Not impressed with new Channellocks quality

[Tonyuk]

That's your only defense? Because a tool is made in USA, we should ignore obvious flaws.

These hand tools are very cheap and easy to make. COO doesn't mean a thing, it's determined by cost.

Those pliers could be made from cheese and be more radioactive than the roof at Chernobyl, it wouldn't matter, the "made in the usaaa" dreamers would still defend them to the hilt.

I like channellock myself, but you should never let something as stupid as COO blind you to obvious issues.

 

[mikehaugen]

How many pages has it been since somebody brought up a new point?

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[Handyandy23]

Funny thing is that people usually turn to the China/Taiwan stuff first when really beating on tools, yet there are plenty of cases where they do survive and work as well as CLs. And people certainly do call out crappy fit and finish on those tools, even though they're in a price bracket below CL.

I'm not sure that applies to pliers, though. I'd certainly use my most disposable hammer for a rough job, or use a Chinese socket if I need something round to hammer on. But I also wouldn't complain about the outcome.

I started out buying tools when I had very little money, so naturally started with all of the cheapest stuff. As tools broke or were a PITA to use, I upgraded later as I could. I started out with these Mastercraft pliers (grips have changed a little over time since I bought them), not even sure on COO, but they go on sale regularly for like 70% off:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-6-piece-wrench-plier-set-0584790p.html#srp

Aesthetically they looked like a decent set, but they worked horribly. A lot of the grips came unglued from the handles so they would rotate or pull off as you were using them. The teeth were very weak and rounded off easily. Some of them had super tight pivots where you could hardly open them, others were sloppy. Just all around not nice to use.

Channellock seemed like a logical next step up the plier ladder, spending a little more but still reasonably priced. And the difference in quality is night and day! They are very easy to use and I haven't had any quality issues with them.

Those pliers could be made from cheese and be more radioactive than the roof at Chernobyl, it wouldn't matter, the "made in the usaaa" dreamers would still defend them to the hilt.

I like channellock myself, but you should never let something as stupid as COO blind you to obvious issues.

Who are the dreamers in this thread? Like I said earlier, this seems to be the common 'generic' argument used to invalidate positive opinions on a brand, but I'm not sure who this actually applies to. There are a handful of posters that I can think of that will blindly buy USA-made tools at every turn, but I'm not sure any of them are in this thread.

I live in Canada and couldn't care less about COO. The large majority of my hand tools are Taiwan COO. I like my Channellocks because they give excellent value, which is something you can't say for a lot of American-made hand tools (usually providing a slight advantage at a large price difference). You say you like your Channellocks too. So not sure where the advantage is in making a generic statement like this, unless you have some specific examples of posters you think that are giving disingenuous feedback.

 

[M6erfan]

over 100 posts about a cheap pair of pliers...

 

[davethorik]

I wasn't aware that Americans wanting to support an American business was annoying to the Brits. How many current pliers manufacturers are in the UK?

 

[redwrench60]

Go anywhere in the United States things are being built, repaired or maintained and you’ll see Channellock blue handles poking out of tool pouches, bags and boxes across all trades. Chances are the tradesmen and women who earn their living building your surroundings own at least a Channellock tool or two. If that isn’t a testament to their quality I don’t know what is.

They’re not so expensive that it’d be crushing if your pair of 440’s got lost or stolen yet the quality is good enough to use and abuse on any job site or shop for years and years. Are they perfect? No. Do they hit that quality and affordability sweet spot? Yup.

 

[BillK]

I didnt read all of the replies but I just looked a 30 year old "Made in USA" set that I have here at the shop and the "overbite" is exactly the same as those. I dont think they are intended to be used like a pair of needlenose pliers anyway so I dont know if that is important or not.

I will say the finish on yours looks terrible compared to my old ones and mine are beat to death

 

[dwasifar]

I didnt read all of the replies but I just looked a 30 year old "Made in USA" set that I have here at the shop and the "overbite" is exactly the same as those. I dont think they are intended to be used like a pair of needlenose pliers anyway so I dont know if that is important or not.

Yeah, I've caught a lot of flak here for that particular complaint. I guess I should explain.

My feeling about it is that if the tongue and groove pliers can grab something small in a pinch, I don't have to carry another tool or go back to the toolchest if I suddenly find myself needing to do that. If I were expecting to do a lot of that kind of thing on a project, of course I'd carry the appropriate tool for it, but otherwise it's nice to be able to improvise with what you have on you. Misaligned tips reduce that extra utility.

