Pliers

[kartracer55]

I need some opinions here. My pliers are pretty much a mish-mosh of various brands. Some good, some cheap, some new, some old.

I want to "start fresh" I have a set of Long reach needle nose, but I was wondering what you guys thought for everything else.

I dont mind spending the $$$ on Snap On Dykes, but Im going to go cheaper for other pliers Im thinking. I may get a set of Code Blue cutters. I knipex is good stuff, but I think its a bit overpriced simply because its made in germany. I dont give a turd if ferrarri uses them or not, I need good tools that will hold up without breaking the bank. Pliers are semi-disposable.

Has anybody been using the Code blue line of pliers on a semi-professional basis? Any Pro's use regular run-of-the-mill channellock stuff? Its fairly cheap, which makes me a bit skeptical of it for daily use, but then again, they have been making pliers for over a hundred years.

Thoughts?

Jim

 

[iiibdsiil]

I think you can get Knipex online for damn good prices. I think they are one of those products that have a ton of markup in them.

 

[MAD]

I think if you try the Knipex diagonal cutters you will think they are worth the money. They slice through hard wire like parking brake cables like butter. I have 8" standard Channellock brand dykes that I am not that impressed with. I also have the old style "black handle" Craftsman pro dykes and Klien series 2000 diagonal cutters that are great and will cut hard wire but are not quite as good as the Knipex. I have never tried the Snap-on dykes.

 

[wilbilt]

Harry Epstein has some Knipex-sourced pliers listed under the Diamond closeouts, although they are not cutters:
http://www.harryepstein.com/diamond.html

See if you can spot them....lol

 

[strizzy]

I love my Knipex; would buy them again, and again...

 

[MAD]

Harry Epstein has some Knipex-sourced pliers listed under the Diamond closeouts, although they are not cutters:
http://www.harryepstein.com/diamond.html

See if you can spot them....lol

Sears too.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&pid=00945430000&cat=Hand+Tools,+General+Purpose&subcat=Pliers&vertical=TOOL&ihtoken=1

 

[eschoendorff]

As far as pliers, I think everyone here knows that I love the Facom (pre-Stanley) stuff. That said, I also have a GREAT deal of respect for the Channellock line and the Knipex have been great too. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase any of these brands.

I am not particularly fond of the Craftsman pliers. Just don't seem to fit me orr hold up as well as the 3 brands mentioned above. Just my opinion, though.

 

[Larz]

I am not particularly fond of the Craftsman pliers. Just don't seem to fit me orr hold up as well as the 3 brands mentioned above. Just my opinion, though.

Agreed. I have Craftsman pliers that rusted over before I got them home. The Channellock line is hard to beat for me as a weekend tinkerer. USA made, affordable, easy to find on store shelves, and great quality!!!

 

[dink]

Just to give you an idea....with one of my brands I represent they have a line of pliers.....and I cant even give these away to my customers because there customers will only buy the Channellock Tongue & Grooves because they are so great in quality

As for Facom......I love my Facom pliers too.....I highly recommend these....Pre-Stanley of course

 

[MAD]

I have never been a fan of the standard Craftsman Pliers. They are better than the Taiwan cheapies and have a great warranty, but I would only buy them at a super sale price for the truck box, kitchen drawer etc... The Craftsman Professional line of Pliers is another story; these have been top quality for me. My craftsman pro pliers are all 10 years old though so I cannot vouch personally for what they are selling now. Sears sometimes changes the OEM source for their tools so one batch may be manufactured by Klein/vaco and a year or two later the same pliers might come from Channellock etc... Or not, you just never know. But all of the Craftsman Pro. Pliers I owned/used have been great and I would consider buying more.

I have a half dozen of the standard blue Channellock brand pliers and like them a lot. My first decent USA made pliers are this series and after 25 years of banging around and hard use the plastic on the handles are intact and no failures of any kind. They do discolor easily but I have always considered the dark patina of a lightly rusted, then oiled Channellock to be an attractive esthetic feature. As I said in an earlier post, the dykes I have from Channellock are just ok. Cutting pliers are not really what they are known for though. I have never tried the Code blue series.

