Anyone else like Channellocks?

[neophyte]

I looked thru this entire thread and some other threads on GJ but didn't see these Channellock Plier variants mentioned or pictured although I figure I may simply have missed them.

I'm not completely sure for how long Channellock sold these pliers for. These pliers are 1000V insulated versions of a number of standard Channellock plier designs. The insulated grips were added to the pliers by Cementex Products Inc. of Burlington, NJ. The Cementex name is laser engraved in the grips on the pliers. Most of the pliers are also dated. The earliest year engraved is 1998, and the latest is 2007.

The insulated versions of the Channellock pliers or at least some of them are still sold by Cementex under the Cementex name. Salisbury also still sells Channellock pliers with very similar insulated grips as well as long as you don't mind the grips being orange. The Channellock pliers with the light blue grips were done specifically for Channellock to sell under their own brand. There's a red layer of insulated under the blue grips so you can tell if the insulation has been damaged.

Channellock Cementex 1000V Insulated Pliers by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock 909I, 911I, 3248I Insulated Pliers Cutters Crimpers by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock Linesman Pliers 349I, 369I, & 3248I by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock 440I & 326I Insulated Pliers by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock 430I Insulated Pliers by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock 338I & 358I Pliers by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock 1000V Insulated Handle 2007 by Crutheni, on Flickr

Channellock Cementex 1000V Insulated Plier Handle 1998 by Crutheni, on Flickr



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[neophyte]

 

[jeffmoss26]

I think they also sell insulated Channellock pliers in Australia.

 

[neophyte]

I think they also sell insulated Channellock pliers in Australia.

I looked at some images of the insulated Channellock pliers sold in Australia. It appears those pliers use a molded rubber grip similar to what Klein currently uses on their insulated pliers. The insulated handles on the older Channellock pliers with the Cementex grips is a smooth dipped finish similar to the regular Channellock grip but much thicker.

 

[Travisnd]

Got these in the mail today, NOS # 748

 

[stage20]

i dont have a picture yet, but i just picked up a channellock 906. fanatics will know what it is. i thought it was a stud puller. might still could be used for that. dont know!
haha.

 

[kctyphoon]

Typhoon I know you mean well, but flawed testing is flawed testing.

I own 54 pairs of lineman's pliers across 24 different named brands. I own 58 pairs of dykes across 27 named brands.

If I know I'm likely to be cutting other than copper, I use the tools rated for it. anything else is a waste of a tool. I have some really heavy dykes then are MEANT for the abuse of your real life testing and probably beyond. That pair happens to be... Drum roll... Channellock No. 308; AFAIK, discontinued.


Using the wrong tool for the job and griping "They don't hold up"... is not productive at all regardless of your intent. The 448s; rated for piano wire, cost less than $4 more than the ones you used in your test, yet you are comparing those 338's to cutters rated for piano wire...

At a minimum, if you REALLY believe this is useful information, do full disclosure. and guess what? if you don't tell all, people will point it out. Getting mad helps nothing.

I get that you want to be heard. as someone else pointed out, this is not a "comparison test thread"; as you pointed out, there have been numerous threads doing such comparisons. Nothing wrong with that. So I suggest you start a thread for this topic and stop derailing this one from its stated purpose.

just to re-visit this quick.. after 2 attemtps at contacting channellock and asking them to please clarify the difference between the 3xx and 4xx series or cutting pliers, i finally got a response about a week after my second email, and this is what they sent -

MY QUESTION -

i regularly need to cut stainless steel cable clamps, and small piano wire in my scope of work. can someone tell me if the 337/338 cutting pliers are suited to this type of work?

also - can someone please tell me if there is any difference in the hardness of the cutting jaws between the 3xx series, and 4xx series cutting pliers - or are the differences between them just jaw shape design and high lererage vs standard leverage.

what would the reasons be in deciding between buying a 3xx vs 4xx series of cutting pliers? thank you.

THEIR ANSWER -


Thank you for your inquiry.

