Anyone else like Channellocks?
- Thread starter Jim C.
- Start date
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Metaldad, now THAT is a collection!
Was the model number 317z? In the 'z' version I have noticed this as well on this model. Is it intended to be that way?
took me awhile to take pics, and then find this thread. here's my collection,
the bottom right 8 are in the garage, the bottom left 9 are my basement chest. the top 3 left are in my trucks, the top right 6 are in my service truck.
Wow!!! Nice collection!!!! Thanks for the picture!!
tbobbo
Banned
I have about 25 channellock pliers. Love em all. I have some others, but the CL stuff is what I use when the going gets tough
look at your lower right pliers. they look green'ish. were those blue, like the newer ones in that drawer, when you bought them new ?
perhaps that is the color they were when new, and they changed to the nice blue color
My dad has an older pair of Channellock pliers, and the grips also have a greenish hue to them. I really don't remember if the grips were more green at one time, or if the blue color just faded over time from use, etc. My dad also has a really old pair of Channellocks that do not not have grips. I don't think they ever had grips.....just bare metal. I personally like the current blue color.
Jim C.
Jim C.
guitardedhero
Member
They make the best adjustable wrenches, hands down.
Tell us about it. How bad?
I sent some broken tools in with a letter about a year ago. I was patient, and never heard back. The letter had all of my contact information in it. So it shouldn't have been hard to contact me, or even just send me some generic response. I tried to contact them again after that, and still never heard back.
Also, I am pretty sure that they do not have the unconditional warranty (in writing or in practice) that most of us are used to with tools. I think they just do want they want, which might be OK. But in my experience (and jblachy's), they do nothing. For all I know, they don't have a warranty department.
If you try to contact their warranty department, my guess is that you won't actually be able to get anyone on the phone, or get anyone to reply by email or to even to reply with a generic letter.
Oh, and before I contacted Channellock, I tried to do an even exchange at Lowe's. But Lowe's said they don't do anything like that for Channellock. I was a little surprised, and wasn't happy that I had to go to the trouble of sending the tools in. But I was pretty sure I could take care of it working directly with Channellock. I was wrong.
One thing I've realized is that when I buy things, I am making my choices not just based on the product, but also based on the company manufacturing it and selling it. Companies can promise you anything when they are trying to sell you something. But when you have a problem, that's when you find out what they are really made of.
Joe Mamma
MadMark
Well-known member
Are those the linesman's pliers, the 317?
All linesman pliers have a gap at the tip,
not sure why but I thinks its so you dont crush copper wires when you twist them. I used them mainly to pull nock outs out of electrical boxes, so the gap was never a problem for me.
3 at 8
Well-known member
Thats a shame they would'nt even contact you either way just so you know the what or why of the situation. I've never tried to warrenty anything myself. Below is some of what I found on their policy about rejections. I heard that you couldnt trade them in for live wire damage which makes sense to me. However; I thought it was a little more liberal like the Crafstman one were you you could trade them in just for wearing them out, but I guess not.
"CHANNELLOCK, INC WARRANTY/ RETURNS POLICY
ALL CLAIMS FOR BROKEN TOOL REPLACEMENT ARE SUBJECT TO DECISION OF CHANNELLOCK, INC
Merchandise must be returned prepaid for inspection.
CAUSES FOR REJECTION OF CLAIMS
•
Wear and tear as a result of much service.
•
Damage from alterations or tampering.
•
Damage from contact with hot wires.
•
Breakage from abuse or overload, or after normal wear.
•
Damage to teeth or cutting edges resulting from use on hardened material or tempered steel wire.
Please return tools to: Channellock, Inc
11372 Mercer Pike
Meadville PA, 16335
ATTN: Return Tools"
I did not send them insured. But I can't remember exactly how I sent them.
The odd thing is that they just kept them without saying anything. I can't even get in touch with them to get them to return the broken ones to me.
Joe Mamma
maybe they never arrived ?
metaldad
Well-known member
look at your lower right pliers. they look green'ish. were those blue, like the newer ones in that drawer, when you bought them new ?
perhaps that is the color they were when new, and they changed to the nice blue color
they turn green when you use them..........
gearheadsynts74
Member
Still not clear on warranty spoke to rep at tool show he was giving me runaround they have warranty but only for manufacturer defects so they are not my favorite to sell anymore because of that.
guitardedhero
Member
Still waiting on the 449 to show up on amazon, but did order a pair of 349 wiremasters along with some 3in1 silicone spray and that 35pc hitachi torsion bit set today. Been using 369 lineman's for a while so I'm real excited about the 349. I've never had any probs with channellocks failing on me and they are certainly cheap enough that the nonwarranty is a nonissue for me, if in fact that is the case.
