VAMPIRE TOOLS Special Promotions!

[four.cycle]

** See most recent post in thread for current specials! **

Vampire Tools website

Register your Vampire purchases here for an extra year of warranty coverage

 

[four.cycle]

** See most recent post in thread for current specials! **

 

[captain14]

four.cycle,

Which style would you choose just for a general purpose screw extractor?

Thanks

 

[four.cycle]

^ I bought a pair of the originals (6-inch "Vamplier") a few years back but lost them here somewhere. At Christmas I picked up the VT-003-7EK "Extractor" (Taiwan made) that was on a promo - it's still in the package. Gave my buddy a set of them at the same time - he loves them.
Some of the guys like the Japan-made "Engineer" better on the screw extractors.... I have not used that brand.
The original Japan-made "Vamplier" - the small ones that I lost - were fabulous. I just can't find them.

I'm thinking of getting a pair of those "shears" things - they look interesting. Pretty sure they're soft wire only, though.

 

[garageguy1]

So If I understand correctly

VT-001-7 ...would that be the same as PZ-58 ? ​

..I've been looking for a comparison/equivalency chart but my limited searchs have yielded nothing.

 

[four.cycle]

I have forwarded your inquiry to the factory. I do not know this product line well enough to address the question.
I am hoping they will sign up here so we have a factory person who can answer questions - seems to work way mo' betta that way.
BK

 

[SweetD]

I was under the impression that the Engineer brand and the Vamplier brand are made by the same company, no? I own examples of each and they are really high quality, precision pliers. Tempted to pick up another flavor...

 

[garageguy1]

I was under the impression that the Engineer brand and the Vamplier brand are made by the same company, no? I own examples of each and they are really high quality, precision pliers. Tempted to pick up another flavor...

Yes I was under that impression as well

 

[shanker]

I'd like some more info on the 9" Linesman Pliers. I'm wanting to add them to my Ranch tools bag for cutting fencing which is sometimes heavy gauge wire. Are they rated for cutting heavy gauge wire. As an example, Red Brand uses high tensile 10 gauge wire on top and bottom of it's woven rolls. 10 Gauge Wire is typically used to tie it to posts too.

 

[four.cycle]

Vampire Tools VT-003-85 8-1/2" linesman shearing pliers

These appear to be very well made. Fit and finish is top-notch. Rubberized handles are the grainy "grippy" stuff - not smooth shiny vinyl.
Very clearly marked "for copper wire" = not designed for trimming 16-penny sinkers.

The factory is supposed to be shipping a pair of these to another GJ member who actually uses this type of tool on a daily basis in the field. I will defer to him if and when he reports back to us in respect to product quality and performance in the real world.


Vampire Tools VT-003-85 8-1/2" linesman shearing pliers

Vampire Tools VT-003-85 8-1/2" linesman shearing pliers

 

[VampireTools]

I was under the impression that the Engineer brand and the Vamplier brand are made by the same company, no? I own examples of each and they are really high quality, precision pliers. Tempted to pick up another flavor...

Hello! Vampire Tools has more than 10 years exclusive partnership with Engineer to co-develop high quality, unique tools for the North American market. Vampire Tools products are built to a higher quality standard and come with extended warranty and US support.

 

[VampireTools]

So If I understand correctly

VT-001-7 ...would that be the same as PZ-58 ? ​

..I've been looking for a comparison/equivalency chart but my limited searchs have yielded nothing.

The Vampliers® Original 6.25" screw extraction pliers would be the closest equivelant to PZ-58.

VAMPLIERS® 6.25″ SCREW EXTRACTION PLIERS - Vampire Tools

High-quality specialty pliers to extract stripped or stuck screws and rounded nuts or bolts. Remove stripped rusted corroded, damaged, jammed screws, bolts, nuts Made in Japan from high quality carbon steel Designed with VamPLIERS® Technology Target screws can be extracted using top jaw or side...

www.vampiretools.com

 

[VampireTools]

four.cycle,

Which style would you choose just for a general purpose screw extractor?

