Channellock Explosion!

[John in OH]

The local hardware store in my small hometown in Ohio is a “Do It Best” franchise. Similar to Ace and True Value hardware stores, it has always carried a made-in-China line of store brand hard tools –pliers, wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, etc., branded and stamped “Do It Best”. Along side of these DIB tools were also some name brand tools such as Channellock, Eklind, Mawhew, etc.

I never paid much attention to the DIB tools as I assumed they were of mediocre quality.

However, times are a’changin !! When I went into the store yesterday I was shocked to find most of the hard line DIB tools gone and replaced by racks of shiny new Taiwan-made Channellock tools!! Ratchets, sockets, extensions, combo wrenches, ratcheting combos, impact tools, screwdrivers …. and a wide selection of them!! (Screwdrivers actually were made in US) The tools “look” nice in both quality and finish.



And, to get people hooked, their Memorial Day special is a Channellock set of 3/8” drive sockets consisting of a 72t quick release ratchet, 6” extension, nine metric sockets, and nine SAE sockets, all for $20!!

The pricing in general is also quite reasonable …. for instance, a 16mm, 6-point, 3/8” drive socket was about $3.

I had no idea that Channellock was moving to position itself as a “full line” tool supplier and had certainly never seen such a wide display of their tools. Anyone else encounter this anywhere??

 

[oak_park]

Channellock has a pretty big relationship with Do It Best franchises. You can buy the roll around tool chests from them,etc. I've seen the large dispays around Chicagoland for a while. I hope it works for them.

 

[SJR033]

Channellock has hit my local Do It Best. It's good to know they are Taiwan made. I tried to look but the "stock boy" put every price sticker over that part.

 

[Rileysan]

Interesting. This sort of ties-in to the conversation about Sears mulling over the idea of selling the Craftsman franchise. Much speculation on how that brand would be marketed outside of Sears stores. Time will show if Channellock will be successful, but it proves there's room for the Craftsman brand in other venues.

For those interested in the Craftsman discussion ...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329890

Brian

 

[rsanter]

Kind of disappointing that they are made in Taiwan.
Wasn't it just a few years ago that channel lock was big boasting about made in the USA?
Seems like they just went the way of Dewalt and many others putting their name on stuff they don't make

Bob

 

[Mustang1167]

Channellock just lets do-it-best use their name for these tools. Same as snap on stuff being at SAMs club. I think my do it best has Channellock pots and pans and a bbq grill. Some of the quality is good, others are lacking.

 

[kctyphoon]

If you go on channellock's website, I belive they have pliers that offer both USA and Overseas made options..

 

[four.cycle]

Thanks for the update.
I am very happy that I chose to go with Wilde and Proamerica for the two or three dozen pairs of pliers I've purchased in the last few months, all of which are US-made.
My regrets about owning no Channellock products are now a thing of the past.
I have a difficult time maintaining any level of respect for US manufacturers who kowtow to the likes of Walmart and other mass-merchandiser retailers and ***** up their product lines with Asian-produced product.

 

[sk farmer]

If you go on channellock's website, I belive they have pliers that offer both USA and Overseas made options..

false. the pliers are all us made.

 

[sk farmer]

Thanks for the update.
I am very happy that I chose to go with Wilde and Proamerica for the two or three dozen pairs of pliers I've purchased in the last few months, all of which are US-made.
My regrets about owning no Channellock products are now a thing of the past.
I have a difficult time maintaining any level of respect for US manufacturers who kowtow to the likes of Walmart and other mass-merchandiser retailers and ***** up their product lines with Asian-produced product.

slightly misguided. all of the channellock pliers are us made. the new line of screwdrivers is as well. the adjustables are made in spain. some of the best available and outshine most american made adjustables. they are doing a far better job than most companies about being truthful where their products are made and keeping their main line, pliers, us made.

 

[rrich1]

I looked at them a month or so ago and they look identical to kobalt. I believe they even have the red and blue bands on them to give a quick show of sae and metric. All seemed to be well made.

 

[kctyphoon]

false. the pliers are all us made.

Maybe it was the code blue line that had the handles previously outsourced then. Pretty sure they have plier sets that are labeled as, made in the USA / made in Spain or made in USA and made to ChannelLock specs in China. Maybe it's a set with another tool..

 

[Al Borland]

I looked at them a month or so ago and they look identical to kobalt. I believe they even have the red and blue bands on them to give a quick show of sae and metric. All seemed to be well made.

