The Klein Tool addiction thread! :)

[KnurledNut]

New on the market , they were cheap , not a big fan, an idea From 1960s west Germany , but the younger electricians like them, it seems each generation favours a different style of pliers .

What's the Country of Origin on those?
The AU market gets some interesting Klein stuff.

 

[glenng]

What's the Country of Origin on those?
The AU market gets some interesting Klein stuff.

Was about to ask the same thing. They look like Marvel MVA-200N, which are made in Japan.

Marvel (Marvel) VA Pliers MVA – 200 N - Amazon.com

Marvel (Marvel) VA Pliers MVA – 200 N - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[AJHD]

New on the market , they were cheap , not a big fan, an idea From 1960s west Germany , but the younger electricians like them, it seems each generation favours a different style of pliers .

Interesting. Never seen those/that style before.

Edit: Doesn't look like they exist in the United States. Not listed on the Klein website. Too bad.

 

[oldpliers1]

What's the Country of Origin on those?
The AU market gets some interesting Klein stuff.

It’s Japan I believe KIEBA is the sub contractor , they are far better in quality to the Marvel product , I own the marvel and crescent and German versions they are well made and meet the Klein level of quality. I have shown a few other shots of the j12098AU and the j12098 variants and the crescent variant

 

[KnurledNut]

@oldpliers1
Looks like an insulated version is available too, 12099AEINS.
Found a picture. Made in Japan.

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

not a big fan, an idea From 1960s west Germany , but the younger electricians like them

I'm not a professional electrician, but they do seem more suitable given lower effort and cleaner cut on copper wire. Sure, both a dedicated diagonal cutter and cable cutter are nicer, but if you're going to have a multi-function plier for gripping, why would anyone prefer to have a non-shear blade on it?

 

[four.cycle]

^ Equivalent to Vampire VT-003-85 (which is manufactured in Taiwan)

 

[KnurledNut]

I'm not a professional electrician, but they do seem more suitable given lower effort and cleaner cut on copper wire. Sure, both a dedicated diagonal cutter and cable cutter are nicer, but if you're going to have a multi-function plier for gripping, why would anyone prefer to have a non-shear blade on it?

The induction hardened straight mating knives of standard lineman pliers are less prone to damage and can cut (pinch) harder materials. They also work better with solid electrical wire which is more common in some areas like the USA. And they allow for a closer cut since the cutter is flush to one side. This gives an advantage for pulling stuff too.

 

[oldpliers1]

While we are on the subject , Regards ( TPS is your Romex and it’s stranded 7 core various sizes )

 

[glenng]

It’s Japan I believe KIEBA is the sub contractor , they are far better in quality to the Marvel product , I own the marvel and crescent and German versions they are well made and meet the Klein level of quality. I have shown a few other shots of the j12098AU and the j12098 variants and the crescent variant

Interesting. Would you happen to have the Keiba part number for these? I can't find any cross-cut type pliers like these on the Keiba website. Thx.

 

[oldpliers1]

Interesting. Would you happen to have the Keiba part number for these? I can't find any cross-cut type pliers like these on the Keiba website. Thx.

That’s a really good question, and you will not find them listed or sold by Keiba , they are a subcontracted item . Keiba made products for established Tool companies like Sidchrome in Japan for the Australian company ( which is now facom /stanley) yet the deal does not permit them to copy the item for the Keiba brand . I will post a example shortly , Here are the 3 examples the first 2 pairs are made in Japan the 3rd pair is Australian made , they are so close in size and design ( originally released 1984 a take on crescents 3800-8) Keiba made pair one confirmed, pair 2 verbally confirmed made for Klein USA / Australia , pair 3 Sidchrome Australia. Regards

 

[KnurledNut]

I like how the gripping end closes all the way unlike standard linemans that have a gap.

 

[glenng]

That’s a really good question, and you will not find them listed or sold by Keiba , they are a subcontracted item . Keiba made products for established Tool companies like Sidchrome in Japan for the Australian company ( which is now facom /stanley) yet the deal does not permit them to copy the item for the Keiba brand . I will post a example shortly

Thanks. Good to know.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Here are 4 of mine that I really like.

- 12098 EINS
- J2000-9NECR
- 203-7 EINS
- 32698 Switch Drive Handle & long bits. (Bit holder and long 1/4” adapter not by Klein Tools.)



