jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Welcome to the HJE fan club 
The Klein Tool addiction thread! :)
- Thread starter Dennis Leigh Henry
- Start date
IBEW702
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View media item 83164
Got this from my supplier today.
Got this from my supplier today.
Why two yellow rimmed strippers? The white rimmed strippers go up to 8awg. I was pissed when the supply house decided 2 carry the white rimmed 2 months after the yellow's and I had to buy them twice.
jeffmoss26
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IBEW702
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OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
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Ditto to the cool clock....
OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
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jeffmoss26
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rossomania
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OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
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Those wearables are something else.. who would have thunk....
Did you see the clearance items, the 1/8 tip straight/cabinet tip 2" (mini) screw driver is $4.80 ea...
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
got a link?
Gummi Bear
Well-known member
I’ve made my living with Klein Tools, been an electrician for 24 years now. I will try to remember to snap a pic of my tool bag when I get home.
I wear this hat every day.
I’m sitting in class right now, while my students are taking a test. First year electrical apprentices. They are just getting started in the trade, and accumulating their own Klein tools.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
I wear this hat every day.
I’m sitting in class right now, while my students are taking a test. First year electrical apprentices. They are just getting started in the trade, and accumulating their own Klein tools.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I've worn out a couple of those hats!
OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
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jeffmoss26
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Found em in the clearance section, thanks!
Gummi Bear
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My tool pouch and rolling bag. The bag is only a couple years old, and is a huge upgrade to the last one I had. I really like it. The pouch is a Boulder Bag, it has been with me since early in my career. Tools are mostly Klein (Wiss snips, Estwing hammers, stuff like that)
There are 6 zipper bags, all full of tools in that tote, plus some other junk.
This is from when I started moving into my new tool chest. I still am finding pliers and tools scattered about the shop. I was working out of portable tool boxes, buckets and totes for the last 30 years.
Any pliers that are missing the dipped handles, automatically get a set of Klein Kernite handles. I’m used to the feel of them in my hand, and they make me happy.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
There are 6 zipper bags, all full of tools in that tote, plus some other junk.
This is from when I started moving into my new tool chest. I still am finding pliers and tools scattered about the shop. I was working out of portable tool boxes, buckets and totes for the last 30 years.
Any pliers that are missing the dipped handles, automatically get a set of Klein Kernite handles. I’m used to the feel of them in my hand, and they make me happy.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
Well-known member
My tool pouch and rolling bag. The bag is only a couple years old, and is a huge upgrade to the last one I had. I really like it. The pouch is a Boulder Bag, it has been with me since early in my career. Tools are mostly Klein (Wiss snips, Estwing hammers, stuff like that)
There are 6 zipper bags, all full of tools in that tote, plus some other junk.
This is from when I started moving into my new tool chest. I still am finding pliers and tools scattered about the shop. I was working out of portable tool boxes, buckets and totes for the last 30 years.
Any pliers that are missing the dipped handles, automatically get a set of Klein Kernite handles. I’m used to the feel of them in my hand, and they make me happy.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...
Henry David Thoreau
Gummi, I'll have to look into those.. Klein Kernite handles,, I've got several Channel Lock adjustables and some chrome (old school) Craftsman that could use them... good lead.. Thanks!!
Seeing your photo there with the canvas bags reminded me, the new Klein 'stand up' bags are pretty useful. I'm slowly replacing a lot of less organized 'sub storage' (bags inside bags, bags inside boxes) and they are much nicer for ends, wire nuts, etc than the flat bags.
snickers muncher
Well-known member
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I bought a pair of the NWS-made (great German steel!) pair of Irwin linesman pliers for a great deal for work around the house. They are fantastic. No complaints. However, I read (somewhere, I can't remember where) about an electrician who buys up old M. Klein & Sons pliers wherever he can find them because he said they are superiorly manufactured to modern Kleins.
Because of my addiction to old tools (thanks garage journal!), I just bought an old pair of M. Klein 9" linesman pliers on eBay that was a little rusty, but the cutters looked like they were in good shape.
I'll update, but what do you all think about old Kleins vs. new ones?
P.S. I own some other Klein tools: screwdrivers, 7" Linesman pliers, 8" long nose/needle nose pliers – all great, but recent made. I've read about some electricians griping about quality, though.
Because of my addiction to old tools (thanks garage journal!), I just bought an old pair of M. Klein 9" linesman pliers on eBay that was a little rusty, but the cutters looked like they were in good shape.
I'll update, but what do you all think about old Kleins vs. new ones?
P.S. I own some other Klein tools: screwdrivers, 7" Linesman pliers, 8" long nose/needle nose pliers – all great, but recent made. I've read about some electricians griping about quality, though.
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Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
I have the NWS pair and while they're one of my favorite pairs of pliers, I'm not crazy about the wire stripping holes on them. Other than that they've been great.
I got the Irwin/NWS pair with the crimping feature and fish tape pulller. The cutters are bullet-proof! Like butter on copper wires, and they can cut tougher stuff, too. If you want to go old-school and strip wires the old-fashioned way, by feel with side-cutters, the Irwin-NWS pliers are great, to me.
I have a pair of the IRWIN-NWS 6" needle nose pliers, too. One of my most-used tools, and it is flawless.
Lots of great German tools. I, personally, think that NWS makes the best cutting tools, period.