If they are the same as (Taiwan) Kobalt, you will like them. Sockets well made with good fit, and the ratchets are made by the same manufacturer as Toptul's ratchets.
Very nice ratchets, worlds better than any craftsman, much smoother than my SK Wayne ratchets. Considerably better than the APEX Husky ratchets (which still crush the craftsmans and SK Waynes).

 

[rrich1]

If they are the same as (Taiwan) Kobalt, you will like them. Sockets well made with good fit, and the ratchets are made by the same manufacturer as Toptul's ratchets.
Very nice ratchets, worlds better than any craftsman, much smoother than my SK Wayne ratchets. Considerably better than the APEX Husky ratchets (which still crush the craftsmans and SK Waynes).

i own kobalt and really like them. i really like the quick red and blue reference guide they put on their tools. if lowes continues to irritate me ill hit up the channellock stuff to supplement and keep everything looking the same.

 

[rrich1]

and now they have miter saw stands

https://www.doitbest.com/products/channellock-rolling-miter-saw-stand

 

[four.cycle]

slightly misguided. all of the channellock pliers are us made.

well... we're both entitled to our own opinion, aren't we?

saw the same thing happen with both Indestro and Thorsen in the mid-1980s - going down a slippery slope.
once the connection is made on the part of the consumer that Channellock = Taiwan made (whether it's sockets or screwdrivers or pliers or salad tongs), the "Taiwan made" part is what is remembered by the average consumer. for those where "Taiwan made" doesn't matter, it won't matter. for those who insist on US-made product, this will work to their detriment.

in the retail marketplace, perception is reality for the prospective buyer.

 

[WhiffySpark]

In the retail market place 9/10 consumers aren't going g to give a damn where something is made. Our country isn't like garage journal. I have never seen anyone ask if something is us made. Even on the tool trucks. Damn sure not in home depot.

Price is the deciding factor these days. I could careless where anything is made as long as it's decent quality

 

[metaldad]

Channellock has a pretty big relationship with Do It Best franchises. You can buy the roll around tool chests from them,etc. I've seen the large dispays around Chicagoland for a while. I hope it works for them.

where?
only dib around here is in glen ellen, and they aint got ****

 

[B_Bimmer]

Channellock pliers are among the best, available everywhere, for a great price, and have been for decades. They are very committed to US manufacturing, and have been expanding their line with the screwdrivers, picks, etc. I am not worried about their commitment. The only problem i have with them right now is that stupid laser etching... Channellock 548, world's greatest pair of pliers.

 

[metaldad]

well... we're both entitled to our own opinion, aren't we?

saw the same thing happen with both Indestro and Thorsen in the mid-1980s - going down a slippery slope.
once the connection is made on the part of the consumer that Channellock = Taiwan made (whether it's sockets or screwdrivers or pliers or salad tongs), the "Taiwan made" part is what is remembered by the average consumer. for those where "Taiwan made" doesn't matter, it won't matter. for those who insist on US-made product, this will work to their detriment.

in the retail marketplace, perception is reality for the prospective buyer.

channey originally made their drivers here. they were outsourced to taiwan, then to that thrid world country. they since have brought production of their drivers back to USA. i believe pratt reed makes them

 

[John in OH]

Channellock just lets do-it-best use their name for these tools. Same as snap on stuff being at SAMs club. I think my do it best has Channellock pots and pans and a bbq grill. Some of the quality is good, others are lacking.

It appears that Mustang1167 is pretty much on target regarding Do It Best using the Channellock name. These two closeups of the tag on the 16mm socket give a good synopsis of what is going on between Channellock and DIB.



I think it is a win-win for both companies to take this route. Channellock still makes their pliers in the US as show by the tag on the side-cuts that I bought today. Clearly made in USA.



But Channellock probably has only forging and finishing facilities for pliers, not sockets, ratchets, wrenches, etc. and they have pretty much already saturated the plier market as they can be found in almost every store that carries any tools whatsoever. So, for them to expand their business without a huge capital outlay and learning curve, the best route is to get their name on a decent line of tools already produced by an established manufacturer and then getting these tools (ie., sockets, ratchets, etc.) into a national retail chain such as DIB.

DIB wins by getting something significantly better than their crappy made-in-China line that uses a lame brand name like Do It Best. I mean, seriously, who buys DIB branded Chinese tools???

Could Channellock have teamed up with a US manufacturer of hand tools such as SK, Proto, or Wright? Maybe. But these US manufactured tools would probably be out of the price range that DIB wants to carry. So, Channellock pretty much has to go the Taiwan route to get a decent, mid-price line of tools to the market.

All above is IMHO, of course!

