Channellock brand

[theundermount]

what are your thoughts on the channellock brand? I've had the classic grooved pliers for years and always thought the quality was A+ thinking about expanding into some of their other products

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[mdog892001]

I believe channel lock brand makes one thing really good. Channel lock pliers


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[sberry]

I agree, the standard 400 series too. I have had others, the cutters seem to dull quickly and the "improved designer" news usually turn out to be something i would trade 2 for 1 original.

 

[matt_i]

Any kind of blue handled pliers made by Channellock, not just the grooved-jaw versions are good stuff in my book. I have a whole lineup of them.

I also like their adjustable wrenches who are rebadged but forged in Spain.

I can't comment on many of their other tools, simply don't own them.

 

[d.mcfarland]

For what you get, the pliers are extremely reasonable.

They do weird branding with things like extension cords and vacuums but I've heard that even the strange items aren't all that bad.

 

[Tonyuk]

Their pliers are decent for the money.

Their branded locking pliers are made by grip-on, the same as what snap-on rebrands.

 

[Professional Tool User]

Reasonably priced quality USA made pliers. They are by no means the most innovative or fanciest pliers out there, but at least the teeth don't wear out easily and they will do the job well.

 

[M6erfan]

My thoughts are...

Channellock is an iconic American brand that hasn't cheaped out and gone to manufacturing in Asia. If not the most innovative, their tools fairly priced and get the job done.

 

[sberry]

They have kept pricing right, finding the vendors willing to sell for less keeps it in line.

 

[Fixed]

They're half the pliers in my toolbag, so that should tell you what I think.

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[dogdog]

Crappy warranty service experience with them.
Except for pliers and some stuff, not all of their tools are made in the USA, some are rebrand.

 

[Farmall450]

Good, American made tools for great prices - what's not to like.

 

[davethorik]

They have a big line of pliers. Some of them are duds and some are winners...but mostly good, though. Here are my 2 favorite pair: 738 long reach needle nose 8", and 5410 slip joint 10".

 

[metaldad]

my thoughts.................
(an olde outdated pic)

 

[Negen]

I am confused. My local do it best hardware carries what I believe to be channel locks full lineup. Vacuums,tool boxes , sockets ,Wrenches screw drivers , pliers. The only tools stamped made in USA are the pliers and screw drivers. Which seems to be about 25% of their lineup. Similar to other brands line ups like tekton.

My confusion is why are people calling channel lock a American company when most their tools are Asian?

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[metaldad]

you are correct, negen.
channey is an USA company.
they did make everything, or had made for, here.
they did outsource everything except pliers off shore.
they did bring back screwdrivers a few years ago.
they did make an announcement that the 'code blue' pliers grips are made here now also.
channey has made a name licensing agreement offshore to slap their name on alot of product.
so has snapon.
ratchets and sockets aren't bad, except their origin.
combos, i cant comment on.

 

[dogdog]

I am confused. My local do it best hardware carries what I believe to be channel locks full lineup. Vacuums,tool boxes , sockets ,Wrenches screw drivers , pliers. The only tools stamped made in USA are the pliers and screw drivers. Which seems to be about 25% of their lineup. Similar to other brands line ups like tekton.

My confusion is why are people calling channel lock a American company when most their tools are Asian?

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It is an American Company, some claims are probably in denial. Just like some believe everything snap-on are made in the USA.

 

[M6erfan]

My confusion is why are people calling channel lock a American company when most their tools are Asian?

Well, when a company is based in America usually it is referred to as an American co.

I'm pretty ignorant to their whole line up, but to me they are a "pliers" company. These, as far as I know are 100% made in the USA.

Snap-on imports and rebrands plenty of stuff. Does this mean they're not considered an American company?

This might blow your mind...Tekton is an American co...

 

[dogdog]

Well, when a company is based in America usually it is referred to as an American co.

I'm pretty ignorant to their whole line up, but to me they are a "pliers" company. These, as far as I know are 100% made in the USA.

Snap-on imports and rebrands plenty of stuff. Does this mean they're not considered an American company?

This might blow your mind...Tekton is an American co...

I think some are selectively determine what is an American Company from past threads, not by facts but by feel. i.e. Most don't consider HF as an American Company.

 

[M6erfan]

I think some are selectively determine what is an American Company from past threads, not by facts but by feel. i.e. Most don't consider HF as an American Company.

It seems to me that both sides of the argument have trouble wrapping their heads around global manufacturing.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I've owned a lot of Channellock pliers over the years, and more than just their tongue and groove pliers.