I also have 8 or so pairs of Klein brand Pliers. These are all top notch. The 2000 series dykes and lineman’s pliers will cut nails machine screws wire rope etc... For electrical cutting, stripping crimping pliers you can't go wrong with Klein.

As I said before, the knipex dykes are worth the $. I recommend the 10" offset ones. I assume the rest of their line is excellent as well but I have not tried them.

 

[rockwithjason]

For me there is only one name in pliers, Klein. They are union made in Chicago for professionals and I have never found anything better.

 

[Larz]

Kleins are great. I have a couple of pair of Linesman pliers and a pair of wire strippers from Klein. My Brother is an electrician and won't use anything but Klein.

 

[stupidjet]

my kleins started rusting the 3rd day int he garage. really pissed me off. oh, and unions ruined america.

 

[dink]

my kleins started rusting the 3rd day int he garage. really pissed me off. oh, and unions ruined america.

Oh man you must be a communist....oh the shame and blasphomous words coming out of your mouth hahahahaa kidding

 

[kartracer55]

Oh jeeze lets not turn this into a union thread.

Im still not sure. I really like snap On cutters, and I know thier other stuff is top notch but I simply cant see spending the cash for regular bull nose pliers... These are an item I need 3-4 pairs off because I leave a set in a few different places for availability.

Keep the input comming.

Jim

 

[chevy302dz]

Channellocks are the way to go for almost everything except locking pliers which of course have to be ViseGrips. For longreach pliers I have some US made Blackhawks which work great, Klien makes a nice set of real heavy duty long nose pliers. Snapon makes some nice cutters and needle/long nose pliers but I don't think they are worth the money, if you could find a good deal then it would be money well spent.

 

[bmwpower]

I like Knipex, Facom and Channellock. They're all pretty good. Don't have a set of Snap-ons so I can't comment on them. Don't limit yourself to what's on the truck.

 

[arkracing]

I also have 8 or so pairs of Klein brand Pliers. These are all top notch. The 2000 series dykes and lineman’s pliers will cut nails machine screws wire rope etc... For electrical cutting, stripping crimping pliers you can't go wrong with Klein.

Where can you get Klein 2000series dykes?

Which are better the Klein 2kseries or the Knipex Dykes?

 

[strizzy]

http://www.internetshoppersdepot.com/store/product_info.php?currency=USD&products_id=155406
$53.25

* (1) 8 in. long nose
* (1) 8 in. high leverage diagonal cutter
* (1) 10 in. Alligator plier

Small set I bought, not from there though.

 

[arkracing]

Not sure if that was directed toward my question or not but,

www.thetoolwarehouse.net has the Knipex line.

I was looking for the Klein 2k Dykes

 

[swgray]

Not sure if that was directed toward my question or not but,

www.thetoolwarehouse.net has the Knipex line.

I was looking for the Klein 2k Dykes

http://www.mcmaster.com/

56815A32
High-Leverage Diagonal-Cutting Ultra Pliers 12 Deg Angled Head, 8" L O'all, 13/16" Jaw Length
In stock at $25.89 Each

I got a pair of these a couple of months ago.

 

[MAD]

Where can you get Klein 2000series dykes?

Which are better the Klein 2kseries or the Knipex Dykes?

