I like Klein, Knipex and Channellock. I own and use all three. I was given a brand new pair of Proto diagonal cutters along with Proto linesman pliers. They are, without a doubt, the worst I have ever used. The Proto diagonals are beyond stiff and do a crappy job of cutting. I had to cut 28 zip ties in a machine panel and only had the Proto's. I had to use two hands to open and close them. It felt like I was using hedge trimmers. Utter junk. I'm fine with their wrenches, ratchets and sockets, but these cutters are ridiculously bad. Stay far away.
James
Interesting. This is the problem I've had with Channellock and Klein. I find both to be way too tight when new. I much prefer the decades old Klein linesman pliers I got at a garage sale for a buck over my new ones.
But with both, the jaws tend to lose alignment as they break in and loosen. I've found this to be especially the case for Channellock diagonals. Once they lose alignment, they no longer cut finer stringy things (like the hairy nylon packing between wires in some SO cords).
My Knipex linesman pliers (I don't have their diagonal cutters), easily fall open if you hold one handle, but still close perfectly aligned. They are truly fantastic, and a pleasure to use, and the cutting faces are so well aligned that they even cut fine kevlar stings (now that is a serious test).
I can say the good same things about my Proto diagonals, BUT, my experience with most diagonal cutters has been hit and miss. There is a need for much precision in a good pair, but they are often made with a lot of hand grinding. The results seem to vary a lot from one pair to the next.
