How does Channellock keep their prices so low?

[Merkava_4]

I was looking at a pair of duckbills yesterday at the hardware store and the price was somewhere between $17 and $20. They were that price 10 years ago! They're still U.S. made too! Why don't they raise their prices to account for inflation?

 

[krusty the clown]

whaaa......i have never heard anyone complain about too low of a price!

 

[DavidtheDuke]

I was looking at a pair of duckbills yesterday at the hardware store and the price was somewhere between $17 and $20. They were that price 10 years ago! They're still U.S. made too! Why don't they raise their prices to account for inflation?

Maybe they keep cutting their profit margin to stay competitive :/

 

[rsanter]

perhaps they are using the same tooling they have had for a long time. perhaps they have automated some of their processes and perhaps they are making the product in a 'low rent' area of the country

with the last company I worked at. were were doing buisness with a company in the los angels area that was price compeditive with china. the parts cost was higher but we priced based on parts shipped to our doorstep. they were a very efficient operation and their quality was high.

we made alot of our own stuff and on alot (not all) we are able to process the parts cheaper than we could sousce from china because we owned all of our equipment and paid low wages due to where we were. they have one 2 plants in central CA (they closed 2 places in the LA area and opened a place in texas.

bob

 

[Merkava_4]

Watch the video!

CHANNELLOCK

 

[wilbilt]

Watch the video!

CHANNELLOCK

Nice video.
Interesting to see they are a relatively small operation.

Remember, they warranty against defects but not against the tools wearing out.
Maybe that is what keeps them in the USA.

 

[ImportTuner]

Pretty impressive video ...

 

[eschoendorff]

That was a cool video. I have always liked Channellock.

 

[bmwpower]

OldCarGuy would be proud.

Where's SK's quality control video??

I think I will go buy some Channellocks this weekend.

I think I saw a pneumatic vise in there somewhere...

 

[DiStOrTiOn]

I've always loved the channellock pliers, I think im going to go out tomorrow and buy some, support the american workforce.

By the way, did anyone see that they export to china? Interesting, they send us giant containers full of ****, and we send them channellocks.

 

[boiler7904]

The Channellock factory was featured on DIY Network's Cool Tools show a couple of weeks ago.

 

[bmwpower]

I've always loved the channellock pliers, I think im going to go out tomorrow and buy some, support the american workforce.

By the way, did anyone see that they export to china? Interesting, they send us giant containers full of ****, and we send them channellocks.

I wonder what China pays for our Channellocks?

 

[li0nhart123]

I was looking at a pair of duckbills yesterday at the hardware store and the price was somewhere between $17 and $20. They were that price 10 years ago! They're still U.S. made too! Why don't they raise their prices to account for inflation?

They were overpriced 10 years ago and are now just correcting to what they should be.

 

[DiStOrTiOn]

I wonder what China pays for our Channellocks?

Maybe they send us an equal dollar amount of McDonald's and Burger King toys?

 

[krusty the clown]

They were overpriced 10 years ago and are now just correcting to what they should be.

personally i couldn't say. i'm using the SAME pairs i bought 30 years ago. along with some dad bought 50 plus years ago.

i have never had to have a single channellock brand pair of pliers replaced

 

[li0nhart123]

Yeah..I have some ancient channelocks as well. They are so old I don't even know how I ended up with them..probably my fathers or grandfathers. I bit rusty but they still function fine. Maybe I should take better care of them.

 

[bmwpower]

Maybe they send us an equal dollar amount of McDonald's and Burger King toys?

It's funny you say that. Not quite the same, but this Chinese guy I know goes nuts for those free novelty pens and other **** given out by vendors at trade shows. I can't seem to pull him away from grabbing the stuff. It must be in their blood...

 

[OldCarGuy]

OldCarGuy would be proud.

I toured the Channellock plant in Meadville Pennsylvania this past summer when I was touring the area with my 1914 Cadillac. I have been in a lot of manufacturing plants and Channellock’s plant has the least amount of automation I’ve seen and still be a viable operation. They have few CNC machines to modernize their manufacturing process. So many of their machining operations have to rely on a close eye and the dexterity of manual labor. It’s extremely hot everywhere in that plant. And having the opportunity to talk to the employees, you could see the pride they took in the tools they made.

The company was started in 1886. Here’s a brief history of Channellock.
http://www.channellock.com/company/history.htm

 

[keywestjack]

Seems to me the key is family ownership. Once a company looses identity, its and developes a corporate image and the MBA bastards sell out to the cheapest bidder (bottom line is everything today forget the future) . Channellock may be selling world wide but they are an American company not a multinational puke corporation.

 

[l_bilyk]

Have you guys tried the griplock chanellocks? They're like regular slip joint pliers but the head is angled. I picked some up the other day and I really liked them so far. The angled head works well for stuff like hose clamps

 

[eschoendorff]

Have you guys tried the griplock chanellocks? They're like regular slip joint pliers but the head is angled. I picked some up the other day and I really liked them so far. The angled head works well for stuff like hose clamps

yup... I have them and love them. I fact, I really like all of teh Channellock stuff I have.

