Anyone else like Channellocks?

[Codejack]

These actually look pretty tempting:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J532ZG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I like the handles, they appear to have corrosion protection, and they claim that they heat-treated the edges. The best I can find them for, though, is $168, and there are complaints about the cutters getting dull quickly.

Even the thin-handled ones are $130:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G2RTCE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

In comparison...


Stanley Fatmax Diamond Pliers Set, 3-piece, $29.

Stanley Fatmax Xtreme Diagonal Pliers, $23.

Stanley Fatmax Groove Joint Pliers, 2-piecep. $25.

Stanley Fatmax End Cutting Pliers, $13.

Stanley Fatmax 6" Adjustable Wrench, $8.

Stanley Fatmax 12" Adjustable Wrench, $12.

$110 for 9 pieces, and I've had better luck with them (the cutters, needle-nose pliers and slip-joint pliers in the set in my sig are ~15 years old and have had the $%@! beat out of them).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

In point of fact, I would prefer to buy USA-made tools; I would prefer the nifty tool roll; my favorite color is blue!

Maybe when I can afford to pay more and get less, I'll buy a completely separate tool box, filled with nothing but USA-made tools. I may not ever use any of them, but I will be able to say that I have them, and that seems to be the point

 

[Zen Welder]

They make great welpers!

 

[Codejack]

OK, I decided to take a little look.

I have some Stanley pliers that I bought years ago, and some Channellock pliers I inherited from my Grandad, of roughly the same era (~15 years ago, +/- 5 years). Both have needlenose, but the Stanleys have diagonal cutters and the CL set has linesman pliers, so I took pictures of them.

Here are the Stanleys:

A little rusty, but they are tight, grip well, and the cutting edges are sharp and smooth. They've been used out in the rain and on swimming pool pumps and equipment. I use them to twist apart and cut hose clamps, nails, etc.


Here are the Channellocks:

The needlenose, especially, are loose on the joint, and that cross-hatch pattern doesn't grip worth a damn. The cutting edges are dull and notched.

Grandad was a printer and photographer, so he wasn't exactly rough on tools, and these in particular spent their entire lives in his shop.

Chinese stuff

I've had plenty of Chinese ****, but then, I've had a lot of USA-made ****; I've shown pictures of my torn-up Craftsman USA wrenches, and if that's not enough, I'll go dig out my old Thorsen USA socket set.

I am more than willing, eager even, to find better tools, and there is always a balance of factors to consider:

-Quality
-Price
-Warranty
-Country of Origin

And that is roughly how I prioritize them.

When I see people push brands that I myself have had bad experiences with, often repeatedly, though, it makes me think that their priorities are maybe a little different...

 

[Outlawmws]

Your grandfathers tools, whatever his profession/main hobbies were, and whatever you claim he did with them, were clearly worked hard and put away wet. Comparing old worn out tools to new is not giving the tools a chance to show their stuff.

Maybe you grandfather bought then used, or someone gave them to him?

 

[Codejack]

Your grandfathers tools, whatever his profession/main hobbies were, and whatever you claim he did with them, were clearly worked hard and put away wet. Comparing old worn out tools to new is not giving the tools a chance to show their stuff.

Maybe you grandfather bought then used, or someone gave them to him?

Well, he never bought anything used, and I can't imagine who would have given them to him. He went to church and to Walmart (grandma jokingly suggested we scatter his ashes there), and that was about it. He worked as a printer out of his shop, 20' from his house.

He may have used them more than I thought, and some printing and photography chemicals could have been involved (they aren't usually corrosive...), but I wasn't coddling the Stanleys, and they certainly aren't new, either.

I like Irwin, too, but I got a bunch of **** for talking about buying a set of them.

 

[davethorik]

Well, he never bought anything used, and I can't imagine who would have given them to him. He went to church and to Walmart (grandma jokingly suggested we scatter his ashes there), and that was about it. He worked as a printer out of his shop, 20' from his house.

He may have used them more than I thought, and some printing and photography chemicals could have been involved (they aren't usually corrosive...), but I wasn't coddling the Stanleys, and they certainly aren't new, either.

I like Irwin, too, but I got a bunch of **** for talking about buying a set of them.

