side cutt4rs klein (blue) or channelock?

[kenc184]

I lost my channelock 338 side cutters some time ago. On one visit to the junk store (HF) I lost my mind and bought their cheap channelock clones. Well, today I had to cut a bunch of hog rings from my 56 chevy seats. When you cut an installed hog ring you are cutting right at the tip of the pliers. Needless to say, the HF pliers broke at the tip after a few dozen hog rings.

I'd like to buy some good side cutters - a pair where I could cut say 100 hog rings in car upholstery without blowing the tip off! Do I buy another set of channelock 338s, or are the much more expensive Klein d2000s a better bet?

 

[redwrench60]

Uhhhhh Klein 2000 series no contest.

 

[Skin]

Knipex Cobolts

 

[plinker]

I had a set of D228-8 Klein's that were used a lot for at least eight years, they got moved to the road box when I bought some Channellock 338's which are as good or better since I found later the red grip d228-8's were supposed to be soft metal only (not sure where I read it).

I was going to buy the Klein 2000 cutters, but tried out the Channelock's instead. I dont think you could go wrong with either. If I have to cut anything like heavy wire (1/8"+), I use 8" Knipex mini bolt cutters.


Snap-on or Knipex may be worth looking at as well.

 

[sberry]

I believe they are diagonals.

 

[bobcatdan]

I dont think you can go wrong with either. For as much **** as people like to throw at channellock these days, I dont see anything wrong with their side cutters. Yet to find anything bad with the few Kleins so no reason to vote against them either. Other than the mini bolt cutters which is awesome, straight forward knipex side cutters are nothing special and I'm rather disappointed in the ones I have not being anything better than my channellocks. Personally my favorite side cutters are my snap on.

 

[kenc184]

I believe they are diagonals.

I never understood the difference between diagonal cutters and side cutters.

 

[KnurledNut]

Knipex Cobolts

This is what i would grab...

 

[sberry]

Lineman are side cutters, they have cutter on the side. Iromworkers call the tiewire pliers, sparkles lineman, carpenter's and welders sidecutters. I believe Klein calls diag as does Channel.

 

[kenc184]

Ahh, OK, thanks.

Think I am going to buy a set of the cobolts - they look pretty handy - and another set of 338s since they are not too pricey.

Why buy one pair when you can buy two?

 

[driz]

Lineman are side cutters, they have cutter on the side. Iromworkers call the tiewire pliers, sparkles lineman, carpenter's and welders sidecutters. I believe Klein calls diag as does Channel.

Don’t forget [emoji85]DIKES


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[Crazyjake8493]

Klein over Channellock, no doubt. Although preferably NWS or Knipex over Klein.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

The choice is easyKLEIN

 

[rustbucket5]

knipex for sure

 

[redheelerdog]

Lineman are side cutters, they have cutter on the side. Iromworkers call the tiewire pliers, sparkles lineman, carpenter's and welders sidecutters. I believe Klein calls diag as does Channel.

My father-inlaw (Master Plumber) call them: Channel-locks... $hithooks

 

[Dave455]

In the U.K. we’d call those cutters ‘wire cutters’, and although a good pair might put up with cutting a bit more, that’s not really what they’re designed for!

I have a small pair of bolt croppers in my workshop, and thats what I’ve traditionally used for this sort of thing, but they’re still a big tool, maybe too big for some jobs.

I’ve got a pair of the Knipex Cobolt cutters as well now. Awesome tool. You wind up cutting a lot of stuff that’s just a bit big for wire cutters (in my case everything from fencing wire to small screws) and these work just fine, without being too big for a tool box!

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

I have one pair of the Channel lock brand and three of the Kliens. The Kliens are more expensive but something about the shape of the handles. The handle and the size just fit the hand better and work better. They both seem like they cut the same. It’s just how they feel in the hand.

 

[shanny19]

As you can see from the responses, it’s kinda two questions.....
Klein are the better diagonals over Channellock.
But the tool for your tip cutting hog ring job is a Cobolt. You’ll love them.

 

[rlitman]

Between Klein and Channellock, I'd always prefer the Klein tool. However, the Klein warranty is so-so. If what you buy is a stock item in a store, then the Klein warranty is easy peazy, just take the broken one in for a replacement. But if you're ordering a non-stock item, then my personal experience is just toss out a tool if you broke it.

 

[kctyphoon]

If you want diagonal cutters, the 3 best choices out there will be Knipex, NWS, and probably the Klein 2000 series. I only say probably, because those are the only models i dont personally own - that said, the standard Kleins are still pretty robust, so if the 2000’s are improved i have no doubt they will hold up just fine. Channellocks just wont withstand the cutting of hard materials, and it wont matter which model you buy - they all use the same metal. 338’s (if I remember correctly) are retired now, so you’d have to either find an old set online somewhere, or buy the newer E338.

I can tell you this much - the Knipex are pretty much bomb proof, and the NWS which i just recently bought (standard style, already had the fantastico - those really aren’t worth it IMO) seem just as good with the jaws having a slightly nicer tip on them - but its not like ive used them for a year to really abuse them yet.

The knipex mini bolt cutters will amaze you with what they can cut. Realize there are several different models, and some have a notch in the back of the jaw or “throat” (for lack of a better term) for really hard material.