I have NEVER thought of Channellock as being overpriced. I cannot believe that some people at HD will still choose the Chinese Husky stuff over the Channellock tools that are right next to them for nearly teh SAME price!!!!!

 

[krusty the clown]

Have you guys tried the griplock chanellocks? They're like regular slip joint pliers but the head is angled. I picked some up the other day and I really liked them so far. The angled head works well for stuff like hose clamps

how are they compared to the knipex's? i have been considering them since they are us made and considerably cheaper. btw it looks like the only product that channellock outscources is the little champ and adjustable wrenches!

 

[Fedwrench]

Makes you want to go out and buy a pair Channellocks.

 

[kidney]

how are they compared to the knipex's? i have been considering them since they are us made and considerably cheaper. btw it looks like the only product that channellock outscources is the little champ and adjustable wrenches!

I think they also have a line of sockets, ratchets and wrenches that they out-sourced, too.


I don't know exactly how they compare to Knipex, but I bet Knipex is a a little better. I would think Channellock's "Code Blue" line would be just as good. I have one really old pair of Knipex pliers that are a little beat up, but they work perfectly. I just bought about 200 bucks worth of Channellock pliers and I am completely happy with them.

 

[eschoendorff]

Knipex and Channellock pliers will both turn bolts. I have both and they both work very well. how much $$$ do you want to spend? If I were gonna do it all over again ( and everyone here knows that I love my FACOM pliers - but they're no longer an option since the take-over by Stanley), I would go Chanellock all the way.

 

[krusty the clown]

I think they also have a line of sockets, ratchets and wrenches that they out-sourced, too.


I don't know exactly how they compare to Knipex, but I bet Knipex is a a little better. I would think Channellock's "Code Blue" line would be just as good. I have one really old pair of Knipex pliers that are a little beat up, but they work perfectly. I just bought about 200 bucks worth of Channellock pliers and I am completely happy with them.

nothing about ratchets, sockets or wrenches listed on thier website maybe a failed experiment?

 

[l_bilyk]

Yeah I've seen those socket kits... they don't look like quality tools

 

[kidney]

nothing about ratchets, sockets or wrenches listed on thier website maybe a failed experiment?

Must have been...here is a link to what I'm talking about.

 

[eschoendorff]

Must have been...here is a link to what I'm talking about.

Those look like typical Taiwan tools.

 

[krusty the clown]

yup glad they stopped selling them.........hate to see channellock go the way of stanley

 

[Nix]

I've always liked Channellock and they're local to me so it's nice to support a local manufacturer. I was given a new set of Channellock screwdrivers this Christmas and was not happy to see that they were made in China. I later found out they were purchased at Sam's club. They have a lifetime warranty but you have to shoip them to some address in California. I hope this isn't the start of a trend.

Edit: I should say, I like the screwdrivers a lot, just not where they were made.

 

[DiStOrTiOn]

It's funny you say that. Not quite the same, but this Chinese guy I know goes nuts for those free novelty pens and other **** given out by vendors at trade shows. I can't seem to pull him away from grabbing the stuff. It must be in their blood...

That's kinda funny actually. I hate that **** they're always giving away at trade shows, we do a lot of trade show jobs at my company (all the soundsystems, tvs, computers, etc.) and at the end of every tradeshow there is typically a lot of trashing of that stuff thats left over, since it's cheaper to trash it and buy new later than to truck it all back.

 

[plinker]

The Channellock adjustable wrenchs are nice, I think they are made in spain by the same company that makes the locking pliers for Snap-on and Napa.


Channel lock also had the same locking pliers made for them but they must have discontinued them.

As far as pliers go except for cutting pliers and the jaw teeth can you actually wear them out?

 

[lbgradwell]

The Channellock adjustable wrenchs are nice, I think they are made in spain by the same company that makes the locking pliers for Snap-on and Napa.

Channel lock also had the same locking pliers made for them but they must have discontinued them.

The Channellock adjustable wrenches are indeed made in Spain (and are very nice), but they are not made by the same company as the locking pliers (though that is also a Spanish company).

The adjustable wrenches are made by Irega, while the locking pliers are by Grip-on.

 

[eschoendorff]

The Channellock adjustable wrenches are indeed made in Spain (and are very nice), but they are not made by the same company as the locking pliers (though that is also a Spanish company).

The adjustable wrenches are made by Irega, while the locking pliers are by Grip-on.

True.. and, incidentally, those are the same manufacturers that make the same tools for Snap On....

 

[jay50]

Those look like typical Taiwan tools.

$59.95 on ebay = chinese junk. I've seen the same set locally at junk store for $29. Would be right at home at HF store.