Probably because you are comparing apples to avocados. We get it, you've repeated it enough times, you don't like Channellocks. Assuming your grandfather was easy on all tools is just that, an assumption. You have no idea as to how they have been used. Try a single pair of new Channellocks, get the code blue grips. There is a reason there are a lot of people on this thread that like these blue handled pliers.

As for the chipped cutting edges means to me that he was cutting something hardened. I will admit this is one area where Channellock just isn't up to par with other manufacturers. If you're cutting hardened material, buy cutters rated for that. The right tool for the right job. However for basic general use pliers, Channellocks are an excellent value.

 

[PJNJ]

Codejack -

I have some Channellocks that go back at least 15 years. I bought them new and they have been in an unheated garage all that time. The humidity goes up and down over the year here in North Jersey. They definitely don't look like your grandfather's and they all work just fine. No looseness, etc. Since you don't know the actual conditions yours were used under, how they were used or how much humidity was present during their storage, I hesitate putting much stock in your anecdotal evidence.

I've bought more over the years and they are also all holding up.

After I use any of them, I usually wipe them down and will clean the handles with Simple Green.

Do they look brand new? No. But I'm sure they will continue work long past my expiration date.

And this month, I bought their new angled oil filter pliers so I put my money where my mouth is. I'll be also getting their Nutbusters and the long duckbilled pliers in the near future.

 

[WittHay]

Its seems I have always had a pair of those 9 to 10" Channellocks and that curved diagonal cutter that you could use for pulling cotter pins or cutting battery cables. They have that rusty coating on them but they are quality dependable tools.

I prefer Snap-on for mechanical work and Klein for electrical. but I have a collection of Channellock pliers in the home garage with the classic blue handles. I wouldn't trade them for any other brand for homeowner, backyard use.

Have some Stanley cutters in the farm tool box. But they are made in Japan, not in China like the present day stuff. i can't see Stanley or Irwin pliers being better than the Channelock Code Blue pliers

 

[Codejack]

Probably because you are comparing apples to avocados.

How so? They are both used, and I can pretty well guarantee that, whatever the history of the CLs, they haven't been treated more harshly than my old Stanleys.

We get it, you've repeated it enough times, you don't like Channellocks.

Yea, but I wish I did; they look good, and are reasonably-priced USA tools. That code blue set really is tempting, but when there are 5 reviews on Amazon complaining about dull cutters...

I will admit this is one area where Channellock just isn't up to par with other manufacturers....However for basic general use pliers, Channellocks are an excellent value.

See, this is exactly what I am talking about.

That means either that their steel, their heat-treating process or their QC is inferior, and it applies not only to cutting edges but to the teeth of pliers, which explains why they were worn down on my Grandad's set.

And that means that they cannot be a good value unless they are cheaper than imported tools that do have hard edges and teeth... unless you prioritize COO over price and quality.

A quick search of google reveals other reports of various quality, finish and service issues.

 

[kctyphoon]

Well I just ordered the new e458 diagonals.. I'll post pics of them next to the e338 model for comparison.

I wouldn't buy the Stanley if the channellock is about the same price. Either that, or just buy the 4 basic pliers you need, and not that whole set.

Diagonals, needle nose, 2 pair of pumps..

 

[PJNJ]

How so? They are both used, and I can pretty well guarantee that, whatever the history of the CLs, they haven't been treated more harshly than my old Stanleys.

NO - you can't guarantee that.



That means either that their steel, their heat-treating process or their QC is inferior, and it applies not only to cutting edges but to the teeth of pliers, which explains why they were worn down on my Grandad's set.

Maybe their heat treatment of the cutting edges isn't up to snuff - IDK but neither do you. And no, it doesn't definitively explain why the teeth were worn down - can just as easily be use of the pliers.

As others have said, we get it. You don't like CL. Okay, your point has been made.

 

[Codejack]

How so? They are both used, and I can pretty well guarantee that, whatever the history of the CLs, they haven't been treated more harshly than my old Stanleys.

NO - you can't guarantee that.

You're right; I suppose that it is possible that these were bought by some psychotic metal worker who used them with a hammer on tungsten carbide fittings, then put them back in the plastic and returned them to the store before my Grandad bought them.

That highly unlikely possibility aside, yes, I can guarantee it, because I have used my Stanleys with a hammer on things.


That means either that their steel, their heat-treating process or their QC is inferior, and it applies not only to cutting edges but to the teeth of pliers, which explains why they were worn down on my Grandad's set.

