Something superior to NWS pliers

[JFieldy]

Hey guys,

First post here, I've read the threads on here for a long time and decided it was about time I signed up.

Anyway, received my first pair of NWS pliers today in the mail and I can't say I'm impressed. I read up for quite a while and looked extensively and Knipex and thought they looked great, but thought of trying NWS as I heard they were the best.

The pair is a 205mm long nose plier. The alignment is off and the and machining isn't great. Not sure if I've just got a dodgy pair though.

Anyone here got any suggestions for superior pliers? I was thinking to look at Knipex, Bahco and Gedore.

 

[Davefr]

SO is best of class in the needle nose segment. Klein is a close second.

You're not the first to complain about NWS quality. Knipex makes some good stuff but needle nose pliers aren't one of them.

I have no experience with Gedore or Bahco.

 

[woody 73]

Hi and welcome to the GJ.

I am not sure of your location in the World, but from the items you mentioned sounds like you might be from overseas; in that case the knipex are very nice pliers.

I do not own any of the nws, but from my limited understanding they are nice pliers sounds like you got a dodgy pair.

I own several of the Knipex and they are very nice pliers; at this time I do not own any of the Bahco or Gedore prducts due to the fact that most places I go to in central "AHIA" (Ohio) do not carry them.

Hope that helps you out.

 

[stonesfan68]

Pics?

 

[woody 73]

SO is best of class in the needle nose segment. Klein is a close second.

You're not the first to complain about NWS quality. Knipex makes some good stuff but needle nose pliers aren't one of them.

I have no experience with Gedore or Bahco.

Not sure where the op is from but I bet Snap on might be hard to find. I do seem to recall a post not to long ago about the quality of the nws pliers I wonder if someone can locate that old post?

 

[Stuey]

Send 'em back, try the replacement.

I recently bought 2 styles of Bahco pliers, had problems with the made-in-China one. Spanish-made one was nearly perfect.

 

[Brunel]

Knipex are the business! Will try to post some pics later

 

[LeGarage]

Sounds like a dodgy pair.

 

[cheechi]

SO is best of class in the needle nose segment. Klein is a close second.

Agree. Although I don't use the SO for those 'can almost reach' scenarios, they aren't shaped for reaching inside things as well as the more traditional shape.

Knipex makes some good stuff but needle nose pliers aren't one of them.

Don't fully agree. They are better at some things than others I agree, but I wouldn't put them across the board bad.

 

[zruvalcaba]

Wow, I just sold a set of 7 NWS pliers because I had to have the green SO ones to match my box. Big mistake. I loved the NWS ones...fit, ergos, and quality were top notch. My SO ones are twice the size of the NWS pliers I had and are very hard to open and close. Bigger isn't always better in this case and I felt the NWS pliers were the perfect size. For the price, I would definitely buy the NWS ones again.

 

[LeGarage]

I took some pics of my own pliers. I think the quality and machining are great. But decide for yourself...

 

[Local]

Klein or channel locks if you want to save a little cash, to me Klein makes the best pliers in the business.

 

[Farmall450]

SO is best of class in the needle nose segment. Klein is a close second.

You're not the first to complain about NWS quality. Knipex makes some good stuff but needle nose pliers aren't one of them.

I have no experience with Gedore or Bahco.

+1, SO has very nice pliers. If you want them to cut, Knipex is the way to go. Klein and Channellock are up there too.

 

[IFMJohn]

What about those new tekton made in USA pliers?

 

[Davefr]

I took some pics of my own pliers. I think the quality and machining are great. But decide for yourself...

I really don't care for that serration pattern ^^^. The problem is the serration grip is only effective in the pulling direction. This pattern fails to provide any grip with any twisting or angular motion.

SO's implementation is Talon Grip. Double angular serrations on each jaw:

Note: the Talon Grips extend much further on their regular 196CF pliers. The plier shown is the 196NCF

Klein's are also effective because they have diagonal serrations but the pattern is opposite on the other jaw:

What this means is that the SO and Klein plier noses can pull and twist at nearly any angle without loosing grip onto the object. (ex: like removing a stubborn cotter pin where you pull and twist). This is a huge advantage IMHO.

Knipex seems to cling to the NWS pattern on their mainstream needle nose 26-200's although their catalog shows other patterns avail:

Once you use opposing diagonal or Talon Grips you'll never go back to std. perpendicular serrations.

 

[Carves]

Hey guys,

First post here, I've read the threads on here for a long time and decided it was about time I signed up.

Anyway, received my first pair of NWS pliers today in the mail and I can't say I'm impressed. I read up for quite a while and looked extensively and Knipex and thought they looked great, but thought of trying NWS as I heard they were the best.

The pair is a 205mm long nose plier. The alignment is off and the and machining isn't great. Not sure if I've just got a dodgy pair though.

Anyone here got any suggestions for superior pliers? I was thinking to look at Knipex, Bahco and Gedore.

Contact your supplier and tell them you are not satisfied with the pliers and want a replacement.

Use pics of your pliers and the ones above as comparison.
FWIW ... mine look like the ones above - alignment/closed gap, is fine.

Are NWS the best or is there better ?? ... Who knows - as Ive had times when a rusty, bent, pair of old chinese ones have been the "best" ..

 

[JFieldy]

Thanks for your responses guys.

I'm currently UK based so Knipex, Bahco, Gedore, NWS and also SO are fairly easy for me to come by, Klein and Channelock not so much.

I'll most likely return these and try a replacement first.

Very interesting photos of the serrations, something I had never considered but will be thinking about from now on.

 

[JFieldy]

As for Bahco, I'm currently using their 180mm Side Cutters and they're fantastic. In my experience, the 'real' Bahco tools are great, all of my handsaws (Hack, Crosscut, Coping, Bow, etc...) are also Bahco and they're all excellent.
However, I've seen the cheap ones (not sure if I can call them 'fake') and they're ****.
Starting to think the best way to find good tools is to actually go and see/hold them at a good hardware/tool store that stocks high quality tools.