Klein tools

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

Going into my 30th year in the trade.

I have witnessed a steep decline in Klein quality, but didn’t really realize it til buying a pair of Ideal t-strippers yesterday. The Klein strippers, lineman’s pliers and screwdrivers aren’t what they used to be, for sure.

[sassnetguy50]

Is the quality declining on domestic made tools or has Klein started importing?

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

2 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Is the quality declining on domestic made tools or has Klein started importing?

Good question. For years you could always buy d2000 series and they lasted longer. Even 25-30 years ago. They wore longer and felt more broken in. The regular ones were more than serviceable though. Not today. I don’t think the 2000 series is as good as once was. This is on cutting pliers and dykes.
Klein also had a no bull warranty on screw drivers. That went away 2005 or so.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

If it’s sold at home depot or lowes that says a lot: Klein fish tapes are garbage

Ideal all the way on fish tapes 

 

[Cypress Sun]

25 minutes ago, Dirty Dan Dawkins said:

Good question. For years you could always buy d2000 series and they lasted longer. Even 25-30 years ago. They wore longer and felt more broken in. The regular ones were more than serviceable though. Not today. I don’t think the 2000 series is as good as once was. This is on cutting pliers and dykes.
Klein also had a no bull warranty on screw drivers. That went away 2005 or so.

 

23 minutes ago, Dirty Dan Dawkins said:

If it’s sold at home depot or lowes that says a lot: Klein fish tapes are garbage

Ideal all the way on fish tapes 

 

 

I haven't bought any Klein tools since I retired in 2018. I did swap out a pair of dykes that developed a chip out of one of the cutting surfaces from just cutting a piece of #10 solid. I always bought the 2000 series Kleins along with every other Klein hand tool known to man. Although they supposedly had a no bs warranty on their screwdrivers, the supply houses around here would not exchange them if the had any beat marks on the top of the grip or melting/arc marks of any kind.

 

The Klein tools when I got into the trade in 1978 held up better than any of the newer stuff. I still have the 1st pair of Kleins (the kind that you had to heat up the red grips in water and pound them on) that were given to me by the owner of the 1st electrical company I worked for. They were used when I got them, duller than Joe Biden and the handles are about a 1/2" from touching each other from being squeezed so much while cutting wire and pulling fish tapes.

 

You are spot on about the Klein fish tapes, they suck. Ideal makes much better tapes and I was so glad that the stainless tapes came out. I recently went to a thrift store and picked up a 200' Ideal stainless tape in near mint condition for $1.00. I really don't have a need for it as I'm retired, but I couldn't keep myself from buying it.

 

I really need to sell all much of the tools that I have. I mean, when am I ever going to need 3/4" and 1" benders (I'll keep the 1/2"), let alone all of the Greenlee knockout sets up to 2", long 1" auger bits, hole saws up to 4" and a myriad of other stuff. Parting with them would be like saying goodbye to an old friend but I really should sell the stuff.

[sassnetguy50]

Thank you both.  It is good to know so recommendations are not made based on the quality 30 years ago.

 

@Cypress Sun better to sell them now before meth heads steal them.  Don't ask how I know.

[Cypress Sun]

14 minutes ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Thank you both.  It is good to know so recommendations are not made based on the quality 30 years ago.

 

@Cypress Sun better to sell them now before meth heads steal them.  Don't ask how I know.

 

Back in 1981, I was a helper helping pipe and wire a 6 story condo building in Dunedin, Fl. There was an exterior jobsite elevator that we used. At lunchtime, we would go down to a field about 100' away from the jobsite elevator, sit under the trees and eat lunch.

 

One day, I forgot something, went back to the elevator and went up to the floor we were working on. When I got to the floor, I saw, through the elevator heavy mesh screen, some scumbag carrying one of the other electrician's bag of tools toward the elevator. I stopped the elevator short of the floor by about 3' and went back down to the ground level while calling for the guys to come to the elevator.

