What do you consider affordable? A step above Craftsman (in quality and price) I'd vote Channellock. They offer several pre made sets, Lowes sells a pretty inexpensive set that includes three tongue in groove pliers and a surprisingly decent multi bit screwdriver. Northern Tool also carries them, as well as Sears where they occasionally go on sale. You're pretty safe buying anything from Channellock and knowing that it's going to be decent quality.
Some of the Craftsman stuff is good, such as the cobra pliers that are rebranded (and less expensive) Knipex. Any Western Forge tools they sell are good too, not sure which pliers but all of their adjustable wrenches are still WF. Cman stuff goes on sale frequently and you can often use coupons on them.
Knipex is certainly good quality and is my go to brand, I have no hesitation about ordering anything blindly out of their catalog and knowing it'll be excellent. They're not what I would call inexpensive, but there are some good deals to be had. Sears carries a handful of their stuff and they go on sale occasionally. The pliers wrench is a very versatile tool, surprised no one came up with the idea sooner. I got one on sale at Sears for $39, they are consistently $49+ everywhere. Most of their common tools are in the $20-30 range. I'd suggest going with them for the pliers you find yourself using constantly.
Gearwrench may be a good option, I've never gotten anything from them that I would consider junk, but a lot of their stuff doesn't ooze quality. They just don't have the premium feel of some of the higher end brands. However they are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to warranty.
I avoid Kobalt like the plague, all of their pliers that I've laid hands on range from "junk" to "mediocre." Husky pliers haven't impressed me either, but they're not as terrible as Kobalt. Snap On makes good stuff of course, but they're hardly what I would consider affordable (unless making small weekly payments gives you the illusion of affordability.) Klein also makes great stuff, but from what I've seen they're consistently priced higher than Knipex and I'd put them roughly on par in quality. Can't speak for SK, but if their pliers follow the trend of their other tools I'd guess they fall between Knipex and Snap On in price. They seem to be known for quality wrenches and sockets more so than pliers.