Thanks

Depending on what exactly you are wanting to use the tool for, these would be my recommendations and why:
1. VT-003-7EK: Designed with our VAMPLIERS Technology to specifically remove tough, stripped, rusted, and corroded screws, nuts, and bolts. https://www.vampiretools.com/shop/p...iy-guy-especially-designed-for-screw-removal/
2. VT-001: Our flagship tool! 6.25" multi-purpose, professional grade, spring-loaded with a side cutter. https://www.vampiretools.com/shop/products/pliers/vampliers-6-25-screw-extraction-pliers/
3. VT-001-8: Larger (8"), more of a heavy-duty pliers with intermeshed teeth that provide a stronger bite/grip. Also has a side cutter. https://www.vampiretools.com/shop/p...s-pro-8-screw-extraction-and-linemans-pliers/

Kind of a lengthy recommendation! Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[VampireTools]

I'd like some more info on the 9" Linesman Pliers. I'm wanting to add them to my Ranch tools bag for cutting fencing which is sometimes heavy gauge wire. Are they rated for cutting heavy gauge wire. As an example, Red Brand uses high tensile 10 gauge wire on top and bottom of it's woven rolls. 10 Gauge Wire is typically used to tie it to posts too.

Hello, the 9" Linesman Pliers is rated to cut as follows:
- 8 gauge steel wire (3.2mm)
- 6 gauge copper wire (4mm)
- 12 gauge stainless wire (2mm)
- and up to 8mm stranded wire

I am looking into the specs of our specialty wire cutters as well.

 

[SweetD]

Very helpful info, thanks VampireTools rep!

 

[four.cycle]

^ thanks Mandy!

 

[webscrounger]

I have Vampliers, I love them, so no issues. They're exceptional tools in my opinion. I also understand the marketing aspect of "built to a higher quality standard". But is that just advertising or does that refer to any specific characteristics of the Vampliers. It implies there is some specific engineering, metallurgical or manufacturing process involved that actually does makes them better than other similar tools. Just curious, is there?

 

[shanker]

Hello, the 9" Linesman Pliers is rated to cut as follows:
- 8 gauge steel wire (3.2mm)
- 6 gauge copper wire (4mm)
- 12 gauge stainless wire (2mm)
- and up to 8mm stranded wire

I am looking into the specs of our specialty wire cutters as well.

Great info....post back when you find out about the high tensile strength steel. Sounds like they're rated for what I'm wanting to cut by size at least. too bad the discount is over

 

[four.cycle]

too bad the discount is over

the promo just started a week ago. you looking only at Amazon?

 

[sparky 1971]

I am the lucky guy that received the pliers to test them out. They showed up in my mailbox on Saturday, and while I was planning on using them for two weeks before I gave my verdict, the jury is back early. I really wanted to like them even though they are on the small side. Today was the first day of using them. Task #1 was remove a screw with a stripped head. They worked every bit as well as Knipex Twin Grips for that. Then I pigtailed a receptacle box with three 12/2 romex cables in it. The grounds went OK. Then I twisted a tail into the three neutral wires, when I cut the end off (four #12 solid wires), the handles became noticeably stiffer. Then I did the same thing to the hot wires and now I can barely get the handles to open. They are now useless for anything other than a paper weight. Hopefully this is nothing more than a bad pair, but I feel it's a design flaw with the shear type cutters. I have to give them an F even though I used them for less than an hour.

 

[beelsr]

> even though I used them for less than an jour.

I'm guessing you meant to say hour.

Humorously, jour is french for "day", which also works...

 

[sparky 1971]

I'm guessing you meant to say hour.

Humorously, jour is french for "day", which also works...

XXL fingers and a phone keyboard aren't a match made in heaven.