 

We went back up to the floor and this idiot was still standing there with the bag. We seized the bag and led the thief to an interior portion of the building. I won't give details from this point on but I'll say this. A 1/2" bender handle does wonders on a thief's hand. I don't think that he was stealing tools for a while. The Dunedin cops came out but no one had witnessed the thief's unfortunate accident. I don't think anything else turned up missing on that jobsite for the rest of the job. 

[Sixgun Seamus]

I dunno.......I've always been partial to Binford.

 

[JD Lud]

A few swear words but nails Klein

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

I mean, when am I ever going to need 3/4" and 1" benders (I'll keep the 1/2"), let alone all of the Greenlee knockout sets up to 2", long 1" auger bits, hole saws up to 4" and a myriad of other stuff.

 

The day after you get rid of it. 

[Cypress Sun]

12 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

The day after you get rid of it. 

 

That's the way it always works.

[Cypress Sun]

33 minutes ago, JD Lud said:

A few swear words but nails Klein

 

 

 

Ah yes, sweeping out a house after rough-in. Never fails that the GC or homeowner adds or moves something so that the helper has to find the broom again.

 

I remember when Klein came out with some BBQ utensils. I went back into the office right after that and was talking to another electrician. He asked if I'd seen the BBQ set. I said that I had, but added "what kind of idiot would buy them." Walked into the company owner's office and there on the desk was a brand new set of Klein BBQ utensils...

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

5 hours ago, Sixgun Seamus said:

I dunno.......I've always been partial to Binford.

 

They were good enough for Mike Baxter.

[watab kid]

most of my tools date to the early 60s , the ones i got from my father dated from the 40s and 50s , the ones from my grandfather were of the 20s , only the ones i got from my FIL were of the 70s , nothing newer mostly 

[Pat Riot]

Back in ‘93 some scumbags broke into my storage unit and made off with all my Klein and Snap-On tools. Nearly $7000 worth. 
Now I only have one Klein wire cutter. I some of the Snap-On tools I lost.

 

I hope the dirtbag that sold them got less than what I had told my wife I paid for them. 

[Cypress Sun]

17 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

Back in ‘93 some scumbags broke into my storage unit and made off with all my Klein and Snap-On tools. Nearly $7000 worth. 
Now I only have one Klein wire cutter. I some of the Snap-On tools I lost.

 

I hope the dirtbag that sold them got less than what I had told my wife I paid for them. 

 

Couldn't decide between a Like, a Sad or a LOL face on that one.

[Pat Riot]

3 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

Couldn't decide between a Like, a Sad or a LOL face on that one.

I laugh about it now. At the time I wasn’t laughing. I had a suspicion that I knew who took my tools. I am glad I didn’t find them.

I’d probably be on parole by now. 

 

What made things worse is my wife and I had let our renter’s insurance lapse. Murphy sux!

[Cypress Sun]

11 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

I laugh about it now. At the time I wasn’t laughing. I had a suspicion that I knew who took my tools. I am glad I didn’t find them.

I’d probably be on parole by now. 

 

What made things worse is my wife and I had let our renter’s insurance lapse. Murphy sux!

 

Way I look at it is, when you steal a man's tools...your stealin' his livelihood. 

 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

4 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

Way I look at it is, when you steal a man's tools...your stealin' his livelihood. 

 

 

    ...... especially if they are tools of his trade ........  

[Cypress Sun]

31 minutes ago, Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 said:

 

    ...... especially if they are tools of his trade ........  

 

Electrical tools were the tools of my trade, still would be if I was forced, by economic situations, to return to work.

[Duffield, SASS #23454]

23 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

 

I haven't bought any Klein tools since I retired in 2018. I did swap out a pair of dykes that developed a chip out of one of the cutting surfaces from just cutting a piece of #10 solid. I always bought the 2000 series Kleins along with every other Klein hand tool known to man. Although they supposedly had a no bs warranty on their screwdrivers, the supply houses around here would not exchange them if the had any beat marks on the top of the grip or melting/arc marks of any kind.