Kind regards,
Olli

 

[genog]

I found these at the local Flea Market

The Seller had at least two of everything pictured.....I bought both of his Spring Tools
They're great for re-lacing baseball gloves

 

[oldpliers1]

Here are 4 of mine that I really like.

- 12098 EINS
- J2000-9NECR
- 203-7 EINS
- 32698 Switch Drive Handle & long bits. (Bit holder and long 1/4” adapter not by Klein Tools.)



Kind regards,
Olli

Das ist gut ja ! I fully agree really good tools for electricians , though I have not owned or used the drive handle. Regards from Australia.

 

[willf650]

Ok I thought the Knect stuff was kind of a gimmick. I remember the O’ Ratchet from waaaay back. The Knect ratchets are ruff and unrefined compared to a regular ratchet but my opinion has now swayed.

Face it, electricians aren’t putting together motors or machinery generally so unless your torquing electrical lugs you’re mainly mounting stuff or making racking and using 1/4” or 3/8” hardware.

After using this a few weeks this little kit is awesome for the purposes of electricians. The 9/16” socket and extension is great for strut and it comes with a nut driver handle and 1/4” hex impact adapter.

 

[Hakeem]

The induction hardened straight mating knives of standard lineman pliers are less prone to damage and can cut (pinch) harder materials. They also work better with solid electrical wire which is more common in some areas like the USA. And they allow for a closer cut since the cutter is flush to one side. This gives an advantage for pulling stuff too.

Yes, lineman pliers are THE pair of pliers used for everything, and they need to be tough to withstand it all. Shear blades wouldn’t hold up well to cutting nails, armored cable, machine screws, etc.

 

[oldpliers1]

Yes, lineman pliers are THE pair of pliers used for everything, and they need to be tough to withstand it all. Shear blades wouldn’t hold up well to cutting nails, armored cable, machine screws, etc.

I don’t cut nails and machine screws with lineman’s I have damaged 2 pairs of kleins , I prefer the Klein journeyman 8 inch cutters with the HD blades or the HK porter mini bolt cutters on machine screws and Catenary wire. Somethings do damage lineman’s pliers.but it’s personal choice .

 

[oldpliers1]

Ok I thought the Knect stuff was kind of a gimmick. I remember the O’ Ratchet from waaaay back. The Knect ratchets are ruff and unrefined compared to a regular ratchet but my opinion has now swayed.

Face it, electricians aren’t putting together motors or machinery generally so unless your torquing electrical lugs you’re mainly mounting stuff or making racking and using 1/4” or 3/8” hardware.

After using this a few weeks this little kit is awesome for the purposes of electricians. The 9/16” socket and extension is great for strut and it comes with a nut driver handle and 1/4” hex impact adapter.

Do they make metric sets ?

 

[willf650]

Do they make metric sets ?

Combination sets that include metric. Over here you can get a straight standard set but not a straight metric from what I’ve seen.

I have two sets and the small standard set is what I’ve used the most. The large combo set only used a couple times.

 

[genog]

I need this for stripping small gauge wire

Seller had several different styles and sizes of Klein strippers
If I manage to find this particular Seller again, I'll buy a couple of others that he has for sale....

 

[willf650]

I bought the Klein meme screwdriver I’ve been seeing on YouTube. It’s ok but unless the handle is night and day difference than the existing screwdriver I’ve been carrying a couple years I don’t know about them. It’s was cheaper but has a fixed length blade were the other is adjustable from standard to long shaft and anything in between.






I’ve also been on a major organization task lately as I’m trying to pack multiple tool bags and also fill the gaps of different brands screwdriver sets I have. I threw all my Klein screw drivers in a box to see what I have and noticed duplicates with the same part# but they are different.

These two have the same tip size, shaft length and part# but different handle size.



These have the same part# but the hex bolsters are different size. One is 3/8” and the other is 8mm. I don’t understand the 8mm as it’s smaller so grabbing it with an adjustable isn’t that great and also I can’t think of any electrician that carries a set of metric wrenches with them.



After gathering up stuff to organize I have sooo many Klein nut drivers. After 30 years of working in the trades when you lost a couple nut drivers it was easier to buy another complete set. Now you have doubles, triples and quadruples of certain sizes but only one complete set.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Klein Tools 32960A:






This is a GREAT driver...in my top 10 already.