Klein tools are sold at just about every serious electrical supply store, as well as Home Depot (in the electrical section often locked in a case) and Sears.

here is a link to the 2000 series dykes at sears. It is an in store item in at least some stores.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Electrical+Shop&pid=00973717000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Electrical+Tools+%26+Accessories&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Of the two examples I own, I prefer the Knipex dykes for heavy duty Automotive work. With the disclaimer that My knipex dykes are 2" longer and have 12 years more use so I am not really comparing apples to apples as far as overall quality is concerned.

here is a link to the Knipex dykes I have- at Sears as well-shop around

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Hand+Tools%2C+General+Purpose&pid=00947872000&vertical=TOOL&subcat=Pliers&BV_SessionID=@@@@1821512236.1173315171@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccgeaddkgeilghmcefecemldffidfmm.0

 

[swgray]

http://www.mcmaster.com/

56815A32
High-Leverage Diagonal-Cutting Ultra Pliers 12 Deg Angled Head, 8" L O'all, 13/16" Jaw Length
In stock at $25.89 Each

I got a pair of these a couple of months ago.

They can also be purchased at toolgopher.com for $23.14. I've bought from them for a year now. Variety of stuff, usually less expensive with reasonable shipping costs.

https://www.toolgopher.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=25219

 

[MAD]

Of the two examples I own, I prefer the Knipex dykes for heavy duty Automotive work. With the disclaimer that My knipex dykes are 2" longer and have 12 years more use so I am not really comparing apples to apples as far as overall quality is concerned.

Correction: My Klein 2000 series diagonal cutters have 12 more years of use on them compared to My newer and longer Knipex dykes.

 

[Fast Orange]

A few thoughts and opinions on pliers-
1)There are no better made tongue and groove pliers than Channelock-every feature is better than the competition,from general proportions to jaw hardness.If the bare surfaces could be stopped from rusting,they'd be perfect.
2)Klien dykes,linesmans and strippers are the best in the industry-even the standard models are tougher than most of the other makers.If you compare the Klien dykes to Snap-On,the head is smaller in size,and the amount of leverage is higher.
3) Vice Grips are the only real locking pliers-everything else is a poor copy.
4) The current trend for the multi-colored cushioned handles on pliers *****-they're harder to keep clean than regular vinyl coated handles,cut and get torn easily and add about 20% to the cost of the tool.Pretty to look at but not practical.
The above statements are only my personal opinions,based solely on over 30 years of work in the automotive,fabrication and electrical trades.
George

 

[bmwpower]

I have several of the Klein Journeyman series and well as the 2000 series, but I prefer the Journeyman series. The handles are so much better on your hands after a days work. I only use them for electrical work, though. You can't use them on steel only Al or Cu.

 

[MAD]

I have several of the Klein Journeyman series and well as the 2000 series, but I prefer the Journeyman series. The handles are so much better on your hands after a days work. I only use them for electrical work, though. You can't use them on steel only Al or Cu.

The journeyman series pliers pictured are also 2000 series and good for hardened wire. cotterpins, screws etc... model J2000-28

Klein also sells the same journeyman 2000 series dykes with an angled head- model # J2000-48

If you have the red/black handled Journeyman series dykes they are the standard series. Also great, but not intended for hardened wire.

 

[MAD]

A little more trivia on the Craftsman Professional pliers:

The Craftsman pro wire strippers I have #73573 are nearly identical to my Klein #11055 strippers and I am certain Manufactured by Klein for sears. My Craftsman Pro. dykes, which are fantastic, have the WF mark of long time Craftsman OEM Western Forge. I did not expect this since I believe Western Forge also makes a lot of the standard series pliers that I have never been too fond of. Go figure

 

[bmwpower]

The journeyman series pliers pictured are also 2000 series and good for hardened wire. cotterpins, screws etc... model J2000-28

Klein also sells the same journeyman 2000 series dykes with an angled head- model # J2000-48

If you have the red/black handled Journeyman series dykes they are the standard series. Also great, but not intended for hardened wire.

You're right. I have the red/black handled ones. I didn't realize they had a different model that can cut hardened metal.

Time to upgrade.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

For needle nose pliers, there was a company that made the best ones, that went out of business, due to retirement, and the kids not wanting the business (at least from my research). Kraueter.
Coming from an electronics family and then getting into automotive where sometimes you want to make sure you have a good connection (soldering under the dash, no fun), the closest thing I found to them were Crescents 777-7 needle nose. Back in the day, I was told they would have given Klien a run for their money with anything electrical pliers related.

