What were they thinking?

[ex-x-fire]

Those pliers look like they were cut from a sheet of steel.

 

[dwasifar]

I don't believe those are Stanley-made. Looks like they're available at Sears.

I see them on craftsman.com:

https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-3-pc-pliers-set-00928068000p?taxon_id=1840

"These CRAFTSMAN pliers have the comfortable NEW TruGrip Handles™ design with chemical resistant grips that deliver comfort and help you maintain control."

 

[WWheeler]

I see them on craftsman.com:

https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-3-pc-pliers-set-00928068000p?taxon_id=1840

"These CRAFTSMAN pliers have the comfortable NEW TruGrip Handles[emoji769] design with chemical resistant grips that deliver comfort and help you maintain control."

Isn't Craftsman.com still a Sears site? AFAIK the Stanley and Sears Craftsman product lines are completely separate, at least for now.

 

[jsmeece]

Well if that is what caused all those smoking hot deals on blown out Western Forge manufactured C-Man pliers, I guess I did okay buying about 3 sets worth of the US made stuff for a third of the price.

I did that exact same thing, spent about $100 and got 13 pairs of CM pliers, needle nose, slip-joint, duck bill, side cuts, and a few others. I think I am good for a while.

 

[yamaha0343]

Probably gone by the end of the year.

I feel like we’ve been saying that for a decade now.

 

[K13]

Isn't Craftsman.com still a Sears site? AFAIK the Stanley and Sears Craftsman product lines are completely separate, at least for now.

All of the contact info on the site is to Stanley/Black and Decker so I would say no it is not a Sears site.

 

[WWheeler]

FWIW I picked up a pair of these bent nose just because I had to use Sears' FreeCash or lose it, so stopped by and picked these up for $0.00 out of pocket.




As I suspected (some discussion/speculation previously in this thread), I think it's safe to say this is not a Stanley product. It has the Sears' Craftsman COO & date code A-AG on it, so, made in China in 2017.

As far as the pliers themselves, they are what they are. The grip isn't as uncomfortable as it looks it might be, but far from great. The teeth fit together pretty well, and it's seriously solid. You're not going to twist the tips on these very easy. I've already tried quite a bit to see if I could hurt them even before I got it home.

For what I paid for them I like them. Worth every penny.

 

[rick carpenter]

These are not really new. They have been out for almost a year. I personally welcome them to the marketplace. Its another option, which is all good. One good thing about these is that they are available in more variations than the previous WF made.An 11" long nose plier is now available. There are better pliers out there and there are surely worse pliers out there. If they quit making pliers people would complain, if they do a new design people still complain. They have to change things up to keep people buying, that's what a business does. The old days of Sears having rows and rows of USA made tools and such is over. It most likely isn't coming back. I am just happy they are still churning stuff out. I'd rather have this craftsman than no craftsman.

If the guy who sweeps the back of the Sears parking lot farted in a closet, people would ***** about that.

 

[PhysicsDude]

I think the design came from the marketing department more than the engineering department...

All the consumer grade tools these days are trying to make everything look like a transformer robot.

Reminds me of these Kobalt pliers with the black scallops at the front. Those don't serve any useful purpose, I think its just some added "flair" to make them look more exciting than regular pliers.

 

[MrDeerHunter]

I think the design came from the marketing department more than the engineering department...

All the consumer grade tools these days are trying to make everything look like a transformer robot.

Reminds me of these Kobalt pliers with the black scallops at the front. Those don't serve any useful purpose, I think its just some added "flair" to make them look more exciting than regular pliers.

I have the Kobalt set you mentioned. They are actually some of my go to pliers for wearing gloves or if I need to grip hard. The dykes are a but soft compared to my Klein's. I believe you make a valid point. Craftsman made bulky handles too. I think it is a marketing tool for brand recognition and it is also serves a purpose for larger handed people. Although my favorite pair of pliers that I have a re a needle nose pluer that is labeled JE Klein. They are old and have never let me down and they are OLD

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Marctrees]

The chances of any of those Chinese compounded rubber/ plastic handles surviving more than a few years in a hot garage without turning into black tar like goo that gets everywhere is about nil.

Marc