Well as a electrician here in the U.K I have to say your reviews and breakdowns of tools is top notch, very professional, with a ton of technical data making it easier for us tradesman to differentiate and pick our tools based on performance. Love all your videos, keep it up.
Sorry to be offtopic but does someone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..? I was dumb forgot the account password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me.
@Cayson Pierce thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
This was very well done, though truthfully, I was pretty confident that Knipex was going to win. I still own and use my 3 sizes of Knipex pliers that I purchased back in 85 or 86, and used them hard in a professional auto repair shop until I retired in 2006. That's one hell of a pedigree for the current generation!
Great review! I think the best part of the Knipex is that they stay in good function for many years of hard use. I would be interested to see how the new sliding adjustment would fair in this review
I have both knipex and gedore , water pump pliers, the gedore tends to do less damage to surfaces but the knipex grips better. So I use each one where they are more suitable. The pliers models that I have are 300mm knipex cobra, 250mm knipex smart grip self adjusting and a 250mm gedore slip joint water pump pliers.
Fantastic, scientific comparison! I went with Knipex after hearing from some of the old breed around the industry.. and this video proved them right! Thank you for the time that you put into making this video :)
Something that I notice in these reviews is that no brand build perfect pliers, but Knipex does seem to come awefully close every time. Knipex pliers have never let me down, and the availability and price around here mean that they are my only brand that I go to when buying pliers.
Yeah I really does depend on your intended purpose. I went into the review picking the categories I wanted to grade each on on before taking any measurements. I was surprised that the Knipex scored so high in some areas as you really don't think about that when you are just using the tool every once and a while.
i find any company that specialises in a narrowish range of tools, so knipex, channellock ,visegrip, wera, bondhus, or has been making the same exact tool for decades, bahco adjustable, stanley 99e knife, are by definition the best you can do, of course those who make a wider range such as bahco or stanley also make a few lemons as they dont make everything but relable from the far east too often
pb swiss make too narrow a selection of drivers, i believe they are meant for gunsmithing, not general purpose, so i;d personally go with werea or wiha for screwdrivers. back when CK actually made them, or stanley, or the long gone steadfast UK , lasted forever (i burn through a #2 pozi once a year, but still have a steadfast pozi from 30 years ago, so they really made them)
i see knipex locking pliers (vice grips) for sale online but havent seen a pair in use or heard any info on them, amazon reviews are just complains about how they arrived with surface rust, i wonder if theyre any good or maybe not even made by knipex just rebadged
Another metric you could check is tooth hardness, which will affect the longevity of the tools. One thing to note is the hazet will clear a narrower gap without binding the button since it is lower profile. Though I’d rather have 2 pairs of knipex vs one hazet, and i do have many knipex tools :)
Nice videos I wish they were around when I upgraded all my hand tools. I Bought the knipex on ebay, glad I did they work well on auto repair stuck/rusty bolts. Also they clean up easy for any home repairs just make job a breeze. only pliers I know that open wide enough to change flush valves on toilets.
I carry the 10" Alligators in my service call bag, have the 10" Cobras on a magnetic tool bar by the back door of my van - they both work amazing....wish i'd known about KNIPEX years ago - best 'adjustable pliers' available.
I've actually never tried the alligator ones - they were invented before my time and had already been superceded by the Cobra design when I started using them.
I bought both pair at the same time when the supply house had them on special(20 and 25usd). The guy behind the counter asked which one I wanted, my reply, "Uhhhhh....go ahead and just gimme both of 'em..." I honestly don't find much difference in using the Alligators day-to-day with their lack of locking button.
The alligator was nice because there was no button to press, you could just slide them around with a flick of the wrist, but I've gotten used to the cobra now. The smaller 180 cobra is a superior replacement for many traditional gripping pliers, such as lineman's / combination pliers and various flat nose / snipe nose types. I use them on my electronics bench also.
...Great comparison BTW, love the slim design and quality of Gedore but Knipex is outstanding. The real beast in my toolbox, 22"cobra xxl, unstoppable. .....😉 Shet metal screws and fast drywall screws are very common in Europe with Philipps head.
Yeah I do have the Cobra XXL as well and have been using it as a pipe wrench mostly. That is the thing you go to when nothing else works. I've seen people use them for removing stuck oil filters.