 

[anetode]

How so? Do you think most people polled would rate ford as having better reliability than Honda? Consumer reports tend to agree that Honda usually ranks better than ford, but if you've got a better place to look up reliability rankings let me know.

Not with respect to the cars, rather with respect to which tool's a Ford and which one's a Honda

 

[B17E1943]

I wasn't aware that Americans wanting to support an American business was annoying to the Brits. How many current pliers manufacturers are in the UK?

They're envious of our excellence, as usual.

 

[Tonyuk]

I wasn't aware that Americans wanting to support an American business was annoying to the Brits. How many current pliers manufacturers are in the UK?

Americans supporting american workers doesn't annoy me at all, people on this form defending american tools to the hilt when there are clearly superior options available from overseas i find strange however. Loads of you seem to hate anything made abroad, as if its somehow low quality just because its not made in your own country. I like channellock myself, the price of them over here isn't far off Knipex, but just because i like something doesn't blind me to the fact that they can have a few duds. Goes for every brand.

They're envious of our excellence, as usual.

How much did you medical insurance cost this year?

 

[plumber84]

Main industries manufacture pliers in the UK�� Anyone who has a beef with Channellock should try Wilde pliers for high quality US pliers, I have both Channellock and Wilde and prefer the Wilde, I think they make Ridgids and Douglas pliers. I couldn’t agree more though about Channelock being value for money compared to other brands, they get the job at a third of the cost of say Knipex

 

[plumber84]

Main industries manufacture pliers in the UK�� Anyone who has a beef with Channellock should try Wilde pliers for high quality US pliers, I have both Channellock and Wilde and prefer the Wilde, I think they make Ridgids and Douglas pliers. I couldn’t agree more though about Channelock being value for money compared to other brands, they get the job at a third of the cost of say Knipex

Maun industries

 

[WittHay]

For me water pump pliers are low down on the list of needing top quality. In the service truck I have 7 sizes of Vise-Grips, 6 adjustable wrenches, 2 pipe wrenches, 2 slip-joint pliers and one Wilde groove-joint plier.

Have about 4 sizes of Channellocks at home. The jaws dont line up on any of them but they dont have the dipping marks on them like the OP's, Totally happy with them

Worst US made groove type pliers were Proto. Always slipped and pinched fingers. Best were Diamond. Had a couple of pairs of Snap-on rebranded 16" Diamond's with the red handles. Diamond handles were blue/green.

The top brands for sitting in a tool box for display and never to be used are Knipex and Milwaukee. Lots of cool not needed features on them plus they are expensive. Which is always good for tools that you dont use

 

[mikehaugen]

The top brands for sitting in a tool box for display and never to be used are Knipex and Milwaukee. Lots of cool not needed features on them plus they are expensive. Which is always good for tools that you dont use

I couldn't disagree more... at least for the knipex. Tongue and groove piers are my most used pliers, and I have used a lot of brands, and knipex are imho the best performing.

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[WittHay]

I have the Kubota/ Wilde set in the first picture for equipment/ truck repair. The larger slip-joint plier has been replaced with a Snap-on in the second picture. The 9 1/2 or 10" t & g plier is my least used. Mainly for holding and bending cotter pins and taking of tach and speedo cable nuts and other places where a slip-joint wont fit.

In automotive, household, farm type use how is a Knipex any better than a Channellock. Even in plumbing and electrical I find adjustable wrenches work better than the groove-joint pliers

 

[mikehaugen]

t & g pliers can grip round objects... they will just about replace a pipe wrench. On hex or round objects I agree that an adjustable wrench is probably more suitable, but t & g pliers do both.

Edit, I misread your post and missed the first part of the question... the advantage of knipex over channellock have been discussed to death here, and I don't think anybody has denied the superiority of knipex... only whether they are worth the extra money.

 

[measuredtwice]

I could. With the Quinn drivers, I thought it was obvious from context that I was saying, "these are not bad for as cheap as they are," given that I started out by saying they were cheap and disposable. And it wasn't really intended as a full review, just a quick impression. But yeah, it wouldn't hurt to be explicit about that rather than assume it goes without saying.

You didn't make a single complaint about the Quinn drivers. You might argue that saying that it is square shaft instead of round is a criticism but it's not. Round and Square are 2 different designs that each have uses. Many manufacturers make both.

