Who makes the best pliers?

plier_able · Sep 22, 2013

I know - you all groaned when you saw that heading! Another newbie asking the perennially dumb question.

But I did search here, could not find any particular view, do have a range of pliers (Channellock, Knipex, NWS as well as some cheaper/cheapies) of my own - and I am really interested in your views.

And just to narrow it down a bit, how about we limit the responses to gripping/cutting pliers, not locking types. And by best - best made, most durable, best finish.

neophyte · Sep 22, 2013

I've had good luck with knipex and Channellock. I can depend on both brands being fully functional and most likely spot on as far as quality control goes, right out of the box. The pairs of Swedish Bahco cutters I've gotten have also been spot on. I like Facom and prefer the ergonomics of their grips over the above brands, but I've seen one or two pairs of cutters that had blades that weren't quite right. I don't own any NWS pliers. Te older USA made Crescent pliers were usually well made but that production has apparently been shipped to China.

Zeroek · Sep 22, 2013

Channellock and knipex are my favorites for the price. Ive used all the truck brands and channellock has been the best for the price.

Creditor · Sep 22, 2013

Knipex hands down

CWP1616L · Sep 22, 2013

It depends on the type of pliers.

For 9 inch nose pliers, I prefer the MAC P92S.

MattPersman · Sep 22, 2013

I like snap on's and knipex's offerings between the 2 brands I think everything is pretty much covered

comedyman809 · Sep 22, 2013

knipex cutters, proto/mac long reach needle nose, klein yellow handle regular needle nose, proto duck bill pliers, channelock for toungue and groove and slip joint

just like that

Davefr · Sep 22, 2013

I'd say SO and Klein but there are a wide variety of "pliers" and you need to be more specific.

Knipex makes good adjustable pliers but I absolutely hate their needle nose series.

My "go to" needle nose used to be Klein D314-8 but I switched to SO 196CF.

SO Talon Grip diamond serrated jaws work great and the tapered tips allows them to get into tight spots. They're well built and super tough.

I also like SO's Electronic series of pliers like this example. But there are many other precision pliers like Tronex, Swanstrom, Lindstrom, etc that are quality products. If you ever come across Diamond pliers they are also top notch.

Fedwrench · Sep 22, 2013

CWP1616L said:
It depends on the type of pliers.

For 9 inch nose pliers, I prefer the MAC P92S.

Is that the only pair of pliers you own Merk? That is your choice for any reply about pliers.

One man's favorite is another man's worst. However, I like Knipex for dykes and water pump type pliers. I like channellock for slip joint pliers and long nose pliers. Snap on probably has the best designed handle grips and their talon series are sweet. The bottom line though is what feels good in your hand.

Holt · Sep 22, 2013

Im a fan of knipex. They have served me well. With that said i do own nws amd the work good. Klein makes good linemans. Chhannellock slipjoints are tried and true. Are you looking for best of each tool or one brand that is good troughout?

rodm1 · Sep 22, 2013

Really if you look at the price they are going for it will give you an idea of quality (Don't look at Lowes thread) LOL. I'm finding the USA pliers are slipping in quality and probably won't be buying anymore.

mrborohachi · Sep 22, 2013

for long reach I love my double pivot Crescent double x pliers. i have a single pivot 90 deg bent long reach needle nose and i can't believe how far i have to open up the handles in order to use them now

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129448

Hyster Gareth · Sep 22, 2013

I've had good service from Knipex, Channellock, and SO. I also have some old USA made pliers made by MAC and they have served me well.

Flash21 · Sep 22, 2013

Davefr said:
Knipex makes good adjustable pliers but I absolutely hate their needle nose series.

Can you elaborate? What don't you like about the needle nose series? Agree they are not built as tough as SO latest offerings...

woody 73 · Sep 22, 2013

I have know idea who makes the best pliers, although some of the GJ members are talking me into trying some of the NWS pliers so I will talk to Ash one of these days.

I own many different brands if they hold up well, are easy on my hands, have a good warranty then I am happy.

Many years ago I was overseas and I watched an older man use a cheap Chinese pliers to do the most amazing skill set (almost like they were dancing in his hands); now mind you I could not speak his language, as he could not speak mine but he understood that I was looking at his pliers. He showed them to me and with a great deal of time they were as smooth as butter well worn with time and sharp like a razor, what you would guess from many years of use.

