Icon Snap Ring Pliers Set-Junk

[cavalry]

I buy cheaper tools for my guys as they seem to get lost. First time out with the set, clean snap ring, not rusted,mangled or anything. The boys snapped the tips off most of the set without even being animals. I gave them my knipex set and no issues at all. No problem getting the Icon warrantied, but the heat treating on the second set is no better, snapped tips immediately.
Going back to Tekton, they got lost before they got broken.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Solid review. Perhaps throw this in the Harbor Freight Pass or Fail Thread for everyone to see.

 

[finn]

Interesting post. There were several partial sets of open box Icon snap ring plier sets at the local HF the other day. I imagine they were sets canibalized for warranty replacement parts.

 

[Aileron]

May as well just stick with the Pittsburg name. Rebadging the same **** witha designer name and raising the price doesn't make the chinese steel and harder.

 

[Outahere]

....Going back to Tekton, they got lost before they got broken.

A search at Tekton.com for snap ring pliers yields zero results. No longer manufactured, it seems.

 

[Steve_P]

I don't have the Icons but have looked at them online; they're an obvious copy of the Knipex ones, and they are far from a bargain IMO. Yes, they're cheaper than Knipex, but...
I can't see getting anything less than the Lang set- yes, these are not the greatest, but they're proven over decades, and are still surprisingly inexpensive when you look at the cost per unit. I personally have the Knipex with the piano wire tips, awesome, but priced accordingly; HF should've copied these.

 

[dchawk81]

I buy cheaper tools for my guys as they seem to get lost. First time out with the set, clean snap ring, not rusted,mangled or anything. The boys snapped the tips off most of the set without even being animals. I gave them my knipex set and no issues at all. No problem getting the Icon warrantied, but the heat treating on the second set is no better, snapped tips immediately.
Going back to Tekton, they got lost before they got broken.

So they lose stuff, forcing you to buy cheaper tools to keep up, but they aren't animals when they break them?

 

[cavalry]

So they lose stuff, forcing you to buy cheaper tools to keep up, but they aren't animals when they break them?

The joys of management and company supplied tools. These were not their fault, I broke the replacement set tips just to check them out.

I have had some real critters, it seems the more they come from a farming background the more they can destroy anything given to them.

 

[GeoBruin]

Funny. I've used the icon snap ring pliers to great effect. I've even commented here before about how I had to beat on a pair to make them fit my application and I found the tips to be so resiliant they were hard to deform with a hammer.

 

[KnurledNut]

Knew of a particular repetitive heavy industrial assembly application where many quality brands were tried and failed.
Knipex lasted far longer than the rest and they eventually broke them too.

 

[ecotec]

The joys of management and company supplied tools. These were not their fault, I broke the replacement set tips just to check them out.

I have had some real critters, it seems the more they come from a farming background the more they can destroy anything given to them.

You say that, but I don’t think that it is true. Maybe… I find farmers to be the most pragmatic people. They definitely will do what needs to be done to accomplish their task.

But young people, before they develop finesse, are the best testers of any hand tools.

Soldiers, working with tools that they do not personally own, would also be great testers of hand tools.
Mostly younger people… in the best shape of their lives… before and while they are still developing finesse… getting **** done that has to get done.

On top of all of this… I think that any tool not owned or assigned to a specific person… is, in general, going to be treated rougher. I think that this is human nature.

 

[dnschmidt]

To me snap ring pliers is among the 5% of tools that you simply have to buy the best available. The pressure these tips undergo is enormous and there can be no heat treating failures or cheap steel used in this application. I've never used Snap-On but my opinion is Knipex or bust with respect to snap ring pliers and the bigger the snap ring the greater this matters. The huge snap rings that Ford uses on their Super Duty axles being the toughest I've ever encountered.

 

[fatfillup]

Soldiers, working with tools that they do not personally own, would also be great testers of hand tools.
Mostly younger people… in the best shape of their lives… before and while they are still developing finesse… getting **** done that has to get done.

Have a buddy who worked for Dananher and designed tools for military market among other markets.
If the Marines couldn't break it in the combat zone, it was considered outstanding.

 

[finn]

Knew of a particular repetitive heavy industrial assembly application where many quality brands were tried and failed.
Knipex lasted far longer than the rest and they eventually broke them too.

In cases like this, a snap ring tool probably isn’t best for the job. Some sort of specially designed fixture, like a cope, or even minor design change to the parts themselves may be warranted.

 

[VolvoRyan]

To me snap ring pliers is among the 5% of tools that you simply have to buy the best available. The pressure these tips undergo is enormous and there can be no heat treating failures or cheap steel used in this application. I've never used Snap-On but my opinion is Knipex or bust with respect to snap ring pliers and the bigger the snap ring the greater this matters. The huge snap rings that Ford uses on their Super Duty axles being the toughest I've ever encountered.

Yup. Kinda like flare nut wrenches. Go big or go home.

-Ryan

 

[Rusted Nut]

I normally wouldn’t buy HF snap ring pliers, but I broke my old pair on a large snap ring. Being Saturday evening, my only choice was HF. I got there and the ICON set was on sale - nice. This was a 2” tough snap ring, pliers worked well. Decent set, good value, can’t complain.

 

[Mgdoug3]

I have the Icon set as well and I'm not that impressed. They usually will eventually work but I have two pairs of Knipex that miles better. I should have skipped the Icon and just bought a Knipex set. On the bright side, I don't mind lending the set out and keep my Knipex ones hidden.

 

[dnschmidt]

The joys of management and company supplied tools. These were not their fault, I broke the replacement set tips just to check them out.

I have had some real critters, it seems the more they come from a farming background the more they can destroy anything given to them.

There could be some truth to this. Eric O. of South Main Auto comes from a farming community in upstate NY and he can break an anvil. It's one of the reasons I set him up with Chris Pettit of Astro Pneumatic to be their torture tester because if Eric can't break it it can't be broken.

 

[turner66]

I must be lucky. I have both sets of the available Icon snap ring pliers and haven't had any issues with either set. I did try the Quinn interchangeable tip set first and those ones drive me crazy...

 

[mogandave]

The joys of management and company supplied tools. These were not their fault, I broke the replacement set tips just to check them out.

I have had some real critters, it seems the more they come from a farming background the more they can destroy anything given to them.

It’s not given to them, it’s only theirs to use.

Buy them whatever they want. If they quit before a year, turn it back in or deduct from pay.

After a year it’s theirs…

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

We used the Quinn in school they weren’t the greatest. Haven’t tried Icon. I bought the 12 piece Snap-on set in power blue for work and they are the best I’ve ever used. I don’t have any at the house except a very old pair of Cornwell from the pawn shop. I need to get some. Glad to know the Icon aren’t any good so I don’t waste money on them.