More info from the "Made in Japan" Tools thread: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/tools-of-japan.97563/post-11321532

 

[KnurledNut]

I bought the Klein meme screwdriver I’ve been seeing on YouTube. It’s ok but unless the handle is night and day difference than the existing screwdriver I’ve been carrying a couple years I don’t know about them. It’s was cheaper but has a fixed length blade were the other is adjustable from standard to long shaft and anything in between.

Thanks for posting pictures.
I have the old version shown. Compared to it, how much play is there in the shaft of the new one?

Sourcing from Japan is nice, but I wish Klein would have stuck with the traditional translucent greenish yellow instead of making it look like a toy with that bright yellow. And the brass colored knurled metal release on the old version is much more confidence inspiring than that cheap looking gray plastic selector.

Honestly, as much as I like Klein, I’m not all that impressed with the direction the company is taking as a whole. Seems like they’re more concerned with tickling the ears of social media influencers instead of focusing on professional tradesman needs.

 

[LXCam]

Honestly, as much as I like Klein, I’m not all that impressed with the direction the company is taking as a whole. Seems like they’re more concerned with tickling the ears of social media influencers instead of focusing on professional tradesman needs.

I'll echo that sediment. I'm in Grainger's often and they display a wide assortment of Klein gismo's. They seem to be grasping at straws with redesigns of tools that have worked perfectly for decades, now with multiple reiterations of the same basic function with minor inclusions of an alternate function. I stopped buying Klein screwdrivers a couple decades ago when they went to ****. So I suppose the new cooperate directive is if you throw enough **** at the wall somethings gonna stick.

 

[four.cycle]

So I suppose the new cooperate directive is if you throw enough **** at the wall somethings gonna stick.

^ The Klein Tool Company is not alone in this regard. I watch all these pages - particularly "new tools" and "tools of Japan" - and there has been an ongoing proliferation of "new and improved" gizmos across the board, both among domestic and offshore manufacturers.

Not seeing so much "doo-dad" stuff from the European makers, but there seems to be a race to the bottom between American, Taiwan, and Japan based manufacturers.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Honestly, as much as I like Klein, I’m not all that impressed with the direction the company is taking as a whole. Seems like they’re more concerned with tickling the ears of social media influencers instead of focusing on professional tradesman needs.

I stopped buying Klein screwdrivers a couple decades ago when they went to ****. So I suppose the new cooperate directive is if you throw enough **** at the wall somethings gonna stick.

I haven't been around long enough to know how much better the legacy Klein screwdrivers were. I do have some 2000's stuff that was my Dad's and it appears decent and hasn't broken.

I be frank, I only only own a few Klein things. A strap wrench, a handful of pliers, some HV screwdrivers and a basic mod box. That said, I feel like Klein might be trying to modernize themselves. I don't look at them like a very modern company, but I don't consider that a bad thing. When all the Sparky's are using decades old Klein tools on a job site, they must know something I don't.

 

[LXCam]

I haven't been around long enough to know how much better the legacy Klein screwdrivers were. I do have some 2000's stuff that was my Dad's and it appears decent and hasn't broken.

I be frank, I only only own a few Klein things. A strap wrench, a handful of pliers, some HV screwdrivers and a basic mod box. That said, I feel like Klein might be trying to modernize themselves. I don't look at them like a very modern company, but I don't consider that a bad thing. When all the Sparky's are using decades old Klein tools on a job site, they must know something I don't.

Being this has been my core trade for over 4 decades, there are many of us here that made a living with the tools of ole. There's been an ongoing decline for far too long and I feel there's no real need to rehash details at this point.

But here's what I'm seeing in the industry with Klein. Last year I reached out to one of my wholesalers (Graybar) about some specific Modbox goodies. Turns out some of these products were not available to the wholesalers and only available via retail outlets such as Lowes, ETC. IMO, that's very disturbing and for the life of me I don't get it. But what I do get is FLASH sells regardless of functionality which seems to be their direction. I suppose Klein has decided catering to the general public is a better bet than to the tradesmen anymore.


Side note: I invested huge in the Modbox product line. Not just for myself but for my entire crew (mind you, I rarely put tools on but it does happen a few times a month). When I went to load up my tool bag

I found there wasn't enough slots/pouches in a row to secure the entire typical nut driver set let alone maybe provide one additional pouch for a 9/16" driver (my poor wittle greenie spends its life with the general population now - poor guy all alone in a sea of green and black screwdrivers. I bet its like segregated housing to him ).

