enough for me and they don't gouge on pricing either another plus.

 

[four.cycle]

Lisle / Lisle Corp., 807 E. Main St., PO Box 89, Clarinda, IA 51632 / http://www.lislecorp.com/ / est. 1903 / specialty automotive tools / patent 3284833 Nov 15 1966 Alfred L. von Tersch and Mack N. Farmer & 3681840 Aug 8 1972 & 6343529 Feb 5 2002 James L. Pool / http://alloy-artifacts.org/lisle-corp.html / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-lisle-factory.534705/ /

Lisle is one of a handful of companies that specialize in "specialty/problem solver" automotive tools (along with K-D, Thexton, and Assenmacher.)
Some of their stuff is made in house. Some of their stuff is outsourced from offshore.
Some of their stuff is going to be genius "Why didn't I learn about this before?" stuff.
Other stuff is going to be "Why did I waste my money on this garbage?" stuff.
Same as any other "specialty tool" manufacturer. You want the prince - you gotta kiss a lot of toads first, baby. Just the way of it.

Last "Lisle" branded item I purchased as a crazily-priced pair of electrical terminal pliers for my buddy - about $40 bucks, as I recall.
He loves them. Same with the other wire terminal widget I bought for him.

YMMV

 

[Dust]

My favorite tool of all time is Lisle's panel popper trim stick tool. I've probably bought ten or twelve of the damn things over the years because I keep losing them. They have the best handle and best working-end design of all the panel poppers I've ever tried.

Amazon.com: Lisle 35400 Door Upholstery Remover : Automotive

Buy Lisle 35400 Door Upholstery Remover: Upholstery & Trim Tools - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Dust]

Those terminal pliers are fantastic. I bought a set last year and they made doing tune ups and misc engine work a lot easier because I didn't have to futz around with electrical connectors and pocket screwdrivers as much as I used to.

 

[micromind]

I really like their tap holders. They fit nearly every tap I have and the internal O-ring holds the tap in place.

The small ones are 1/4" square drive, the larger ones are 3/8".

 

[L.Cheapo]

I have tons of Lisle tools. Much of them USA made, though not all. 99% of it works as advertised.

Some favorites of mine are the Spill Free Funnel, the Exhaust Hanger Pliers, and the Pneumatic Fan Clutch tool kit.

 

[impactims]

Those terminal pliers are fantastic. I bought a set last year and they made doing tune ups and misc engine work a lot easier because I didn't have to futz around with electrical connectors and pocket screwdrivers as much as I used to.

Oh yeah! I have those too. I forgot about those.

 

[terrific]

Their products are all function, zero form.

I really like their hose removal pliers (47900). Hood prop, torque angle gauge, oil filter wrench (63600), spark plug gapper, trim clip pry bars, "fingernail" tool (35470). Their disconnect pliers worked well for me, but not everyone likes them. Everything I've bought from them was made here, but I did spend some effort to verify that before purchasing. I'd like them more if they listed country of origin somewhere besides the packaging.

Jbtools usually has the best prices for Lisle, in my experience.

 

[richfinn]

I have tons of Lisle tools. Much of them USA made, though not all. 99% of it works as advertised.

Some favorites of mine are the Spill Free Funnel, the Exhaust Hanger Pliers, and the Pneumatic Fan Clutch tool kit.

Exhaust Hanger Pliers

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'm a fan. Like any brand, Lisle has some duds, but in general their tools are innovative and fairly priced.

 

[Rusted Nut]

I have some old Lisle tools, as well as newer stuff; never had an issue with any of them. Lisle still sells parts for their tools, a big plus in my mind. Just yesterday I ordered a large bearing seal driver plate I didn’t have, for a 40 year old seal driver set. I didn’t know if the bearing seal drivers were measured inside or outside dimensions . I sent Lisle a email, got a response back with a shop drawing of the seal driver showing exact dimension. Big fan of Lisle.

 

[zimman]

Having worked for most of the parts stores in the Universe and Mars, they make good stuff. I've never warrantied one of their tools.
Zim

 

[allinon72]

Lisle fits a niche and never tried to be something they’re not (ie try to transition to a standard tool line). Miss buying Lisle at Sears.

 

[brtsvg]

I'm a fan. Like any brand, Lisle has some duds, but in general their tools are innovative and fairly priced.

Same here. Quality innovators at a very reasonable pricing. Many items are made here in Iowa.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Lisle fan here!

 

[orangeblood]

Read good things about their pocket pry bars. Tempted, but I've got a pair of other brands, so it's not an easy sell. Lol.

(slightly off topic) I think Walmart rebrands these at less than half the price of the Lisle brand. I bought both sets and they are identical. Very sturdy and well made.

I wouldn't call myself a Lisle fan, but everything i have that is made by Lisle I consider to be a good value.

 

[Theronswanson]

Lisle is a staple in many professional tool boxes. Usually a quality product. Affordable specialty tools, and innovative l.

 

[JradM]

Lisle isn't making "staple" tools like pliers, screwdrivers, sockets, wrenches, etc... They're in the business of making specialty automotive tools. I think they have to be judged in that space.

