Plier Recommendations?

[andre_22]

Am buying a new plier set for a friend- I want to get get them as high quality of a set as possible but also don't want to spend too much. I usually go for KNIPEX or Klein myself, but don't want to spend that much on someone else

Does anyone have any advice or can speak about any of the brands below?

-https://www.homedepot.com/p/Channellock-4-Piece-Ultimate-Plier-Set-HD-1/100190542

-https://www.zoro.com/westward-plier-set-dipped-5-pcs-1ukp5/i/G2609284/

-https://www.walmart.com/ip/Irwin-Vise-Grip-2078712-8-Piece-GrooveLock-Plier-Set/17241315

I think I'm leaning towards the Irwin 8 piece because you get more pieces for the price, but have never used any Irwin tools before - what are your thoughts?

 

[ChrisLS8]

Channellock are solid at a good price point. I have quite a few pairs myself

 

[andre_22]

Channellock are solid at a good price point. I have quite a few pairs myself

how long have you used them for? worried about the quality because my general impression was irwin was higher quality but unsure

 

[ChrisLS8]

Irwin quality is junk nowadays. I have some Channellock owned by my grandfather that is over 40-50 years old and still great shape.

They would be my choice for US made good quality pliers at a reasonable cost

 

[ptgarcia]

The Channellock are still Made in USA and are solid pliers. Irwin has moved production overseas. I believe those Irwin pliers are made in China and really aren't that great.

 

[Negen]

I like channel lock , proto , keiba , knipix , and wilde. Wilde and Proto can be had for a little cheaper than channel lock. I cannot see the links due to security blocking viglink redirect. But channel locks are solid and quality has been getting better over the last few years.

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[ive]

Channellock. Professional made product. Handle them both and you’ll see.

Made in USA. Support your neighbour, help build a sense of community.

 

[andre_22]

Channellock. Professional made product. Handle them both and you’ll see.

Made in USA. Support your neighbour, help build a sense of community.

I'm considering ordering all three and testing them out for myself now lol

 

[four.cycle]

check Wilde prices at HarryEpstein.com

https://www.harryepstein.com/index.p...sult/?q=pliers

superior quality product.

Proamerica is underrated, but the price point is usually a bit higher. Check prices on Ebay from Bowers Tool:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odk...liers&_sacat=0

This guy's got ONE pair of these 10-inch groove joints left. Last pair I got from him was $11.00 bucks including shipping. (Can't get cheaper than that for this size groove-joint plier, even from Epstein):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-America...A/112685845767

 

[four.cycle]

I should also mention this guy who bought out a close-out inventory of NOS Proto.
Not give-away cheap cheap, but damn reasonable for Proto:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_od...m=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pliers&_sacat=0

 

[Negen]

I should also mention this guy who bought out a close-out inventory of NOS Proto.
Not give-away cheap cheap, but damn reasonable for Proto:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_od...m=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pliers&_sacat=0

Just bought a bunch of stuff from him yesterday

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Tallpilot]

Channellock or Wilde made Tekton

 

[andre_22]

I should also mention this guy who bought out a close-out inventory of NOS Proto.
Not give-away cheap cheap, but damn reasonable for Proto:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_od...m=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pliers&_sacat=0

I've never ordered anything from ebay before, do they usually have two day shipping?

 

[Negen]

Shipping can a fast or slow depends. You can ask for faster shipping

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[andre_22]

Channellock or Wilde made Tekton

have never heard of wilde made tekton? can you link me to a page?

 

[Wamsutta]

Get your friend a pair of 10 inch Wilde slip joint pliers; they're very nice.

 

[Robinson1]

Lowes is running a set of Kobalt pliers on special for $19.99. All the Kobalt handbooks I've used have been adequate. I really don't care for the bulky overmold on the handles because they take up too much room in my tool bag and are hard to pull out without snagging other tools. As such they have mostly been relegated to back up tools that mostly stay in the shop.

Those channellock sets are a good value and are great quality. Channellock is my go to brand for pliers. Most of the pliers on my service truck are channellock. I've got a pair of 420s that I use a couple times a week and they were used when I bought them 10+ years ago.

The Irwins are hit and miss. I've got a pair of end nippers that I love and a couple pairs of groove joint that I avoid using.