Out of passing interest; Knipex sells replacement adjustment button kits that include a new spring & screw. They can be had from most anywhere sells Knipex, even Amazon.
The Hazet mechanism looks really neat, but I'd be worried about losing that spring during work and then having issues setting the jaw width. Also, the Knipex won...shocker! :)
knipex also has more market reach in many countries. Also, they have various size ranges, from small to big. other manufacturers are limited to only 10" and 12" inch sizes mostly.
i have the knipex for about a month now, already saved me twice in situations where they were all i had or they did the job my other tools wouldnt, id give the hazets try at the same price but certainly wouldnt pay any more for them than the knipex
I just bought a pair of knipex high leverage nippers which I use to cut off nails that are sticking through framing. I thought I was upgrading from my smaller channellock pair I've had for 10 years. Don't really like them though because the handles flex so much cutting effort required is much greater than the smaller pliers from the other manufacturer which are 4" shorter.
I don't actually have any Knipex nippers as it is not a tool I often use. I would use nippers when doing milwork restoration to pull old nails through, but I haven't done any of that in some time. Thanks for the input, I will have to check up on that and possibly compare them to some other brands.
Awesome video sir. Everybody wants to be like Knipex but still nobody can be Knipex. I did pick up the Wiha water pump pliers somewhere along the way, and enjoy them. The ones with the big red button. If I could have the ultimate pass pair I would choose the Knipex auto adjust with NWS grips. How about you? Thanks for the time and effort it takes to make these videos, really is appreciated. 👏
I just got through watching this video of yours and spent the last 14 minutes sitting on pins and needles waiting for the conclusion. I just bought the exact same pair of Knipex cobras this last week, but that was before I saw this video. Of course it is a little crazy to admit, but I was rooting for Knipex like it was the NFL playoffs! haha Those Hazet are pretty damn sweet too. I really like that button/lever design.
very good review and presented so well good close ups and descriptions,ratings..thankyou enjoyed this and learnt about these tools i will be purchasing one.... others could learn from you
Absolutely great job with this comparison. I'm gonna have to subscribe to your channel. Very thorough, and (knowing) outlining the difference between objective and subjective is much appreciated in these review style vidoes. Thanks.
I use Gedore, Facom, SAM, Beta, I can ask whatever I need at work, I usually go for the Gedore, and from this bunch it's the only one I have experience with, very rarely I use them for plumbing, the bite size .... for me it doesn't matter all that much, if I need to use all the way open, I probably need a bigger tool, the button although I like it, sometimes it's frustrating, has in some positions with lack of space, the button hits what's close and the plier opens, would prefer a slimmer design, even being a little harder to switch. Handles I like them slim, space is always a issue,, the design itself, the smoother the better, easier to clean, I don't like the spring on the Hazet, don't have good experience with those springs in most tools, personally many times my pliers are full of gunk, from oil (hydraulic and non hydraulic), to graphite, ceramic powder, dust, all that and much more mixed together. On my Gedore the teeth are starting to loose bite, they are a bit over a year old, they go trough plenty ruff time though, most don't last that long, channel lock style pliers... don't like them a bit.
Thanks for this great review. Again very well done on your part. The Hazet seems pretty nice, but I don´t know if I like the button mechanism. It seems more complicated and might be more prone to breaking when dropping the tool. But then again, it is something different and not just a Knipex copy. I´ve just got me the Gedore Power Pliers set (180mm sidecutters, the 200mm combination pliers you already tested and this 250mm slip-joint). They might not be as good as Knipex, but I got the whole set for 26,76€ (incl. taxes and shipping of course). That works out to 8.92€ per unit - I just couldn´t resist :)
Thanks again for another well thought out video. This seems to be a consistent trait across all your videos. Just one comment on the NWS teeth design noticeable at 12:21 in your video. Just speculation on my part, but do you think the NWS engineers designed these teeth so they would grip if turned in either direction? I understand that this type of usage would be considered “wrong” as it would also tend to force the jaws open. But real people do not always use tools in the most optimal way. The other three designs look more unidirectional when it comes to grip IMO. BTW, my first water pump pliers were a no name brand (Channel lock style) my second pair was Klein which had much sharper and longer lasting teeth. Later I moved to the Knipex Cobra 87 01 250 to get the narrower head (8.0 mm vs 9.5 mm) and the no finger pinch design. These pliers work great and still do but I ultimately moved to the Knipex Cobra Quick Set 87 21 250, which have the hands free quick adjust capability and so far so good. I am not sure they will be as durable as the original design.
