Kleins misaligned

[Whitelightning8]

Photo-Old seized diags D2488, "new" diags J2488, newer diags D200048.

Bought my first journeyman handled tool and it was crooked out of the package. It couldn't even fully cut through a 12-wire. I had to kinda twist the wire free instead of the usual pop, leaving the wire pancaked. Replaced it with a 2000 series dipped and those cutters were dead on.

What im really trying to ask though is did I waste an additional 50 bucks or would you have replaced them too?

 

[sparky 1971]

If they won't cut #12 wire they are useless. You wasted money buying another pair, the first pair is covered by warranty.

 

[BreeStephany]

If it was misaligned out of the package, I would send it back to Klein and have them replace them or take them into one of your local electrical supply houses and have them give you a new set and warranty the old one.

I have used both the J / Journeyman series and D series 2000 diagonal pliers and I prefer the D series. Not sure if they are manufactured with a different grade of steel or use a different forging process, but in my experience at least, the D series are MUCH stronger and sharper than the J series and put up with a lot more abuse for a lot longer than the J series.

I have cut a lot of jack chain and thin steel with both series and a D series and the J series wore out MUCH quicker than the D series.

Just my two cents!

 

[sparky 1971]

If it was misaligned out of the package, I would send it back to Klein and have them replace them or take them into one of your local electrical supply houses and have them give you a new set and warranty the old one.

I have used both the J / Journeyman series and D series 2000 diagonal pliers and I prefer the D series. Not sure if they are manufactured with a different grade of steel or use a different forging process, but in my experience at least, the D series are MUCH stronger and sharper than the J series and put up with a lot more abuse for a lot longer than the J series.

I have cut a lot of jack chain and thin steel with both series and a D series and the J series wore out MUCH quicker than the D series.

Just my two cents!

What's the D series? I hate the Journeyman series anything because of the handles. I use the blue dipped handle dykes, used to use the blue dipped handle linesmans, and still do when I'm doing a residential rough in, but for service and commercial work, I use Knipex linemans.

Edit: nevermind. I googled D series, that's what I use.

 

[southalabama]

It happens.

Get the store or Klein to make it good.

high speed production and qc some stuff will get by. It’s not a trend.

 

[dnschmidt]

I like Klein but let's be honest. If these were Doyle from Harbor Freight, which frankly are damn good pliers, everybody and his brother would be jumping up and down talking about what **** Harbor Freight sells. Apparently if it's made in America and it's fucked up it gets a pass but if it's made in China or Taiwan and it's not perfect it's garbage. We can, and certainly do, make garbage too. Everybody does. It's a case by case situation, brand means little anymore even the almighty Knipex probably produces a bad pair that gets out of the factory now and then although I will admit that I personally haven't seen that.

 

[Tools4Me]

In regards to the OP's cutters, it looks like they were a defect that slipped past QC at the factory.

In regards to the discussion on D series cutters and handle color, there is some nuance. It used to be that Klein red handled cutters were for cutting softer metals like aluminum and copper only, and Klein blue handled cutters were more expensive and had harder cutting edges rated for ACSR, nail, and similar metal cutting.

In the more recent past, Klein moved away from the red and blue handle differentiation and changed over to a 2000 series designation. Cutters with a 2000 series part number designation are rated for cutting harder metals like ACSR, nails, etc. Cutters or plier/cutter combination tools that don't have a 2000 series designation have the softer cutting edges that are only rated for cutting metals like aluminum and copper, even if they are still "D series" cutters. I think the more complicated change in identification they are using now came as a result of klein adding comfort grip, high voltage grip, and other grip color combinations that couldn't fit the original color identification scheme they were using.

 

[M635_Guy]

I like Klein but let's be honest. If these were Doyle from Harbor Freight, which frankly are damn good pliers, everybody and his brother would be jumping up and down talking about what **** Harbor Freight sells. Apparently if it's made in America and it's fucked up it gets a pass but if it's made in China or Taiwan and it's not perfect it's garbage. We can, and certainly do, make garbage too. Everybody does. It's a case by case situation, brand means little anymore even the almighty Knipex probably produces a bad pair that gets out of the factory now and then although I will admit that I personally haven't seen that.

I agree with all of that. I have seen a couple slips for Knipex on reddit/tools. Knipex has a team that apparently monitors that sub and gets issues taken care of - pretty great.

**** happens. Even the very best have slips now and then. At that point, how they take care of you when it happens is what matters.

