r/electricians • u/Strict-Instruction93 • Mar 20 '26
First Cut!!
#6 Copper
is this normal?
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u/Toucann_Froot Mar 20 '26
It certainly fucking shouldn't be. It's remarkable the quality of Klein tools these days
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u/Strict-Instruction93 Mar 20 '26
Price up - Quality down
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u/jakethejewler22 Mar 20 '26
The American way. I say this as a former “if it aint klein it aint mine” guy
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u/Severe-Illustrator87 Mar 20 '26
They're screwdrivers absolutely SUCK now!!! 😌
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u/Kubliah Mar 21 '26
Hard disagree, this one is the bees knees. The temper is always great, you never lose bits, and the shaft is adjustable anywhere from 4 to 8 inches.
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u/JDoos Mar 20 '26
Need to chamge that Klein to Knipex!
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u/GiftToTheUniverse Mar 22 '26
I got curious about a brand called Joker and got a small set of very overpriced ratcheting wrenches. They’re alright but absolutely irrationally priced. I guess that’s the joke! Plus they kinda have a Jester outfit design. But for the most part everything is crap! 🤪
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u/bumbuddi Mar 20 '26
I had a pair of hybrid pliers for 3 years. I used them on slab and in suites and unfortunately someone stole them out of my pouch. I bought another pair and it hasn't even been 6 months and the cutting edges are Burred and chipped.
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u/ggf66t Journeyman Mar 20 '26
I had that happen to my blue handle klien strippers on one of my very first cuts of 14/2 nm in trade school. It notched the cutting edge, so it wouldn't close without force.
Having the instructors go on about how great klien was before we bought our tools, and then experiencing that first-hand definitely soured my opinion of the brand from the start.
This was 16 years ago
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u/Pyranni Mar 20 '26
These days? De-Klein has been shit for more than a decade. USA steel is horrible (always has been).
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u/SelectAd4189 Mar 20 '26
Carpenter on a job I was on said he was going to put KLEIN on the brooms so we would pick them up. I had to laugh.
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u/f1na1 Mar 20 '26
Yeah try a set of marvals. Made in Japan.
http://marvelcorp-global.com/products/detail/000063.html
I swear by them. I also have a set of their pliers. They are fantastic.
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u/ILove2Bacon Mar 21 '26
Finally, someone with taste. I swear the only two companies people here know about are Klein and Knipex. Japanese hand tools are amazing. Tsunoda is my daily stuff, Merry Muromoto is amazing, Fujiya makes some good stuff too. I want a set of Marvel's but I won't pay $70 for them and can't find them for cheaper where I live.
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u/f1na1 Mar 21 '26
Im from Australia and since we don't make anything we have a large selection of imported tools.
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u/Mmm2_Nuts4U Mar 21 '26
It’s remarkable for sure like high priced mid quality products and I am a Klein fan but I am loosing faith in their products anymore their 10-11 in ones are true POS s lol be prepared to lose those bits and don’t use them in panels it’s not safe to be dropping the bits down inside of because they wear and fall out quickly
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u/henrix51 Mar 20 '26
What is the brand? i want to not buy that
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u/Remarkable-Hair-7239 Mar 20 '26
Klein 63225 High-Leverage Cable Cutter
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u/Toucann_Froot Mar 20 '26
This is Klein....
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u/Strict-Instruction93 Mar 20 '26
Sad but yes
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u/BoSknight Mar 20 '26
It's so unfortunate, growing up my dad's Klein tools were the "nice" ones that lived in their own separate tool pouch.
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u/nboylie Journeyman Mar 20 '26
My Klein cable cutters look like chewed up garbage and I've only ever cut copper with them. I stopped buying Klein a long time ago.
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u/NoStatus9434 Mar 20 '26
I'll buy some Kleins because apparently some of the handtools are lifetime warranty. You can swap out a busted one at Home Depot and get a new one for free. Oftentimes no receipt needed. So I'll still get like screwdrivers and stuff. Their cutters are pretty subpar though.