Please see information below as supplied by our National Sales Manager:


We cannot determine what a tool will cut unless we know the hardness of the material from the manufacturer. If they stay within the hardness specifications on the chart below and provided on our website, they are capable of cutting these types of materials but do have limitations based on the charts below.

Regarding the 3xx and 4xx and E3xx…these cutting pliers essentially meet the same hardness specifications and have the same or similar designs for cutting edges. However, each of them have different leverage points. So to compare a 437 (Standard Leverage), 337 High Leverage (50% easier cut than 437), E337 (40% easier cut than 337 or 90% vs 437)** this is the true advantage.

their chart -

the difference in "suggested" wire cutting capacity between a 337 vs a 437 according to their chart (same lenght handles, same jaw design - the 8" models 338 dont have a 4xx counterpart for some reason) their chart shows min/max size in MM.


piano wire - hard wire - med hard wire - copper wire
337 - 1.6 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 4.1
437- 1.4 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 4.1

piano wire tensile strenght- 280-360 k psi
hard wire - 240 -275 k psi
med hard wire - 180 - 235 k psi
soft wire (type 1)- 120 max
soft wire (type 2)- 70 - 90
copper wire - 30 - max

the bottom line-

SO - the cliff notes are the 3xx and 4xx are rated to cut the same materials in terms of hardness, and its just the capicity that differs.. CHANNELLOCK also says there is no difference in the hardness bewteen the jaws of any 3xx vs 4xx series pliers, and that in fact the 337 series - which is the higher leverage version of the 437 series, (because they are essentially the same pliers in terms of lenght and jaw shape/design) is rated to cut thicker piano wire. to be clear the 338's and dont have a 4xx series counterpart. the 338's are rated the same size capicity as the 337's (just have longer handles) - but channellock clarifies that there is no difference in the hardness of the cutting jaws between them, or ANY of their cutting pliers for that matter. so although i dont have the "rated hardness" of the clamps i was cutting - there would be no difference in using a 3xx or a 4xx series cutting plier.

thanks for playing..

 

[TOOL FANATIK]

just to re-visit this quick.. after 2 attemtps at contacting channellock and asking them to please clarify the difference between the 3xx and 4xx series or cutting pliers, i finally got a response about a week after my second email, and this is what they sent -

MY QUESTION -

i regularly need to cut stainless steel cable clamps, and small piano wire in my scope of work. can someone tell me if the 337/338 cutting pliers are suited to this type of work?

also - can someone please tell me if there is any difference in the hardness of the cutting jaws between the 3xx series, and 4xx series cutting pliers - or are the differences between them just jaw shape design and high lererage vs standard leverage.

what would the reasons be in deciding between buying a 3xx vs 4xx series of cutting pliers? thank you.

THEIR ANSWER -


Thank you for your inquiry.

Please see information below as supplied by our National Sales Manager:


We cannot determine what a tool will cut unless we know the hardness of the material from the manufacturer. If they stay within the hardness specifications on the chart below and provided on our website, they are capable of cutting these types of materials but do have limitations based on the charts below.

Regarding the 3xx and 4xx and E3xx…these cutting pliers essentially meet the same hardness specifications and have the same or similar designs for cutting edges. However, each of them have different leverage points. So to compare a 437 (Standard Leverage), 337 High Leverage (50% easier cut than 437), E337 (40% easier cut than 337 or 90% vs 437)** this is the true advantage.

their chart -

the difference in "suggested" wire cutting capacity between a 337 vs a 437 according to their chart (same lenght handles, same jaw design - the 8" models 338 dont have a 4xx counterpart for some reason) their chart shows min/max size in MM.


