Quality hand tools?

[sacentre]

Can anyone tell me who makes "top quality" hand tools these days? Like the kind I assume professional craftsman would choose? For example, I'm looking for new pair of good quality, general purpose, combination pliers (like the type in the photo) and I'm prepared to pay for them. Can anyone recommend a brand they've used and found well made and durable? I'm not a pro user but like to own the best quality tools if I can find them. With the market flooded with low-cost stuff these days, it's hard to know where to look. The ones in the photo and many more like them in the stores where I live, cost less than US$5/- so I'd worry about the quality for that price - maybe low-grade steel and/or poor heat treatment. Who knows?

TIA

 

[talvare]

I've always had very good service from Kein Tools.

Pliers

Klein Tools specializes in the making of the world's finest pliers ... pliers that stand up to the demands of the professionals who use them everyday. Klein Tools' pliers feel right and work right. Klein's Pliers, tools are job-matched for every kind of work professionals complete; designed and...

www.kleintools.com

Ted

 

[sacentre]

I've always had very good service from Kein Tools.

Pliers

Klein Tools specializes in the making of the world's finest pliers ... pliers that stand up to the demands of the professionals who use them everyday. Klein Tools' pliers feel right and work right. Klein's Pliers, tools are job-matched for every kind of work professionals complete; designed and...

www.kleintools.com

Ted

Thanks, Ted. I'll look them up.

 

[Batmanacw]

Knipex pliers are absolutely phenomenal German Quailty. They do the work to get the engineering right. The Cobra pliers are the standard by which all other pliers are judged. Channel lock isn't even on the same planet.

 

[benmychree]

Irwin is a professional grade line of tools, don't know what they offer in lock joint pliers.

 

[GeneT45]

Second Knipex, along with NWS, also 'German' (That is, German companies, but Knipex at least no longer makes all their tools in Germany. Thus far they seem to be maintaining their quality on their import items.

GsT

 

[koenbro]

Knipex. I have half dozen of their cobras and adjustable flat jawed wrenches. All my Knipex are made in Germany and they are superb. (BTW my wife can't pronounce it, calling it "nee-pex", whereas correctly, you sound the "k")

NWS -- check out their combi plier to answer your question.

Specialized tools: Hazet, Wiha.

For sockets I like Wera Zyklop, have their metric 3/8" boxed set; I love the cyclopes ratchet. Wera makes stuff int eh Check Republic and I am OK with that (have several ratcheting screw drivers and bit sets). Their garish "Tool rebels" marketing gimmick bears the hallmark of a confused mind, but the tools are good.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Jim F]

Find a Snap-on truck.

 

[matthewsx]

Find a Snap-on truck.

In Singapore?

 

[sacentre]

Thanks to all who replied on my query. I don't see brands like Irwin, Klein and Knipex around here but will certainly check on-line.

EDIT
Correction. Knipex tools are available here as I would have seen if I'd done my homework! Maybe other good brands are too. I'll be making a trip to the supplier next week to see what the 180mm combination pliers are like. The cost is around SG$S40/- (US$30/- approx) compared to the US$5/- for the Ingco ones shown in my OP.

I realise a lot depends on the type of work one expects to do with any given tool and the importance of working within it's limitations. These cheap Asian ones are probably fine for electrical work: cutting electrical cable, bending, twisting, cutting copper wire, bending thin strips of alloy, brass, copper strips etc. Not sure how well they'd stand up to rough work like yanking out a rusty nail, or gripping a rusted in mild-steel bolt. Maybe I'm over thinking this.
Thanks again.