Nothing was like Cobra pliers, when I turned wrenches for a living. You lock onto a pipe, and can literally do chin-ups; harder you squeeze, harder they bite. These pliers were literally lifesavers for things like rounded off drain-plugs.

They close, then their teeth pull in as they bite harder. I like Vise-Grips, but they had nowhere near the ability of Cobras. FWIW, my home is 2 miles from the Channellock factory, I love their tools, but the Cobra is a whole other animal for what it does, and extremely well at that.

Gustofer,

I hear ya. Sometimes cheap tools work fine, and sometimes they don't. In those cases, quality engineered and built tools are the difference between doing a job right, or damaging what you are working on and creating extra expense.

To me, spending extra on quality tools is better than damaging a customer's piece of equipment.

quote:

Knipex and Wiha -- two great German tool makers found in my tool boxes.

Agreed x1000. I carry both brands and I'm VERY happy with them.

Who doesn't love an excellent tool?

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Who doesn't love an excellent tool?

Gustofer

I also bought the pliers wrench and cobra pliers after reading the aforementioned thread. Wow, color me impressed!

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Originally posted by Gustofer:

Meh...

If I need anything more than the Channellocks or a wrench, I'll grab my Vise-Grips. I think I paid around $5 for them.

You know, if you want to spend the money on these and think they are the bees knees, that's great. Me? No thanks.

Nobody will force you to buy quality tools.

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Originally posted by Gustofer:

If I need anything more than the Channellocks or a wrench, I'll grab my Vise-Grips. I think I paid around $5 for them.

You know, if you want to spend the money on these and think they are the bees knees, that's great. Me? No thanks.

When the tools you're using are putting the food on the table, you buy quality tools.

Better tools, give better results and save time. I know when I reach for a tool that it will accomplish the task at hand and I don't have to try this or that...

Dam! Just what I needed, something else to spend money on. I already have 3+ tool chests from my engineering and hobby days. So I bought a Klein needle nose. Real impressive. Now I have some Knepix tools on the way.

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Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
If I need anything more than the Channellocks or a wrench, I'll grab my Vise-Grips. I think I paid around $5 for them.

You know, if you want to spend the money on these and think they are the bees knees, that's great. Me? No thanks.

Nobody will force you to buy quality tools.

I do know of a fellow who works on LARGE earthmoving equipment. He said a while back that he's stopped buying Snap-On and in some cases prefers to buy cheap tools from Harbor Freight. Why? Because sometimes he has to modify a tool (weld an extension onto a wrench, for instance) WAY out in the field and would rather abuse a $10 wrench than a $100 wrench. He said, too, that it's easier to stomach losing a cheap tool in the mud or coal or whatever else. In the work that I do, I'm not in that sort of environment, so I can buy good tools and be able to keep them in good shape. But cheap tools do have their place.

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Originally posted by vthoky:
Knipex and Wiha -- two great German tool makers found in my tool boxes.

Wiha, Wera, and Felo for drivers
Hazet and Stahlwille for wrenches
Felco for cutting cable, wire, rope, branches

One of the guys (Ron) I worked with while working as an industrial maintenance mechanic absolutely fell in love with the Knipex brand of pliers and told every one far and wide of their total superiority over the Channellock pliers that the company issued. They are excellent pliers and yes I also believe superior to Channllocks. Any way one of the other guys in the shop was an ornery cuss and while while Ron was away for a couple of days dipped all the handles of the exalted Knipexes in medium blue Plasticoat so they looked like Channellocks when in the tool pouch. Ron took a lot of razzing about why he went back to the old brand after telling everyone the new ones were so much better. Not sure he ever found out who did it, not me, but there would have been hell to pay for sure.