Crescent 1000volt rated tools

[oldpliers1]

hi here are the first Item I would like to share ,Crescent tool company 1000 volt range , released in various countries ( not USA) originally forged in The USA and finished In Australia ,( Belzer Brazil ) They were latter fully made fully in Australia.
Very popular tool USA quality,Australia has high quality steel , and a nice thing to own .
these were made in competition to the channellock 1000volt range .
Crescent had planned this range in the early 80s and I saw a number of Protoypes that escaped the factory around 85 , they were not released until 1994 in yellow pre orange
grips .I will add photos of the complete range .

 

[oldpliers1]

Here is a dual pack product with the 542-8 and 3800-8 in 1000volt offering

 

[kelpaso1]

Why would there be a voltage rating on a pair of pliers? Not to sure many people use them to work on live wires

 

[LXCam]

Why would there be a voltage rating on a pair of pliers? Not to sure many people use them to work on live wires

Well they are lineman’s style pliers but I don’t disagree.

 

[bonneyman]

Might be sales hype. For those using pliers AROUND live voltage - gives one the feeling of some added protection.

 

[eejack]

Occasionally work on live equipment requires insulated tools ( and arc flash safety gear etc. ). They make entire ranges of live work 1000v tools, including the most cumbersome ratchets and sockets imaginable.

Personally I prefer to just turn off the equipment. Always safer in the long run and usually about as cost effective. Everytime someone asks me to work on live equipment I ask them for the 'oops we blew it up and have to replace' plan. They often find an opportunity to turn things off.

 

[DeeKay]

Why would there be a voltage rating on a pair of pliers? Not to sure many people use them to work on live wires

I don't think there's much use in them for the every day DIY'r or really even in residential, Industry is a different story though.
NFPA 70E requires insulated tools when working on or near live stuff over 50volts. I think the Code of Federal regulations and OSHA has something about it too though it's not super specific on what is considered "near" live electrical.
My work(and NFPA70e, OSHA, etc...) requires us to use insulated tools, in addition to ARC flash suits and voltage rated gloves, the insulated tools are just added protection. Even after everything is verified dead and locked out it's good piece of mind. You can have all of the safety stops and procedures in the world but if some guy ten years ago decided to add a jumper or whatever somewhere in the circuit and didn't update the schematics or go through the management of change process, you might have no idea what's actually feeding what.
Also sometimes you can't turn the equipment off that you have to work on...that's a whole other can of worms though.

 

[oldpliers1]

Hmmm , In Many countries outside of the USA , and especially if your in the Electrical supply industry, or Industrial electrical service their are times where you have to maintain supply to a switchboard or Main Motor control centre , ( keeping a major hotel online whilst changing a failed circuit breaker) yes it’s dangerous but that’s the way it was until the early 2000s ( A lot of electricians worked alive at 415 volts phase to phase ). These tools provided great protection to the user . ( 1 Flash and your Ash )
Also the 2wire man electricians liked them as they offered good protection working in domestic situations,
The current situation is you now have to turn the power off to work on switchboards, except for testing , by law .
When you had greedy companies like WoolWorths .wanting their store operational and power on , they now have to close the store and shutdown. Times have changed ,except the supply industry works live still .

 

[oldpliers1]

Here’s some more 1000 volt crescent tools

 

[oldpliers1]

I don't think there's much use in them for the every day DIY'r or really even in residential, Industry is a different story though.
NFPA 70E requires insulated tools when working on or near live stuff over 50volts. I think the Code of Federal regulations and OSHA has something about it too though it's not super specific on what is considered "near" live electrical.
My work(and NFPA70e, OSHA, etc...) requires us to use insulated tools, in addition to ARC flash suits and voltage rated gloves, the insulated tools are just added protection. Even after everything is verified dead and locked out it's good piece of mind. You can have all of the safety stops and procedures in the world but if some guy ten years ago decided to add a jumper or whatever somewhere in the circuit and didn't update the schematics or go through the management of change process, you might have no idea what's actually feeding what.
Also sometimes you can't turn the equipment off that you have to work on...that's a whole other can of worms though.