I guess that's possible. But it doesn't explain why they do not return emails or voicemails.
Joe Mamma
Stuey
Well-known member
I dug a 3-1/2 year old warranty question email reponse out of my inbox. I was having issues with a relatively new older-style snap ring pliers.
I see nothing wrong with their warranty, which also seems to be the norm. They guarantee against wear and tear or manufacturing defects.
Not many brands offer wear-and-tear warranty, and those that do charge a heavy service premium for it.
I see nothing wrong with their warranty, which also seems to be the norm. They guarantee against wear and tear or manufacturing defects.
Not many brands offer wear-and-tear warranty, and those that do charge a heavy service premium for it.
bart1
Well-known member
Fair enough, but my point is that most good tool companies will warranty/replace/repair their broken tools (regardless of what their written warranty says they will or will not do). I judge companies on what they actually do or don't do, not what they say they will do.
I don't think you have to pay a heavy service premium for that. I respectfully disagree with you on that point.
Not to get off the subject, but I (actually it was my son) just broke something (it wasn't a tool) that had no warranty. I didn't know there was no warrany until I called the company. But, after they told me there was no warranty on the broken part, they said they would send me a voucher to get a free replacement which can be used in any store. That's the type of company I like.
Joe Mamma
tunnelengineer
Well-known member
I bet channel-lock pliers are some of the most abused tools out there. They would not be in business if they gave away free replacements for every pair that has broken due to misuse.
Good companies stay in business by having written policies that they follow. Not just give away free goods to everyone that asks. If channel lock worked in any other fashion, you would be paying $45 for a pair of pliers, not $15.
Good companies stay in business by having written policies that they follow. Not just give away free goods to everyone that asks. If channel lock worked in any other fashion, you would be paying $45 for a pair of pliers, not $15.
Stuey, now that I read their email in your post again, they are saying that they do NOT warranty against wear and tear. That's completely reasonable. But don't give them more credit than they deserve.
tunnelengineer, I agree that no company should give away free tools for every one that breaks due to misue. But don't assume that misue is the only thing that breaks tools (or that I misued the tools).
Also, if they didn't want to repair or replace what I sent them, they could have at least let me know, or returned a phone call or email. I don't think that's a lot to ask.
That complete lack of response by Channellock was what the other poster complained about, and also what got me to first post in this thread.
Joe Mamma
Stuey
Well-known member
I'm not sure what to tell you. I've never had problems with Channellock's customer service via email, but never tried to call them, so I don't know about that.
Did you send a letter in with your returned tool? Although to be fair, I don't think they should be expected to email or call everyone that sends in tools that are rejected for warranty replacement.
I get random things shipped to me all the time from tool brands and manufacturers. Do I call them or email them about items I won't feature on the blog? No. I also get a lot of spam, and occasional woodworking DVDs. Sometimes the DVDs come with return envelopes, but I discard the whole lot.
My suggestion to you would be to [politely] contact Channellock's twitter or facebook contact and mention that you'd like to ask why a returned tool was rejected for replacement. And/or mention that you've had a bit of trouble getting in touch with their customer service dept.
If you've been emailing them directly, instead try their contact form: http://www.channellock.com/contact.aspx .
This could all be a case of technical difficulties. A while back I had emailed them directly through an alias gmail email address, and I couldn't receive any response from them. What I believe is that their email system was marking my email addres as spam, and was blocking all email attempts. Or something like that. Once I switched to a direct gmail-based email address, the issues stopped and I was able to receive direct email communications properly.
I'm just surprised by all this, but the again I've also developed a strong and positive opinion of the company, which most definitely clouds my views.
Did you send a letter in with your returned tool? Although to be fair, I don't think they should be expected to email or call everyone that sends in tools that are rejected for warranty replacement.
I get random things shipped to me all the time from tool brands and manufacturers. Do I call them or email them about items I won't feature on the blog? No. I also get a lot of spam, and occasional woodworking DVDs. Sometimes the DVDs come with return envelopes, but I discard the whole lot.
My suggestion to you would be to [politely] contact Channellock's twitter or facebook contact and mention that you'd like to ask why a returned tool was rejected for replacement. And/or mention that you've had a bit of trouble getting in touch with their customer service dept.
If you've been emailing them directly, instead try their contact form: http://www.channellock.com/contact.aspx .
This could all be a case of technical difficulties. A while back I had emailed them directly through an alias gmail email address, and I couldn't receive any response from them. What I believe is that their email system was marking my email addres as spam, and was blocking all email attempts. Or something like that. Once I switched to a direct gmail-based email address, the issues stopped and I was able to receive direct email communications properly.
I'm just surprised by all this, but the again I've also developed a strong and positive opinion of the company, which most definitely clouds my views.