 

The Klein tools when I got into the trade in 1978 held up better than any of the newer stuff. I still have the 1st pair of Kleins (the kind that you had to heat up the red grips in water and pound them on) that were given to me by the owner of the 1st electrical company I worked for. They were used when I got them, duller than Joe Biden and the handles are about a 1/2" from touching each other from being squeezed so much while cutting wire and pulling fish tapes.

 

You are spot on about the Klein fish tapes, they suck. Ideal makes much better tapes and I was so glad that the stainless tapes came out. I recently went to a thrift store and picked up a 200' Ideal stainless tape in near mint condition for $1.00. I really don't have a need for it as I'm retired, but I couldn't keep myself from buying it.

 

I really need to sell all much of the tools that I have. I mean, when am I ever going to need 3/4" and 1" benders (I'll keep the 1/2"), let alone all of the Greenlee knockout sets up to 2", long 1" auger bits, hole saws up to 4" and a myriad of other stuff. Parting with them would be like saying goodbye to an old friend but I really should sell the stuff.

I know just exactly how you feel.

[Blackwater 53393]

I still have a few genuine Klein tools.  All of them are at least twenty years old and are perfectly functional!

 

I used them to wire my shop when it was built and occasionally still use them when I work on automotive electronics.

 

I don’t know about the newer products, but at the time I bought mine, “Kleins” were the standard!

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

From what I see, ALL hand tools are dropping in quality. 

[watab kid]

11 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I laugh about it now. At the time I wasn’t laughing. I had a suspicion that I knew who took my tools. I am glad I didn’t find them.

I’d probably be on parole by now. 

 

What made things worse is my wife and I had let our renter’s insurance lapse. Murphy sux!

aint that always the way , yes its easy to laugh -or at least grin - at it later in life after you fixed the problem at great expense , i just wish more of these criminals could be caught and prosecuted to the full extent but i fear those days are gone till the vigilantes come into the picture - wonder oif thats what these liberal DAs want in the end , they cant think we are going to just sit back and accept their BS , 

 

as an aside , i must have 10 pair of dykes here but every time i need one i have to dig to find them , some are military sets , as both my father and my FIL were electricians in service [ dad in WWII AAC , Geo in the cold war on nuclear subs }

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 hours ago, watab kid said:

i just wish more of these criminals could be caught and prosecuted to the full extent but i fear those days are gone till the vigilantes come into the picture - wonder if that's what these liberal DAs want in the end , they cant think we are going to just sit back and accept their BS , 

It certainly wouldn't surprise me if that's their intent to have that happen. That way they could declare Martial Law and have us completely under their control.

[watab kid]

i agree save they dont yet have our guns ........oh and they want the ileagals to have guns as well as our criminals - i suspect there is a method to the madness but i cant find any sane explanation so im going back to my thinking all along that liberalism is a mental disorder ....please anyone point out where im wrong given recent conditions and practices , 

 

bottom line is even liberals will need the guns they bought durring covid - i hope they remember what i showed them about operating them and what my range officers told them about using them , but ....they can call 911 and depend on thos liberal AGs and judges they created to defend them , 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 hours ago, watab kid said:

but ....they can call 911 and depend on those liberal AGs and judges they created to defend them , 

Not if nobody's being arrested.

[watab kid]

17 hours ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Not if nobody's being arrested.

thats a good point , but my tongue was in my cheek when i typed that 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

Just now, watab kid said:

thats a good point , but my tongue was in my cheek when i typed that 

We REALLY need that sarcasm emoji.

[bgavin]

Hecho en China?

 

I always have to laugh when I see "Made in China" but in Spanish.

 

[bgavin]

On 3/24/2024 at 3:36 PM, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

We REALLY need that sarcasm emoji.