Reader Question: Best Pliers? What About Your Favorites?

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Over at Facebook, Austen messages me with a tough question: If you had to buy a set of pliers who would you buy from?

Without any brand or budget criteria, I responded with the following:

Quick answer: Felo from KC Tool or NWS from Lee Valley. Same tools, different selection and maybe availability. Lower budget? Channellock from Amazon.

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Knipex are also good. Certain Klein, and I like Proto for specific jaw styles. But if I had to pick just one, it would be NWS or Felo.

Okay, so I actually don&#;t know which would be the best pliers, so I answered about my favorites. Since I tend to favor tools that serve me better, that kind of works, right?

Lee Valley started carrying NWS pliers a few years ago, and KC Tool has good pricing on Felo&#;s NWS-made pliers. Our coupon code makes the pricing even better.

I do like NWS&#;s black-finish pliers, but the chrome-finish Felo pliers I recently ordered look like they&#;ll hold up just as good.

The bottom line is this &#; if you ask me for pliers recommendation, I&#;ll offer these NWS-pliers as my top pick. I can produce other recommendations if given more criteria.

For more plier and cutter manufacturerinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

If you want USA-made, I&#;d point to Channellock and Proto, maybe Wilde too. Klein for certain styles. Western Forge? Okay, but my Craftsman-branded Western Forge pliers are my least favorite.

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Knipex is usually a good bet, when it comes to European brands, but I like NWS-made pliers better.

Too bad that Irwin stopped offering their NWS-made pliers and replaced them with similarly-styled pliers made in Taiwan.

I posted about NWS vs. Knipex pliers back in , and I pretty much said the same thing then. Between those two brands, I preferred NWS, and still do.

These pliers aren&#;t inexpensive, but they&#;re not outlandishly expensive, either.

Buy Now(via KC Tool)
Buy Now(via Lee Valley)

If you&#;re looking for precision pliers, Tronex are spectacular, but pricey, and Xuron are inexpensive, but still managed to be made in the USA. There are other recommended brands in between these two. Maybe that&#;s a discussion for another post.

But on the other hand I haven't got much experience with many cutters and pliers in the same price range, so they might be just as good.

I have used a C.K. cutter once a long time ago and can recommend them too, although I probably prefer Lindström, but the C.K was also a cheaper version than the Lindström I have.

I have also used a Knipex cutter, but that wasn't a fine electronics cutter, but  a larger electrician cutter. But it's much better (sharper) than the Bacho electricians cutter I also have.

I have had my Lindström cutters and pliers for many years and they are still almost as good as new. But if I was to replace one of them I'm not sure I would by Lindström again, because they are quite expensive, and I think you might to find cheaper tools elsewhere in similar quality. I got a good deal when I bought my Lindström tools for home use.
If for nothing else I would probably buy another brand next time I need another tool, just to try something else and see how it compares, as I've always used Lindström cutters and pliers both at work and at home.

For larger cutters I have a couple of Bahcos, but I'm not impressed with those and would probably buy a large Knipex cutter next time. I also do have aone large Lindström cutter, but it's as sharp as the smaller Lindström cutters I have and I wouldn't use this for heavy duty steel cutting as it would probably soon get dull.

Wiha I only know for a set of good small screwdrivers I have. Nothing to complain about there really, but it's more for larger screwdrivers where more force is applied you will notice the difference in durability between good and bad screwdrivers.

Where you will really notice a huge difference is between an cheap and expensive cutter. For pliers you won't notice the difference as much. So if you don't want to spend money on a full set of pliers and cutters, spend your money on an a good cutter like Lindström and save some on the pliers instead.
But

never

use an expensive and very sharp electronics cutter to cut nails, thick steel wires etc. or you will ruin it in no time. Have another larger electricians cutter for heavy duty work. Horses for courses.

If you buy German or Swedish tools like cutters, pliers, screwdrivers, saws, spanners etc. I think you generally get very high quality as a rule of thumb.

Lindström, Bahco and Sandvik (top quality hand saws) are all Swedish and owned by the same company SNA Europe now:
And SNA Europe is the European manufacturing subsidiary of Snap-on Incorporated according to Wikipedia.

Bernstein, CK Tools, Knipex, Schmitz, Wera, Wiha + more are all German top quality hand tool brands.

Erem is Swiss.

I am not really familiar with the last two brands you mentioned Aven and Excelta. But looking at their websites it looks like they are both American, that probably explains why they are not so well know here in Europe, where there's a lot of local quality brands, especially from Germany as I mentioned. Germany has big steel industry and long history in quality hand tools like Sweden.

I can recommend Lindström. Very expensive but top quality. I have used Lindström cutters and pliers both professionally and at home for many years.But on the other hand I haven't got much experience with many cutters and pliers in the same price range, so they might be just as good.I have used a C.K. cutter once a long time ago and can recommend them too, although I probably prefer Lindström, but the C.K was also a cheaper version than the Lindström I have.I have also used a Knipex cutter, but that wasn't a fine electronics cutter, but a larger electrician cutter. But it's much better (sharper) than the Bacho electricians cutter I also have.I have had my Lindström cutters and pliers for many years and they are still almost as good as new. But if I was to replace one of them I'm not sure I would by Lindström again, because they are quite expensive, and I think you might to find cheaper tools elsewhere in similar quality. I got a good deal when I bought my Lindström tools for home use.If for nothing else I would probably buy another brand next time I need another tool, just to try something else and see how it compares, as I've always used Lindström cutters and pliers both at work and at home.For larger cutters I have a couple of Bahcos, but I'm not impressed with those and would probably buy a large Knipex cutter next time. I also do have aone large Lindström cutter, but it's as sharp as the smaller Lindström cutters I have and I wouldn't use this for heavy duty steel cutting as it would probably soon get dull.Wiha I only know for a set of good small screwdrivers I have. Nothing to complain about there really, but it's more for larger screwdrivers where more force is applied you will notice the difference in durability between good and bad screwdrivers.Where you will really notice a huge difference is between an cheap and expensive cutter. For pliers you won't notice the difference as much. So if you don't want to spend money on a full set of pliers and cutters, spend your money on an a good cutter like Lindström and save some on the pliers instead.Butuse an expensive and very sharp electronics cutter to cut nails, thick steel wires etc. or you will ruin it in no time. Have another larger electricians cutter for heavy duty work. Horses for courses.If you buy German or Swedish tools like cutters, pliers, screwdrivers, saws, spanners etc. I think you generally get very high quality as a rule of thumb.Lindström, Bahco and Sandvik (top quality hand saws) are all Swedish and owned by the same company SNA Europe now: www.snaeurope.com And SNA Europe is the European manufacturing subsidiary of Snap-on Incorporated according to Wikipedia.Bernstein, CK Tools, Knipex, Schmitz, Wera, Wiha + more are all German top quality hand tool brands.Erem is Swiss.I am not really familiar with the last two brands you mentioned Aven and Excelta. But looking at their websites it looks like they are both American, that probably explains why they are not so well know here in Europe, where there's a lot of local quality brands, especially from Germany as I mentioned. Germany has big steel industry and long history in quality hand tools like Sweden.

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