Hi i like the American input you bring as a fellow electrician
your 100 % correct , that floating wire that’s out of circuit,
no flash suits and shields ,were made mandatory here in Australia. So you would be fitting a 3 phase 63 amp Westinghouse circuit breaker into a chassis that was alive as normal practice, I did it many a time in computer rooms ,
or fitting Current transformers for demand metering into a alive 2000 amp switchboard . ( very similar to the hurt locker when you compare it ) yes gloves and plastic face shields and rubber Matt’s , the 1000 volt stuff would not melt in your hand in the flash situation. Fortunately I only had it happen 1 time just as you described above .
Incidentally I used to Run the electrical section of the CSIRO ( wifi , black box fight recorder , great organisation)
and would conduct the fire rating tests on cables all done alive . So many a time a good 1000 volt tool came in handy .
regards A keep on wiring

 

[oldpliers1]

Why would there be a voltage rating on a pair of pliers? Not to sure many people use them to work on live wires

Hi we work at 240 / 415 volt domestic and commercial , not 110 / 208 . For a long time , it was legal to work alive ,even at current range of 2000 amps . A lot of plants and business would insist it be done live . With a annual death rate nationally of 50 per year, it was acceptable by previous governments. And was just part of the job .
however 100 plus plumbers would get killed per year and half electrocuted. That’s life in the pacific.

 

[oldpliers1]

Here are the first series in yellow crescent 542-8 1000 volt in yellow , nice item very comfortable, great quality, sadly no longer made here

 

[kelpaso1]

Hi we work at 240 / 415 volt domestic and commercial , not 110 / 208 . For a long time , it was legal to work alive ,even at current range of 2000 amps . A lot of plants and business would insist it be done live . With a annual death rate nationally of 50 per year, it was acceptable by previous governments. And was just part of the job .
however 100 plus plumbers would get killed per year and half electrocuted. That’s life in the pacific.

Wow that's crazy. I have a problem making sure the power is off when changing an outlet LOL. For people not knowing, being zapped by just 120 volts is a painfull experience but somehow exhilarating LOL.

 

[oldpliers1]

Wow that's crazy. I have a problem making sure the power is off when changing an outlet LOL. For people not knowing, being zapped by just 120 volts is a painfull experience but somehow exhilarating LOL.

A good zap especially at 415 volts it can make you vomit, never fun . It’s interesting to see a pair of pliers cut two alive phases at 415 volts it destroys the tool , I think it’s why we use the better insulated tools .
you would not be allowed to work on most construction sites using dipped grips, safety issue for electricians. But acceptable for other trades .

 

[zze86]

Love hearing stories and perspectives like these. I would've never thought people were working on alive wiring!

 

[oldpliers1]

Love hearing stories and perspectives like these. I would've never thought people were working on alive wiring!

thanks the dipped insulation would not protect you or be trusted working live , a bit of moisture or oil or dirt and the voltage will track on dipped tools . Regards A keep on wiring

 

[oldpliers1]

It’s a fair comparison pre the 1000 volt crescent we trusted the old faithful yellow tenite grips ,and always carried a spare pristine pair for live work , compare the dipped to tenite .
And ask yourself which is giving the better protection to me the electrician . Regards A

 

[oldpliers1]

Just another item to add 4800 series shear pliers, last item released in range 2012.
As a business, ( I work for my kids these days ) we Ran a major rewire of Sydneys most busy rail station with more than half a mill pedestrians a day going through ,We had to keep it LIVE , we had a crew of 35 for two years on-site ,and we issued them this style of plier to cut the fire rated cables , they all rated them as very good to excellent, we tried the marvel equivalent and they were of equal performance.
and work around all the alive stuff . They performed well .
( and yes being the old PA electrician,I did the live stuff. ) the younger men shock their heads YES he is crazy !
cheers regards A

 

[oldpliers1]

Here is another item in the range the 654-6 Hi voltage long nose , I will add the 7 inch ones latter

 

[oldpliers1]

The crescent tool companies policy on the 1000 volt pliers attached below

 

[oldpliers1]

Hi here are the rest of the items ,in the range 7 inch long nose and cutters and first addition linemen pliers . These are proper tools not toys however their are some imitations .