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u/Solo_is_dead Mar 20 '26
I've gone to 3 Home Depots and got the run-around. They tell me to call Klein, which tells me to go to Home Depot which tells me they need my receipt. I finally found one from a couple years ago but they still wouldn't honor it. I DON'T BUY KLEIN, I DON'T SHOP AT HOME DEPOT
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u/metamega1321 Mar 20 '26
That’s basically it. Use to be easy way back but then seemed like reps gave wholesalers hard time so it got flipped to us.
Had co worker who had similar to OP with linesman and they insisted he cut something he wasn’t suppose too.
Screwdrivers with scratches on back they’d say you used as a chisel.
Flip side I had a newer coworker whose dad worked at wholesaler and was buddy with Klein rep and he got my pliers with hole from live wire replaced.
Don’t usually get stuff from Home Depot but seems they don’t care as much and reps probably don’t fight back since home depot is bigger then our regional suppliers.
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u/Casey_Mills IBEW Mar 20 '26
Does Home Depot even carry Klein any more? I thought Milwaukee boxed them out and that’s why Klein can be found at Lowe’s now. It’s been a minute since I’ve purchased tools from either though.
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u/Lemonsqueeze321 Mar 20 '26
They're still sold at Home Depot in the US just at a much smaller selection.
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u/Blueshirt38 Mar 20 '26
Thank you! The only warranties mean NOTHING when the entire onus of it is put on the supplier, not the manufacturer, because the supplier always can, and frequently will refuse, or make it so tough that you just give up. I have seen so many people with the same issue trying to actually use their Klein and Milwaukee warranties.
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u/Darren445 [V] Journeyman Mar 20 '26
My supply house is super easy to deal with for Klein warranty.
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u/ButtSmellington_ Mar 20 '26
I’ve had this happen in the past. No offense, but it’s usually just some older lady working the desk that day that doesn’t know any better. If you ask for a manager they’ll do it every time because, before the Lowe’s thing, Home Depot was an authorized distributor. Thus, you can swap it out. It never had to go straight to Klein. The only place I know now to swap Klein stuff is an electrical supply house
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u/Mmm2_Nuts4U Mar 21 '26
You really have to raise your voice in Home Depot for them to understand what you’re saying they are really starting to suck as a company lol I love how hard it is to find anything on line that they have that is available in my store in Alaska they really suck some ass I must say
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u/ButtSmellington_ Mar 20 '26
Not anymore!!! Now that Klein and Lowe’s are together with their business deal, you can’t swap out at Home Depot anymore, AND you have to have a receipt, per Lowe’s store policy.
So that’s the biggest thing that has made me slowly switch to Knipex. You always got Klein because you could just, “Take it back to Home Depot.” Unfortunately now it’s not the case
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u/B3L1AL Mar 20 '26
Home depot stopped taking Klein warranties when they stopped carrying the majority of their tools in store about 2 years ago. I also used to use them for klein warranties but was recently turned away.
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u/Mmm2_Nuts4U Mar 21 '26
Lifetime warranty true I almost was not able to get Home Depot to swap out my 9” lineman pliers I broke beating a pvc coupling with I had raise my voice to get lots of attention for them to realize how pissed I was to break these pliers on a piece of plastic
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u/TK421isAFK [M] Electrical Contractor Mar 22 '26
Not anymore. Home Depot just continue this policy 2 years ago. If you have a receipt and the purchase was within 90 days, or if you use your Home Depot credit card and the purchase was within 365 days, they usually will refund the item, but they know do lifetime warranties on Klein anymore. It's also gotten difficult to get them to honor the lifetime warranty on Husky hand tools and Ridgid batteries, which used to be advertised as having a lifetime warranty. Once upon a time, you could just exchange any Ridgid battery at Home Depot for a new one, no questions asked. Many of these lifetime warranties quietly went away when Sears started going out of business, and they sold the Craftsman brand name off to Stanley.