Wilde is a quality tool that most people never heard of. Supplier of Craftsman USA and Tekton USA and I'm sure many others.

I'd buy a basic set of channellock then pick up any singles of speciality pliers I thought would be handy.

 

[Robinson1]

Honestly I think knipex is overpriced for what they are. They have some neat designs like the pliers wrench but for standard everyday pliers the channellock equivalent do the same job for a fraction of the price

 

[Tallpilot]

have never heard of wilde made tekton? can you link me to a page?

https://toolguyd.com/tekton-usa-made-pliers-review/

https://www.tekton.com/pliers

The USA Wilde made are great. The Taiwan ones are good too. The China ones not so much.

 

[teejaywhy]

have never heard of wilde made tekton? can you link me to a page?

TEKTON pliers are a mix of Taiwan and China made, but their tongue & groove style are USA made.

https://www.tekton.com/groove-joint-pliers

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

Plus one on Channellock as a good pair of pliers, however they are not as good as Klein in my opinion.

 

[andre_22]

Get your friend a pair of 10 inch Wilde slip joint pliers; they're very nice.

where would you recommend getting wilde pliers if I want them asap?

 

[andre_22]

Lowes is running a set of Kobalt pliers on special for $19.99. All the Kobalt handbooks I've used have been adequate. I really don't care for the bulky overmold on the handles because they take up too much room in my tool bag and are hard to pull out without snagging other tools. As such they have mostly been relegated to back up tools that mostly stay in the shop.

Those channellock sets are a good value and are great quality. Channellock is my go to brand for pliers. Most of the pliers on my service truck are channellock. I've got a pair of 420s that I use a couple times a week and they were used when I bought them 10+ years ago.

The Irwins are hit and miss. I've got a pair of end nippers that I love and a couple pairs of groove joint that I avoid using.

Wilde is a quality tool that most people never heard of. Supplier of Craftsman USA and Tekton USA and I'm sure many others.

I'd buy a basic set of channellock then pick up any singles of speciality pliers I thought would be handy.

thanks for the advice Robinson! Kobalt is Lowe's private label correct?

 

[andre_22]

Plus one on Channellock as a good pair of pliers, however they are not as good as Klein in my opinion.

I completely agree, my Klein pliers (that I got through their electricians set) have lasted me so long and are great....

I lost my Klein voltage tester recently

 

[4Kings]

If you need them really quick, just get the Channellock's you linked to. Nice set, fair price and it covers most plier usage

 

[four.cycle]

TEKTON pliers are a mix of Taiwan and China made, but their tongue & groove style are USA made.

https://www.tekton.com/groove-joint-pliers

^ This isn't entirely true.

A good portion of Tekton's pliers are made by Proamerica here in the U.S.
Those 10-inch groove-joint Tekton pliers you linked to were made by Wilde.

 

[four.cycle]

where would you recommend getting wilde pliers if I want them asap?

I've never waited more than two days for a shipment from Bowers Tool unless I sent in the order on Saturday night.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_od..._trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=wilde+pliers&_sacat=0

If you're looking for a gift for a friend, go with Wamsutta's recommendation on the 10-inch slip-joint Wilde "flush fastener" model. They are really very nice. $23 bucks incl. shipping:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wilde-Tool...liers-Flush-Fastener-MADE-IN-USA/131254941329

(photo above in post #9)

 

[M6erfan]

IMO, theres high end (Snap-on, Knipex), low grade made in China **** (Stanley, Irwin) and middle of the road (Channellock, Klien, Wilde. etc.). There's not a whole lot of difference in the middle of the road stuff.

If you're not looking for unique features, just get any middle of the pack stuff. You'll be fine

 

[Wamsutta]

where would you recommend getting wilde pliers if I want them asap?

Directly from Wilde. What I like about them the best is their handles are shaped like Klein lineman pliers.

https://www.wildetool.com/product/10-combination-slip-joint-pliers-flush-fastener-nutbolt/

 

[mowersplus84]

Wilde make really good pliers made in usa

 

[Robinson1]

thanks for the advice Robinson! Kobalt is Lowe's private label correct?

Yes Kobalt is Lowes.

