Channel lock brand

[cburnscrx]

You guys can't make up your mind whether CHANNELLOCK is one word or two words.

I am just confused. lol. Tell me which one is right...

 

[d.mcfarland]

I am just confused. lol. Tell me which one is right...

Everybody spells the Channellock brand name differently in this thread. It is technically one word.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

My pliers drawer in the garage is almost all channellock. I dont like their wire strippers though. They have never let me down and I am always looking to add more.

 

[soulstryke]

Can confirm...channellock pliers have held up great for me

 

[soulstryke]

i might add...the pliers will outlast their handles or in the case of my side cutters anyways.They still cut like i bought them 3 years ago, cept one handle coating is slowly deteriorating and the other handle coating was ripped when they fell out of my pocket and went through a unscrambler ripping the handle coating.

 

[sberry]

They are a standard and priced right. Last ones I bought were on sale at HD.

 

[Applesauce]

Also, I've never seen anybody talk about Channellock Spanish Made mini-adjustable wrenches on here, but they're amazing for hydraulic lines. They look exactly like the snap-on ones (which are also made in Spain), but for a much better price!

I have a pair of those too. They're great for some of the weird, very-low-torque aluminum fittings in mountain bike dampers.

 

[buco]

Are you saying that as a reason not to buy? Or pro union...just checking. I have my opinion of unions, but I won't air it here.

I like Channel Lock (see earlier post), but I don't really think they're all that much better than many other offerings like Kobalt. I have both, so it's not like I don't have a head to head comparison. That said, if it's a toss up, might as well pick the USA product.

I meant nothing negative by it.

 

[rusty65]

Oh yeah by the way don't dip your channel locks in carb cleaner unless you want to lose your blue grips. When I dropped mine in on accident it made the grips slide off .

 

[basspro]

I worked out of my old bosses snap on box for 6 months before I brought tools into his shop, all he owns is Snap On, and he has alot, their pliers are very good. My favorite for the $$ though would be Channellock and Craftsman/Western Forge.

 

[Brownsfan]

Are you saying that as a reason not to buy? Or pro union...just checking. I have my opinion of unions, but I won't air it here.

I like Channel Lock (see earlier post), but I don't really think they're all that much better than many other offerings like Kobalt. I have both, so it's not like I don't have a head to head comparison. That said, if it's a toss up, might as well pick the USA product.

Kobalt pliers are complete junk. There is no comparison between channellock and Kobalt. I had a set of tounge and grove kobalts and they were ****. Child's toy compared to channellock.

 

[sonnyboy]

Bang for the buck - no argument - the "fiercely made in Meadville, PA USA" Channellocks own a major portion of my pliers drawer.

I am also sentimental to the old Diamond "Diamalloy" pliers (made in Duluth MN), but unfortunately, they were bought out by Crescent a decade or so ago, and are no longer made - with the exception of some specialty farrier tools. Once in a while I still find a NOS pliers or adjustable wrench and snag it - if the price is right.

 

[Hyster Gareth]

I have some Channellock's and they are great. I also like Knipex and Snap On but you can't go wrong with them.

 

[eddie1278]

You can get a pair of 440 and 460's and the small 426's for $50 on Amazon an excellent deal in my opinion.

Those 3 sizes will handle everything you need to do. You don't need 480s in my opinion unless you are a plumber and deal with large diameter pipe.

 

[sberry]

The 12 inch is a real plumbers tool. I have some other models off brand and they are not as good, I had a sears set somewhere that must be the exact same in that one model. Most are not, while gimmicks may look good its been a standard for a long time. Its my go to first chioce.

 

[Philbert]

Yeah I have a whole drawer in my tool box full blue handles. I do have some old Crescent stuff (way prior to their move to china). And some Kline stuff as well. The Channellock stuff has yet to disappoint me. Go blue in good faith, quality product at a reasonable price point. I think I have over 20 Channellock plliers.

 

[jake00]

Just bought the 4 pack, slip joint, t&g , needle, and dykes from hd for 40 bucks,

 

[jontar]

Channellock pliers are very good quality USA made tools, I wish they kept other tool products USA made, their screwdrivers/nutdrivers are ****, the hard blue plastic USA made ones were awesome.

I'm an industrial electrician and I use the 440 ,460 and sometimes the 480 along with GL12 and there snap ring pliers. I have the sidecutter and linemans but I beleve Kleins are better.

Generally a very good product especially if you get them on sale at Canadian tire or Princess Auto. 9.5/10 a little rough on the forge lines, could clean them up a little.

 

[jontar]

just visited the channellock site, very good. I found a huge 30in adj wrench here's the link if your interested, also link to can tire for sale

[http://www.canadiantire.ca/search/s...der_id&FOLDER<>folder_id=1408474396672986url]


http://www.channellock.com/830-Adjustable-Wrench.aspx[/url]

 

[jeffmoss26]

I grew up around Channellock as my uncle has been a plumber for 40 years. When I was 4, my dad's mechanic gave me a pair of 420s and a Crescent 10" wrench. I still have them and use them often. Of course I now have every size of T&G from the 424 up to 460, but I blame GJ for that

 

[Steroblan]

I worked in a sugar mill for 25 years. All mechanics and welders carried blue handles in their pouches.

