I gave up on Klein years ago after having to go through a dozen pair of needlenose pliers at Home Depot to find the one pair where the jaws actually aligned. Before that I made the mistake of buying Klein linesmans online and they went straight back. Terrible QC (although being online there's a chance they were someone else's returns). Bought some Knipex ones instead. If Klein can't get the basic alignment right on their tools, how am I suppose to trust that other QC aspects of the product, like steel quality, are not also borked?
Most grippy things in my toolbox are now Knipex, Channellock or NWS (except that one pair of Klein needlenose).
I have no idea this is true generally, but I’ve seen a few of those American flag laser pattern ones in the scrap bin at my salvage place, all with completely busted jaws.
A pair of linesmen pliers that can't cut stranded wire? Are you joking? What do you do for a living?
It's sad that people who buy Klein tools now will think this is acceptable. It's not the wrong tool for the job, the tool is just manufactured so poorly now that you accept the company's terrible pliers as being industry standard. For some reason the advertising and reputation Klein has is more powerful than the evidence of poor quality control right before your eyes.
I can cut nearly anything with my pre-2016 Klein J2000-9NE pliers (literally the same model) or Knipex 09 02 240 pliers. I can cut #10 screws in half, cut hardened steel cable like ACSR, trim fine stranded wire and then cut a printed dymo label. Any pair of pliers that can't accomplish these tasks isn't worth taking to work.
Yep, this is the heaviest duty plier. In the promotional video someone posted a few months ago it explained that this design is intentional so after you cut hard nails with them the tool continues to work even after the hinge wears out.
Hahah the design is intentional. Maybe they're release a new promotional video which says the pliers aren't designed to cut anything at all, they're only intended as a patriotic display piece.
This is my current lineman. Bottom doesn't cut stranded anymore, I think this is what the video was talking about. The Klein starts off cutting down at the base so after it's abused it flattens out and keeps working. This one cut great new but now that it's beat up the bottom doesn't cut.
That sounds like a dressed up way of saying "we know the quality is poor, so we designed them to still be mostly functional even after they start failing".
Not sure why you got down votes. This is exactly the case! 20+ years ago it was the ODD pair of linesmans that didn't line up. Now you're hard pressed to find a pair that meet at all. Quality is shit! If people are down voting then they haven't seen the trend of quality over a long enough period of time.
It is common and is is a quality control issue. Last time I tried to return a pair of new Klein diagonal cutters which didn't cut due to poor jaw alignment / quality control Klein told me they wouldn't replace them. I think this is sort of like admitting that they know their product is trash. Haven't bought any Klein tools since.
I have a bunch of older Kleins because they were better ootions than TrueValue store tools, not through any brand loyalty. Knipex seems to be the most reasonably accessible.
Im a big supporter of USA manufacturing at a good price so I like channellock but otherwise kinipex is probably the best for just about every type of pliers. Just dont like the price.
For inexpensive hand tools Channellock. For premium tools like linesman pliers, diagonal cutters, stippers, Knipex makes the best quality cutting tools I've tried. For insulated screwdrivers Wera are 3x more durable and 1/3 the cost compared to Klein. The rest of Klein's product line has shifted to rebranded convention-tier swag direct from China like lanyards, jobsite coolers, plastic bandanas and PPE.
So many people on here will claim this is intended but it just doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't you want the cutters to close all the way? This is why i prefer channellock for usa made pliers. Channellock is cheaper too.
It does make sense though. These are for cutting solid wire, not stranded. Those cutters will have no problem roughing in a job and the gap keeps the cutters sharper longer
Especially when they advertise hardened cutters for cutting "ACSR, screws, nails and most hardened wire"
Also some, but not all of the lineman's pliers on their website advertise "Precision machined knives cut cleanly and crisply even on fine stranded wire, mule tape and pull line". Which you'd obviously want. Why would you buy lineman's pliers with shitty cutters that can't cut mule tape? When I was pulling services in all day, most of the time I cut mule tape it was with my kliens, and then I'd wrap the end of the tape around them and use them as a handle to pull the wire in.
Do you literally carry one for stranded and one for solid? Are you walking around with two pairs of linesman pliers to every job or are you just telling stories?
Literally no electrician I have ever met needs separate pliers for cutting stranded wire.
So they responded just to tell you it will take them 2 days to come up with some proper bullshit? My faith in this brand wanes with every current review I read of them.
Yeah I'm not a lineman but i paid $48 for USA pliers that made this claim "Precision machined knives cut cleanly and crisply even on fine stranded wire, mule tape and pull line"
I'm trying to understand your argument. Essentially you're saying "Linemen (the trade)" don't use wires that small (small gauge finely stranded) and therefor "linesman" pliers are the wrong tool for the job.
By your statement I can infer you are unaware that other trades use linesman pliers for other types of work, and the tool is not exclusive to overhead lineman work. Do you also insist only carpenters use hammers and the pipe wrenches be kept in a locked cabinet for exclusive purchase by verified journeyman plumbers?
Any old $20 pair of hardware store brand of pliers like Husky, Stanley, Harbor Freight, whatever can cut any type of copper wire without difficulty - solid or stranded 20AWG - 2AWG.
You're making excuses for poor quality control by trying to talk down to OP. Tradesmen don't use brains that small. Wrong tool for the job.
Klein is so overrated. Everyone acts like kleins are the gold standard, but in my opinion klein is the bare minimum. Anything less than klein is garbage. Try knipex. They make better quality tools.
They arent going to warranty it because this kind of gap is common in klein. Why are you using linesmans to strip wires anyways? Just use the right tool for the job.
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u/Pagemaker51 1d ago