Alternative to Snap-On E series

[cesski]

All my cutters and pliers are from the Snap-On E series line. Now that Snap-On has decided to discontinue most of them, I need to find an alternative, and honestly, I am getting tired of the spring breaking or losing it in general. I have heard good things about Lindstrom, Swanstrom, Excelta, and Tronex, but have no experience with them. I've used Knipex in the past and I still use some of them, but I'd prefer not to go Knipex. Also, I don't wanna go over Snap-On prices.

Tool gurus, I need your help! TIA!

 

[ricleh]

Try Schmitz

 

[californiaHank]

I have mainly Lindstrom box joint pliers from when they were still made in Sweden.
Some of them are 30 years old, and are still as tight and precise as when they were new. I often work with them under a magnifier where you really notice the difference between the quality of machining and finish compared to lesser brands.

Snap-on bought Lindstrom some time back, and Lindstrom pliers are now made in Spain. They no longer use box joints, but they're still very good. Lindstrom also makes Facom branded electronic pliers. (Snap-on also owns Facom.) It wouldn't surprise me if Snap-on started selling rebranded Lindstrom under the Snap-on name from their trucks.

Precision pliers are a very personal tool. What works best for you depends a lot on your personal style of working, and what you work on. Try Lindstrom and a few other quality brands and find out what you prefer.

In the US, MicroTools stocks a lot of Lindstrom stuff at good prices. They also sell Tronex, which are also very high quality, but have quite different ergonomics.

I've bought from Microtools a few times. It's a small company and they mainly sell on-line. They've currently got a sale on Lindstrom products that's worth checking out.

https://www.micro-tools.com/

 

[plinker]

Facom is owned by Stanley not Snap-on.

 

[californiaHank]

Facom is owned by Stanley not Snap-on.

Yes, you're right. Sometimes I type faster than I think.
But, some of the Facom stuff definitely seems to sourced from Lindstrom.

 

[cesski]

I bought some Lindstrom and Tronex off of eBay, and it's not quite the same, especially the grip.

 

[cesski]

Tronex is living up to the standard. Lindstrom is not that great at cutting zip ties.

 

[bob15]

OP: Which ones were discontinued?

 

[cesski]

OP: Which ones were discontinued?

E710BCG specifically