I want to do a pliers wrench comparison in the future. I have both the Knipex and NWS versions, but with just those two I can tell you right away that the Knipex is way better. If I can get a couple of more pliers wrenches then it would be more interesting.
Both the Wiha and Stahlwille are sold by your friends at KCTools. If you mean the NWS Powermax, I think it does not look like a pliers wrench because the jaw rotates rather than slide in a parallel fashion as with the Knipex, Wiha, and Stahlwille - the NWS looks like a Knipex Alligator without teeth - nice grips tho!
Do you need to flip these button side down when loosening nuts as you would with a standard adjustable wrench? If so, wouldn't that inadvertently press the button in?
Great video, I personally have some of the Knipex and do enjoy them. A good low cost alternative is still the standby, good old Channel-locks, but you miss out on some of the features like the push button adjustment and larger jaw opening.
I'm kind of surprised channellock hasn't come out with their own version. I don't think I've ever seen a push-button Channellock branded version before.
True, I guess that is kind of weird. I guess they think their current design is good enough? It's not bad to be honest, just lacking the extra adjust-ability. It's apples and oranges but they're both "fruit/pliers" and work well at their job. It could have to do with overall cost vs actual benefit of a new design, a Channel-lock set is half the price of a Knipex one.
Josh -JustAnotherOne Half the price in the US. A 250mm Cobra costs 20€ (incl. taxes and shipping) in Germany, while a 10 inch Channellock is 14.28$ in the US. So in the respective country of origin there is not that much of a difference. Regarding the fact that the Knipex design with the box joint and moving pin is much more expensive to manufacture, I think thats not that bad.
Good point, I was only looking from the viewpoint of a USA customer but other countries would vary for sure. Although, is that pounds vs dollars? Might want to convert that to get a better comparison. Regardless I do think the Cobra is the better option, budget and personal preference allowing.
Hello. I just found your channel and subscribed. I find German tools to be superior in many regards and I recently discovered that I can buy some German brands on Amazon’s Germany site for less and sometimes far less than the Amazon US site. Shipping was not free, but it was reasonable and fairly quick. Might I suggest you do a review of which tools you recommend and whether they can be found at a discount on Amazon’s Germany site? As an example, I found a Wera torque wrench for about 65% less on the Amazon Germany site. Even with shipping, I saved over $120 on this tool alone. I also found a Bosch ratchet set that wasn’t even available on the Amazon US site. Amazon.com/de. Thanks for your videos and for considering my request. Please forgive me if you already did a video of this kind as I just found your channel.
@kanalisatonertellen I don't know, is the question still relevant? Rennsteig has been part of the Knipex group since 1991. Rennsteig also makes cable assembly tools, and the Knipex website has Rennsteig chisels. They write about this in the "company" section on Rennsteig's website. There is also information on the Knipex website under the "company" menu item.
Yes, and they won't be anything like the original. Inferior steel, less precision, softer steel. I'm not being a tool snob, I have some Harbour freight stuff, but for a tool that will be in use everyday, just buy the best.
Those are some high quality channel locks, but with a lot of moving parts and complexity.. how do they hold up being thrown on the floor, like I sometimes do to my channel locks, when I have my hands used and can't set the pliers down.
the orig knipex are all metal, no plastic buttons, less to break, nothing sticks out, so as durable as channellocks (which i would say are among the most durable of the water pump type, their much thicker side locks and better fit than many of the type)
15 seconds into the Hazet because it looked 100% indestructable, I clicked on the Amazon link with 100% the intention to buy it, but 87$?! Good lawd. I love me some good tools, but that crossed the threshold into "not even close to what I do for my day job, can't justify it :(". I can tell y'all though the all metal Knipex version is basically unbreakable, fwiw.