That said, I'm looking forward to seeing how these old M. Klein pliers perform.
I've got a perfectly fine pair of high quality linesman pliers, but they aren't Kleins. Like I said in an earlier post, I bought an old pair of M. Klein & Sons linesman pliers on eBay, just to see what the fuss is all about.
I got them and cleaned them up some. They had a fair bit of surface rust, but otherwise looked like they were in good shape – the cutters looked good and the cross-hatching looked in good shape.
When I received them, they weren't locked up, but very stiff due to the rust.
I gave them an overnight soak in Evapo-Rust, washed them in soap and water, and dried them thoroughly with some help from my wife's hair dryer. I further cleaned them up with a wire wheel on my cordless drill. There was some pitting on the steel, but not too bad. It's meant to be a user, not a collector's item.
I looked up the date of manufacture on Alloy Artifacts. The MCP code means they were manufactured in the first quarter of 1970. So they aren't super old. But I'm still impressed with this 48 year old tool!
They just feel right in your hand. I had some old 12 AWG Romex that I commenced to cutting and stripping, and the cutters and jaws were amazingly efficient.
My only complaint has nothing to do with the tool itself. I don't think these things were heavily used, but had become rusty in storage over time. When the rust was removed by the soak in the Evapo-Rust, the joint became just a teeny, tiny bit loose. There is a tiny wiggle in the pliers. It's noticeable, but negligible in actual use.
Anyway, here are some pics. They have the old ruby Klein-Coat handles. I don't think they are quite as comfy as the soft handles that come on the modern Journeyman series, but I like them better than the standard "dipped" hands. Another fine old tool that I don't really need, but I really enjoy owning. I'm no pro, but I like to buy great tools whenever I can find a deal.
I got them and cleaned them up some. They had a fair bit of surface rust, but otherwise looked like they were in good shape – the cutters looked good and the cross-hatching looked in good shape.
When I received them, they weren't locked up, but very stiff due to the rust.
I gave them an overnight soak in Evapo-Rust, washed them in soap and water, and dried them thoroughly with some help from my wife's hair dryer. I further cleaned them up with a wire wheel on my cordless drill. There was some pitting on the steel, but not too bad. It's meant to be a user, not a collector's item.
I looked up the date of manufacture on Alloy Artifacts. The MCP code means they were manufactured in the first quarter of 1970. So they aren't super old. But I'm still impressed with this 48 year old tool!
They just feel right in your hand. I had some old 12 AWG Romex that I commenced to cutting and stripping, and the cutters and jaws were amazingly efficient.
My only complaint has nothing to do with the tool itself. I don't think these things were heavily used, but had become rusty in storage over time. When the rust was removed by the soak in the Evapo-Rust, the joint became just a teeny, tiny bit loose. There is a tiny wiggle in the pliers. It's noticeable, but negligible in actual use.
Anyway, here are some pics. They have the old ruby Klein-Coat handles. I don't think they are quite as comfy as the soft handles that come on the modern Journeyman series, but I like them better than the standard "dipped" hands. Another fine old tool that I don't really need, but I really enjoy owning. I'm no pro, but I like to buy great tools whenever I can find a deal.
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I absolutely love the new strippers from Klein. Been using them for a couple months now and they are great.
OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
Well-known member
Scotty, nice classic...
unknownroad
Well-known member
Picked these pliers up on sale @ HD this week, but I'm a little surprised that the jaws are so far from closing - you can nearly slide a dime between them, and the cutting blades don't quite touch at the far end. Is that normal for this style or did I get a reject set?
Any "proper" pair of linesman pliers has a slight gap between the jaws, as you noticed. That is because the tip is made for grasping and twisting copper wire to do splices and such without crushing the wire.
However, the cutting blades should touch evenly across their edges. If yours don't, you should be able to exchange them under warranty because that would be a manufacturer's defect.
davethorik
Well-known member
Picked these pliers up on sale @ HD this week, but I'm a little surprised that the jaws are so far from closing - you can nearly slide a dime between them, and the cutting blades don't quite touch at the far end. Is that normal for this style or did I get a reject set?
I believe those are one of Klein lineman pliers that have the more aggressive teeth. Never owned one but perhaps those have a larger gap than traditional lineman pliers bc of larger teeth.
timbitca
Well-known member
Here's my current collection. All from yard sales/garage sales.
All the screwdrivers, the diagonals and the smaller linesmen's were a 13$ purchase at one sale.
OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
Well-known member
Here's my current collection. All from yard sales/garage sales.
All the screwdrivers, the diagonals and the smaller linesmen's were a 13$ purchase at one sale.
The journey of the hunt... very nice collection.....
DSLTRK
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OP
Dennis Leigh Henry
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Heres a 2 buck swap meet special. 1926!
Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Beauty... John McCain old.....
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davethorik
Well-known member
I have been searching for this specific pair of pliers for a while (3+ years on and off), but they seem to be in the $50-55 price range and I wanted a better deal than that. Guess my time was finally up.
Got lucky on eBay for $35 new in package. Just bought them, these are ebay pics.
The bad boy of the Klein pliers lineup.
D2000-9ST heavy duty rebar/ironworker's pliers
Got lucky on eBay for $35 new in package. Just bought them, these are ebay pics.
The bad boy of the Klein pliers lineup.
D2000-9ST heavy duty rebar/ironworker's pliers
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