 

[hamma]

People look at Channellock tools as quality tools because they're made in the USA. Made in USA hand tools are synonymous with quality. I'm willing to pay a few dollars more to buy made in USA tools because I know they'll be solid. If Channellock starts putting their good name on cheap foreign products they'll end up destroying their product the same way that Craftsman is doing now.

 

[wafrederick]

I have seen the Channellock socket sets made overseas at Sam's Club and do skip sizes.Sockets,no 15mm and 18mm sockets including the wrenches in the sets.Anyone knows 15mm and 18mm are two of the most commonly used metric sizes.

 

[four.cycle]

People look at Channellock tools as quality tools because they're made in the USA. Made in USA hand tools are synonymous with quality. I'm willing to pay a few dollars more to buy made in USA tools because I know they'll be solid. If Channellock starts putting their good name on cheap foreign products they'll end up destroying their product the same way that Craftsman is doing now.

^ This pretty much echos my comment above, but apparently several other commenters remain oblivious to what happened to the Craftsman name, and the buying publics' perception of the product line.
Isolated anecdotal comments about "typical Home Depot buyers" do not take into account the buying public as a whole; Home Depot (or Lowe's or any other retailer you can name) do not represent the entirety of a huge marketplace.

If Craftsman, as Craftsman, is still offering many US-made items in its offerings of hand tools, how and why did the name "Craftsman" become synonymous with "Chinese ****"?

 

[Jarhead0408]

Interesting...

 

[pauls_workshop]

I have to side with 4Cycle on the general principle, that once a predominately US supplied tool company goes foreign, it is a slippery slope that rarely goes back uphill again. Having said that, Channellock had some foreign made stuff for some time with the Code Blue line, and has remained committed to the pliers manufacture in the US, so kudos for that. I've always liked Do-It stores but don't have any where I am at now. Aligning with Do-It makes sense for them. I am glad it is Taiwan made and not China at least for the line extensions. - Paul

 

[B_Bimmer]

Right, I think I would personally be much more concerned if this was the first time they had dabbled in branding, but it's not. As long as they stay true to their roots with good quality US pliers I won't get any more worked up about what they rebrand than the "snap on" stuff at menards. I won't buy any of it, and I will tell anyone who'll listen what it really is, but I certainly won't give up my favorite pliers over it.

 

[four.cycle]

I certainly won't give up my favorite pliers over it.

^ Hopefully not, as Channellock remains one of very few US-made brands of pliers (along with Wilde and Proamerica.)

Again, the problem with such a move (as I see it) is along the same lines as what I saw happen to our Thorsen line when it went from all US-made to partly Taiwan, Japan, and Spain-made, to all Taiwan-made product in pretty short order. Our retail clientele turned their noses up at it (in the mid-1980's), our retail sales people didn't want to sell it (because we had "Wilmar" and other imported product lines for comparable prices.) Ultimately we dropped the line, threw in the towel and went all Wilmar.

And again, look at what's happened to the perception of Craftsman product here just on this forum: regardless of the other items they offer which are US-made, the recurrent complaint is about "Chinese Craftsman".
To reiterate: perception is reality to the prospective buyer.
If that were not the case, they never would have sold any Pontiacs.

 

[TK-421]

In the retail market place 9/10 consumers aren't going g to give a damn where something is made. Our country isn't like garage journal. I have never seen anyone ask if something is us made. Even on the tool trucks. Damn sure not in home depot.

Price is the deciding factor these days. I could careless where anything is made as long as it's decent quality

I'm similar, quality first, price second, country of origin isn't even on my radar.

 

[kctyphoon]

ChannelLock putting their name on oversea's products is nothing new.. I've had their ratcheting wrenches for a few years.. There are identical to the HF Pittsburg..

Can we be honest here though, typically you are not "paying more" or "stepping up" to buy Channellock pliers.. They are usually cheaper than Milwaukee and some of Dewalts hand tools. What are you comparing them to? i I've bought 8" cutters on sale at Sears for $13.. I've bought much of my newer stuff off eBay or Amazon for less than other brand name overseas stuff.. They are not expensive.

 

[sk farmer]

well... we're both entitled to our own opinion, aren't we?

saw the same thing happen with both Indestro and Thorsen in the mid-1980s - going down a slippery slope.
once the connection is made on the part of the consumer that Channellock = Taiwan made (whether it's sockets or screwdrivers or pliers or salad tongs), the "Taiwan made" part is what is remembered by the average consumer. for those where "Taiwan made" doesn't matter, it won't matter. for those who insist on US-made product, this will work to their detriment.

in the retail marketplace, perception is reality for the prospective buyer.