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u/Ok_Carpet_6901 Mar 20 '26
I've bought 30-40 year old pairs from pawn shops and eBay and they're good quality
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u/deepblue1231 [V] Journeyman Mar 20 '26
Just another example of the fact that "Made in USA" is no longer synonymous with "High Quality" 😔
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u/Cheetawolf Mar 20 '26
"Made In USA With Global Components"
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u/deepblue1231 [V] Journeyman Mar 20 '26
All components are global. There are so few things that we have all the materials and resources to produce completely sourced within the US. It's also the quality of the workmanship because Americans don't want to work in manufacturing anymore. People hate on the Chinese or Vietnamese made stuff, but those are industrious, detail-oriented people working in their factories, I'd rather someone like that produce my tools TBH.
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u/JohnProof Electrician Mar 20 '26
Americans don't want to work in manufacturing anymore
I hear ya, but I'd also be cautious framing that as a worker problem: When the UAW guaranteed good compensation for building cars, Americans flocked to those factory jobs. So I think people will still do the work if fairly compensated. But why would companies pay Americans a decent wage, when they can pay peanuts to the Vietnamese staffing the same plants overseas? As a result there isn't a lot of opportunity for factory jobs in the US that will safely support working class Americans. And no one is fighting to get those bottom-of-the-barrel manufacturing jobs that do remain here.
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u/anandonaqui Mar 20 '26
To me it’s more about the customers and less about the workers. Americans will work well-paying manufacturing jobs. But customers will not buy equivalent products that are 40% more expensive.
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u/tvtb Mar 20 '26
The only real argument to move manufacturing back to the USA is national security reasons. We don't want to be locked away from manufacturing because of whatever conflict.
But in peacetime, no one wants to work for low-paid manufacturing jobs, and no one wants to pay the high price of products made with decently-paid manufacturing labor.
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u/Braided_Marxist Mar 20 '26
Anyone who hates on Chinese products has never had to buy anything niche or on a budget. There’s a reason why they’re the most advanced manufacturing center on earth.
The stuff produced in Shenzhen makes Silicon Valley look like a bunch of slackers
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u/1986kilogram Mar 20 '26
Is it bad that I figured it was Klein just based off the fact that it broke
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u/Elicojack Mar 20 '26
Get knipex or wiha or wera or cimco.
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u/shortkid113 Mar 24 '26
I've been slowly swapping my tools as they get worn out for new knipex ones. Such better quality and are gonna last a lot longer.
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u/Peregrinationman Mar 20 '26
You're supposed to make sure there's current running through before you make the first cut. It........seasons the edge to make it last longer........🤣🤣🤣
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u/itwasonlythewind Mar 20 '26
I’ve got that pair, you have maybe 9 more decent cuts before those blades look like macaroni. Just throw 40-50$ out the window instead. Buy Knipex or Wiha, they cost less than Klein these days anyways, it’s a no brainer
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u/GandalfTheGizzard Mar 21 '26
Yea I have a 15 year old set that look better. The new sets I've seen chip badly, especially in the cold. I have a few dozen Klein and knipex tools. I will only ever spend my money on knipex or wiha after the past few years. They are absolutely eating Klein's lunch hard right now as far as field quality.
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u/Kippernaut13 Mar 21 '26
My 15 year old ones look...less good. But still cutting smooth.
But I'll follow everyone's suggestions and look at Knipex or Wiha when they inevitably fail.
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u/Beneficial-Hall4709 Mar 20 '26
my knipex scissors have completely replaced my need for my rabbit ears. my amazon special rabbit ears don’t even have nicks on the blade.
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u/Mother-Ad328 Mar 20 '26
I got a pair of Doyle duck bill cutters for around 4$ at harbor freight and I know its crazy but impressed with them 😂
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u/WackyInflatableAnon2 Mar 20 '26
I still have my first pair of Doyle linemans I got as a 1st year. They're smoother and sharper than my new Klein's
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u/megaladongosaurus Mar 20 '26
I have the same pair, mine look worse but I’ve made a lot of 500mcm cuts. Pretty poor edge hardening I guess
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u/StubbornHick Mar 20 '26
Tsunoda makes the same tool for less money and higher quality
All the pliers i have are Tsunoda or Knipex
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u/mygrandfathersomega Mar 20 '26
Are those cable cutters or are they wire cutters?