piano wire - hard wire - med hard wire - copper wire
337 - 1.6 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 4.1
437- 1.4 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 1.2 - 2.3 4.1

piano wire tensile strenght- 280-360 k psi
hard wire - 240 -275 k psi
med hard wire - 180 - 235 k psi
soft wire (type 1)- 120 max
soft wire (type 2)- 70 - 90
copper wire - 30 - max

the bottom line-

SO - the cliff notes are the 3xx and 4xx are rated to cut the same materials in terms of hardness, and its just the capicity that differs.. CHANNELLOCK also says there is no difference in the hardness bewteen the jaws of any 3xx vs 4xx series pliers, and that in fact the 337 series - which is the higher leverage version of the 437 series, (because they are essentially the same pliers in terms of lenght and jaw shape/design) is rated to cut thicker piano wire. to be clear the 338's and dont have a 4xx series counterpart. the 338's are rated the same size capicity as the 337's (just have longer handles) - but channellock clarifies that there is no difference in the hardness of the cutting jaws between them, or ANY of their cutting pliers for that matter. so although i dont have the "rated hardness" of the clamps i was cutting - there would be no difference in using a 3xx or a 4xx series cutting plier.

thanks for playing..

Thanks for that...
What's the scoop on the (E337)??? Which they listed as 40% easier cut than 337 and 90% easier cut than 447??? My first instinct was to post this question, now I 'll Google it lol

 

[kctyphoon]

Thanks for that...
What's the scoop on the (E337)??? Which they listed as 40% easier cut than 337 and 90% easier cut than 447??? My first instinct was to post this question, now I 'll Google it lol

this is the 338 (left) vs the e338 (right) in their fully open position.. i like the 338 better. it opens alot wider, and has a much bigger throat on it... there is a slighty noticable difference in leverage between the 2 in everything i tried, but not enough to give up that much of an opening IMO

 

[kctyphoon]

from left to right - the 338, e338, 437.. notice the difference in the size of the rivets, and how close they are to the jaws... with the 437's, its almost impossible to cut anything hard with - forget about using one hand - i struggled with 2..



i really was impressed with the 338's, too bad they bit the dust at work.. i bet they will be fine with most normal cutting applications - but i have to say i like my 8" Knipex over almost every other pair i bought, regardless of brand. my 2 favorite cutters are the 8" knipex, and the 8" compound cutting Crescents (not the pivot pro's) they are on the opposite ends of the spectrums for price, but they are the best cutters for what i use them for.

 

[jrobb316]

https://books.google.com/books?id=c...SCh0NcQ4d#v=onepage&q=channellock 906&f=false

906 advertisement

 

[timbitca]

Just grabbed a pair of 430's at Canadian Tire on my lunch break, all Channellocks are on sale for 25% off.

 

[upgrading]

 

[NoahG]

NOS #41 mini cutters. You know you are buying in the right place when you tell the lady behind the counter you want a pair of #41, and she exclaims with enthusiasm, "Those are my favorite pair of cutters!"

 

[Travisnd]

Nice pick up!

 

[geojag]

I have more in tool boxes here and there. I just picked up the filter pliers (209 & 212) to replace some cheap HF filter pliers I have.

 

[Codyyy]

Now I need to reevaluate my tool box and buy these.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Picked up a few things as part of Epstein's Day:

 

[Travisnd]

My Epstein Channellock haul.....
Loving the Channellock themed box art...



NOS Channellock 326GS & 3046 along with the Channellock screwdriver

 

[oak_park]

Picked this up sealed keychain recently....

 

[Travisnd]

Nice!!

 

[MagnumForce]

Added these today.


Here are their friends.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

NOS #41 mini cutters. You know you are buying in the right place when you tell the lady behind the counter you want a pair of #41, and she exclaims with enthusiasm, "Those are my favorite pair of cutters!"

Where did you pick those up? I have a pair, but purchased way back when...

Are they Made in US or something else?

 

[NoahG]

Where did you pick those up? I have a pair, but purchased way back when...



Are they Made in US or something else?

Kitts Industrial Tools in Farmington Hills, MI. They have all sorts of great surplus items. The #41 are authentic USA made new old stock. I'm not sure how many they still have, as they keep them in bins in a back room, but they still have most of the midget line displayed on a pegboard so that means they have several in stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NoahG]

Double post oops

 

[Travisnd]

Kitts Industrial Tools in Farmington Hills, MI. They have all sorts of great surplus items. The #41 are authentic USA made new old stock. I'm not sure how many they still have, as they keep them in bins in a back room, but they still have most of the midget line displayed on a pegboard so that means they have several in stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pics of pegboard next time you go!