I am anticipating a similar lack of criticism of what you get shipped directly from China. Maybe you'll say it's round and not square... or it's a standard driver and not a chisel driver. But you won't actually say anything critical about it. You might even say you tried so hard to find something negative but couldn't.

I didn't even know Lowe's had CL until this purchase. Most of what you see hanging on the pegs there is Irwin, Craftsman, and a few sorry old Kobalt pieces with clearance tags. But when the set I ordered from Amazon came up short, I went looking for where I could get a set locally, and Lowe's had them, so I texted my wife and had her bring me home a set. (Which, by the way, answers your question about why I didn't inspect them closely in the store.) They were on a promotional rack somewhere else in the store, far from the rest of the pliers.

Seems odd to me that a guy who hangs out on a tool discussion forum wouldn't know the tools at his local stores, especially the store that his wife gets an employee discount. Not arguing with you. I just can't relate. If my wife worked at Lowes I think I would know everything in the tool section... come to think of it, I might already know the tool section at Lowes that well--haha!

 

[measuredtwice]

That's your only defense? Because a tool is made in USA, we should ignore obvious flaws.

These hand tools are very cheap and easy to make. COO doesn't mean a thing, it's determined by cost. Cheap German/Japan stuff are junk too. I found that Swiss tools are nice, but they are expensive, almost too expensive, for example $50 for a pair of Dumont tweezers.

I never said that we should ignore flaws on USA made tools. You are making that up. I said I thought the OP was a shill. I also never said that COO determines quality. You are making that up too. I said some of my best tools are imported (dictionary definition of the word).

I have a $50 pair of Dumont forceps... a few of them

 

[American Locomotive]

The top brands for sitting in a tool box for display and never to be used are Knipex and Milwaukee. Lots of cool not needed features on them plus they are expensive. Which is always good for tools that you dont use

In automotive, household, farm type use how is a Knipex any better than a Channellock. Even in plumbing and electrical I find adjustable wrenches work better than the groove-joint pliers

There's a good reason for the explosion in the popularity of Knipex, and it's not because they have "cool not needed features". Around here it started when people found out how good the Craftsman rebrands were. Then people started buying the Knipex Cobras in bulk. I see a ridiculous amount of tradespeople using them. Many brands are now coming out with their own clones of them. They are popular because they're extremely high quality, have excellent jaw geometry, are light, and have extremely hard and durable teeth.

You didn't make a single complaint about the Quinn drivers. You might argue that saying that it is square shaft instead of round is a criticism but it's not. Round and Square are 2 different designs that each have uses. Many manufacturers make both.

I really don't get your hang up on this. The CL screwdrivers cost 3-4x the HF drivers. Minor issues and problems are expected and tolerated on cheap tools. Tools that cost 3-4x as much shouldn't have those same issues. It's really that simple.

 

[measuredtwice]

I really don't get your hang up on this. The CL screwdrivers cost 3-4x the HF drivers. Minor issues and problems are expected and tolerated on cheap tools. Tools that cost 3-4x as much shouldn't have those same issues. It's really that simple.

I really don't get your hang up on this. I've already replied about it.

Expectations are different based on price. But a review or study or whatever you want to call it should still be critical of cheapos. You can just say that you found those flaws/downsides acceptable at the price point. Otherwise it is misleading if HF gets no criticism or is called "great".

I also said...

If you paid $60 then you paid about as much as I did for my PB Swiss drivers. I don't know why you would. The Channellock stuff is all over, including your wife's store. One look at it on the racks and I see that it is entry level stuff.

I can't believe anyone would pay $60. There are loads of brand new old stock USA made Craftsman acetate handle drivers for cheap.

 

[American Locomotive]

I really don't get your hang up on this. I've already replied about it.

It's implicit. He literally even said in his post that they were disposable at the price-point. That implies that given the price-point, they were fine. It's about expectations - if you buy a dirty cheap tool, with the expectation that it's going to be cheap and nasty, you're not going to spend too much time being critical of it. It's also entirely possible that his Quin drivers didn't have any glaring manufacturing defects like his CL drivers. In which case, you really won't know how good they are until you get some use on them and see how they wear.

I can't believe anyone would pay $60. There are loads of brand new old stock USA made Craftsman acetate handle drivers for cheap.

He paid too much, that's seriously your argument? You realize that just HURTS your argument, right? If he overpaid, then he has even more right to be super critical of the drivers.