Me too!!!
I included a letter with all of my contact information.
I don't think it's too much to expect some type of response. Even throwing a generic pre-printed letter in an envelope does not take much effort. It could say we received your package and are evaluating . . . , we decided not to warranty your tool, your new one is on the way, etc.
I respect that you guys are standing by Channellock. I also agree that no company is perfect. But my guess is that if you took a poll, Channellock's warranty service would be worse than most other decent tool companies. That's why I am not buying any more from them.
* One other thing, don't think I made my "no more Channellock" decision easily. I love the fact that they are an old American company, and their tools are still made in America, and that I can just walk into a local store and buy them. But the fact that they don't stand by their product (in my experience) is what I come back to. Have you ever thought about how you will warranty them, or if they warranty their tools at all (other than on paper)? If you found out that Channellock actually has no warranty department would you still buy them? Some of you may, but I wouldn't.
Joe Mamma
Stuey
Well-known member
For what it's worth, I hold grudges against companies that ignore me. If I send in an email, I expect a response of some kind. In your place, I'd be pissed off too.
Still, in my experinece, Channellock stands behind their tools 100%, and their customer service has been great.
Personally, I think it's worth it to give them a second chance. Send them an email through the form I linked to, and see what happens.
If you don't mind my asking, what type of tool did you send in (model#?), what was wrong with it, and approximately when was this? I'd like to see if I can investigate what happened. If you want to include any personal information or your email address, please feel free to PM me.
At the very least, I may be able to pass your feedback along.
I sent my tools to them about a year ago (maybe it was 2 years ago?). It's been so long that I can't remember the specifics. But one tool was a broken tip on a pair of needle nose pliers. The other was a misaligned diagonal cutter.
Stuey, I really appreciate you checking into this. But please don't do it for me. I'm done with this issue/company, and mentioned my experience in this thread for other members.
But it might help others if you let Channellock know that they are getting negative comments about their warranty service (or lack of communication) from at least 2 members here. Honestly, if they just responded in any way, I'd probably still be a customer. But like I said, for all I know, they have no one working in their warranty department.
Like a lot of people here, I expect good tool companies to stand behind their product *after* the sale. If I wanted cheap disposable tools from a company that doesn't stand behind their tools, I'd be shopping at Harbor Freight. Actually, we would probably have no problems warrantying tools from Harbor Freight.
Joe Mamma
guitardedhero
Member
My 349 wiremasters lineman's pliers came in today. Honestly, my 369's feel a lil heftier, theyre slightly longer and the grips are thicker. The 369 has teeth in the crusher area, whereas the 349 has a smooth crusher area. The biggest difference is probably the 349 being box enclosed joint. Not sure about the benefits of that joint setup, but the 349 was much stiffer out of the package than the 369 was. Used Kroil on the 349 and it is much better now. The 349 is $33.97 from amazon and my 369 cost $22.97 or so from Home Depot. If cost is an issue for one buying lineman's pliers I can't recommend the 349 over the 369. To me, $34 for good lineman's pliers is very reasonable especially compared to Kleins. I prefer the 369 over the 2 Kleins I used in the past in all aspects of the pliers. I have a feeling the 349 may age more gracefully than the 369 will so I guess we'll have to wait and see haha!
Anyone here try a 349 yet? Your thoughts on it versus the 369?
Anyone here try a 349 yet? Your thoughts on it versus the 369?
For those of you interested in channellock's products, I noticed some other new items about to be released. These include the 367 and 368 linemans pliers along with the 3610... which is also a lineman's pliers BUT is an amazing 10 1/2" in size?! That seems crazy big but I sure am interested to see what it looks/feels like...
http://www.channellock.com/Themes/Channellock/downloads/CL-Catalog-2010.pdf
http://www.channellock.com/Themes/Channellock/downloads/CL-Catalog-2010.pdf
tyjoja
Well-known member
nothing like a real set of channellocks and a real crescent wrench,bob
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I recently bought the 369. I really like that pair of pliers. Heavy duty, well made and the price was right. I might get another pair for my car. I haven't used the 349 yet.
Jim C.
Stuey
Well-known member
I'm not yet familiar with the 367 or 3610, but the 368 came out some time ago. I reviewed it back in April, and passed it along to an electrician buddy of mine. Thus far, both I and he give it 2 thumbs up. The perceivable size difference is greater than slight increase in effort required to make cuts. The pivot is moved forward as in the 369.
I'm not a fan of Crescent-branded adjustable wrenches. They're still made in the USA, but they're a bit sloppy compared other brands' offerings. My favorite to date are Channellock's Irega-made ones.
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I don't see 367 or 3610 on the website.