^ This pretty much echos my comment above, but apparently several other commenters remain oblivious to what happened to the Craftsman name, and the buying publics' perception of the product line.
Isolated anecdotal comments about "typical Home Depot buyers" do not take into account the buying public as a whole; Home Depot (or Lowe's or any other retailer you can name) do not represent the entirety of a huge marketplace.

If Craftsman, as Craftsman, is still offering many US-made items in its offerings of hand tools, how and why did the name "Craftsman" become synonymous with "Chinese ****"?

by no means am i promoting outsourcing but in reality this happens all of the time. if this was the case then you really need to hammer on snap-on and some other well known brands who have been whoring out their name on pocket knives, flashlights, gloves, trouble lights and a host of other **** i can't even think of right now. this is not a new practice either, it has been going on for a long, long time.

 

[skunkape1]

The Do It Best located a few blocks from me also has an ever increasing line of Channellock offerings. I bought a C-lock tool chest several years ago and it's not Made in the USA so, yeah, it's not new thing.

In my opinion, this is a smart business move on C-lock's part. I'm sure if they could have either produced themselves or outsourced US production of ratchets and sockets in a financially feasible way, they would have. Snap On made the same move with some tools, did they not? I understand the slippery slope argument but I just don't think it will apply
in this situation.

This direction may even allow C-lock to continue to be a company that offers US made tools.

 

[skunkape1]

An honest question here I just thought of...Has C-lock ever overseas outsourced any product that they ever made themselves? I can't think of any because they've only ever made pliers themselves, right?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I have seen the Channellock socket sets made overseas at Sam's Club and do skip sizes.Sockets,no 15mm and 18mm sockets including the wrenches in the sets.Anyone knows 15mm and 18mm are two of the most commonly used metric sizes.

Nearly every GM drain plug that I've come across is 15mm. Go figure.

 

[jd_1138]

We have a local Do-It Best Hardware in the small town 3 minutes away. I'll have to go there and check it out. If people knew about the quality of tools they could get for not much more than HF.

 

[outdoorspace]

I live a few blocks from a small town Do it Best and noticed the change a few months ago. The fit and finish on the hand sockets are a definite improvement over the store brand and the ratchets are very similar to those branded Tekton and Crescent Tool.

The store carried Allen Industrial and SK but neither sold well, a lot of the plastic windows on the wrench sets and screwdriver sets had turned yellow from being under the display case lights for so long. Ties to both brands were severed when the store changed ownership two years ago; most of the SK tools were put under heavy clearance or had their SKU changed to match the store brand equivalent. I must have purchased over a dozen SK ratchets for $18-20/piece last year including full sets of the Tuff-1 series and 3 or 4 roto-ratchets. They are still struggling to get rid of the Allen Industrial open stock.

 

[kctyphoon]

An honest question here I just thought of...Has C-lock ever overseas outsourced any product that they ever made themselves? I can't think of any because they've only ever made pliers themselves, right?

I am pretty sure (not 100%) that I read the handles for the code blue pliers use to be outsourced (maybe even the entire plier?) but I could be mistaken. I wanna say that they brought it back it the states..

 

[four.cycle]

"...you really need to hammer on snap-on and some other well known brands who have been whoring out their name on pocket knives, flashlights, gloves, trouble lights and a host of other **** i can't even think of right now."

^ You left out the electric toothbrushes being posted in the "Show us your new tools" thread.

I don't really pay much attention to Snap-on. They do what they do, and their business model - offering zero-interest credit to the installer trade and door-to-door delivery - assures that they'll hold onto a considerable market share regardless of how many coffee cups, key fobs, or pairs of socks they put their name on. Moreover, the installer trade to which they cater will continue to perceive the product as top-notch, because they're actually using the tools.

When you are talking about Channellock pliers sold at mass-merchandiser retailers, you are talking about a completely different customer base.

 

[Brownsfan]

Yes the handles were imported but the pliers were no different than the standard channellock offerings. But they purchased a machine to make them in house to be able to say 100% USA made.

 

[John in OH]

Yes, the key for Channellock is to assure that the quality remains high ( or reasonably high ) for their sub-contracted tools.

Some pics of a Channellock 16mm, 3/8” drive socket. Cosmetically, the sockets “look” quite nice. They have reasonably large size stamps, nice chrome, off-corner engagement, and the chrome on the inside of the sockets looks very nice.



The sockets in the following pics are, left to right:
Channellock -- Carlyle -- Williams (Taiwan) -- Craftsman