 

[four.cycle]

They are now useless for anything other than a paper weight. Hopefully this is nothing more than a bad pair, but I feel it's a design flaw with the shear type cutters.

Whoa! I certainly was NOT expecting that!
W. T. H. ?

although somewhat amusing, "Pliers du jour" is NOT going to work in a professional work environment.

 

[sparky 1971]

Whoa! I certainly was NOT expecting that!
W. T. H. ?

although somewhat amusing, "Pliers du jour" is NOT going to work in a professional work environment.

I really wanted to like them. Out of the package they appeared to be flawless other than being on the small side so they wouldn't have made a very good hammer, but that was the only thing I saw wrong at first. Cutting four #12 solid copper wires is about an everyday thing for me and others like me, so if yhe pliers can't do that, they aren't for pros. They might have worked well for me when doing commercial work since I use stranded wire, but I'm never going to find out now. The funny thing is that I can't see where the bind is, but I almost have to use both hands to spread the handles.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I sent a note to the factory and asked them to read your post above. I am, needless to say, a bit dismayed.
If they don't shoot you a new pair, I can send mine to you.
I did have some reservations about them in respect to the size of your hands, which sound from your previous descriptions to be about the same size as my own monstrous paws.
Hopefully they'll shoot a replacement pair to you so you can actually work them.

"Out of the package they appeared to be flawless..."

Exactomundo. Same here. I was most curious about the DESIGN of them - the way the "shears" part is incorporated into the device, but it sounds like you didn't even get a chance to give them a good work-out.

 

[VampireTools]

I am the lucky guy that received the pliers to test them out. They showed up in my mailbox on Saturday, and while I was planning on using them for two weeks before I gave my verdict, the jury is back early. I really wanted to like them even though they are on the small side. Today was the first day of using them. Task #1 was remove a screw with a stripped head. They worked every bit as well as Knipex Twin Grips for that. Then I pigtailed a receptacle box with three 12/2 romex cables in it. The grounds went OK. Then I twisted a tail into the three neutral wires, when I cut the end off (four #12 solid wires), the handles became noticeably stiffer. Then I did the same thing to the hot wires and now I can barely get the handles to open. They are now useless for anything other than a paper weight. Hopefully this is nothing more than a bad pair, but I feel it's a design flaw with the shear type cutters. I have to give them an F even though I used them for less than an hour.

This is definitely not what we wanted to hear, but are really interested to see what happened based off of your feedback. Can you contact me at this email: [email protected] in order to arrange getting that tool back to analyze and send you a new one?

 

[sparky 1971]

Today the replacement set of pliers showed up. As an act of good faith, Vampire Tools threw in a set of VT-001-9 pliers. These are more of a traditional linesman pliers, so I will put them to the test also. Tomorrow I will be sending back the bad set of pliers as well as a copy of the bundle of wires I cut that messed up the hinge for the QC team to evaluate. I want to hear back from them before I do anything else. If they tell me those pliers aren't designed to cut four #12 copper wires that are twisted together, so be it, I will use them for something else. The pliers might still be good for my commercial work where I use mostly stranded wire. I was also looking forward to using them on #8 and #6 wire, as well as maybe #4. I like shear type cutters for those sizes because I use the cutters to strip the insulation. The problem is that I don't deal with those sizes on a regular basis, maybe once a month.

 

[four.cycle]

new 2023 Vampire Tool catalog available for download now! (*.pdf format)

 

[sparky 1971]

Vampliers finally got back to me about the linesmans today. Apparently they cut four solid #12 wires and the pliers functioned as they should. They tell me I was sent a defective pair so I am going to put the new set to the test. First I am going to duplicate what I did before and have it on video just in case another pair gets messed up.