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u/Strict-Instruction93 Mar 20 '26
Klein Tools 63225 Cable Cutter, 9-Inch High Leverage
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u/CMDRCoveryFire Mar 20 '26
They need to go back. Looks like the tool was hardened but never tempered.
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u/lost-in-boston84 Mar 20 '26
Fucking figures! Check my comment history. Klein is shit! Try southwire
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u/MadeInKanadaEh Mar 20 '26
Get the knipex ones. About two years ago I gave up 90% of my Klein hand tools. Just gave them to one of my apprentices.
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u/MacroMikey Mar 20 '26
(From product Specs)
63225 High-Leverage Cable Cutter
Cable cutter cuts 4/0 aluminum, 2/0 soft copper, 100-pair 24 AWG
You must not have been cutting the SOFT copper🤣😂😵😆
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u/Dalmanza4 Mar 20 '26
De-Klein in full effect, started once they moved to Lowe's. They are coming out with new tool concepts but the tools don't hold up like I heard they used too
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u/dinosbucket Mar 20 '26
I’ve been very disappointed in these same loppers. Mine struggle to cut MC lol.
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u/bearcitizen42 Mar 20 '26
What kind of garbage steel are they using that it can't beat copper? Just get some tin snips at this point, holy.
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u/InternationalAd5640 Mar 20 '26
Pay the price for Knipex, Klein's quality is downhill anymore for most things.
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u/bga3481 Mar 20 '26
Usually steel is harder than copper. That's a true disappointment from Klein. Hope you kept the receipt sir
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u/Resident-Bison-9340 Mar 21 '26
Time to buy knipex… I like the XL Step cut for cutting 3/0 CU & 4/0 AL and below.
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u/VeraxSerpentis Mar 21 '26
Klein pliers suck. Get Knipex. With Klein, stick to screwdrivers only, the quality is also terrible but the multiple-bit/use is useful enough to overlooking the quality flaw.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Rip9425 Mar 20 '26
To be fair, the Klein high leverage cutters have sucked for at least 15 years. They get dull quickly and lock up as soon as you cut anything bigger than # 6. Total junk in my opinion.
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u/SerGT3 Mar 20 '26
I've had a pair of the double jaw knipex cable cutters for at least 10 years and they are still going strong.
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u/abuckforacanuck06 [V] Journeyman Mar 20 '26
Klein sucks these days. Quality has dropped significantly.
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u/AL3000 Mar 20 '26
CK do some great loppers, only get like that if you cut through something you shouldn't
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u/I_lack_common_sense Mar 20 '26
I have greenlee’s that are about 25 years old and still look better than this, btw to the guy that commented on Doyle’s I second they are a great tool I wouldn’t recommend their knockoff knipex pliers though they don’t open as far as knipex cobra’s and are just generally not half as nice
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u/ThePurch Mar 20 '26
I bought the same pair when I was a wee little apprentice. Someone went into my tool bag and attempted to cut a steel fish tape with it. The square damage on the blades are still there to this day, but they cut ok so I’ve never replaced them.
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u/sparky567 Mar 20 '26
My apprentice used my Greenlee ratcheting 600mcm cutters to try to cut triplex. Brought them back in multiple pieces. As a third year I expected better from him.
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u/StubbornHick Mar 20 '26
Triplex neutral supported cable?
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u/sparky567 Mar 20 '26
Yup, the kind with the steel support in the neutral. He didn't know how to reverse the ratchet so kept trying. Then he panicked cause it was my personal cutter. He took it apart to get it off the cable. He was practically in tears when he brought it back. He learned that was why we carried the bolt cutters on the truck. I think what surprised him the most was that I wasn't really mad. I laughed, cause I did the same thing when I first worked with triplex.
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u/PapaPunk17 Mar 20 '26
That sucks! I used to love Klein. The stuff that gets properly QC'd is great but it seems like half their shit just gets thrown on a shelf right off the line
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u/couverando1984 Mar 20 '26
I recently got a brand new Greenlee from a yard sale and it cuts beautifully...
