Craftsman by Western Forge and SK pliers

[mrspeed]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but I found it interesting. I recently bought a pair of SK bent nose pliers on Amazon, and when they came in, I thought they looked familiar. Got out my old Craftsman pliers set made in the USA by Western Forge, and sure enough they're the same design. It makes sense, since Western Forge and SK are both owned by Ideal.

I guess if anyone is trying to complete their old Craftsman pliers set and can't find a specific model, you might be able to find an SK version. Or vice versa, if you want some SK pliers, you might be able to find some old Craftsman stock cheaper.







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[Empty Pockets]

I have a pair of CM/WF arc joint pliers, look like my SK version. Nice quality.

 

[KDoug]

I've been wanting to start a thread about this and the differences between the two brands if any. What got me thinking about it is when I noticed how soft the teeth were on each of the Craftsman pliers my dad has. I accidentally bent the needle nose pliers and the tongue and groove pliers teeth are no where near as hard as Channellocks. None of them have seen hard use either, other than that I like how nicely finished they are and love the grips.

 

[Skeptic68W]

Last year, I went through and replaced all my HF pliers (total junk) with those WF Craftsman pliers (and a couple from the professional line). I've been very pleased with them. What impressed me most however, were the professional series crescent wrenches. I bought 2, a normal, and a beak style, and man...I use crescent wrenches way more now. I never used to use them because they would open up and slip and round **** off. These though, they're so tight they can take a lot of force without slipping and they don't open up. Very little slop. Cushion grips are nice too. Love em. They're also Western Forge made.