 

[Taco Truck]

Does anyone know if the VT-003-85 pliers are rebranded Marvel pliers are rebranded Marvel pliers or copies? They look similar, but the Vampliers say made in Taiwan while I was under the impression that the Marvels are made in Japan. (Note: I'm NOT starting a COI debate, just listing a reason I'm not sure that they're the same.) I've looked at the Marvels in the past and as an electrician thought they were a little on the short side. It may not seem like much, but when I started out my apprenticeship I had Channellock 8" linesman pliers and realized pretty quickly that they weren't nearly as useful as a 9" pair of linesman pliers. However, I'm a maintenance electrician these days who does about 90% fire alarm, and these seem like they may be pretty helpful for that especially for stripping FPL sheathing. If the new pair Sparky got are good I may give them a shot. If they're bad I'll just pass on them. If they're bad but the Marvels are different I may try those instead.

 

[four.cycle]

@Taco Truck -
re: Vampire VT-003-85
No idea who is making what for who, and unless you are able to ferret out definitive evidence, it is pointless to ask the manufacturers, as they all have agreements among themselves.

There's been considerable discussion about this genre of pliers in another thread. I am hoping that the unit Vampire has sent to Sparky will tell us whether this model is all its touted to be. My own pair has only been out of the package to pose for some photos.

Vampire Tools VT-003-85 8-1/2" linesman shearing pliers

 

[VampireTools]

Does anyone know if the VT-003-85 pliers are rebranded Marvel pliers are rebranded Marvel pliers or copies? They look similar, but the Vampliers say made in Taiwan while I was under the impression that the Marvels are made in Japan. (Note: I'm NOT starting a COI debate, just listing a reason I'm not sure that they're the same.) I've looked at the Marvels in the past and as an electrician thought they were a little on the short side. It may not seem like much, but when I started out my apprenticeship I had Channellock 8" linesman pliers and realized pretty quickly that they weren't nearly as useful as a 9" pair of linesman pliers. However, I'm a maintenance electrician these days who does about 90% fire alarm, and these seem like they may be pretty helpful for that especially for stripping FPL sheathing. If the new pair Sparky got are good I may give them a shot. If they're bad I'll just pass on them. If they're bad but the Marvels are different I may try those instead.

Hi Taco Truck and @four.cycle, this particular shearing plier is made in Taiwan, most of the plier range is made in Japan. We can share that Engineer hold specific patents with regards to the screw extraction function amongst other design features for the pliers so it would be hard to comment on the Marvel pliers. We have more than 10 years exclusive partnership with Engineer to co-develop high quality, unique tools for the North American market. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to Sparky (or any other users) sharing their experiences as we like to pass onto Engineer so we can work on improvements where necessary and also feedback. Let me know if you need any other info and sorry for thew slow reply. Have a great week - Foz - Vampire Tools

 

[Fatboy148!]

I too got fooled (once) by the Vampliers are just rebranded Engineer pliers and come from Japan theory.

From their website (just now cut and pasted this): "Our VAMPLIERS are made in Japan."

The pair I got were made in Tiawan.

The Vampire Tools VT-003-85 8-1/2" linesman shearing pliers, in the picture posted above by Four Cycle shows that pair was also made in Taiwan.

Not that Vamplier doesn't have some good products, but I learned my lesson.

 

[VampireTools]

I too got fooled (once) by the Vampliers are just rebranded Engineer pliers and come from Japan theory.

From their website (just now cut and pasted this): "Our VAMPLIERS are made in Japan."

The pair I got were made in Tiawan.

The Vampire Tools VT-003-85 8-1/2" linesman shearing pliers, in the picture posted above by Four Cycle shows that pair was also made in Taiwan.

Not that Vamplier doesn't have some good products, but I learned my lesson.

We are sorry to hear you felt 'fooled' in this experience. As explained, we have partnered with Engineer for the North American market and rebranded with support features which Engineer do not offer, we respect the buyers whether they prefer to buy Engineer directly or from us at Vampire Tools with the extra warranty for 5 years. The shearing plier is indeed made in Taiwan and our main range of pliers are made in Japan, we appreciate your feedback and will look into making it much clearer if any of our pliers are not made in Japan. We appreciate your feedback and are sorry you had a negative experience with the process of exactly where they are made. Thank you - Foz Vampire Tools

 

[four.cycle]

delete

 

[Fatboy148!]