Also, that 10 piece Channellock set is $60 everywhere, including Amazon.

 

[measuredtwice]

It's implicit. He literally even said in his post that they were disposable at the price-point. That implies that given the price-point, they were fine. It's about expectations - if you buy a dirty cheap tool, with the expectation that it's going to be cheap and nasty, you're not going to spend too much time being critical of it. It's also entirely possible that his Quin drivers didn't have any glaring manufacturing defects like his CL drivers. In which case, you really won't know how good they are until you get some use on them and see how they wear.

So he should say this Harbor Freight tool is "cheap" and "nasty" and that he is okay with it because it is inexpensive. That's different than just saying it works "great".

You realize that just HURTS your argument, right? If he overpaid, then he has even more right to be super critical of the drivers.

Actually my argument is the opposite. This is silly. You are the one who argues that you only criticize expensive stuff and not cheap stuff.

I said both should be criticized. But whether those negatives are tolerated depends on the price point. Say it is junk. If it's cheap junk, then say it is junk but you are okay with junk at this price point.

 

[dwasifar]

Seems odd to me that a guy who hangs out on a tool discussion forum wouldn't know the tools at his local stores, especially the store that his wife gets an employee discount. Not arguing with you. I just can't relate. If my wife worked at Lowes I think I would know everything in the tool section... come to think of it, I might already know the tool section at Lowes that well--haha!

Did you miss the entire paragraph where I explained that the CL pliers were not in the expected place in the store? Even my wife, who works there, had to ask someone else to find them for her.

Okay, let's stop beating around the bush here. What exactly are you accusing me of, in plain language? Come on, let's have it. Say it outright.

Oh wait, here it is. I found it:

I never said that we should ignore flaws on USA made tools. You are making that up. I said I thought the OP was a shill.

Is that so? Who's paying me, then, if I am simultaneously shilling for Milwaukee, Harbor Freight, and some oddball tool reseller on Aliexpress? Do you think there's some shadowy conspiracy that pays people to find any old non-USA tools and praise them, and dump on USA tools?

Think about it. A shill promotes ONE thing, or ONE brand. There might be shills for Harbor Freight - I've never seen one, but I guess it could happen - but that person isn't going to be shilling Milwaukee at the same time.

So far your "evidence" for this conspiracy is that I failed to say enough negative things about a Harbor Freight screwdriver. Calling it "cheap and disposable" is not enough; if I didn't call it "nasty," well, I must be in China's pocket, and just out there to give glowing reviews and over the top praise to any China product, like the Milwaukee pliers. Because everyone knows that pushing Harbor Freight China screwdrivers helps Milwaukee sell their Taiwan-made pliers.

I thought we were coming to an understanding earlier. I was wrong. Go back to lining your hat with tinfoil. I'm done here.

 

[measuredtwice]

Did you miss the entire paragraph where I explained that the CL pliers were not in the expected place in the store? Even my wife, who works there, had to ask someone else to find them for her.

Okay, let's stop beating around the bush here. What exactly are you accusing me of, in plain language? Come on, let's have it. Say it outright.

In the quote, I also said not arguing about the Lowes story. I just don't relate to not knowing the local tool stores. Wish I had relatives with employee discounts.

I already said I think you are a shill. Really wasn't necessary to ask again. Not trying to be rude. Starting a preview topic to publicize an upcoming post about a China screwdriver put it over the top. That's typical shill stuff. If I am wrong, then I am sorry.

 

[dwasifar]

In the quote, I also said not arguing about the Lowes story. I just don't relate to not knowing the local tool stores. Wish I had relatives with employee discounts.

I already said I think you are a shill. Really wasn't necessary to ask again. Not trying to be rude. Starting a preview topic to publicize an upcoming post about a China screwdriver put it over the top. That's typical shill stuff. If I am wrong, then I am sorry.

You are wrong, and I accept your apology, if you really mean it.

I'll give you that the upcoming post thing was unusual. But I swear on my father's ashes that my intent in buying a cheap Aliexpress screwdriver set to review was to make fun of it. I had just got done talking about other brands of screwdrivers and I thought it would be a fun thing to do. There's no reason for anyone to expect that would be any good; I don't, because literally everything I've ever bought from Aliexpress has been junk. Sorry if it set off your shill radar, but if you look at the big picture, I've said too many good things about actual decent brands here to really be shilling for China.

