Snap on LN46ACF question

[ehits]

Hello, I recently received my first snap-on tools…the 7 and 9” long nose slip joint pliers, ordered from their site.

Upon inspection I noticed inconsistencies between the jaws of the 7” near the tip. Before I ask SO CS, I wanted to see if there is a reason for this because when I google images, they ALL seem like they share the same “issue”.

Does anybody have any insight? I don’t foresee any notable issues while using them, but I was curious if they are designed like that and for my first snap on purchase I guess I had different expectations in the form of the tool…and yes, that’s a Harbor Freight flier.

What say you?

 

[Andres26tnt]

Return them and get the the HF equivalent. JK . They aren't design like that, you can return and get a different one. For the price I would expect better quality. My nepros also highly priced were perfect from day one, and they better be as they cost 50 to 60$ depending on the retailer you buy they from. But if you don't mind them go ahead and keep them.

 

[B_Bimmer]

They are high quality tools designed to be used. If you people would do that instead of examining them through a camera lens with better eyesight then you your first world problems would dissappear and you would be a far more productive individual.

 

[richfinn]

I would return them (if you can't live with it) and get the Knipex Twin Grip 150s instead

 

[ehits]

Return them and get the the HF equivalent. JK . They aren't design like that, you can return and get a different one. For the price I would expect better quality. My nepros also highly priced were perfect from day one, and they better be as they cost 50 to 60$ depending on the retailer you buy they from. But if you don't mind them go ahead and keep them.

lol, if HF made the equivalent, I would at least compare it. There’s been many times these would have made things easier so was ok with the SO price.

They are high quality tools designed to be used. If you people would do that instead of examining them through a camera lens with better eyesight then you your first world problems would dissappear and you would be a far more productive individual.

Great insight, thanks. I can’t focus on anything less than an arm length away and I noticed this pretty quickly. I’m asking if it’s unusual. I work hard for my dollar so I want the most out of it.

 

[AJHD]

I would return them (if you can't live with it) and get the Knipex Twin Grip 150s instead

Completely different tools there bud. Yes they are both pliers, but different designs with different intended uses.

 

[Boogerman]

If you're not satisfied with them, just return them and buy the brand/style/look you want.

There are lots of pliers out there, with some persistence, you should be able to find some with jaws that are like you want them.

I have several pair of "identical" talon SO. I think every one has slightly different shape to them. But, I didn't buy them for comparative similarity, I bought them to use and they've been very satisfactory over the years. Not saying that's the outlook you should have, if you want perfectly identical symmetry in your pliers and define the value of your hard earned dollars being satisfied that way, you should absolutely return them and buy ones that you're satisfied with. No reason to keep and use expensive items that aren't what you want. You'll always have the feeling that they're somehow defective and insufficient because of the perceived lack of quality due to inconsistencies in the construction.

 

[richfinn]

Completely different tools there bud. Yes they are both pliers, but different designs with different intended uses.

Twin Grips are the only Slip Joints I have nowadays, the new 150s might be a good alternative

 

[Fedwrench]

I don't think the teeth are unusual. I just looked at my 7 inch pair and they have the same inconsistencies as yours
I have two separate opinions on this issue. First, you're the paying customer and if you're not happy with the tool, return it. You're spending your hard earn money and should expect to receive a quality product regardless of manufacturer.
Secondly, I don't really look at the teeth on my pliers that much. I don't think the smooth spot will affect their ability to grip The pliers work fine and the **** I use them on is far from new/perfect so, I'm keeping them and using the hell out of them but, that's just me.

 

[FigN⋅m]

Hello, I recently received my first snap-on tools…the 7 and 9” long nose slip joint pliers, ordered from their site.

What say you?

Are you referring to the actual tip misalignment, or the flat spots?
The alignment is not that severe (unless you're a penny), and the
flat spots align when in the outer slip-joint positions for removing fuses.

 

[Retired dozer fixer]

lol, if HF made the equivalent, I would at least compare it. There’s been many times these would have made things easier so was ok with the SO price.


