Pliers, favorites and why

[AbiggerGarage]

I have been thinking about my stuff, what I have learned and tools that seem harder to come across.
I am going to start off this thread with my needle nose pliers.  My father has a pair of Kraeuter needle nose pliers, that I had not been able to find anything close to.  Everything in comparison was a long, fat nose.  Then one day I found Crescent had a version, numbers differ, depending on date of manufacturer (mine are 777-7).  Only thing I ever found as long and tiny, for those few times I had to have needle nose.  Found another few versions on Ebay, one of which I just ordered off for my niece.
Before I learned duckbill pliers were good for the larger fuses, I tended to *and still do with micro fuses* used these for that.

Other then that, probably my next favorite are the $10 Craftsman Knippex made ones, normally just for holding something in place.
I do have one pair, somewhere in the move.  Smooth jaw, offset "water pump pliers" (what they were sold for, under $5 at a garage sale, good shape), that are more of a pliers wrench. (shower stuff you don't want to mark up)

For me, there are lots of others that I have both nice and cheap ones (sometimes both as a lot of channellock stuff was found at a damaged freight store for $3  each), as there are times for each.  About the only use I ever had for regular pliers, was some faucet stuff, or holding those swollen cap nut covers on wheel nuts that expanded.

Your thoughts please!  ty

[goodfellow]

We get so stuck within our own domestic tool use case methods because that's how we were taught and how we worked for many years. My BIG eye opener was when I started traveling across the globe for work. On days off I would visit local machine shops, garages, and tool stores. If you ever want an eye opener as far as tools and methods are concerned, look at the Japanese domestic tools brands. They produce ingenious hand tools that are not typically found in our retail and truck supply chains. Pliers being one of those tools.

The Japanese have exquisite assortments of pliers for jobs that fill specific needs for those times when we in the west often ask ourselves "why doesn't someone have a solution for this?" -- well when it comes to pliers, Japanese manufacturers provide so many option that it makes your head spin.

If you want to go down the "rabbit hole" one evening, just google Japanese tool websites and get ready to be amazed. They're all in Japanese and clearing catering only to the domestic market, hence no English texts, but the pictures alone will amaze you.

I realize the original thread was intended to focus on good/cheap tools, but I thought I'd bring up the subject anyway because most of us hardly ever investigate the products that are available in other countries. Some Japanese companies will ship internationally if you inquire directly by telephone or through web site forms.   

[Hickory n Steel]

I like the quality for the price, the fact that they're 100% American made, and that they're a multigenerational family owned company.


They have some stuff that sucks like their E350S snipe nose pliers which are hand ground and they have nobody who can grind them right, but all of  their other pliers have performed very well for me.

[TexasT]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/411StIm6EAL._AC_SX679_.jpg
I'm a fan of Klein needle nose pliers. I have four or five sets(maybe more) dispersed out and around.

I do like a duck bill and have a snap on set of those for grabbing stuff and holding on tight.

[Hickory n Steel]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/411StIm6EAL._AC_SX679_.jpg
I'm a fan of Klein needle nose pliers. I have four or five sets(maybe more) dispersed out and around.

I do like a duck bill and have a snap on set of those for grabbing stuff and holding on tight.

I have been satisfied with my Channellock needle nose pliers and the combination jaws is kind if handy, but Klein definitely makes the better conventional needle nose pliers for sure.
The old Channellock 336 were right at the top with Kleins, but I don't even know how long ago those days ended.

[j.a.f.e.]

Pliers to me are completely utilitarian. I do have favorites but not much sentimentality unless they belonged to my grandfather.

My main pliers drawer pardon the mess they share the room with the adjustables and ViceGrips ans so far they've all gotten along pretty well. I have some ChannelLocks and while I like them OK they are not my favorite. In fact I don't much care for the traditional pliers either like the ones next to the large adjustable and while I have a couple pair I pretty much never use them.

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My favorite are the tongue and grove with all metal handle like the ones featured in the drawer. I have several pairs in different sizes and with various brands mainly Craftsman, Proto and Blue Point but I think they were all made on the same lines but no idea who.  I prefer the all metal handle to the plastic coated ones at least on stuff that gets dirty and greasy or dragged across the floor under a car. The orange handles are HF I bought for one specific job where I needed the offset head but in truth they're too good to just toss as I had intended.

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These are the ones I use inside for electronics, general small stuff repair, building stuff. My absolute favorite are the two Snap-ons in the upper right. One has straight jaws one bent with the straight my very favorite and most used pair. They were sold as electronics pliers but long ago discontinued. If I ever come across another pair for sale they will go home with me. Usually when they do turn up the jaws are mangled or the springs missing.

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I include these hemostats as pliers because I use them sort of like locking pliers. Unfortunately I do not smoke Beavis and Butthead tobacco so I don't use them as roach clips like most people do. I got these from a friend who at the time was an ER nurse and they got used once and tossed. My favorite is the bent nose pair in the middle bottom row.

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[Uncle Buck]

Funny how guys set their boxes up. For me, I keep all of my Crescent type adjustable wrenches together, but in a totally separate drawer from any pliers.  Likewise vise grips all together,  but separate of all other pliers.  All of my pliers, dikes, sidecutters etc I keep together in a drawer to themselves.
Only recently did I buy a set of import hemostat clamps in a zip pouch. While imported, they appear to be good quality.  I don't know if I will ever use them, but I like them.