Go far enough back and you'll find a writeup I did on HF torx drivers; I preferred the USA Kobalt, and I got ripped for that too. Can't win. And here's this thread, where I was accused of gratuitously casting HF in a negative light because that's just what we do here. And here's a thread where I make fun of someone's attempt to sell knockoff levels on Amazon.

If you're still determined to believe I'm shilling, in spite of these indications to the contrary, well, then I can't help you. Can't prove a negative. And I regret going off on you just now, but when you assault a man's character, what do you expect, flowers?

Oh, and one more thing: What would a real shill do if challenged? Stick around and defend his honor? Or vanish and pop up under a new name? Which one is productive?

 

[dnschmidt]

I've bought a bunch of things from Ali-Express and all have been excellent.

For foam interface pads for DA sanders, and Ali-Express sells these in both the soft and firm variety, the pads I got from Ali-Express are far superior to the ones I buy from 3M.

For vacuum hand sanding blocks I got a vacuum long board from Ali-Express for $18 that is the EXACT SAME SANDER that Norton sells for $90. Identical in every detail except theirs in black and the one I got is red. The design is exactly the same and I can bet you Norton got it from the same dude I did from China.

When will you people realize that the Chinese can make anything to whatever level of quality you want them to. Just pay the price and they'll deliver. It's 2019 not 1955. Get over it.

 

[mikehaugen]

I don't think you're a shill, I just think this has become a really ridiculous argument... I can't believe it's still going.

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[b7labelle]

Bought a pair of 16" Channellocks yesterday, all had the details described by OP.

Proceeded to bite the **** out of a mower spindle. When done, applied a wipe down with WD-40 rag I had laying around before I tossed it on my concrete floor lol.

 

[dwasifar]

I don't think you're a shill, I just think this has become a really ridiculous argument... I can't believe it's still going.

I agree, actually. But now my honesty has been called into question and it's hard to just let it go.

 

[mikehaugen]

I agree, actually. But now my honesty has been called into question and it's hard to just let it go.

I wasn't blaming you

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[measuredtwice]

I wasn't blaming you

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You just bumped it... twice.

I'll give you that the upcoming post thing was unusual... Sorry if it set off your shill radar, but if you look at the big picture, I've said too many good things about actual decent brands here to really be shilling for China...Go far enough back and you'll find a writeup I did on HF torx drivers; I preferred the USA Kobalt, and I got ripped for that too. Can't win.

I did not go that far back into the post history. I took a quick look at that Torx comparison and it didn't set off my "shill radar".

I did notice you said:
"Looking at the tool shafts, we can see Pittsburgh advertises that they are chrome vanadium. The Kobalt set is apparently just ordinary screwdriver steel with no special claims made. This gives the Pittsburgh drivers a brighter chrome appearance, which"

Chrome vanadium is the type of steel. I'm not aware of any relationship to the appearance of the chrome that is applied over it. There are many different types of chrome plating that likely account for the difference in appearance of the chrome... decorative plating, triple chrome plating, hard chrome, etc. Shiny is not always good. The cheapest decorative chrome plating is very shiny but lots of cheap decorative chrome plating flakes off. Some shiny chrome is higher quality. Some matte chrome is also high quality hard chrome.

Not trying to dump on the review. For example, you documented the deflection nicely. I just think it is an important point. Two of the many ways that companies can cut corners is cheaper steel and cheaper plating.

You are wrong, and I accept your apology, if you really mean it.

This is a good place to stop this part of the discussion.

 

[65k10]

I have the Kubota/ Wilde set in the first picture for equipment/ truck repair. The larger slip-joint plier has been replaced with a Snap-on in the second picture. The 9 1/2 or 10" t & g plier is my least used. Mainly for holding and bending cotter pins and taking of tach and speedo cable nuts and other places where a slip-joint wont fit.

In automotive, household, farm type use how is a Knipex any better than a Channellock. Even in plumbing and electrical I find adjustable wrenches work better than the groove-joint pliers

I like the Alligator/Cobra (or most any Euro water pump type pliers) to be well suited for general plier use on the farm/ranch. For most of my applications, they fit the bill better than slip joints or regular tongue and groove pliers.

The narrower jaw along with sharp teeth makes them handy for a lot of tasks where I need a jaw the can fit into a somewhat tight space, but a needle nose can't grip well enough. One example being clearing net wrap that gets around the ends of the rollers on a round baler.