"VAMPLIERS" are indeed made in JAPAN. They're $36 bucks direct from Vampire.

Not all "VAMPLIERS" are created equal. If you don't want to spring for the deluxe version, you can go cheap with the Made in Taiwan "Screw Extractors" f

"Vampliers" is a registered, trademarked brand name that is applied across the board on the entire product line.

Four.Cycle... I usually don't disagree with what you say but, in this case, I do. You are correct when you say: "Not all "Vampliers" are created equal"!

From what they wrote, and I quoted, if it says "Vampliers" on it, it should be made in Japan. "Our VAMPLIERS are made in Japan." There are two examples that say "Vampliers" on them herein that were not made in Japan.

Apparently, I wasn't the only person that missed the COO till they arrived:

1 review for VAMPLIERS® 8.5″ Linesman Shearing Pliers with Cable Cutter and Crimper, VT-003-85​

jdrcordy (verified owner) – March 28, 2023
So… I kind of wish it mentioned somewhere that these are made in Taiwan. They are super tight, very hard to open and close. I love all your Japanese stuff, THIS though? Not so much.

 

[four.cycle]

delete.

 

[four.cycle]

delete

 

[four.cycle]

Sweet Vampire Tool bites

Have a sweet Halloween treat on us with 13% off on selected purchases*! Website: enter this code at checkout 13VTBITE (Applicable on all products) Amazon store unique link (The 13% discount has been pre- applied on selected items, see terms and conditions on the link) *This offer is valid until midnight Nov 1st, 2023 and is not valid in conjunction with any other discount code.

* click the "Website" or "Amazon" link above.

 

[sparky 1971]

Vampliers finally got back to me about the linesmans today. Apparently they cut four solid #12 wires and the pliers functioned as they should. They tell me I was sent a defective pair so I am going to put the new set to the test. First I am going to duplicate what I did before and have it on video just in case another pair gets messed up.

It's time for my review. I like them, but don't love them. As far as a traditional linesman plier, they aren't that great. The head is too narrow to twist more than four #12 solid wires together and they are too light to use to smack something in place of a hammer. I think everyone knows about my trouble with the handles locking up the first time I used the first pair to cut the bundle of four #12. The same thing happens with the new pair, but I can work the handles back and forth a couple of times and get the stiffness out of them, but that takes time and time is money when you use them for a living. Maybe they will break in better in the future, but I'm not going to use them in the traditional sense any longer, so I doubt I will ever know. Thinking about it, I don't think I used them to cut a 12/2 Romex so I don't know if the handles would get stiff cutting that or not. Like a *****, I went on auto pilot and used my strippers like I always have. Where these pliers shine is with #8 and #6 stranded wire. They cut and strip as well as anything I've ever used as well as reaching into a box to grab the wire when it comes out of the conduit. They would probably work well with #4, but I haven't used them for that yet. I doubt they would work very well cutting anything larger than #4 because the handles are just too short and there won't be enough leverage. It takes a little bit of effort on my part to cut #6, but I have been having serious thumb and wrist issues for a couple of months and my hand strength is going away quickly so I think that part is on me and me alone. They would also probably work awesome for someone doing low voltage work. I do very little of that, so it might be quite the wait for me to review them in that aspect.

Overall, I think they would work good for a home shop where nothing major is going to be thrown at them. As I stated, they work well for what some people would consider larger wires, #8 and #6, but I wouldn't buy a set just for that, I have my Greenlee 727's that I've been using for 20+ years, but those can't grab the wire so I also carry long nose pliers. The Vampliers would cut the tools from two to one in that aspect.

Thank you to Vampliers and four.cycle for the opportunity to give them a whirl.