 

[kapster]

I've been buying a lot of channellocks lately, replacing my Chinese pliers and just stuff I didn't have. Don't expect beauty queens, grinding is rough and not real uniform. But what counts, the teeth, are very nice and they really grip. For USA tools, they're pretty inexpensive, can't go wrong really.

On a side note, their made in Spain channellock adjustable wrenchs are sweet. Nicest I've used.

I would like to try some snap ons but after I got on the blue wagon haven't had a reason to.

 

[tyndall]

Every pair of channellocks I've ever bought had quality control problems and had to be replaced. At any given store 90% of the pliers and dikes have one jaw ground thinner (weaker) than the other. The dikes stay sharp, if one tip doesn't chip off first. Their tongue in groove are complete junk. Always loose. You can tell an owner from their bruised channellock bitten palm. Can't hold a candle to Knipex or the Irwins. The made in Spain adjustable wrenches are very good.

 

[MJB24]

Did you guys check out the new upcoming Channellocks? I took pictures and they are posted in this thread.

http://http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190877

 

[Duck tape Bill]

I built pools for a living at one time, and all we used were Channellocks. We beat the hell out of them... dropped/thrown across concrete, dropped into chlorinated pool water constantly, covered in dirt/mud... they worked through it all, and we never had to replace a pair because of breakage in the 8 years I worked there.

I have a whole drawer full of blue at home!

 

[Hafen_Kafer]

Also a Union product if anyone is into that.

Well that *****.

I'm looking for a new adjustable wrenches 4" and 8"
Do you guys know if chanellocks also make the adjustable wrenches here in the USA?
Amazon doesn't say.

Thanks

*edit*
I found a clear picture. They're stamped Spain. Bummer

 

[jontar]

yes, all channellock adj wrenches are made in spain, they used to a one time be american made, pretty much everybody that doesn't have their adj wrenches made in taiwan/chine, gets them made in spain (snap off, bacho, channellock, some kleins, irega, theirs a few other I can't remember right now).

 

[Hafen_Kafer]

Thank you for that information jontar.

 

[IngyHere]

yes, all channellock adj wrenches are made in spain, they used to a one time be american made, pretty much everybody that doesn't have their adj wrenches made in taiwan/chine, gets them made in spain (snap off, bacho, channellock, some kleins, irega, theirs a few other I can't remember right now).

Not true. I've been in Sears, lately, and, ironically, all their adjustable wrenches are Made in the USA.

On another note, those Spanish wrenches are European made, and they come from the same foundry that manufactured some of the old Truecraft tools, and they are of the finest quality. Those are high-end European tools, nothing like the outsourcing garbage from China.

 

[GRX]

Plomb and Proto. But my favorite are the Williams. Funky handle next to the blue Channelocks.

 

[Brownsfan]

Well that *****.

I'm looking for a new adjustable wrenches 4" and 8"
Do you guys know if chanellocks also make the adjustable wrenches here in the USA?
Amazon doesn't say.

Thanks

*edit*
I found a clear picture. They're stamped Spain. Bummer

If you want USA all the craftsman adjustables are USA. You can still find USA made crescent brand adjustables if you look on the back of the peg hook

 

[Gotmayhem]

Word Hard Sweat Blue

I think this set was around $60 or so off Amazon. Top notch stuff as everyone else has said, no real need for anything else. I will say my locking pliers are Snap-On though.

 

[BFHtime]

Last time I was in home depot or lowe's the channel lock brand tools were cheaper than the Chinese versions, of previously USA made brands.

The channellock screwdrivers did not look good though.

 

[Kracin]

Every pair of channellocks I've ever bought had quality control problems and had to be replaced. At any given store 90% of the pliers and dikes have one jaw ground thinner (weaker) than the other. The dikes stay sharp, if one tip doesn't chip off first. Their tongue in groove are complete junk. Always loose. You can tell an owner from their bruised channellock bitten palm. Can't hold a candle to Knipex or the Irwins. The made in Spain adjustable wrenches are very good.

funny cause i've gone through over 50 different pairs of channellocks and none of them had this problem. how many have you bought again?

use them til they lose their teeth and toss, in a foundry condition when you carry minimal tools because the ground is too uneven for tool carts, you bring a good set of pliers (channellocks), a good screwdriver (wera chisel screwdriver), and one or two other miscellaneous things, and the channellocks get beat to hell and used up quick, maybe once every other month month you need a new pair if you use them every day on busted pipe, quick fix jobs, etc. they are awesome and they last a long time in normal conditions, and they were great in extreme conditions as well.

 

[eddie1278]

Channellocks are high quality and what I use. Most other cheaper ones the slip joint will fail on it when you squeeze hard and bust your knuckles. I can crank down tightly with CLs and not worry and the best part made in USA.

 

[-->]

Channellock. I also like Kleins stuff for cutters and whatnot, but my drawer is mostly Channellock. edit : By the way, alot of them I got a flea markets and swap meets and i've only broken two. Many others disappeared.