Craftsman vs Channel Lock 16" Pliers

[HomeTheaterMan]

Well, I went by Sears today to pick up some of the Craftsman plier sets on sale. I've been happy with the Craftsman pliers I've had for the past 10 years. Normally I'm good at resisting making impulse purchases, but with the big sales on pliers I bought several. One of the sets I was really on the fence about, but finally picked up was a 16" set of the arc joint pliers for $23.88. I have a pair of Kobalts I use occasionally, but I'm not crazy about them. I got home and realized I can buy the Channel Locks for about the same price. I did a search to see which one people thought were better, but almost all of the threads I found were saying Channel Lock because at the time they were half of the price of the Craftsman. At the same price, which are the better pliers? I'm considering returning these since I don't need them very often and I know that if I ever really need a set I can still get USA made Channel Locks. If these are better than the Channel Lock set, then I'll just keep them.

 

[drtyler]

Nothing wrong at all with the Craftsman pliers. Keep them and use them.

 

[gdocktor3]

I like the Craftsmans better because they don't have the large "knob" sticking out the side. The Craftsmans are also tighter than the Channelocks. They tend to have some play in the joint.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Channel lock handles are the wrong color.
Go craftsman.

 

[rlitman]

I too like the fact that the Craftsman have no bulge at the joint.
But my favorite groove joint pliers are from Klein. They have more robust handles than the Channellock, but are otherwise very similar.

 

[HomeTheaterMan]

Thanks guys. It looks like I'll just stick with these Craftsman pliers.

 

[earlthegoat2]

A few years ago I bought a lot of Channellock pliers for myself because of the price point. The Craftsmans were the only others I was considering. I am satisfied but I do concede the Craftsmans are nicer and a few more dollars as well. Looking back I probably would have been more satisfied with the Craftsmans but I was a little bit poorer back then.

 

[oldldh]

Try Tekton "Made in the USA"...

I did...

And I'm glad I did...

Tekton #37526, available from Amazon for $22.00...