Great video. I can tell you put a lot of thought into conducting your review. I foresee you getting a lot of views on this video if the traditional "X vs Y" search queries ping this.
original 1987 knipex from my toolbox imgur.com/a/Lii7a notice, straight rack and small button, vinyl handles (middle set are orig, bottom set the first revision in later 80s)
So, do the knipex quickset cobras 12" model come in a comfort grip/multi-component grip style. I don't see it listed. I just got'em with what I guess is the non-slip (gritty?) style handle (I haven't received them yet)? Thanks.
Yeah they do come in multi-component grips but only the 250mm version. Try P/N 87 22 250. It looks like the 300mm version only comes with the plastic-coated non-slip grip.
Hi, Yea - that's what I mean. I guess I was just askin' if you could confirm, haha. I just ordered the 300mm length with non-slip grip (quick set) and it looks as though that's the only handle option. No biggie. :) Thank you.
FYI, Austria joined Germany 10.04.1938 or 13.04. by a referendum, and preceded by both govts agreeing to this. The secession to avoid blame for WW2 is not accepted by everyone.
Well as a electrician here in the U.K I have to say your reviews and breakdowns of tools is top notch, very professional, with a ton of technical data making it easier for us tradesman to differentiate and pick our tools based on performance. Love all your videos, keep it up.
Thanks! I appreciate the kind words.
Sorry to be offtopic but does someone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot the account password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me.
@Xzavier Jacoby Instablaster :)
@Cayson Pierce thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Cayson Pierce It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thank you so much, you saved my ass :D
This was very well done, though truthfully, I was pretty confident that Knipex was going to win. I still own and use my 3 sizes of Knipex pliers that I purchased back in 85 or 86, and used them hard in a professional auto repair shop until I retired in 2006. That's one hell of a pedigree for the current generation!
Great review!
I think the best part of the Knipex is that they stay in good function for many years of hard use.
I would be interested to see how the new sliding adjustment would fair in this review
I found my first Knipex tools in the early '90s at a German hardware store. While not cheap, they are still my favorites in all classes.
Mine too.......great tools :]
The Stoned Videogame Nerd
Thanks for the tip, I will keep an eye out for that.
I have both knipex and gedore , water pump pliers, the gedore tends to do less damage to surfaces but the knipex grips better. So I use each one where they are more suitable. The pliers models that I have are 300mm knipex cobra, 250mm knipex smart grip self adjusting and a 250mm gedore slip joint water pump pliers.
Fantastic, scientific comparison! I went with Knipex after hearing from some of the old breed around the industry.. and this video proved them right! Thank you for the time that you put into making this video :)
I love my knipex pliers!
Something that I notice in these reviews is that no brand build perfect pliers, but Knipex does seem to come awefully close every time. Knipex pliers have never let me down, and the availability and price around here mean that they are my only brand that I go to when buying pliers.
Yeah I really does depend on your intended purpose. I went into the review picking the categories I wanted to grade each on on before taking any measurements. I was surprised that the Knipex scored so high in some areas as you really don't think about that when you are just using the tool every once and a while.
i find any company that specialises in a narrowish range of tools, so knipex, channellock ,visegrip, wera, bondhus, or has been making the same exact tool for decades, bahco adjustable, stanley 99e knife, are by definition the best you can do, of course those who make a wider range such as bahco or stanley also make a few lemons as they dont make everything but relable from the far east too often
like PB swiss, who make the best screwdrivers, and that is the only thing they make.
pb swiss make too narrow a selection of drivers, i believe they are meant for gunsmithing, not general purpose, so i;d personally go with werea or wiha for screwdrivers. back when CK actually made them, or stanley, or the long gone steadfast UK , lasted forever (i burn through a #2 pozi once a year, but still have a steadfast pozi from 30 years ago, so they really made them)
i see knipex locking pliers (vice grips) for sale online but havent seen a pair in use or heard any info on them, amazon reviews are just complains about how they arrived with surface rust, i wonder if theyre any good or maybe not even made by knipex just rebadged
Exceptional review. Your attention to detail and command of language are most welcome compared to reviews conducted by others. Thanks ever so much!
Another metric you could check is tooth hardness, which will affect the longevity of the tools. One thing to note is the hazet will clear a narrower gap without binding the button since it is lower profile. Though I’d rather have 2 pairs of knipex vs one hazet, and i do have many knipex tools :)
The Knipex and Gedore are superb for plumbers. I've got both brands and I can't fault them, but if I had to choose then, I go for Knipex, just.