 

[oldpliers1]

Crescent tool company used to be known for quality American/ Australian tools , which employed people and paid taxes in the country of manufacture.
however since taking American and Australian jobs overseas and shutting down the bulk of their USA plants they are not supporting the USa economy or jobs but
supporting The COMMUNIST Chinese,
I won’t buy their Commie tools on principal here are two examples of Commie Crescent tools , same high price , low quality product, with no benefits to American workers . Any tool company that goes offshore is not worth supporting. Made for suckers

 

[Rinspeed]

Love hearing stories and perspectives like these. I would've never thought people were working on alive wiring!

It's not the voltage that will kill you, it's the amperage. I've been tagged by 2,500 volts before and it will wake your *** up, low amperage though.

 

[oldpliers1]

It's not the voltage that will kill you, it's the amperage. I've been tagged by 2,500 volts before and it will wake your *** up, low amperage though.

 

[oldpliers1]

I’m glad you have a opinion, yes current kills , but we are talking insulated tools up to 1 kv , affordable tools for low voltage protection , not real high voltage, low voltage live tools and neon tools .
I knew a guy killed by a car battery, cooked him . At 12 volts
he had a underlying condition.
What operated at 2500 v volt ? was it under load , what was it pulling when you tonged test it ? was it AC ? Or DC,
was it a capacitor discharging . We’re you burnt and hospitalised?
in this country we run 330 kv ,132 kv , 66 kv , 33 kv , 11 kv , 415 volt , 240 volt single phase .
we use a lot of capacitors and blocking inductors , and discharging do bite , so since the 1930s the industry has gone to better insulated tools rather than dipped tools. In Europe and the Pacific where I live their is a greater emphasis on safety with hand tools and higher levels of insulated tools are on offer .
Uk and Europe Run 440 /250 , 400/230 . And this has been
the reason . Also in Most countries that are part of the Commonwealth Nations, have uniform electrical codes that align, German standards are very similar.
When you look into it their is a lot of difference in many ways between Us .
So get back about your 2.5 kv boot ( zap ) sounds like a good story . Cheers

 

[eejack]

Just another item to add 4800 series shear pliers, last item released in range 2012.

So completely tangential...for years I have been using a pair of 'aussie' lineman pliers for my low voltage work and I incorrectly assumed that they were only made by Benner Nawman.

Benner-Nawman UP-B200 The"Aussie" Pliers, Orange - - Amazon.com

Benner-Nawman UP-B200 The"Aussie" Pliers, Orange - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

My pair is going on better than 20 years. Benner Nawman also makes a clean cutter which is how I found out about them in the first place.

And there you go and post a pic of Cresent Australian Made shear cut pliers.

Now that I know what they are called, I see lots of other versions of it.

Many thanks!

 

[oldpliers1]

So completely tangential...for years I have been using a pair of 'aussie' lineman pliers for my low voltage work and I incorrectly assumed that they were only made by Benner Nawman.

Benner-Nawman UP-B200 The"Aussie" Pliers, Orange - - Amazon.com

Benner-Nawman UP-B200 The"Aussie" Pliers, Orange - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

My pair is going on better than 20 years. Benner Nawman also makes a clean cutter which is how I found out about them in the first place.

And there you go and post a pic of Cresent Australian Made shear cut pliers.

Now that I know what they are called, I see lots of other versions of it.

Many thanks!

Hi they are a old German design i saw in the late 70s , I did find a pair mint and boxed for $15 , they were made under numerous names , I meet a polish migrant electrician that said they were first choice in Poland I’ll take a photo for you cheers

 

[oldpliers1]

Hi here are the photos of a shear plier from the 70s, that are now in fashion , an old idea recycled.
regards A

 

[neophyte]

Love hearing stories and perspectives like these. I would've never thought people were working on alive wiring!

Sometimes you need to work on live circuits.
The troubleshooting guide/manual for things like my furnace have you check voltage at various points to help determine were the problem lies.
There isn’t much difference between using a multimeter to check voltage, and using insulated pliers or screwdrivers to adjust the same component.
In the case of the furnace, the only way to easily tell where the problem was, and to correct it, involved wiggling wires with insulated pliers and insulated screwdrivers until the furnace kicked on or off.
Trying to adjust stuff while off would require unhooking a bunch of connections, adjusting things, rehooking the connections, turning the furnace on, try to determine if things were working, if not dehook everything, etc. etc. etc.
There’s far more chance insulation can get nicked, or wires can get hooked up wrong, etc., each time you take everything apart, than if you connect everything and go thru each connection and check it.
In the case of the furnace, one issue was a temperature sensor which needed to be adjusted just so, and doing do while everything was off just doesn’t work well,
Another issue were some wire nuts and connections the Licensed heating/cooling guy didn’t connect properly or well.
I have insulated tools for this reason.
As far as actual high voltage lines, those sometimes need to be worked on live, and there’s lots of protective gear used to prevent electrocution while doing so, from insulated gloves and mats, to arc flash protective clothing and headgear.