Maybe their heat treatment of the cutting edges isn't up to snuff - IDK but neither do you. And no, it doesn't definitively explain why the teeth were worn down - can just as easily be use of the pliers.

You're talking in circles; if they were decent pliers, then the use should be almost irrelevant, unless it is in something truly bizarre, which would have been radically out of character for Grandad.

The man did photography and printing; he used these things on printing presses and little wooden frames he set up for gardening. He didn't even have a combination wrench set, just 2 open end SAE wrenches from the 1950s.

As others have said, we get it. You don't like CL. Okay, your point has been made.

No, it hasn't; in fact, you keep completely missing the point!

It's almost not even about Channellock, at all, as it also includes Craftsman, and to broaden the scope, General Motors (cars), Whirlpool (appliances), Schwinn (bicycles), Dickies (work clothes), Gibson (guitars), Remington (firearms), Singer (sewing machines)....

I have, or in the recent past, have had, products from every single one of those companies; the old stuff is great, the new stuff (sometime in the last 20-30 years) is ****.

Some of it I have worked around: I buy Hondas and Mazdas, unless I need a truck, in which case I buy Ford or Toyota; LG makes pretty good appliances; I buy bicycles online (Motobecane) and put them together myself; Duluth or Carhartt for work clothes; Epiphone (or old Gibson) guitars; old guns ; and I don't really sew much, so I haven't bothered to get more than a Sunbeam sewing machine to teach my kids on, and their grandmother has a nice, old Singer that one of them will get.

You have no idea how much I would like to go back to some of these brands, but until I start having more money than sense, I just can't justify it. Chevy's don't even work with my phone platform!

-----------------------------------------------

Channellock is charging a premium that the reviews suggest that the quality is not good enough to warrant, and my own experience agrees; meanwhile, one of the arguments given in their favor is that they are made in the USA.... as if that somehow makes up for the fact that they aren't actually that good of a product?

THE POINT IS THAT I FIND IT EMBARRASSING.

 

[HanShotFirst]

Here's the problem with looking at some old CL's and saying they're junk...

It flies in the face of the experiences of the VAST majority of those who post here.

So you're welcome to believe what you want to believe. The rest of us just plain KNOW better. Why?

Well, we're not commenting of what we think happened to someone else's tools, we're commenting on what we KNOW about OUR tools.

I have no idea how old Codejack is. But I have CL tools that are over 30 years old, and they're still VERY MUCH in service. And I'm betting I'm not the only one.

I will take MY personal experience over anything else.

 

[sk farmer]

You find it embarrassing that people like inexpensive products they've had decades of good service out of but you're 40 with a college degree trying to get a job changing oil at Walmart? Ok dude

don't feed the trolls.:tard::tard:

 

[Codejack]

You find it embarrassing that people like inexpensive products they've had decades of good service out of but you're 40 with a college degree trying to get a job changing oil at Walmart? Ok dude

Welcome to the world the Baby Boomers left us.

No one wants any science, unless it tells them what they want to hear; no one wants any technology, unless it shows them *********** or cats being funny; no one wants to help anyone else until all of their own problems are solved; and everyone gets emotionally invested in their decisions and can't recognize when things change.

“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

 

[kctyphoon]

I have no dog in this fight. The fact is, any pliers will work for you no matter what the brand, when having nothing is the alternative. The "attractive" part of channellock is that they are in the lower tier of professional grade pliers. The usa thing is a plus, but there are better brands to be had. For their price, they offer a lot more over cheaper sets for not much more money. The better "buy" is to get the better brand and pass on the sets that include items you really don't need. You definitely don't need cable cutters, you don't need end nippers, and you can live without slip joints as long as you get pump pliers instead.. it's better for your tool set to upgrade the most used items, and pass on buying the items that will just sit around and not be used..

If your looking to get the Stanley's, then you might as well just go and buy the big HF pro set cause they will essentially be the same thing. And I'm not knocking either brand, cause they WILL work for you.. You're paying more for the Stanley cause of the name attached to it, and that's about it. I'd actually buy the HF set over the Stanley myself if cost was a factor, and at least you get rid of those big goofy handles that are just gonna slide off anyway.