Have you tried Rothenberger?
@@paedahe4975 yes and they're average. Knipex are way out in front of the rest.
@@williammcgrattan9583 I agree. I have a pair of Rothenberger Cobra style pliers and the button sticks out way too far.
5:59 Pozidrive mostly used for wood screws and Philips mostly for machine screws...
Not true
Nice videos I wish they were around when I upgraded all my hand tools. I Bought the knipex on ebay, glad I did they work well on auto repair stuck/rusty bolts. Also they clean up easy for any home repairs just make job a breeze. only pliers I know that open wide enough to change flush valves on toilets.
Gedore for me quality at reasonable prices they also look nice. Im a big gedore fan all there pliers are great.
I carry the 10" Alligators in my service call bag, have the 10" Cobras on a magnetic tool bar by the back door of my van - they both work amazing....wish i'd known about KNIPEX years ago - best 'adjustable pliers' available.
I've actually never tried the alligator ones - they were invented before my time and had already been superceded by the Cobra design when I started using them.
I bought both pair at the same time when the supply house had them on special(20 and 25usd).
The guy behind the counter asked which one I wanted, my reply,
"Uhhhhh....go ahead and just gimme both of 'em..."
I honestly don't find much difference in using the Alligators day-to-day with their lack of locking button.
The alligator was nice because there was no button to press, you could just slide them around with a flick of the wrist, but I've gotten used to the cobra now.
The smaller 180 cobra is a superior replacement for many traditional gripping pliers, such as lineman's / combination pliers and various flat nose / snipe nose types. I use them on my electronics bench also.
I EDC the 150mm Cobras in my front pocket
- awesome for residential HVAC work(large enough to remove suction side king valve caps).
Yeah they sure do have a lot of different sizes/options. I doubt I will ever get them all.
Currently have the 125, 150, and 250mm - just waiting on an excuse to get the XL or XXL.
Carry the 125mm myself , invaluable for a maintenance caretaker.....................
@@scrambler350 Which one do you like more, the 125 or the 150 Cobra? Thanks in advance!
I've seen the pushbutton pop off the knipex but it doesn't affect anything at all as the mechanism still works fine. they feel incredible in the hand.
I've been binge watching your videos.
Fantastic content, chap!
You deserve more viewers but as the trends would show a few men care about quality. Awesome effort.
What a fantastically thorough review. Thanks!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
...Great comparison BTW, love the slim design and quality of Gedore but Knipex
is outstanding. The real beast in my toolbox, 22"cobra xxl, unstoppable. .....😉
Shet metal screws and fast drywall screws are very common in Europe with
Philipps head.
Yeah I do have the Cobra XXL as well and have been using it as a pipe wrench mostly. That is the thing you go to when nothing else works. I've seen people use them for removing stuck oil filters.
Hey Thanks again!!! I love your tests! I'm from Germany and you have the best test videos from germen hardware by far. I'll stay tuned :-)
Woah the return spring in the handle is a nice thing, would love that on the knipex...
Thanks for the in depth review....i only have access to knipex and nws where i live....and i'll be sticking to the knipex...
Thanks again
As far as comparisons go you are the best! Nice vid👍 this thing had to take lots of work, good job!
Out of passing interest; Knipex sells replacement adjustment button kits that include a new spring & screw. They can be had from most anywhere sells Knipex, even Amazon.
The Hazet mechanism looks really neat, but I'd be worried about losing that spring during work and then having issues setting the jaw width. Also, the Knipex won...shocker! :)
Excellent detailed showdown.I like the Hazet adjustment mechanism. Good engineering. Left handed version that's cool that they thought of that.
I have both the Knipex and the NWS and I have to agree the Knipex grip much much better.
knipex also has more market reach in many countries. Also, they have various size ranges, from small to big. other manufacturers are limited to only 10" and 12" inch sizes mostly.
i have the knipex for about a month now, already saved me twice in situations where they were all i had or they did the job my other tools wouldnt, id give the hazets try at the same price but certainly wouldnt pay any more for them than the knipex
I just bought a pair of knipex high leverage nippers which I use to cut off nails that are sticking through framing. I thought I was upgrading from my smaller channellock pair I've had for 10 years. Don't really like them though because the handles flex so much cutting effort required is much greater than the smaller pliers from the other manufacturer which are 4" shorter.