[AbiggerGarage]

Your Snap on electronics favorites, look like my Crescent, which I just found out Tractor supply sells.


Your offset, are similar to my pliers wrench (think it might have been an older Wilde set).

I had up adjustable wrenches, up to a 24".  Years ago, a friend/mechanic I knew, went into commercial/asphalt equipment and I let him take it with him.  I only needed it once and he brought it back for me and then I sent it back.  It was more as a lever and for my one use, probably a HF one would do, if I ever needed one again (think I am way past that point now with the medical stuff).  I also sent him my Peterson 4LW, 7LW and 10LW wrenches, as I only used them a couple of times to hold up rounded nuts.  There are other ways that generally work better to skin that cat.

Mom was a nurse, Hemostats I think I have used more to remove splinters.

[j.a.f.e.]

UB as far as I know just about all the medical grade hemostats - really most surgical stuff historically comes from Pakistan these all did but anymore China probably is a big player.

I don't have enough drawers to separate the adjustables and pliers and VGs. Usually when I open that drawer I already know what I need and where it is in that mess.

AbiggerGarage they do look very much like the SO's except no hold open spring. I will have to try a set thanks for that!

In general I'm not a big fan of adjustable wrenches but I can't imagine not having any they do come in handy. And they double as a lever. Also good for bending the edge of sheetmetal to form a lip although there are better tools for that job.

[Highland512]

One of my favorite pair of needle nose pliers is a 6" pair I got at Lowes from Ideal. Nice grips, good teeth, and USA made. I have also come to like an 8" pair of Doyel branded needle nose pliers from hobo fart. I bought a pair after I had two Channel Lock needle nose pliers snap the tip off from standard use.....

[Hickory n Steel]

UB as far as I know just about all the medical grade hemostats - really most surgical stuff historically comes from Pakistan these all did but anymore China probably is a big player.

I don't have enough drawers to separate the adjustables and pliers and VGs. Usually when I open that drawer I already know what I need and where it is in that mess.

AbiggerGarage they do look very much like the SO's except no hold open spring. I will have to try a set thanks for that!

In general I'm not a big fan of adjustable wrenches but I can't imagine not having any they do come in handy. And they double as a lever. Also good for bending the edge of sheetmetal to form a lip although there are better tools for that job.

My dad has / had a medical bag full of hemostats from his Army days, he was an orthopedic tech and trained as a combat medic.
Anyways, back in the late 70's- early 80's most and certainly the better stuff was made in Solingen Germany.
Later on the stuff he was getting came mostly from Pakistan with the slightly better stuff having been made in either Brazil or Portugal.

These days at your nearest flea market tool booth, it'll all still be made in Pakistan.
I would not be surprised if you can still find Hemostats and such that are made in Germany, but they're likely quite expensive.


While not hemostats, HJE has some very very nice American made tweezers that are branded Yankee.
I could find no information about who made / makes them and if they were NOS or still in production but I bought a pair and they are very nice.
They were only $4 I think too.

[Uncle Buck]

Within the last year I made a point of adding sets of straight and bent nose thin jaw slip joints as found cheap used. Crescent brand or better were minimum acceptable brands. I found both versions well used but not abused in Crescent brand. Likely wi never need them, but didn't have so I added them. Sorely tempted to buy NOS Powerkraft bent nose nice high polish chrome decently priced found on EBay but resisted since I already found decent used, but minus the bling.

[wilbilt]

UB as far as I know just about all the medical grade hemostats - really most surgical stuff historically comes from Pakistan these all did but anymore China probably is a big player.

I don't have enough drawers to separate the adjustables and pliers and VGs. Usually when I open that drawer I already know what I need and where it is in that mess.

AbiggerGarage they do look very much like the SO's except no hold open spring. I will have to try a set thanks for that!

In general I'm not a big fan of adjustable wrenches but I can't imagine not having any they do come in handy. And they double as a lever. Also good for bending the edge of sheetmetal to form a lip although there are better tools for that job.

I have several adjustable wrenches but rarely use them. The 18" Crescent wrench is great for straightening bent lips on steel wheels when they get curb-altered.

[Uncle Buck]

I fairly routinely us Crescent type wrenches up to 12" just out of convenience,  but by no means would consider them a go to choice. My 15" I might have use once or twice in all the years I owned it. That said,  I would Like to ad an 18" USA made. Don't ask why because I sure cannot explain why! LOL

[AbiggerGarage]

Years ago I bought a Crescent 24" adjustable wrench for $20, at a damaged freight store.  Never seen another one at that price again.  I kept it, until a friend and fellow mechanic found out I had it as he had a bunch of stuff to bend/weld etc. for a project, as well as a couple of shop jobs where he could use it to hold something in place (like a sway bar whose bushing was so rusted in he had to heat it to pop it out).  Well when he was moving on from the garage to an asphalt company to work on heavy equipment, I sent it with him, and I asked if I could borrow it back if I ever needed it.  Only needed it once for less then five minutes and he brought it back.  I sent it back and said keep it as that was a very oddball thing and the next time I needed to do something like that, I was going to buy one from HF as I certainly didn't need the quality as a leverage device. *pry bar would have worked if I was on a rack, rather then the ground*.
I tried to get every size up to that in adjustables, then I worked on my wrenches to get them  up to 36mm and I believe 1 5/8" and don't think I have hardly used them at home since.