I also like to carry a small 6" cobra in my coveralls since it's small enough to fit into a pocket. It's handy for do fence clips on t-posts and opens wide enough to install/remove drain plugs on stock tanks. They are very versatile little pliers.

If there's something I don't like about them is the small, hard teeth are great right up until they meet something as hard or hard than them. Then you get to enjoy chipped teeth on your 20-30 dollar pliers.

Because of their jaw pattern, I don't think they really replace the standard tongue and groove plier. They have a lot of overlap in what both can do, but I think they both have their place.

ETA: I should ad, my preference towards the Alligator/Cobra pliers is largely based on jaw design. To that end, Channellock does sort of replicate that with their Grip Lock pliers. They aren't as good as an Alligator, but they are decent and can be had for 10 dollars or less. Funny thing about them is I wonder if they are made using a different process than other Chanellock pliers. I have multiple pairs of GL10 pliers and they all have nice smooth edges while the stuff like the 430 pliers usually have rough to slightly sharp edges. I'm not the biggest fan of Channellock products, but I do think their Grip Lock pliers are underappreciated.

 

[Flyordie]

Just responding to the OP- My 2 cents.. Channellocks are not meant to be pretty. They are meant to do the job its designed to do. I am just glad they kept manufacturing here for the most part. Their adjustable wrenches are made in Spain but they are damn nice. So I don't mind buying them. (there are other reasons but it may delve into the political arena and I'll avoid that here)

 

[JRas]

You guys are to funny. Complaining about fit and finish on a tool to most trades people don’t give a single thought into. It comes down to channel locks flat out work and work well for their intended purpose. You go to any job site and you will find not adjustable pliers of differing brands but channel locks in just about every plumber, electricians, pipe fitters, tin knockers hell probably stud monkeys and ironworkers roll all day long with channel locks. Oh it’s got a little rust. Tools I have that get used don’t tend to rust. Clear the gunk out of the grooves with a rag quick spray with some wd and good to go back in the tool bags.

Agreed, have some in my bag. They're great value, USA made, and Quality.

I had 3 Knipex pliers in my work tool bag, I retired to to my tool box for automotive use instead.

Smooth face tongue and groove, weren't as useful as I thought besides not marring surfaces. Found myself grabbing the regular teeth pliers..

My dikes, I actually blew up accidentally (trusted a non-contact tester...) and a week later they locked up. Knipex replaced them (warranty was about a week plus turn around, may of been two). They're great pliers but expensive, and my channel locks are cheaper and do the same thing for me.

Tongue and groove, I actually prefer these to my channel locks due to the push button adjust and the comfort grips are nice. Better for my toolbox than my work bag

Here are the Milwaukee pliers:

Everything lines up, works smoothly, looks good:

I couldn't get the camera to focus edge-on, but you can take my word for it that the jaws are of equal thickness and close straight. You can still shift them side to side on their rivets if you try, but not nearly as much as the CLs.

At Home Depot, these were $14.97 for the 12" and $19.97 for the 6" and 10" set, vs CL at $15.98 for the 12" and $24.97 for a 6.5" and 9.5" set.

You will note that the finish isn't perfect. I don't need it to be perfect; I just wanted the craftsmanship to be higher level overall.

Of course, if I'm unhappy with them when I actually put them to use, I promise to come back for a steaming helping of crow.

I gave those pliers away, ends were bare to ream conduit. They didn't work well for that, and didn't work well for me doing electrical work.

oh and my buddy who I gave them to, didn't like them.. ended up getting some channel locks instead. He's a commercial sprinkler fitter.

CL 2, Milwaukee 0

Go anywhere in the United States things are being built, repaired or maintained and you’ll see Channellock blue handles poking out of tool pouches, bags and boxes across all trades. Chances are the tradesmen and women who earn their living building your surroundings own at least a Channellock tool or two. If that isn’t a testament to their quality I don’t know what is.

They’re not so expensive that it’d be crushing if your pair of 440’s got lost or stolen yet the quality is good enough to use and abuse on any job site or shop for years and years. Are they perfect? No. Do they hit that quality and affordability sweet spot? Yup.