I don't actually have any Knipex nippers as it is not a tool I often use. I would use nippers when doing milwork restoration to pull old nails through, but I haven't done any of that in some time. Thanks for the input, I will have to check up on that and possibly compare them to some other brands.
NWS are incredibly comfortable, and that’s an understatement.
Awesome video sir. Everybody wants to be like Knipex but still nobody can be Knipex. I did pick up the Wiha water pump pliers somewhere along the way, and enjoy them. The ones with the big red button. If I could have the ultimate pass pair I would choose the Knipex auto adjust with NWS grips. How about you? Thanks for the time and effort it takes to make these videos, really is appreciated. 👏
Never tried the Wiha ones. I do believe they are made in Vietnam though.
Yes , they are made in vietnam (drivers are german , etc.) sold mine only use kNIPEX now :]
Thank God damn time a company made left-handed
I'm lovin' the Hazet, not seen it before! Think I might go for them to replace my aging Snap-On selection.
Very methodical and thorough review
I just got through watching this video of yours and spent the last 14 minutes sitting on pins and needles waiting for the conclusion. I just bought the exact same pair of Knipex cobras this last week, but that was before I saw this video. Of course it is a little crazy to admit, but I was rooting for Knipex like it was the NFL playoffs! haha Those Hazet are pretty damn sweet too. I really like that button/lever design.
very good review and presented so well good close ups and descriptions,ratings..thankyou enjoyed this and learnt about these tools i will be purchasing one.... others could learn from you
Absolutely great job with this comparison. I'm gonna have to subscribe to your channel. Very thorough, and (knowing) outlining the difference between objective and subjective is much appreciated in these review style vidoes.
Thanks.
I use Gedore, Facom, SAM, Beta, I can ask whatever I need at work, I usually go for the Gedore, and from this bunch it's the only one I have experience with, very rarely I use them for plumbing, the bite size .... for me it doesn't matter all that much, if I need to use all the way open, I probably need a bigger tool, the button although I like it, sometimes it's frustrating, has in some positions with lack of space, the button hits what's close and the plier opens, would prefer a slimmer design, even being a little harder to switch. Handles I like them slim, space is always a issue,, the design itself, the smoother the better, easier to clean, I don't like the spring on the Hazet, don't have good experience with those springs in most tools, personally many times my pliers are full of gunk, from oil (hydraulic and non hydraulic), to graphite, ceramic powder, dust, all that and much more mixed together.
On my Gedore the teeth are starting to loose bite, they are a bit over a year old, they go trough plenty ruff time though, most don't last that long, channel lock style pliers... don't like them a bit.
Nice video as usual. I would love to see you review the "Knipex Raptor" pliers. They look a bit odd but don't let that fool you.
Very clever design.
I still love my channellocks and knipex is too expensive for what they do and channellocks have never failed me
Excellent content!
Thanks for this great review. Again very well done on your part.
The Hazet seems pretty nice, but I don´t know if I like the button mechanism. It seems more complicated and might be more prone to breaking when dropping the tool. But then again, it is something different and not just a Knipex copy.
I´ve just got me the Gedore Power Pliers set (180mm sidecutters, the 200mm combination pliers you already tested and this 250mm slip-joint).
They might not be as good as Knipex, but I got the whole set for 26,76€ (incl. taxes and shipping of course). That works out to 8.92€ per unit - I just couldn´t resist :)
ua-cam.com/video/DVRpiEAA2yU/v-deo.html
How the box joint is made.
The Klein pump pliers sold in Homeless Despot's electrical section are 'Made in Germany'
Superb comparison and review!
Very thorough! Good review overall from your perspective 👍🏻
Outstanding review! The only thing I don't like is that my wallet has to suffer to get one of those...
Well done.
The locking pivot pin design does wear our though, which is why Knipex sells replacement locking pin kits lol.
I don't think I've experienced anything but disappointment with any of the NWS tools I've had.
Look great, comfortable handles, sub par performance.
Excellent video, good honest evaluation.
Great comparisons. Thanks for the info GTR.
As usual a very good review. Thank you.