$35-$40 at HF will get you everything in that Stanley set plus more.. if they break or rust in the future, who cares, go buy another one or exchange it. Take the money you saved and expand your tool set for now. Or buy 4 good pairs from channellock and enjoy the times you say, "ok these made life a little easier" instead.. just my 2 cents..

 

[PJNJ]

No, it hasn't; in fact, you keep completely missing the point!

It's almost not even about Channellock, at all, as it also includes Craftsman, and to broaden the scope, General Motors (cars), Whirlpool (appliances), Schwinn (bicycles), Dickies (work clothes), Gibson (guitars), Remington (firearms), Singer (sewing machines)....

I have, or in the recent past, have had, products from every single one of those companies; the old stuff is great, the new stuff (sometime in the last 20-30 years) is ****.

Some of it I have worked around: I buy Hondas and Mazdas, unless I need a truck, in which case I buy Ford or Toyota; LG makes pretty good appliances; I buy bicycles online (Motobecane) and put them together myself; Duluth or Carhartt for work clothes; Epiphone (or old Gibson) guitars; old guns ; and I don't really sew much, so I haven't bothered to get more than a Sunbeam sewing machine to teach my kids on, and their grandmother has a nice, old Singer that one of them will get.

You have no idea how much I would like to go back to some of these brands, but until I start having more money than sense, I just can't justify it. Chevy's don't even work with my phone platform!

-----------------------------------------------

Channellock is charging a premium that the reviews suggest that the quality is not good enough to warrant, and my own experience agrees; meanwhile, one of the arguments given in their favor is that they are made in the USA.... as if that somehow makes up for the fact that they aren't actually that good of a product?

THE POINT IS THAT I FIND IT EMBARRASSING.

NO ONE HERE IS MISSING YOUR POINT - YOU KEEP BEATING THAT DEAD HORSE OVER AND OVER.

You keep posting your unsubstantiated claims and useless anecdotal evidence as if it's gospel.

But it ain't.

 

[DadsTools]

Never cared much for the blue-handled Channelocks. They're not bad, they just didn't meet my expectations. I expected a top-grade tool from the name, and I personally feel they just haven't delivered. The very best pliers I have are those classic vintage ones I've scrounged at yard/estate sales & pawn shop bins. They're not always pretty, and not all of them are great, but those that are frankly put the blue CLs I have to shame. I don't even reach for newer ones any more, except when I know I'm going to screw them up no matter what (and no...that's not why I find the blue CLs inferior, so don't even go there).

That being said, what's a person to do? Everyone can't stock their boxes from yard sales, and if they did, the old ones would disappear quickly. So they normally have to buy new, and the selection today is what it is. Not everyone can afford pliers like Snappy (I don't even use these--I sell 'em when I find them because people pay a lot for them, and I can buy a 1/2 dozen tarnished vintage ones for what I can get for one of these).

So for me, the posts in this thread I find most interesting are those who have 1st-hand experience suggestions for new wrenches that are roughly in the same price neighborhood as the CLs. Seems the most constructive.

 

[PJNJ]

Welcome to the world the Baby Boomers left us.

No one wants any science, unless it tells them what they want to hear; no one wants any technology, unless it shows them *********** or cats being funny; no one wants to help anyone else until all of their own problems are solved; and everyone gets emotionally invested in their decisions and can't recognize when things change.

“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

You're pissed off? Nah couldn't tell. Got news for you - just about all of us have a sad story to tell.

 

[tym]

I need a drink.

 

[Slednut]

I have one pair of Channel Locks, the blue handles are gone because they went through a fire. I do use them all the time.

 

[SuperCat]

Slednut, if you want, you could recoat your Channellock handles with Plasti Dip. Lowes has a 14.5 oz. can for $13.21. Oddly enough, Amazon cost $2 more. That one can will coat a lot of items, not just tools. Just a thought.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Plasti-Dip-14-5-fl-oz-Blue-Dip-Coating/3760681

 

[GLHFriends]

[/IMG]

https://i.imgur.com/45pWcKK.jpg

Hi guys n gals, heres my small collecton so far. Cant wait to grab more.

 

[kythri]

https://i.imgur.com/45pWcKK.jpg

Hi guys n gals, heres my small collecton so far. Cant wait to grab more.

Imgur doesn't allow hotlinking here, but what you've got so far looks good!