Klein also makes these monster diagonals now. J2000, so they are the heavy duty series also. I dont have them yet, but they are basically lineman pliers made into a diagonal cutter. While that doesnt mean the jaws wont get damaged on something you shouldn’t use them on, the sheer size of them is impressive. I’m not suggesting these are the best choice, but the fact they are made just makes me want them.. lol. If you zoom in on the pic, you’ll notice the cutting edge is slightly recessed from the end of the jaw, so not the best choice if you need the very tip of the tool. For cutting things like tie wraps that are already pulled tight around something, this could be very annoying.

For what its worth - Channellock also uses a different style of cutter design. Instead of 2 sharp edges, they use a cutter anvil combo - so one edge is duller than the other. This is meant to help the cutter edges from skipping over each other when pressure is applied, which do happen on the standard Klein cutters i have.

 

[dnschmidt]

Which HF diagonals did you buy. I bought the Doyle and I've found them to be excellent.

 

[kctyphoon]

Which HF diagonals did you buy. I bought the Doyle and I've found them to be excellent.

Yea i wanted to know as well.. one of these days I’m gonna buy some of those for the guys at work and see how they do. Price is not as cheap as they should be though IMO, but if they are clones of the original Kleins, which they appear to be - and are just as good - then i guess its a deal.

 

[FigureItOut]

I have most of the cutters listed here, and my vote is for Cobolt. I actually bought my pair specifically for hog rings, and it works fantastic. Very little effort so fatigue is no issue, and the tips will laugh off hog rings

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[kenc184]

Thanks for all the input, what a great forum this is!

I have a set of cobolts and a set of 338s winging their way to me as we speak. Seems like the kleins get the vote for the better diagonal cutters, but the combo of cobolts plus 338s seems a good general purpose set.

Oh, yes it was the "Doyle" set. Funny how HF has come up with a bunch of pretend name brands for just about everything they sell now.

 

[kctyphoon]

What hf has done, is what every other military and corporation has done. Instead of spending all the money of r&d - let someone else do it, and then just copy them.

Your channellocks will be fine as long as you avoid hard metal. They are not meant for it. despite what some people wish, they aren’t knipex diagonals.

 

[kenc184]

My problem with HF is that virtually everything they sell has been incorrectly heat treated. I had one of their Beverley Shear knockoffs years ago. After cutting about 18 inches of 18ga sheetmetal the entire cutting edge of both blades was chipped to hell. I got rid of it and bought a used Beverley B2.

 

[Sine Swept]

Knipex bolt cutters - they cut nails, MC cable, screws and those hog rings all day long

 

[JVB]

Ahh, OK, thanks.

Think I am going to buy a set of the cobolts - they look pretty handy - and another set of 338s since they are not too pricey.

Why buy one pair when you can buy two?

Wouldn’t a pair and two be the same thing?

I agree with the knipex , ran across an amazon warehouse deal and they are top notch.

 

[Professional Tool User]

For side cutters, only spend the extra money on Klein if you want diagonal ones. Otherwise Channellock is cheaper and there can't be that big of a difference in performance. Knipex's mini bolt cutters are better suited for what you are doing with it though.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Our neighbour at the lake is electrician. I borrowed his CL lineman pliers to cut off a screw. Wouldn’t do the trick, pulled out the Klein’s and it was done. He says he buys CLs because the are cheap. I think mine are original from work probably 35+ years old.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Knipex Cobolt are awesome!!

 

[kctyphoon]

Its not the so much the brand - lineman pliers are basically lineman pliers across the board.. its the metal they use to make them, or how hard it is. This only matters when you start doing things you really shouldn’t be doing - which is easy to do with a big hunk of metal in ur hands. If youre just cutting wires, you can buy anything. When you start using them as prybars to pull out screws, clamps, and cut things that were meant to hold “other things” down, then the metal matters..

 

[Professional Tool User]

Klein D-2000 series Lineman pliers are also way better than Channellock...

Klein wire strippers are also better.

I can't comment on the linesmans as I'm not an electrician and hardly ever use them, but I never said I don't like Klein wire strippers. They aren't that badly priced and I use them. Though tbh I use my ideal automatic wire strippers more. As for whether or not the Klein wire strippers are superior to Channellock, I've have to play around with my Channellock wire strippers for a while to come to my own conclusion.

 

[Hytekrednek]

the 2 pair of klien I had, blue and red types, were very disappointing. They both worked fine for copper wire, but anything much harder dented and chipped the edges. No, not cutting hard stuff. Finish nails mostly did the damage. The knipex I replaced them with are doing so much better. I even abused them once by cutting a couple wood screws "hardened", that worked great with zero damage. The knipex cobolts would be my choice for that job.

 

[WittHay]

Usually Kleins arent used for automotive tasks like bending and cutting cotterpins or cutting machine screws. The Channellock 447 and Snap-on 388 work the best for me.

Cutting fencing wire I use small Pro-Point aluminum bolt cutters. As mentioned those Knipex mini bolt cutters should do the trick

 

[FigureItOut]

Who knew, there are actually cutters made specifically for hog rings. I had no idea.

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[kenc184]

Ahhhhh, life is good again. The channelocks aren't as nicely finished as they used to be - I had to run the edges over my deburring wheel as they were very sharp. I expect they'll work just as well as my old pair though - still made in USA.
The Knipex are all you have learned to expect from Knipex quality.