Thanks again for another well thought out video. This seems to be a consistent trait across all your videos. Just one comment on the NWS teeth design noticeable at 12:21 in your video. Just speculation on my part, but do you think the NWS engineers designed these teeth so they would grip if turned in either direction? I understand that this type of usage would be considered “wrong” as it would also tend to force the jaws open. But real people do not always use tools in the most optimal way. The other three designs look more unidirectional when it comes to grip IMO.
BTW, my first water pump pliers were a no name brand (Channel lock style) my second pair was Klein which had much sharper and longer lasting teeth. Later I moved to the Knipex Cobra 87 01 250 to get the narrower head (8.0 mm vs 9.5 mm) and the no finger pinch design. These pliers work great and still do but I ultimately moved to the Knipex Cobra Quick Set 87 21 250, which have the hands free quick adjust capability and so far so good. I am not sure they will be as durable as the original design.
great review! I use irwins, but the hazet looks interesting
Great video and competition.
Just to note the more cutouts / machining the more junk to clean out in a shop heavy user (not a typical home user)
Spectacular information
Knipex win overall.
Here in Spain the Hazet cost about the same as the knipex.
I had no idea cobras were around in the 80's I thought they were a pretty recent thing
I'd like to see a review on the Wiha version and maybe the Wiha bicut cutters
Ausgezeichnet! Danke!
Fantastic review, thanks for this.
Subscribed. 👍
Great review!
What is the function of the machined hole on the nws handle for near the word “ GERMANY”?
Super test.
Have you thought about doing a similar comparison between the Knipex Pliers-Wrench, the Wiha Soft Grip, and the Stahlwille PowerGrip Pliers-Wrenches?
I want to do a pliers wrench comparison in the future. I have both the Knipex and NWS versions, but with just those two I can tell you right away that the Knipex is way better. If I can get a couple of more pliers wrenches then it would be more interesting.
Both the Wiha and Stahlwille are sold by your friends at KCTools.
If you mean the NWS Powermax, I think it does not look like a pliers wrench because the jaw rotates rather than slide in a parallel fashion as with the Knipex, Wiha, and Stahlwille - the NWS looks like a Knipex Alligator without teeth - nice grips tho!
German Tool Reviews - now it looks like Gedore will be coming out with their own pliers-wrench. Hoping your get motivated for a Showdown!
Yeah I did just see that. Looks very similar to the Knipex one so we will have to see if there are any real differences.
Do you need to flip these button side down when loosening nuts as you would with a standard adjustable wrench? If so, wouldn't that inadvertently press the button in?
buenas tardes cuando van avenir estas herramientas en guatemala
You forgot Stahlwille/VBW 🙁
Yeah I'm sure there are plenty I forgot. Just picked four that I could get easily.
Top 4 shown i think , although i"m a big Stahlwille fan , great vid. :]
Garnett-Too
it seams odd theat the nws pliers had their add on spring release on during the gripping test
I really like it
Well presented video. Thanks
Thanks videonya,
8:53 „exponential jump“ xD
Great job on your showdown vidz! I can only wonder why compare german tools only? Kee p up the good work anyway... :)
Thanks for this review. Luckily the Knipex are much cheaper in Germany;-)
Danke
Check out the 87 22 250 quickset :]
Great video, I personally have some of the Knipex and do enjoy them. A good low cost alternative is still the standby, good old Channel-locks, but you miss out on some of the features like the push button adjustment and larger jaw opening.
I'm kind of surprised channellock hasn't come out with their own version. I don't think I've ever seen a push-button Channellock branded version before.
True, I guess that is kind of weird. I guess they think their current design is good enough? It's not bad to be honest, just lacking the extra adjust-ability. It's apples and oranges but they're both "fruit/pliers" and work well at their job. It could have to do with overall cost vs actual benefit of a new design, a Channel-lock set is half the price of a Knipex one.
Josh -JustAnotherOne Half the price in the US. A 250mm Cobra costs 20€ (incl. taxes and shipping) in Germany, while a 10 inch Channellock is 14.28$ in the US.
So in the respective country of origin there is not that much of a difference. Regarding the fact that the Knipex design with the box joint and moving pin is much more expensive to manufacture, I think thats not that bad.
Good point, I was only looking from the viewpoint of a USA customer but other countries would vary for sure. Although, is that pounds vs dollars? Might want to convert that to get a better comparison. Regardless I do think the Cobra is the better option, budget and personal preference allowing.