Great insight, thanks. I can’t focus on anything less than an arm length away and I noticed this pretty quickly. I’m asking if it’s unusual. I work hard for my dollar so I want the most out of it.

Then why didn’t you buy Horrible Fake??

 

[AJHD]

Twin Grips are the only Slip Joints I have nowadays, the new 150s might be a good alternative

I guess they both work. I just see them as being different designs.

I still have my Snap On slip joints. They are my most commonly used and pliers. I have the TwinGrips too, I have the 200's and just got the 150's in the mail. Not sure if I'm going for the 250's later.

I also have a pair of the Vamplier slip joints with a similar design to the TwinGrips.

Then why didn’t you buy Horrible Fake??

HF has not released the Icon version of these pliers yet.

 

[ehits]

I don't think the teeth are unusual. I just looked at my 7 inch pair and they have the same inconsistencies as yours
I have two separate opinions on this issue. First, you're the paying customer and if you're not happy with the tool, return it. You're spending your hard earn money and should expect to receive a quality product regardless of manufacturer.
Secondly, I don't really look at the teeth on my pliers that much. I don't think the smooth spot will affect their ability to grip The pliers work fine and the **** I use them on is far from new/perfect so, I'm keeping them and using the hell out of them but, that's just me.

That’s some good advice and perspective, thank you.

Are you referring to the actual tip misalignment, or the flat spots?
The alignment is not that severe (unless you're a penny), and the
flat spots align when in the outer slip-joint positions for removing fuses.

I’m referring to the “step” on the smooth grip surface and the grip pattern at the tips going down the tip further on one. The slight tip alignment isn’t a problem for the reasons you said

Then why didn’t you buy Horrible Fake??

They don’t have them. I also find the Icon hype is just that…hype.

 

[Andres26tnt]

They are high quality tools designed to be used. If you people would do that instead of examining them through a camera lens with better eyesight then you your first world problems would dissappear and you would be a far more productive individual.

I'm sure you would keep your 3000$ watch , if it came with a cracked glass since it's design to be used everyday .

Joking aside if i pay top dollar, I expected some good quality.

 

[BrandonV]

I'm sure you would keep your 3000$ watch , if it came with a cracked glass since it's design to be used everyday .

Joking aside if i pay top dollar, I expected some good quality.

I just find it really odd that all the pliers I get from Taiwan & China have perfectly aligned jaws.

Not dissing the SO pliers by any stretch of the imagination but I agree... it's a little odd they have a problem with jaw alignment.

 

[M635_Guy]

They are high quality tools designed to be used. If you people would do that instead of examining them through a camera lens with better eyesight then you your first world problems would dissappear and you would be a far more productive individual.

Here's the things though: If it was an Icon, people would talk about how garbage their quality was. If you can't expect basic execution and alignment for that money, what exactly are you paying for?

 

[Andres26tnt]

I just find it really odd that all the pliers I get from Taiwan & China have perfectly aligned jaws.

Not dissing the SO pliers by any stretch of the imagination but I agree... it's a little odd they have a problem with jaw alignment.

Exactly my point, if you pay good money for a high quality product. I expected a high quality product. Snap-on is not exactly charging the bare minimum to pay their employees. It's a billion dollar company, that claims to make the best of the best.

 

[Wamsutta]

If you ordered those from the Snap-on site, they'll tell you to take them to your local scrap metal yard and they'll send you a new pair.

 

[gatewaysysop]

They are high quality tools designed to be used. If you people would do that instead of examining them through a camera lens with better eyesight then you your first world problems would dissappear and you would be a far more productive individual.

They are high quality tools when SO gets it right. Which with these pliers, from the sheer number of threads I've seen, must not be very often. High quality products with piss poor quality control aren't necessarily worth the premium price tag. Personally, I think life is too short to be chasing after warranty service out of the box and hoping that eventually you'll get what you paid for. That goes doubly with a premium brand where you pay a huge premium.