 

[oldpliers1]

Sometimes you need to work on live circuits.
The troubleshooting guide/manual for things like my furnace have you check voltage at various points to help determine were the problem lies.
There isn’t much difference between using a multimeter to check voltage, and using insulated pliers or screwdrivers to adjust the same component.
In the case of the furnace, the only way to easily tell where the problem was, and to correct it, involved wiggling wires with insulated pliers and insulated screwdrivers until the furnace kicked on or off.
Trying to adjust stuff while off would require unhooking a bunch of connections, adjusting things, rehooking the connections, turning the furnace on, try to determine if things were working, if not dehook everything, etc. etc. etc.
There’s far more chance insulation can get nicked, or wires can get hooked up wrong, etc., each time you take everything apart, than if you connect everything and go thru each connection and check it.
In the case of the furnace, one issue was a temperature sensor which needed to be adjusted just so, and doing do while everything was off just doesn’t work well,
Another issue were some wire nuts and connections the Licensed heating/cooling guy didn’t connect properly or well.
I have insulated tools for this reason.
As far as actual high voltage lines, those sometimes need to be worked on live, and there’s lots of protective gear used to prevent electrocution while doing so, from insulated gloves and mats, to arc flash protective clothing and headgear.

Hi the USA HI-LEG is more like our system , the wire nuts are not used but a screw connector and they are very reliable, but we use stranded not solid cable and they are not perfect on solid there is still some 17 AWG available for cottages.
The other thing here , their is no legal DIY electrical , by law a light bulb is the only thing you can do . Without being a licensed Electrician , journeyman , or Master .
We use self amalgamation tape on many joints over the regular tape in various situations.
Also by having better insulated tools Human Error which is
common saves the worker when he has cut the wrong cable .
it occurs I have done it on two maybe 3 occasions in forty years , I was at fault twice once it was on purpose, to find the circuit breaker , ( $25 tool over 4 hours at $50 at the time )
We have 50 plus guys work for us and every apprentice except one has blown a tool by human error .
it’s experience , it comes out of their tool allowance to replace . It saves us a lot of paperwork and insurance , And most importantly protects the worker . Only injury is their pride .
Thank you again , I am a forged in fire fan , and it would be cool to have a forge . ( 500 year family forge on my mum’s family in Islay Scotland . It’s in the blood I’m a a tenth generation craftsman ) regards a in Australia

 

[oldpliers1]

Hi here is a page from a crescent tools catalogue from late 50s early 60s ? ( pre safety yellow insulation)
interes item

 

[ziggybyrne]

I realise this post is a year old, but great reading from the perspective of an Australian sparky. The yellow handled cresents were the professionals choice for decades. I still have a heavily worn pair with a very nice chunk out of the cutting edge, from an accidental cut on live “twin and earth”, Romex in the USA I believe. Cresent’s orange handled side cutters 9 inch were also standard issue. These days channellock is used by many and knipex is very highly regarded.

 

[oldpliers1]

I realise this post is a year old, but great reading from the perspective of an Australian sparky. The yellow handled cresents were the professionals choice for decades. I still have a heavily worn pair with a very nice chunk out of the cutting edge, from an accidental cut on live “twin and earth”, Romex in the USA I believe. Cresent’s orange handled side cutters 9 inch were also standard issue. These days channellock is used by many and knipex is very highly regarded.

Hi here is a five different types of crescent linesman pliers 1959-8T ,508-8T , 3800-8T , 2150-8T , and the big 9 inch with thread holder identical to the diamalloy diamond SL-59 .if you are ever after another pair contact me .( actually I carried out the road test / evaluation on the channellock 3248, 30 years ago as they wanted a slice of the Aussie market )