Hello. I just found your channel and subscribed. I find German tools to be superior in many regards and I recently discovered that I can buy some German brands on Amazon’s Germany site for less and sometimes far less than the Amazon US site. Shipping was not free, but it was reasonable and fairly quick. Might I suggest you do a review of which tools you recommend and whether they can be found at a discount on Amazon’s Germany site? As an example, I found a Wera torque wrench for about 65% less on the Amazon Germany site. Even with shipping, I saved over $120 on this tool alone. I also found a Bosch ratchet set that wasn’t even available on the Amazon US site. Amazon.com/de. Thanks for your videos and for considering my request. Please forgive me if you already did a video of this kind as I just found your channel.
Now do knipex vs the snap on version. Thank you. Pwz
Matt,
This was a pretty good review, but next time try to be a bit more analytical.
Just kidding! Great review, comparison, and video.
Isn't the Knipex produced from Rennsteig tools?
@kanalisatonertellen I don't know, is the question still relevant?
Rennsteig has been part of the Knipex group since 1991. Rennsteig also makes cable assembly tools, and the Knipex website has Rennsteig chisels.
They write about this in the "company" section on Rennsteig's website. There is also information on the Knipex website under the "company" menu item.
Hazet?
How do I bought that KNIPEX Pliers? from Philippines
THANKS great vid, hopefully harbor freight will get those chy neese 10 yr olds makin some copies fast!
Yes, and they won't be anything like the original. Inferior steel, less precision, softer steel. I'm not being a tool snob, I have some Harbour freight stuff, but for a tool that will be in use everyday, just buy the best.
Those are some high quality channel locks, but with a lot of moving parts and complexity.. how do they hold up being thrown on the floor, like I sometimes do to my channel locks, when I have my hands used and can't set the pliers down.
Get a pair of cobra"s & compare them (over time) with the channel locks , both great quality companies but.........
Integra DIY I've used knipex for 8-10years. They are no worse off than my channel locks. Also I use them more often than the channel locks
Thanks and Gotcha. Also, I use channellock as a general word. Knipex pliers are considered channellocks to me by the design 🙂
the orig knipex are all metal, no plastic buttons, less to break, nothing sticks out, so as durable as channellocks (which i would say are among the most durable of the water pump type, their much thicker side locks and better fit than many of the type)
15 seconds into the Hazet because it looked 100% indestructable, I clicked on the Amazon link with 100% the intention to buy it, but 87$?! Good lawd. I love me some good tools, but that crossed the threshold into "not even close to what I do for my day job, can't justify it :(". I can tell y'all though the all metal Knipex version is basically unbreakable, fwiw.
knipex are the best
Where's the Black Friday haul?
Great video. I can tell you put a lot of thought into conducting your review. I foresee you getting a lot of views on this video if the traditional "X vs Y" search queries ping this.
original 1987 knipex from my toolbox imgur.com/a/Lii7a notice, straight rack and small button, vinyl handles (middle set are orig, bottom set the first revision in later 80s)
Very cool to see the evolution.
Does the company produce this one?
So, do the knipex quickset cobras 12" model come in a comfort grip/multi-component grip style. I don't see it listed. I just got'em with what I guess is the non-slip (gritty?) style handle (I haven't received them yet)?
Thanks.
Yeah they do come in multi-component grips but only the 250mm version. Try P/N 87 22 250. It looks like the 300mm version only comes with the plastic-coated non-slip grip.
Hi,
Yea - that's what I mean. I guess I was just askin' if you could confirm, haha. I just ordered the 300mm length with non-slip grip (quick set) and it looks as though that's the only handle option. No biggie. :)
Thank you.
Holy shit those are expensive!
I'm doing some research since I want to buy a pair of knipex cobra's. Here in Europe that knipex is 25€
I have no problem paying for good quality, knipex all the way.
@@Seedthedrummer I’m with you my man. Two years later I now started earning money and I have about 20 different knipex pliers which I love dearly
FYI, Austria joined Germany 10.04.1938 or 13.04. by a referendum, and preceded by both govts agreeing to this. The secession to avoid blame for WW2 is not accepted by everyone.
nice.. i like the video...:) thanks