 

[M6erfan]

We're talking about pliers. How good or bad can they be? I own some Channelocks and they're fine. Are they the best? No. But they haven't spontaneously melted or exploded on me either. (yet)

My dad has Channelocks that are probably 40 years old, pretty similar to the ones I bought 10-12 years ago. Are the new CLs that bad???

 

[metaldad]

no..

 

[jumbojak]

For regular old gripping pliers, like... Channellocks, they make a fine pair of pliers and are pretty cheap too. You can do better for needle nose and other types with different brands.

 

[Youngguns]

I have one pair of Channel Locks, the blue handles are gone because they went through a fire. I do use them all the time.

They didn't lose their temper?

 

[Jim C.]

.......

In comparison...


Stanley Fatmax Diamond Pliers Set, 3-piece, $29.

Stanley Fatmax Xtreme Diagonal Pliers, $23.

Stanley Fatmax Groove Joint Pliers, 2-piecep. $25.

Stanley Fatmax End Cutting Pliers, $13.

Stanley Fatmax 6" Adjustable Wrench, $8.

Stanley Fatmax 12" Adjustable Wrench, $12.

........

You know, I started this thread because I like Channellocks. A lot of others do to. That's okay if they're not your favorites. Thanks for stopping by. So anyway, looking at your recent posts, I was thinking, instead of cranking things up here and stirring the pot, why don't you start a Fat Max thread?

Jim C.

 

[M6erfan]

OK, when someone says "Channelock" I think of the original tongue and groove pliers, not needle nose/side cutters/nippers/linesman etc.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Agree.. Just like Crescent Wrench... At the end of they day, they are a manufacturer of decent tools, made in the USA. That's what keeps me coming back.....

 

[Codejack]

You know, I started this thread because I like Channellocks. A lot of others do to. That's okay if they're not your favorites. Thanks for stopping by. So anyway, looking at your recent posts, I was thinking, instead of cranking things up here and stirring the pot, why don't you start a Fat Max thread?

Jim C.

I could, I suppose, but I came in here without any preconceptions, at all.

I hadn't ever really used CL products until I dug that set out of my Grandad's shop. They were rusty, so I soaked them in WD-40 for a while, and then gave them a try.

I wanted to like them: I want to support USA companies, the more local the better (the gas grill my Dad just bought from in-state isn't real hot, either ); blue is even my favorite color, so I would love to have them; and I don't like thin handles, but the Code Blue set has big thick ones.

I have some issues, though, which have been repeated by others both on this forum and on various review sites.

By all means, if you like them and they work for you, keep using them. I'm never going to tell anyone that a tool that they have tried and tested isn't good enough; but then, I expect the same in reverse, if a tool isn't good enough for me. That's not an insult, maybe I just use them differently or for other things

 

[kctyphoon]

There's always Wilde tools also..

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wilde-Tool-11-in-Notch-Nose-Water-Pump-Pliers-G254PNP/204760150

 

[NoahG]

Agree.. Just like Crescent Wrench... At the end of they day, they are a manufacturer of decent tools, made in the USA. That's what keeps me coming back.....

Except Crescent doesn't make anything here anymore.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ganymede]

There's always Wilde tools also..

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wilde-Tool-11-in-Notch-Nose-Water-Pump-Pliers-G254PNP/204760150

Yes!
Lately I'm much more interested in them than Channelock.

 

[Jim C.]

Yes!
Lately I'm much more interested in them than Channelock.

I'm not trying to start something...... but why's that? I have zero experience with Wilde tools, so school me about them. They look like they're in the same price point as Channellocks. Same quality too, or better???

Jim C.

 

[Slednut]

They didn't lose their temper?

In the mid-80s the Ford Dealer my dad worked for burnt down, the tools that were in his tool box got hot but not enough to lose their strength.

I think I will try to put the rubber handles back on them. Thank you supercat for the suggestion.

 

[Codejack]

They didn't lose their temper?

You have to get up to around 400°C to start changing the temper of steel, and even then, it takes a little while.

Charcoal, blowtorch, things like that will certainly do it, but a paper or small wood fire, probably not.

 

[timbitca]

Here's my current collection :

426, 420, 430, 317, 338, 358, 548, 927

 

[Jim C.]

Nice set!! ^^^^^^ Looks like you have all the basics.