They make a solid product, and most of their products are made in the USA. They have very reasonable pricing for what they are. They're not the same quality level as Klein or Knipex, but they're not priced that way either.

I think if you work with your tools every day its worth it to step up to better stuff like Klein, Knipex, Snap-on, etc. I used to LOVE my channellock tongue and groove pliers until I got into Knipex Cobras and pliers wrenches, and now my channellocks are sitting in a "extra tools" tote that sits on my shelf unused.

I do have Channellock demolition screwdrivers that I use daily. They're really good for how dirt cheap they are. I am very rough with my screwdrivers, and the channellock screwdrivers take a beating.

 

[Wamsutta]

my thoughts.................
(an olde outdated pic)

That just goes to show that Channellocks need to be kept in a climate controlled area with warm dry air.

 

[IMCA38]

 

[redwrench60]

What mechanic or tradesman hasn't owned or used a pair of actual Channellocks? It's practically a rite of passage. That's what they do best, tongue and groove pliers of all styles. I find their cutters and needle nose to be less than impressive when used hard.

 

[Negen]

I recently used their 90 tooth ratchet and that seemed great. The knurling and chrome seemed odd on their sockets though. They have new products coming that look awesome. Channel lock is as good or better than most brands in their price range.

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[jeffmoss26]

I am a huge fan!

 

[ive]

Their mig pliers are awesome.

 

[lowendrider]

I have a fair amount of channellock. Hard to beat for the price. My two favorites are the oil filter pliers and the crimping pliers.

 

[cjarvis]

Love the USA made product.The combo wrenches are made by Infar out of Taiwan and are nearly identical to the Carlyle carried by NAPA, save for the brand stamp.

ETA: the polish and plating on the Channellocks isn’t quite as good as carlyle’s.

 

[JR 42]

I am confused. My local do it best hardware carries what I believe to be channel locks full lineup. Vacuums,tool boxes , sockets ,Wrenches screw drivers , pliers. The only tools stamped made in USA are the pliers and screw drivers. Which seems to be about 25% of their lineup. Similar to other brands line ups like tekton.

My confusion is why are people calling channel lock a American company when most their tools are Asian?

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It is confusing... Channellock makes pliers in the US (https://www.channellock.com) and licenses their name to Do It Best for a whole bunch of stuff (https://www.channellockproducts.com). I don't think it's the best strategy for a company that promotes itself as US- made.

 

[TwoInch]

Decent for the money spent. Regular line of pliers that is. The 400 series. Dikes. Etc...

Supposedly the long wrenches are good. Never used them.

Adjusted are okay.

Once you use Knipex... You didn't look back. Make channellock seem like "the rest"...

That's my .02

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[Aaron_W]

I am confused. My local do it best hardware carries what I believe to be channel locks full lineup. Vacuums,tool boxes , sockets ,Wrenches screw drivers , pliers. The only tools stamped made in USA are the pliers and screw drivers. Which seems to be about 25% of their lineup. Similar to other brands line ups like tekton.

My confusion is why are people calling channel lock a American company when most their tools are Asian?

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They do have imported tools, but they claim that 90% of their "hand tools" are USA made. Don't know how they get to that 90% figure, tool volume, $ales volume, import stuff part of another division and not counted?


I like the tools and glad they do make a lot of their tools here, but wish they were a little more forthcoming about the country of origin part. Estwing makes it very clear which hammers are USA made and which are imports, you have to dig around to find this info with Channellock.

From what I understand all the "plier" type tools are made in the USA, most of the sockets and combo wrenches are made in Taiwan, and the adjustable wrenches are made in Spain. A small number of tools are apparently made in China.

 

[KenS]

One of the best things Channellock could do to build customer loyalty would be to offer an inexpensive service to reapply the blue vinyl handle grips to customers' pliers which have either lost grips, or have grips that are heavily damaged.

At least Channellock grips are fairly tough compared to so many grips on tools today that slip off after a few uses.

 

[matthew]

One of the best things Channellock could do to build customer loyalty would be to offer an inexpensive service to reapply the blue vinyl handle grips to customers' pliers which have either lost grips, or have grips that are heavily damaged.

At least Channellock grips are fairly tough compared to so many grips on tools today that slip off after a few uses.

Tough to do that when return postage costs more than a lot of their pliers.

I've used the do-it-yourself vinyl dip to re-grip one or two pairs of pliers before. It would be cool to get it in Channellock blue, but it was also quite expensive - if I didn't really like those pliers it wouldn't have been worth it.


Definitely agree the Channellock vinyl grips are very very good. I don't much care for their code blue grips.