I would venture to say that most of our members on the GJ (except Merk) have many different brands of pliers that each meet their needs.

Hope that helps you out.

exophyusical · Sep 22, 2013

That depends, do you want to use your pliers as pliers, or do you want to use them like wrenches? IMO so long as you are using your pliers in the manner that they were designed then there is no need to look further than channel lock, if you want to use them to hold backup on nuts and bolts rather than go get a proper wrench then Knipex are better.

chris6278 · Sep 22, 2013

Think knipex is the best but also like channellock

Monte · Sep 22, 2013

Knipex, NWS and Channellock for me

neonnblack · Sep 22, 2013

Channellock.

Tinner · Sep 22, 2013

Knipex, Snap-on and Klein are in my pliers drawer. I have a few of each that are more than 20 years old, they've served me well and continue to do so.

If you go Knipex, I'd recommend a cruise through their website. They make such an incredible array of pliers it's mind boggling. You can choose the exact tool to serve your needs.

I have a couple pair of old Diamonds in my work box, better than average quality and they've held up well.

tweedlestan · Sep 22, 2013

Knipex and Hazet so far, I haven't tried NWS yet. Channellock seems to be the best of the American made pliers.

Snap on continues to disappoint me with their pliers, except for the 96CF, 196CF, and 208CPP.

mickeyone · Sep 22, 2013

slipjoints Snap on,Channelock,or Williams
dykes Knipex,Klein
linesman Klein or Channelock
needle nose Klein,or Snap on or Xcelite
tongue and groove Knipex cobra or channie 420
old school Utica,Kraeuter,Diamond
vice grip Peterson

richfinn · Sep 22, 2013

I've switched to buying NWS they are pretty cheap to buy and great quality over here.

I used to buy Snap On but at triple the price they can keep em

I've got some old MAC side cutters that have held up well and some Knipex circlip pliers that are very good.

NWS are worth the money, try a pair you'll buy more

Davefr · Sep 22, 2013

KLars1 said:
Can you elaborate? What don't you like about the needle nose series? Agree they are not built as tough as SO latest offerings...

In my experience the Knipex don't grip worth **** and they're weak. (at least the needle nose series)

Here are 3 long nose/long reach needle nose pliers of approx the same class. (SO, Klein and Knipex)

Here's the SO with diamond serrations (ie Talon Grip). They grip whatever you're grabbing and at any angle:

Here's the Klein. Notice the diaganol serrations. The other jaw has the serrations going in the opposite direction. That means they can grip well at any angle. Also notice how many more serrations there are per inch then the Knipex:

Now here's the Knipex. The serrations are perpendicular to the jaws. That means the strongest grip is when the object is parallel to the jaws. Once you deviate from parallel the grip degrades quickly due to the geometry of the jaw, serrations and object.

The other problem with Knipex is a weak joint that allows the jaws to distort under twisting pressure:

Knipex (weakest joint of the three as measured by width):

SO (these things are rock solid because of the heavy duty joint - no slop):

Klein:

The Knipex might be OK for light duty tasks but when I reach for full size needle nose pliers I want grip and strength. I haven't found anything the Knipex do better then the SO and Klein.

chrisa7164 · Sep 22, 2013

I have a pair of Snap On 6 inch slip joints with the Vacuum grip handles.

decaf · Sep 22, 2013

Davefr said:
Now here's the Knipex. The serrations are perpendicular to the jaws. That means the strongest grip is when the object is parallel to the jaws. Once you deviate from parallel the grip degrades quickly due to the geometry of the jaw, serrations and object.

Test these, they have cross pattern...

http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=group_detail&parentID=1336&groupID=1340

:rocker:

rusty65 · Sep 22, 2013

I have a mixture of Craftsman channellock Klein and Snap on with some vintage Utica pliers thrown in the mix. And I find that I reach for my SO pliers before any others for basic tasks. I will list below a basic plier list of who I think makes the best of that certain pattern.

Linesman= Klein

Dikes= Heavy duty series Klein

Needle Noose= Snap On Talon Grip

Waterpump= Channellock

Slip Joint= Snap On

Duck Bill= Klein

Sent directly from the Snap On Kool Aid factory.

ShaneMSnyder · Sep 22, 2013

I have Channellock for everything pliers and I'm pretty happy with them.

Davefr · Sep 22, 2013

Here's another comparison. I admit this isn't a 100% scientific comparison because each pair of pliers is a little different in design. However they are pretty similar.