I've got a pair of Kobalt diagonal cutters in my wood shop that Ive been using for 10 years cutting finish nails. Hold up great.

I don't know how much experience you have cutting nails but that's basically abuse. The only thing you'll cut that's any harder on pliers is black drywall screws. You can literally destroy a new pair with one screw

 

[dkop1]

Anything I have of Irwin recently is very soft metal.. nice and safe because you can't crack them and put metal in your eyes. Dangerous because they piss me off and make me want to hit things Chanellock have perhaps started to cut a little quality on the "spit and polish" but they're still durable, fit together well, and feel just as sturdy as my dad's and grandfather's old tools. Plus they're made in PA, at a price point that's competitive with all the chinese tools...

 

[Professional Tool User]

how long have you used them for? worried about the quality because my general impression was irwin was higher quality but unsure

Hahaha... Irwin = made in China garbage. In terms of value it's hard to beat Channellock for high quality Made in USA pliers.

 

[anetode]

I completely agree, my Klein pliers (that I got through their electricians set) have lasted me so long and are great....

I lost my Klein voltage tester recently

About a decade ago Klein was the OEM for a series of Wirepro pliers, which you can now find on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wirepro-Kl...Crimper-USA-/400865961123?hash=item5d557924a3 Lineman's
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wirepro-Kl...-Packed-USA-/401416396070?hash=item5d76481d26 Dykes
https://www.ebay.com/itm/WirePro-Kl...-Pliers-USA-/332838188811?hash=item4d7eb3b70b Long-nose

Add a ProAmerica made Williams branded Slipjoint - https://www.ebay.com/itm/JH-William...-Pliers-USA-/332685122011?hash=item4d759419db

A Bahco-made Williams-branded 12" adjustable at a crazy price https://www.ebay.com/itm/Williams-1...omfort-Grip-/390558106885?hash=item5aef13c505


& a Channellock, or Knipex alligator/cobra knockoff, and you're set!
[edit, for instance, Craftsman WF tongue & grove for 15$ - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Craftsman-9-1-2-in-Pliers-Arc-Joint-made-in-USA-Part-45381/173621367874 ]

Note that if you order from Cripe through e-bay, make sure to contact them if you're getting more than one item to get a combined shipping quote.

Other suggestions in this thread are also good, four.cycle's are absolutely solid.

Good luck!

 

[PartsGuy]

Channellock for anything that has a slip-joint, Vise-Grip for anything that clamps shut. That has worked for me the past 20 years, and many of these tools are the ones I got back then.... I'm about an hour and a half away from Meadville. PA, so I may be a bit biased!

 

[WWheeler]

Channellock for anything that has a slip-joint, Vise-Grip for anything that clamps shut. That has worked for me the past 20 years, and many of these tools are the ones I got back then.... I'm about an hour and a half away from Meadville. PA, so I may be a bit biased!

This worked for me too, at least until Irwin took Vise-Grip to China and since they haven't been the same. Better off to search out NOS or lightly used old ones that still say 'Peterson Dewitt' on them.

FWIW, Malco is reopening the old plant in Dewitt NE to start making a line of locking pliers again. Likely to cost a bit more than the Chinese versions though.

 

[Rarified27]

I've fixed more things in my life with a pair of Channellock 440's than any other tool and I have every pair I've ever bought in fine working order, regardless of how much abuse they've endured.

If you don't need/want Klein quality, Channellock quality and availability at the big box stores is tough to beat.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I have a good mix of Channellock, Klein, Wilde, Craftsman, and Knipex.

 

[KDoug]

^ This isn't entirely true.

A good portion of Tekton's pliers are made by Proamerica here in the U.S.
Those 10-inch groove-joint Tekton pliers you linked to were made by Wilde.

What does Pro America make for Tekton, all I've read is Wilde being the manufacturer for the USA Made pliers?

 

[four.cycle]

What does Pro America make for Tekton, all I've read is Wilde being the manufacturer for the USA Made pliers?

Well... I've either got my wires crossed or things have changed in the last year since I've been away from here. After going through Tekton's entire line-up of pliers it looks like the only U.S. made models they're currently offering are made by Wilde, and that's only about four models.
It looks like everything else they're offering is either made in China or Taiwan.