If you compare Lisle pliers with something from Knipex, the Lisle product looks crude and basic - but there are no Knipex electrical disconnect pliers, panel clip removal pliers or spark plug boot pullers.

I agree that the quality varies depending on the tool, but pretty much everything is specialized if not outright unique and novel. Often the Lisle tool is a good solution to a particular problem. If it's something that isn't specialized, then it may not be the highest-quality choice.

 

[Theronswanson]

Lisle isn't making "staple" tools like pliers, screwdrivers, sockets, wrenches, etc... They're in the business of making specialty automotive tools. I think they have to be judged in that space.

If you compare Lisle pliers with something from Knipex, the Lisle product looks crude and basic - but there are no Knipex electrical disconnect pliers, panel clip removal pliers or spark plug boot pullers.

I agree that the quality varies depending on the tool, but pretty much everything is specialized if not outright unique and novel. Often the Lisle tool is a good solution to a particular problem. If it's something that isn't specialized, then it may not be the highest-quality choice.

I don't think you understood what I meant by staple (if that comment was even directed at me lol). I just meant that you're going to find something Lisle in just about every tool box.

 

[four.cycle]

^ If the guy's been working on cars long enough, he'll have at least one or two pieces of both Lisle and K-D in his box.

 

[ATC]

I'm a big fan of most Lisle stuff.

 

[Qualitytools]

I am a fan, I have some of their products and they make my task easy. As they the right tool makes the job a breeze. Happy Thanksgiving everyone

 

[ecotec]

Everything that I have from Lisle has been pretty good. A lot of it is rebranded under others brands like Blue-point…

 

[JradM]

I don't think you understood what I meant by staple (if that comment was even directed at me lol). I just meant that you're going to find something Lisle in just about every tool box.

Nope, sorry for the implication - it was an independent thought not directed at you at all, just inadvertently used the same language. I agree with you in that sense that pretty much everyone will end up with some Lisle. I only meant that it's not really fair to compare them to most other "pro" brands because they're generally pretty niche.

 

[four.cycle]

I only meant that it's not really fair to compare them to most other "pro" brands because they're generally pretty niche.

Exactly. Apples and Oranges.
You really can't even compare Lisle to K-D or Thexton or Assenmacher - they all make items the others do not.
Same applies to any number of specialty tool manufacturers - each one of them caters to a small market niche.

 

[impactims]

. Many items are made here in Iowa.

Like what?

I’m having a hard time looking through their catalog and determining what they make in house and what they do not.

 

[Ohio Andy]

Their products are all function, zero form.

I didn't mind the clunky form here

https://a.co/d/0FHWily

For the smaller size, however, I think I prefer Tekton because of the handles

https://a.co/d/gwTnYkM

But every now and then that little magnet on the end can be useful... Not often, but when it does, yeah

 

[Steve_P]

Like what?

I’m having a hard time looking through their catalog and determining what they make in house and what they do not.

They make a lot of their old "core" tools in the US like oil filter wrenches and sockets, cylinder hones.... The stuff they've been making for decades. The exhaust hangar pliers and tap sockets are also US made, or at least mine were.

The issue with making more of their stuff in the US is that they're in Nowhere, Iowa, their factory is 100+ years old, their catalog has probably 20X more items now than it did 50 years ago and is always expanding....

 

[tyyost]

I agree with the duds vs winners comments. My first experiences were with the torx bits from the Lisle section at sears. They flat out sucked, especially in the larger sizes. I avoided them for years after that mess, the bits weren’t cheap, and eventually all off them disintegrate in use. I have some stuff mentioned, the exhaust pliers, etc. I haven’t impulse bought the tap sockets or pliers GJ raves about because of those torx bits.

 

[svtride]

Mostly a Lisle fan here..they do make some stinker tools but most of their stuff I have is quality..luv their tap sockets.

 

[Jeepster04]

I have a decent assortment of their pliers and have always liked them.

I broke one of their torx bits and they had no issue sending me a replacement. That was at least 10+ years ago, no clue if they would still do that.

 

[blown94conv]

The only Lisle tools I wasn’t happy with were the torx sockets, they were very soft and twisted easily.

Other then that, very happy with the tools I’ve bought from then.

 

[AldeanFan]

Like Lisle tools
My flaring tool is Lisle and it has never let me down. My dad has a Grey Tools flaring tool that is nicer but works exactly the same as my Lisle.

 

[KnurledNut]

I keep a set of the Lisle Super Outs #62900 in my extractor kit.
https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-62900-Extractor-Set/dp/B0002NYBIM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Milton Shaw]

I really like their tap holders. They fit nearly every tap I have and the internal O-ring holds the tap in place.

The small ones are 1/4" square drive, the larger ones are 3/8".

There is now an expander set that goes all the way to 1" tap size. I haven't bought mine yet but soon, I have some pipe taps that big.

 

[micromind]

There is now an expander set that goes all the way to 1" tap size. I haven't bought mine yet but soon, I have some pipe taps that big.

That'd be handy mohave.

I'm using 8 point sockets for larger taps, they work but having some sort of retainer would be great.