Strictly speaking, with these pliers and the on-going 100-tooth ratchet issues, SO really needs to get their **** together and do better. The optics aren't great when a premium brand can't reliably produce pliers or ratchets anymore.

 

[Steve_P]

There have probably been more quality complaints about these here than any other SO plier; maybe all others combined. Not sure why they can't get it right.

I haven't seen any? complaints about the Knipex Twin Grips here. I'd love for Knipex to use their Twin Grip slip joint design with these type of jaws- it'd be far superior to the SO design.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

There have probably been more quality complaints about these here than any other SO plier; maybe all others combined. Not sure why they can't get it right.

I haven't seen any? complaints about the Knipex Twin Grips here. I'd love for Knipex to use their Twin Grip slip joint design with these type of jaws- it'd be far superior to the SO design.

A lot of people complain about tip alignment visuals. As pliers, they're fantastic.

 

[ehits]

Well, I think I’m more inclined to keep them but I did ask the question to SO to see what they have to say. FWIW, the 9” ones look and feel great.

 

[M635_Guy]

Well, I think I’m more inclined to keep them but I did ask the question to SO to see what they have to say. FWIW, the 9” ones look and feel great.

I wouldn't make any excuses for SO, nor would I let them off the hook.

(I'd say the same thing for Icon too )

 

[FigN⋅m]

I wouldn't make any excuses for SO, nor would I let them off the hook.

(I'd say the same thing for Icon too )

Well it would be easier if HF just went ahead and started a truck fleet

 

[M635_Guy]

Well it would be easier if HF just went ahead and started a truck fleet

The math *****. SO passes all the capital financial risk for the trucks and a lot of inventory down to their route owners. It's one reason why their financials are so good and clean (their pricing model doesn't hurt obv.). HF can't do that (at least without major changes in their business model) and if they're not willing to sell singles or even really have a full-bore web business, they're definitely not interested in having trucks.

I sometimes wonder what things would look like if they partnered with NAPA (which would give them access to stores that had trucks running to shops pretty regularly), but even that is too far out of their swim lane.

(all of that is, of course, just my opinion)

 

[KnurledNut]

Snap-on could make better pliers. They have the manufacturing, engineering, QC and distribution capabilities. Compared to their ratchets, withholding Cynergy, bulletproof wrenches, finely crafted and tuned socketry, and perfected storage solutions, their pliers are just kind of meh. They nail certain design features and fall short in others. These long nose slip joints are an advancement long overdue. Regarding these particular issues, I say blame the robots!

 

[M635_Guy]

Snap-on could make better pliers. They have the manufacturing, engineering, QC and distribution capabilities. Compared to their ratchets, withholding Cynergy, bulletproof wrenches, finely crafted and tuned socketry, and perfected storage solutions, their pliers are just kind of meh. They nail certain design features and fall short in others. These long nose slip joints are an advancement long overdue. Regarding these particular issues, I say blame the robots!

I guess I'm weird. The difference between my Icon and SO ratchets and sockets is pretty small (If I'm honest, my Ko-ken ratchet and z-series sockets are better than all of them). I don't own SO wrenches, but based on the various testing I've seen, the Icon wrenches are fairly close too (and mine have been great for me).

But the first pair of LN46-ACF I got was manifestly the nicest pair of pliers I'd ever held. It was essentially the same feeling I had when I got my first Malco vice grips. I find myself reaching for the the '46 all the time, to the point where I got a second one and its big brother in the "Power Blue" color I've always liked.


When Icon comes out with their LN47-ACF clone, I'll almost certainly grab one to stick in my tool roll, and at that point I'll compare. But as a guy who owns Icon flush cutters and the pliers wrench I'll say this: While they're 100% fine tools and work perfectly, there's a jump between them and the SO pliers I have, or even my Knipex pairs (similar to the Malco thing - even my old pairs of MiUSA Petersen pairs didn't feel nearly as nice/beefy).

And much like the Malcos, which did great in the Project Farm test for example, I think the SO pliers would probably be a clearer top-of-the-heap vs. others if they devised good tests for them than the combo wrenches and sockets.