 

[Leoruiz]

Kitts Industrial Tools in Farmington Hills, MI. They have all sorts of great surplus items. The #41 are authentic USA made new old stock. I'm not sure how many they still have, as they keep them in bins in a back room, but they still have most of the midget line displayed on a pegboard so that means they have several in stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The guys SMOKE the other guys in Channellock prices. 4 items in cart

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

NoahG, Thanks .. and I ditto Travisnd's comment.. pictures of surplus mini's PLEASE... There are many of us on this board that will probably buy... I've got several, but certainly not all of them..

Leoruiz, I checked out their web.. you're right prices are GREAT....

Good stuff all around..

 

[TomB19]

After one too many crimping failures with my Cman terminal crimpers, I went with these from Channellock. No issues whatsoever. Perfect crimps every time.

Those are my favourite crimpers too. I like that they plunge a square hole into the back side, instead of just squeezing. Once that crimp is done, the wire does not come out.

I used to think Channellock was just OK. Good tools but too pricey. We were paying $60 for a pair of slip joint pliers. I think our local suppliers were gouging us, or something. The last few years, the prices of Channellock product have been such they are a terrific value and the quality has not gone down, unlike some other brands.

Loves me some Channellock.

 

[zurud]

from left to right - the 338, e338, 437.. notice the difference in the size of the rivets, and how close they are to the jaws... with the 437's, its almost impossible to cut anything hard with - forget about using one hand - i struggled with 2..



i really was impressed with the 338's, too bad they bit the dust at work.. i bet they will be fine with most normal cutting applications - but i have to say i like my 8" Knipex over almost every other pair i bought, regardless of brand. my 2 favorite cutters are the 8" knipex, and the 8" compound cutting Crescents (not the pivot pro's) they are on the opposite ends of the spectrums for price, but they are the best cutters for what i use them for.

Damn even the mighty channellock rust. Is there any pliers that will not rust? Made of stainless or something?

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Damn even the mighty channellock rust. Is there any pliers that will not rust? Made of stainless or something?

My classic Craftsman from the mid to late 1970's (and into the 1980's?) are beautiful tools in this regard.. When CM went to plain finish unprotected, I purchased a couple (or maybe they were gifts or ??), but they quickly rusted, and CM would not replace them. I gave them away, and have not purchased a CM plier since (and am now a Channel Lock fan, promotor, etc..). Even with some minor rust, I know that they've been treated and with a little care (and use in my basement shop), they'll be fine. The CM I have are in my unheated garage...

 

[BoonDockSaint]

The CL 338 are the best dykes I've ever used. I did a little test the other day with all my dykes (Cutting a wire hanger and some welding rod. The 338's cut like butter compared to all the others. I actually returned the gear wrench compound dykes after doing this test. (those things are ridiculous)

 

[ARFLY]

Thanks for the info on Kitts Industrial. I just looked up their website and they have some great prices on Channellocks. I am going to be ordering some new pliers.

 

[NoahG]

Gosh now everyone knows my Channellock hookup. Treat them like we treat Epsteins, friends. And if you are even in metro Detroit stop in the store, you never know what you might find.


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[MagnumForce]

The CL 338 are the best dykes I've ever used. I did a little test the other day with all my dykes (Cutting a wire hanger and some welding rod. The 338's cut like butter compared to all the others. I actually returned the gear wrench compound dykes after doing this test. (those things are ridiculous)

Knipex, the best Dikes ever. My CL ones stay in my box, but my knipex ones are always on my belt.

 

[MagnumForce]

I was on my way to Durand today from Ohio and stopped in at Kitts.

Here is the pegboard.


The prices were awesome, especially on the adjustable wrenches but I don't need anything really.

Did snag a pair of 548 duck bills.

 

[Travisnd]

Awesome pics, thank you!!!

 

[NoahG]

The 548 are my favorite pair of slip joint pliers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jeffmoss26]

Great pics! I love the Kitts catalog.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Does anyone have the pn code for the mini pliers? I've looked some but not thoroughly.. easier to ask