Just responding to the OP- My 2 cents.. Channellocks are not meant to be pretty. They are meant to do the job its designed to do. I am just glad they kept manufacturing here for the most part. Their adjustable wrenches are made in Spain but they are damn nice. So I don't mind buying them. (there are other reasons but it may delve into the political arena and I'll avoid that here)

 

[plinker]

Americans supporting american workers doesn't annoy me at all, people on this form defending american tools to the hilt when there are clearly superior options available from overseas i find strange however. Loads of you seem to hate anything made abroad, as if its somehow low quality just because its not made in your own country. I like channellock myself, the price of them over here isn't far off Knipex, but just because i like something doesn't blind me to the fact that they can have a few duds. Goes for every brand.

For the longest time US made tools were the most common available, It's only been in the last 10-20 years that (high quality) tools from elsewhere have become commonly available to your everyday person. The internet changed a lot. Some still prefer to buy US made for many reasons. It's one of a few areas where we can buy something made here or somewhere else instead of only somewhere else.

I had previously posted the cost of 10" Knipex alligator pliers vs 10" Channellock equivalent (23$ vs 13$). Not sure what the cost difference is on your side of the pond, but that's what I see here.

As long as the tool works as intended I'll buy it, doesnt matter what coo.

 

[Dieselhammer]

Bought a pair of 16" Channellocks yesterday, all had the details described by OP.

Proceeded to bite the **** out of a mower spindle. When done, applied a wipe down with WD-40 rag I had laying around before I tossed it on my concrete floor lol.

And that's how Channelocks are meant to be used, hard and wiped with oil when done. I still have my first pair of channelock 440's my dad bought me when i was 12 as a way of saying, you need your own tools, here's your start to stay away from mine lol.

 

[WittHay]

There's a good reason for the explosion in the popularity of Knipex, and it's not because they have "cool not needed features". Around here it started when people found out how good the Craftsman rebrands were. Then people started buying the Knipex Cobras in bulk. I see a ridiculous amount of tradespeople using them. Many brands are now coming out with their own clones of them. They are popular because they're extremely high quality, have excellent jaw geometry, are light, and have extremely hard and durable teeth.

I like the Alligator/Cobra (or most any Euro water pump type pliers) to be well suited for general plier use on the farm/ranch. For most of my applications, they fit the bill better than slip joints or regular tongue and groove pliers.

The narrower jaw along with sharp teeth makes them handy for a lot of tasks where I need a jaw the can fit into a somewhat tight space, but a needle nose can't grip well enough. One example being clearing net wrap that gets around the ends of the rollers on a round baler.

I also like to carry a small 6" cobra in my coveralls since it's small enough to fit into a pocket. It's handy for do fence clips on t-posts and opens wide enough to install/remove drain plugs on stock tanks. They are very versatile little pliers.

If there's something I don't like about them is the small, hard teeth are great right up until they meet something as hard or hard than them. Then you get to enjoy chipped teeth on your 20-30 dollar pliers.

Because of their jaw pattern, I don't think they really replace the standard tongue and groove plier. They have a lot of overlap in what both can do, but I think they both have their place.

ETA: I should ad, my preference towards the Alligator/Cobra pliers is largely based on jaw design. To that end, Channellock does sort of replicate that with their Grip Lock pliers. They aren't as good as an Alligator, but they are decent and can be had for 10 dollars or less. Funny thing about them is I wonder if they are made using a different process than other Chanellock pliers. I have multiple pairs of GL10 pliers and they all have nice smooth edges while the stuff like the 430 pliers usually have rough to slightly sharp edges. I'm not the biggest fan of Channellock products, but I do think their Grip Lock pliers are underappreciated.

Thanks for the reply's about the Knipex. Local tool store has a full selection of Knipex pliers but they are under glass. Channellocks and Kleins are out in the open. Similar to mechanics tools GearWrench is a full open wall display while the Proto is under glass.

Never have been curious enough to handle the Knipex Cobra's or Alligators. Makes sense for multiple tightening or loosening tasks the push button would be easier and a lighter tool is always good

My comments were more for the typical homeowner leaking faucet or replacing a electrical outlet or two. When time is not a constraint and multiple tools are available the Knipex might not be needed for the average person

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

My neighbour is a retired electrician, I borrowed his Channellock lineman pliers to cut off a few screws. Maybe not what they were meant for because they didn’t do the job. Went to the truck and got my Kleins (blue handle 2000 model) did my screw trimming. The one I used was probably at least 20 years old and still did the job.
Don’t think I own any Channellock tools or I gave them to the kids or they might have them on the permanent borrow plan.

 

[njride]

Klein sidecutters have two different jaw hardness ratings, channel lock i think probably only one, the softer one.