 

[redwrench60]

I like Klein but let's be honest. If these were Doyle from Harbor Freight, which frankly are damn good pliers, everybody and his brother would be jumping up and down talking about what **** Harbor Freight sells. Apparently if it's made in America and it's fucked up it gets a pass but if it's made in China or Taiwan and it's not perfect it's garbage. We can, and certainly do, make garbage too. Everybody does. It's a case by case situation, brand means little anymore even the almighty Knipex probably produces a bad pair that gets out of the factory now and then although I will admit that I personally haven't seen that.

Yeah everyone makes a dud from time to time.
A coworker bought a pair of those Doyle dikes from HF at the beginning of a big project and after the three month re-wire project was done the rivet was slopped out of those things and the jaws just pass each other and won’t make a clean cut. They looked impressive when new, good clean machining and polishing but didn’t hold up cutting 18, 14, 12 and 8 AWG EXANE stranded wire. Sometimes quality can’t be seen.

 

[Whitelightning8]

If they won't cut #12 wire they are useless. You wasted money buying another pair, the first pair is covered by warranty.

Yes! Thats true, although I live in a remote location so often im better off just buying a new one.

 

[Whitelightning8]

If it was misaligned out of the package, I would send it back to Klein and have them replace them or take them into one of your local electrical supply houses and have them give you a new set and warranty the old one.

I have used both the J / Journeyman series and D series 2000 diagonal pliers and I prefer the D series. Not sure if they are manufactured with a different grade of steel or use a different forging process, but in my experience at least, the D series are MUCH stronger and sharper than the J series and put up with a lot more abuse for a lot longer than the J series.

I have cut a lot of jack chain and thin steel with both series and a D series and the J series wore out MUCH quicker than the D series.

Just my two cents!

The journeyman was from home depot, dont know if that had something to do with it, other 2 pliers are from a supply store.

 

[four.cycle]

What im really trying to ask though is did I waste an additional 50 bucks or would you have replaced them too?

I am assuming you are referring to the pair in the center of the photo image. The cutting edges do not line up correctly. Clearly a manufacturing error at the tail end of the finishing process. (I'm surprised they made it as far as the handle-dipping, to be honest.)
You should ask for (and expect) a free replacement under the manufacturer's warranty terms.

(Now I'll scroll up and read the other posts.)

 

[sparky 1971]

The journeyman was from home depot, dont know if that had something to do with it, other 2 pliers are from a supply store.

Home Depot and the supply houses carry the same thing. You just happened to get a pair that was made on a Monday or a Friday.

 

[sparky 1971]

In regards to the OP's cutters, it looks like they were a defect that slipped past QC at the factory.

In regards to the discussion on D series cutters and handle color, there is some nuance. It used to be that Klein red handled cutters were for cutting softer metals like aluminum and copper only, and Klein blue handled cutters were more expensive and had harder cutting edges rated for ACSR, nail, and similar metal cutting.

In the more recent past, Klein moved away from the red and blue handle differentiation and changed over to a 2000 series designation. Cutters with a 2000 series part number designation are rated for cutting harder metals like ACSR, nails, etc. Cutters or plier/cutter combination tools that don't have a 2000 series designation have the softer cutting edges that are only rated for cutting metals like aluminum and copper, even if they are still "D series" cutters. I think the more complicated change in identification they are using now came as a result of klein adding comfort grip, high voltage grip, and other grip color combinations that couldn't fit the original color identification scheme they were using.

It's been a long time, so I might be mistaken, but I think Klein has always referred to the hardened cutter dykes and linesmans as 2000 series and designated them with the royal blue handle. It's been more recent (15 years?) that they came out with the journeyman series, but that was just about the comfort grips, which I hate, but to each their own. I started in 1994 and my employer started me off with a set of red handled 8" dykes which lasted me a couple of months, maybe weeks, before I blew them up being an idiot. I remember going to the supply house to get another pair, but I don't remember any of the blue handles. I do remember getting another pair of the red handles. I then moved to TX and started working residential, where I had been commercial. Cutting all the nails and staples did a number on my red handles and that's when my foreman told me about what he referred to as the blue handles. At that time, the only place to get Klein was at the supply houses, Home Depot carried Ideal electrical tools. I then bought the 2000 series in both linesmans and dykes and haven't looked back, but have changed to Knipex linesmans for service and commercial work. I still use Klein for residential rough ins because they are a tad bit larger which makes for a better hammer and I can twist more wires together at once.