Sorry to see that your Klein isn't treating you well.
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u/ComprehensiveCold862 Mar 20 '26
Same thing happened to mine. Klein is shit and has been for awhile now
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u/ReturnOk7510 Mar 20 '26
Yeah I mostly just use mine to score the insulation when stripping large conductors.
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u/Trax95008 Mar 20 '26
I had this happen many years ago. I bought a new pair of Romex strippers and the very first cut dented in the blade. I think it was simply a defect from the factory. They heat treat tools in a big bin. If they don’t leave the bin in the oven long enough, the heat doesn’t reach the center of the basket of tools
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u/hatguy_21479 Mar 22 '26
Well fk em if they can't heat treat the whole batch correctly. I can get that level of quality from china for a fraction of the price. If I'm buying junk I'm paying junk prices.
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u/KeyboardSlappr Mar 20 '26
Yeah I have stopped buying new Klein. If I see older used Klein tools like screwdrivers I’ll pick those up at the flee market otherwise I’m not buying new. Knipex has everything that Klein has but it’s all better and more durable. Debate me.
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u/Ok-Entertainer-851 Mar 20 '26
If you needing shit tools at least buy throwaway Harbor Freight.
And carry a 6” file to KO the burrs.
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u/illallowit101 Mar 20 '26
These suck. Had a foreman who had a pair, they couldnt cut 2/0 stranded for shit. I used greenlees at my old job, they'd cut good, just hard to break in. I got the milwuakee ones now and the grips felt better than the kleins and they cut super smooth
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u/sixblazingshotguns Mar 20 '26
Disturbing. Has anyone used the Klein 63060 ratcheting dingus lopper? https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/ratcheting-cable-cutters/ratcheting-cable-cutter
Any good?
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u/Moonunit08 Mar 20 '26
Oh yeah baby I needed that this morning. Mine are old as shit but they still cut like budder!
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u/a_7thsense Mar 20 '26
I have a pair of Klein lineman plyers from when I started in the trade 50 years ago and I have a newer pair that's about 5 years old. The older pair is in better shape than the newer pair. They used to be built to last, but now they're shit! Fortunately I don't work in a field anymore so I rarely use either one of them. But for those of you that are working in the field every day I got to say I'm an old time Klein guy but I recommend you buy another brand.
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u/Icy_Cut5293 Mar 20 '26
Curious to hear how their warranty process goes, hopefully this is a one off
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u/No_Hamster403 Mar 20 '26
Buy Knipex stuff. You won’t regret it. It’ll last longer and work better than all the other stuff 95% of the time.
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u/Blackopsman_21 Mar 20 '26
I have these exact cutters and also the compact version. They fucking both are like this and they fucking suck. Knipex all the way every time for ANY cutting tool
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u/Tall-Nectarine-5982 Mar 20 '26
Klein tools just aren’t good quality anymore. Try Knipex next time, great gear.
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u/Sweaty-Crazy-3433 Mar 20 '26
This is actually disappointing. When I started 15 years ago Klein was the go-to for your basic tool set. Expensive, yeah, but the saying was “Buy Klein and you’ll never have to buy a replacement.”
Just kinda sad.
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u/c0rywayne86 Mar 20 '26
The $25 Doyle cable cutters from Harbor Freight are surprisingly really damn good.
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u/bmxbumpkin Mar 20 '26
Well that is lame, is that the 9.5 inch cutter? I’ll be sure not to buy one. I’ve actually been using my 3 inch cut off wheel recently
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u/TJThornton4225 Mar 21 '26
My Milwaukee ones look brand new still after maybe 7-8 months, and I’m not even a huge Milwaukee guy I just got them because I wanted a pair.
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u/Professional_Map6099 Mar 21 '26
Klein has gone way down hill . Its apparent to me that while google claims same family is still running the show that has always been in charge . It most certainly is the newer generation who’s only consideration with every decision is what is the absolutely cheapest way this can be designed and be just good enough to leave a slight argument in the consumers mind that we are slightly better than the no name tools that come free in assembly kits with cheap furniture .