Whether they're worth the price is a different equation, but when I'm paying Snap On prices I'm going to demand absolute quality and execution out of the box. I've definitely left my marks on the red '46 pair above, but that's what I did to them - for the price they command, the starting point should be excellence. It's part of what you pay for. Snap On will step up, and they should.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

I’m still trying to understand the problem. My pliers are the same way, so what am I not seeing?

 

[ehits]

I’m still trying to understand the problem. My pliers are the same way, so what am I not seeing?

The last 1/2” of the tips are machined differently. Most notably at the smooth part between the very tips and where the grip gets more aggressive. The flat part also has a “shelf” where I’m guessing the grip should be

 

[Meursault74]

The last 1/2” of the tips are machined differently. Most notably at the smooth part between the very tips and where the grip gets more aggressive. The flat part also has a “shelf” where I’m guessing the grip should be

The "shelf" is cool on your pliers. It seems to be for auto fuses. Go grab a fuse the two ways (smallest position and middle position) you can and you'll see the shelf lines up both ways on the fuse. The difference in the grind is for the middle position.

 

[FigN⋅m]

It looks like there should not be grip there - as in the 1st position, the teeth would be pushing against nothing.
It is a machining step to allow the fuse feature to align, but not have useless extra teeth on one side.

 

[ehits]

The "shelf" is cool on your pliers. It seems to be for auto fuses. Go grab a fuse the two ways (smallest position and middle position) you can and you'll see the shelf lines up both ways on the fuse. The difference in the grind is for the middle position.

It looks like there should not be grip there - as in the 1st position, the teeth would be pushing against nothing.
It is a machining step to allow the fuse feature to align, but not have useless extra teeth on one side.

That’s the stuff I’m trying to learn. I did end up asking snap-on…not trying to get a refund or anything…just asked it this was normal or designed that way. She replied asking for my info to send a replacement. I didn’t even ask for one or say I was upset, lol. Just asked if it was supposed to be like that. So I’ll be getting a replacement here pretty soon. I’ll reply with a follow up when I get it.

 

[Meursault74]

That’s the stuff I’m trying to learn. I did end up asking snap-on…not trying to get a refund or anything…just asked it this was normal or designed that way. She replied asking for my info to send a replacement. I didn’t even ask for one or say I was upset, lol. Just asked if it was supposed to be like that. So I’ll be getting a replacement here pretty soon. I’ll reply with a follow up when I get it.

I'd venture to say that most involved in this forum would know more about the tools than the administrative/clerical workers that Snap-On has hired in customer service. I could be wrong, but from how your interaction was laid out, that's the thought that came to mind. You'd likely have to get a technical person on the phone at SO to get your answer.

One of the tool reviewers on youtube mentioned the fuse removal aspect. I checked it out myself in my garage with a fuse. It looks designed to be able to pull out an auto fuse in two orientations. Pretty clever addition. Mind you I don't regularly pull out fuses, but have done so in the past with regular single pivot long nose pliers and it wasn't that well suited for the task.

 

[ehits]

Well, the new one came in. Same appearance! It has exceptionally minor differences than the original…the new ones have slightly narrower tips and the nut grabbing teeth are slightly beveled on one jaw. Those same teeth have rounded valleys in the serration too. I say these not to complain but in case anybody cares. The warranty people basically gave me a free spare I guess. I was not instructed to dispose of or return the originals.

 

[FigN⋅m]

You now have 2 perfectly functional, built-as-intended sets of pliers. Go forth and use them often.

This makes me think about a GameStop-style warranty blitz, where every Snap-On owner warranties
everything they own at once just to see what the company would do...

 

[pizza]

here's my ln46acf if it helps. a 'shelf' in the flat part on one side is def normal.




imo yours is fine, but i have noticed some minor variances in the teeth knurling. i'd consider complaining if they don't feel sharp enough or something, but then again, that initial super sharpness only lasts so long once you start grabbing a lot of **** with them.