Most needle nose are just longer long nose, these were tapered much more fine from a smaller base.

 

[ba614]

A few thoughts and opinions on pliers-
1)There are no better made tongue and groove pliers than Channelock-every feature is better than the competition,from general proportions to jaw hardness.If the bare surfaces could be stopped from rusting,they'd be perfect.
2)Klien dykes,linesmans and strippers are the best in the industry-even the standard models are tougher than most of the other makers.If you compare the Klien dykes to Snap-On,the head is smaller in size,and the amount of leverage is higher.
3) Vice Grips are the only real locking pliers-everything else is a poor copy.
4) The current trend for the multi-colored cushioned handles on pliers *****-they're harder to keep clean than regular vinyl coated handles,cut and get torn easily and add about 20% to the cost of the tool.Pretty to look at but not practical.
The above statements are only my personal opinions,based solely on over 30 years of work in the automotive,fabrication and electrical trades.
George

I'm also a 30+ year pipefitter tradesman ... George is telling it like it is in my experience ... I have used and abused Channel Lock tounge & groove pliers to install screw pipe ... they are top of the line! I have used Klien dykes to cut welding rod for years ... I have used them to cut up to 5/32" stainless tig rod with no damage to the cutters ... Vice Grips are #1 in the locking pliers and clamps ... I reciently bought a pair of Craftsman Knipex Cobra pliers and I am highly impressed with them ... I havn't had them long enough to form an oppinion as to their longevity or ability to withstand abuse.

 

[z28toz06]

Cant beat the price
http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-MAC-TOOLS-1...085442358QQcategoryZ82252QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...ItemQQcategoryZ43992QQitemZ160091196635QQrdZ1

Mac had both these sets on sale in their monthly flier for 99 dollars and 29 dollars

right now they have a 10 piece vice grip set for 99 bucks.

they are all over ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAC-...ItemQQcategoryZ43992QQitemZ180092291673QQrdZ1

I have some klein, knipex, snapon, channelock and craftsman and sears. really never had much problem with any of them. never liked the regular craftsman series much.

 

[z28toz06]

http://www.crawfordtool.com/knipex_cobra.html
These guys have some good prices on klein and knipex

 

[JeeperAz]

I have Klien, Knipex, Facom, and Snap On pliers in my tool box.

Really, the only pliers I frequently reach for are needle nose and dykes.

I prefer Knipex dykes. Kliens are just too big for what I need them for (automotive wiring) but they are well made and would be better suited for more industrial use.

Needle nose I reach for Snap On first and then my Facoms.

Overall, I would buy Knipex if forced to stick with one brand.

 

[l_bilyk]

I have several of the Klein Journeyman series and well as the 2000 series, but I prefer the Journeyman series. The handles are so much better on your hands after a days work. I only use them for electrical work, though. You can't use them on steel only Al or Cu.

I have those. They are real nice

 

[wilbilt]

I just keep using my worn-out, 30-50 year old Channellock, Craftsman, Klein, Diamond, Xcelite, etc., pliers.

One of these days, I should spoil myself and buy some new ones.

I have some linesman pliers that were my grandfather's. They are the Kraeuter "Dreadnaught" brand. I always reach for them first, even though they are past their prime, so to speak.

 

[wilbilt]

A few thoughts and opinions on pliers-
1)There are no better made tongue and groove pliers than Channelock-every feature is better than the competition,from general proportions to jaw hardness.If the bare surfaces could be stopped from rusting,they'd be perfect.

Funny you should say that. I recently dug up a pair of Channellock tongue and groove pliers out in my yard. Either 330s or 440s, but they weren't mine. I can only assume they had been buried since this property was developed in 1973.

They are badly rusted, even severely pitted. After I cleaned off the clay and lubed them up, I threw them in the toolbox. They work as good as new, although they are quite ugly.