Personally, I'd probably go with Channellock. The reason is that the price/performance ratio cannot be beat in my opinion. Also, they are readily available and made in the USA with pride. I do really like Klein pliers and have found the lineman's, dykes and needle nose (and probably many others which i have not yet used) to be of high quality. The main reason I'm saying they are a 'second' choice is because of the higher price. Are they better quality than Channellock? I don't know... that might be a subjective question but I'd be proud to own either brand.
I will say this though, I do like the grips on the journeyman series better than the code blue grips on the channellocks. So if I were looking for comfort grip versions I'd choose Klein. The only drawback is that the 'journeyman' grips on the Klein pliers do seem to slide off after using them for a while. This is an easy fix with some epoxy though and other than that the grips seem durable.
Knipex does certainly have some quality products and on top of that, some unique products that Channellock and Klein do not produce. However, I have been disappointed with certain models of Knipex pliers which appear to have a very leaky, sloppy joint such as their lineman's and dykes as I mentioned in an earlier post. I like Knipex comfort grips and the cutting edges seem to be good, but the sloppiness is unacceptable to me... I hate to say it but even Harbor Freight Lineman's seem less sloppy. Even though the price range for many of Knipex products are in the range of Klein/Channellock, I'd rather buy the latter brands. Some of the brand highlights are the Cobra and the Pliers-Wrench which are both excellent along with a number of other good products.
(To Knipex: grab a channellock 349 or a klein D2000 series linemans pliers and squeeze the handles together as tight as you can and then do it with your own lineman's pliers... notice how the jaws of the pliers on both the kleins and channellocks do not touch, even after years of usage. Yours on the other hand drips oil out of the joint and the cutting blades overlap when the handles are squeezed... so much so that even the jaws make contact... then tell me yours is not by far the sloppiest of the bunch.)
NWS I have no experience using so far, so I can't comment. Honestly though I would be hesitant to build a large collection as the price is high and support at this point in time I suspect is limited in the USA. With that said I would like to try buying one of their powerbolt diagonal cutters, end nippers and maybe one or two other models which appear unique and/or seem to have some advantages over the competition. So I might get a few in the near future
As for the other brands...
Craftsman - The chances I would buy any at this point in time is very low. There are simply better products out there for the price and in my opinion the future of the craftsman brand and their direction is in serious jeopardy as far as I can tell.
Western forge - i am not impressed...
Wilde - haven't tried any yet but might give it a shot in the future... somewhat limited selection though
Husky - the handles are uncomfortable imo and they are overpriced
Kobalt - the quality is decent for the price and at least returns are easy
Harbor freight - I don't like any of them, they 'feel' cheap and are overall low quality... not worth the purchase price for serious usage
Gedore, Hazet etc - can't comment on quality but would not purchase as they are difficult to obtain and support is very limited... if i lived in europe i might think differently
snap on - have not tried their pliers so I can't comment on the quality/value
Only other brands I have tried or can think of at the moment were usually cheap Chinese junk, forgettable or i have very little knowledge of.