In this case I grab a washer with the tip of the needle nose pliers and give it a firm CCW twist.

Notice the Knipex's deform. The jaws aren't even squarely gripping the object anymore.

Here are the Kleins. The tips aren't deforming and I'm applying approx. the same torque:

Now here are the SO's. Just like the Kleins, they are still gripping squarely on the washer.:

The Kleins and Knipex's have about the same size taper/tip. The Knipex's are just a little bit longer. However the SO's have a bigger/heftier tip but at the very end it goes into a steeper taper.

If I want to grab an item and twist it, (very common task), the SO and Klein pliers are superior in strength. The design and construction of the Kleins just makes them a stronger plier then the Knipex.

The SO plier jaws are tapered differently and won't reach into quite as narrow a spot as the other two pliers. However they're the strongest for the tough tasks.

shockwave · Sep 22, 2013

My favorite would have to be my hazet,snap on knipex and channellock it really depends on what style of pliers you will be using as chanellock makes better tounge and groove where knipex makes the best circlip pliers and hazet for cutters and needle nose

Flash21 · Sep 22, 2013

Davefr -

Awesome write-up and thanks for adding the pictures! That is the kind of productive exchange that I love to get into on this board, evaluating the different design, material or manufacturing aspects of a particular tool and what makes them superior for different tasks.

I'll be checking out the serrations now before I buy pliers!

stonesfan68 · Sep 22, 2013

Another vote for Channellock and Knipex. I think that both brands are of excellent quality at a reasonable price. I have no experience with NWS or Snap-On.

Davefr, that's an excellent write-up of the three needle nose pliers, thanks for taking the time to do that!

lok · Sep 22, 2013

Davefr said:
Here's another comparison. I admit this isn't a 100% scientific comparison because each pair of pliers is a little different in design. However they are pretty similar.

In this case I grab a washer with the tip of the needle nose pliers and give it a firm CCW twist.

Notice the Knipex's deform. The jaws aren't even squarely gripping the object anymore.....

These pliers are not designed for that kind of use.

For higer prehensile power there are other models like this

http://www.knipex.com/index.php?id=1216&L=1&page=group_detail&parentID=1336&groupID=1348

Knipex is more narrow for reaching into more difficult places.

The tips are flexible to withstand twisting and bending without breaking.
Here.

I'm very happy with it. Here is the cross pattern that decaf posted.

View media item 33578
I have no issues with the joint.

Davefr · Sep 22, 2013

lok said:
These pliers are not designed for that kind of use.

Lok,
Thanks for the comments!! It sounds like there are more considerations/options then my simple tests suggested.

I still feel the SO 96CF's are tough to beat for gripping and strength.

Jim C. · Sep 22, 2013

I really like Channellocks and Knipex.

Jim C.

plier_able · Sep 22, 2013

Thanks for all the great responses guys. Makes a newbie feel welcome.

In my original post, I was going to offer my view on the 'best' but decided against it - then.

That view was/is - Knipex.

I also like Channellock but the finish on them is just not up there with Knipex.

I don't really have enough experience with NWS but their 45 degree 'Ergo' series are beautifully finished and certainly useful in some situations.

I notice that Knipex state that some of their pliers have cutting edges of 64 HRC and I have not seen any others stating such a high hardness.

Roots · Sep 22, 2013

Monte said:
Knipex, NWS and Channellock for me

Agreed

'71 VW 1302 · Sep 22, 2013

plier_able said:
I notice that Knipex state that some of their pliers have cutting edges of 64 HRC and I have not seen any others stating such a high hardness.

I make coil springs for a living, and cut hard wire all day. (ASTM A227 and A228 for the most part).

Knipex is far and away the best in diagonal cutters, and the design they call Co-bolt are awesome. I use a pair of the model 71 72 610 bolt cutters for Oil Tempered wire 0.100" and larger. I also really like their round nose needle nose pliers.

I rarely work with electrical; I can't speak to how well they cut fine, multi-strand copper. I know Knipex makes pliers for sparkies, but I've never used them.

The Knipex Pliers Wrench have pretty much replaced the typical adjustable wrench in my tool box.

Paul

rodknocker · Sep 22, 2013

Our snap on guy sold me with the needle nose when he was able to pick up a penny by grabbing Abe's head only.

jeffmoss26 · Sep 22, 2013

Klein, Channellock, and Snap-on for me.

Who makes the best pliers?

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