Who in the right mind at Klein though this through.....fn no one, this disturbs me to no end.

 

[willf650]

Thanks for posting pictures.
I have the old version shown. Compared to it, how much play is there in the shaft of the new one?

Sourcing from Japan is nice, but I wish Klein would have stuck with the traditional translucent greenish yellow instead of making it look like a toy with that bright yellow. And the brass colored knurled metal release on the old version is much more confidence inspiring than that cheap looking gray plastic selector.

Honestly, as much as I like Klein, I’m not all that impressed with the direction the company is taking as a whole. Seems like they’re more concerned with tickling the ears of social media influencers instead of focusing on professional tradesman needs.

The mechanism on the older American screwdriver is better and holds tighter.

The new one holds well but not to the extent of the American one. The Japanese one the shaft slides in and is not fixed and the blade must bottom out in the body of the screwdriver.

The American one grips the shaft of the screwdriver so tight you can stop it any place along the shaft so basically any length blade you want since the handle is hollow.

 

[willf650]

A lot of Kleins new products aren’t the same quality of old but their product line is 4-5 times the size it was a decade ago. Unfortunately all the new expanded products are foreign manufactured.

They seem to be trying to phase out there American made nut drivers for ones made overseas.

One thing that does kind of piss me off with their new stuff is the Allen Keys. They used to be rebranded Eklind keys made in the USA. Now they are all foreign made.

I don’t know if I would say Klein had great quality always. In the late 90s I was wearing out Phillips tipped screw drivers to the point I carried a Craftsman Industrial screwdriver versus a Klein Phillips.

 

[KnurledNut]

The mechanism on the older American screwdriver is better and holds tighter.

The new one holds well but not to the extent of the American one. The Japanese one the shaft slides in and is not fixed and the blade must bottom out in the body of the screwdriver.

The American one grips the shaft of the screwdriver so tight you can stop it any place along the shaft so basically any length blade you want since the handle is hollow.

Thanks for the feedback. I do have that handle and really like how tight it locks up. I remember when I first bought it several years ago the release mechanism took a little getting used to. The adjustable length is great.
I also have the original Switch Drive handle and it worked so well. It was simple, light and quick. But it was short-lived for some reason.
-
I do find it interesting that they called this new model Tru-Grip. Years ago, I helped Megapro name a new overmolded screwdriver design before it was released. It’s called TrueGrip.

 

[jeffmoss26]

#NewKleins

 

[redwrench60]

Someone please explain that goofy *** yellow/black screwdriver to me. I get that it accepts any 1/4” hex quick change driver attachment…..but what’s up with that handle? Looks like something you’d see at a *** shop.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Made by Vessel tools in Japan. https://www.vesseltoolsusa.com/

 

[willf650]

Someone please explain that goofy *** yellow/black screwdriver to me. I get that it accepts any 1/4” hex quick change driver attachment…..but what’s up with that handle? Looks like something you’d see at a *** shop.

It’s probably a Vessel made one and the handle is actually quite nice but I think Klein payed a bunch of people on YouTube to promote it.

I guess you could also sit on it if your so inclined so its dual use.

I used mine last week and it’s a nice screwdriver but not earth shattering. I‘d say if you already have a screwdriver you use pass on it.

 

[KnurledNut]

Made by Vessel tools in Japan. https://www.vesseltoolsusa.com/

Has that been confirmed? I haven't been following this.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Someone please explain that goofy *** yellow/black screwdriver to me. I get that it accepts any 1/4” hex quick change driver attachment…..but what’s up with that handle? Looks like something you’d see at a *** shop.

I don't think the handle is what everyone likes about it. Its the fact it can hold longer 1/4" drive bits without wobble or axial play and is probably the best out there to do that thus far.

If you have lots of specialized med/long length 1/4" bits, this a good driver.

I once only knew tri-lobe / hard handle drivers, but that's all changed for me now. These work better for my application:

 

[Monte]

btw. does someone know how these are ?

 

[KnurledNut]

The tools are stamped USA and there is a sticker in the bottom of the box that confirms the contents are USA made.
I think these are Wright sourced. They produced similar sets in these red boxes and black plastic trays.
View attachment 2341611

I came across a Wright Allied Tools set on HJE that contains the same style ratchet. Its close enough for me to consider this was the source of these.
Here's the link and some pics:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1956288598...KTE1X8&hash=item2d8c6381bf:g:QdEAAOSwjOljyJU3