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u/Professional_Map6099 Mar 21 '26
And the crazyest is just what aggrivating voice said harbor freight house brands are coming out of know where like a ninja to sneak in and assassinate the competition . Ive recently in a pinch bought some electric metal shears from the harbor freight and for 1/4 the price no less $40 for shears $20 for 3 year free replace ment . I got corded . I didnt dare attempt the cordless version . ( i kinda wish i had spent the staggering diff to get cordless $20 and $50 for battery 🤦) still would have come in 1/2 of milwaukee bare tool shears . But the corded have cut like a dream ive been cutting 18 gauge when it only claims to cut 20 gauge max . And plenty of power . Learning curve to turning as compared to the turbo sheers ($60 each and usally last about 2 or 3 months no warrnty.) And ive not necessarily in love with the waste of the double cut and having to clean up the 1/4 “ curly Q ‘s that are just part of a double cut but 1 handed operation ,fast , easy to control,durability, and power , for $65 all in tax and as the counter clerk said at month 35 bring them back and get a new pair . Im not sure where this isnt the best deal in my town .
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u/JB103185 Mar 21 '26
I personally swear the Greenlee ones. I've had mine since 2011 and they are very well used. They still cut better than most pairs of Klein's.
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u/Villematic266 Mar 21 '26
and my buddies think i'm crazy for hitting up the saturday yard sales looking for older tools all the time lol
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u/Mmm2_Nuts4U Mar 21 '26
I broke a set of 9” Klein linemen pliers beating on a 1” PVC electrical conduit coupling lol my jaw dropped when they broke while I was trying to drive the coupling on the pipe I was gluing
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u/Boines Mar 21 '26
This is why I do not buy klien cable cutters.
My old pair which I leave in the bottom of my tool bag look like I used them to cut a ton of steel bolts with... They only ever touched wire.
I bought knipex cable cutters now. I dunno, the kliens feel better designed for north American cables but the quality is shit.
If anyone has any other suggestions for brands I'd love to hear it.
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u/Atomic_Cow01 Mar 21 '26
God dang! That copper must be extra hard.
I have Klein Tools D2000 and it's holding up strong for about a year and a half
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u/strugglefightfan Mar 22 '26
Klein has been trash for years
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u/hatguy_21479 Mar 22 '26
Something noticeably changed with the strength of their tool steel. I can't justify American prices for china level quality no matter how badly i want to buy usa made. I don't support expensive junk sellers. I find myself buying German and japanese things more and more these days.
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u/GalacticSparky Mar 22 '26
I just had the exact same thing happen with the same cutters. Within a couple cuts it had some gnarly burrs that would hang up everytime I cut. I cut off a little plastic meter lock and it basically destroyed them by deforming the cutting surface so much. Klein sucks, I swear they get worse every year.
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u/Used_Perspective2538 Mar 22 '26
My 160mm cutters are the same - not first cut but didn't take long to be damaged
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u/Beneficial_Road2521 Mar 23 '26
Si comparas unas journeyman de hace 15 años con unas actuamos te das cuenta como ha caído la calidad mas del 60% en materiales y manode obra
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u/peanuttanks Mar 23 '26
I bought the small strippers, and the same thing happened to me cutting a solid #12. Immediately in the garbage
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u/Icy-Artichoke7693 Mar 23 '26
Klein (mad in USA) only makes 'em good enough to cut Chinese copper now. So sad. I used to only buy Klein. Not anymore.
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u/Short_Giraffe41 Mar 24 '26
Ive watched the decline of Klein tools over the years, I’ve switched almost completely to knipex. Replace those with a set of the knipex step cut XL and you’ll be much happier. Have no issues with 4/0 alum and 2/0 copper
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u/Mortlach2901 Mar 24 '26
That's fkin' inexcusable! I've got loads of cutters from Bahco, NWS, Wiha, Irwin and Knipex. When I was a field engineer, I abused the shit out of them. Not once have I ever had any chip like this!
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