Knipex and Klein vs Harbor Freight Doyle, Quinn, and Pittsburgh 

Great video. BTW, that channel on the back of the Doyle is for pulling thinner tape without damaging it. You run it over the top and through the grove lengthwise. The higher end Klien tools have it as well.

in my view the pittsburg are the packaging winners

once you've handled anything from Knipex in the plier department, anything else feels like dollar store pliers.

I've got an older Klein pair of pliers and they're still holding up. My Klein pliers happen to be from the 50's, and they're still great! Thank you for this test!

used the Quinn's professionally for a year or so now , not a single issue at all they work great

I'm still using my great grandfather's klein lineman's pliers from when he worked for VEPCO, the rubber wore off before I was even born. I sure do miss that troublemaker, it's been far too quiet without him. Too bad I'm terrified of heights or I might've followed in his footsteps...

My klein tools were recently stolen and ive decided to go with all Milwaukee pliers. 3 months in of daily abuse, they're pretty good so far.

The Klein is supposed to have a gap in the teeth near the top of the blade and anvil. As they wear in, the gap is supposed to disappear. The Klein is also supposed to be stiff to delay the day when the pliers start to wobble. At least that's the story from Klein. The Knipex has the best fit and finish.

I’ve used Klein tools professionally for over 27 years. I stand behind them 💯%

I have Klein linemans pliers, side cutters, and crimpers. They are easily as good as all my Kleins. I am amazed at how HF has went from a company of trash tools to an elite company in under 5 years. It seems like the reason for that is that they model their tools after the successful brand and ACTUALLY listen to the feedback of customers.

I have a set of Klein J20009necrtp they're trashed now that I bent the pin. This review leaves out one of the best lineman pliers the Ideal brand. Ideal can stand up to Klein or knipex any day. Before you blow a bundle on Klein and knipex you should give Ideal a try they're awesome just under rated and left out by most

As a Network technician, pittsburgh linesman pliers are perfect for cutting cables like cat 6

Knipex is the best. Love them. Especially the cobras and pliers wrench.

You totally missed one of the most important aspect of these pliers. How hard of a wire they can cut? All of them fail to cut piano wire without major damage to the plies except knipex. Being able to cut piano wire without damage to the cutter makes the price of the plies worth every penny.

Klien Pliers always require a long breakin period. Most will spend at least a day oiling and working the revit joint. Also i believe the Standard model you picked of Kleins are not designed for hard steel cutting. As far as Knipex they are totally in a different class of tools.

Quinn is good for the average home use or as a back up. Doyle is better if you're going to work in a daily basis. The 20 Quinn plier set for 20 or under with coupon is the best deal in my opinion.

Lineman pliers do not have a fish tape puller unless that feature is listed on them. A plier with tape puller will have part of the area behind the rivet area cut out. The area you are calling a tape puller is just a general gripping area.

I prefer Channellock or NOS black grip Craftsman ( of which my local hardware has many left on the shelf ) for the quality at the price, but I could see these HF pliers serving just fine for people who don't care about COO. For me personally using a tool made in China or Taiwan makes me feel a bit shameful, so I try to avoid it whenever I can.

Rhe Germans are VERY clear on this...Its pronounced WITH the k, as in KIN-ipix...Also if its NOT chrome/vanadium or vanadium, its crap. FYI bought knipe groove pliers, had 25 teeth vs. channel locks giant sloppy 6?8?. and NO lock to hold size, a severe problem with all similar ones. I bought at lowe's , it was NOT the most expensive, less than 10 bux more than the Irwins. and LESS than the Ideals.. And soooo much slimmer, and lighter, man what a difference. i did do the pipe test, passed no problem. i also noticed that knipex linemans etc. again are NOT the most expensive.

The Doyle are the only pliers with a fish tape puller. Its actually where the pivot is. The area you call a fish tape is just a gripping area. You can use the cut out area behind the blades to ream EMT and then the nose to ream inside.

I hate that packaging that the 3 of those used, my favorite is when you buy a pair of scissors in that packaging that you need scissors to open.

I think the Pittsburgh beats the other in the package department, no landfill waste, better for the environment, that plastic will take a long time to disintegrate, and do you use the packaging, no you just throgh it into land fill.

As someone who has built power lines for most of my adult life. We don't call them linesmen pliers, we say get your pair of Klein's. Or throw me a pair of Klein's. The gap between the handles and how easily they fall open is also important when working in rubber gloves and sleeves. You spray a little oil on the picture of the Line man. And work those pliers and man their nice. They work good for pulling the ground to the butt of the pole. You use the tip of the pliers as leverage on the butt and run the copper ground through the wire pulling part of the pliers. Also good pliers to pull Staples. We never use fish tape.

I suspect the Pittsburg flexed less because the lever arm length was shorter. The Doyle and Kleins do have tape pullers, they’re of a different design though. It’s a cam system, you even commented on the asymmetry on one side of the Doyle’s, that was the puller.

You find yourself needing to cut nails often? You know they're meant to cut copper right ? I've been using the Quinn's (8.99) wiring new builds now for 2 years (came from kleins) couldn't be happier with their performance.

You know they’re suppose to have that “flex” in the handles right? It’s for when you’re cutting down hard through something tough the “flex” somewhat absorbs that sharp snapping sensation you feel through your wrist and hand. When you’re a iron working making cuts all day that makes a huge difference.

Doyle seem good but you can spend 23 at Home Depot for the Klein’s. For only a few dollars more you could get Klein so why get Doyle? Now the Quinn’s are made in the same factory as commercial electric but quin is WAY cheaper. If I was at harbor freight and had to choose Doyle or quin. Why get Doyle for $17 if you can get some Klein’s for $23. Good video!

Knipex all the way for me!

I am a lineman and have a pair of klein and Doyle and knipex and I use my knipex every single day . I also have 7/16" and 1/2" deep well sockets welded on the ends of the handles and they get awesome leverage and can cut anything

The fish tape puller is the notch built into the pivot area (better design) on the Klein. What you are calling out the “fish tape puller” is not... that gap is for blade sharping Leeway (can be used for anything I suppose) unless it’s serrated then it’s a multifunctional area.

I've seen the Doyle and Quinn both fail the Electrician's linesman pliers penny test (cutting a penny in half with one hand), I've never seen the Pittsburgh ones put to the penny test. The Harbor Freights brands are Not the only brands I've seen fail the penny test, Over the years I've seen Tekton, Craftsman, Irwin and DeWalt all fail the penny test. Brands that I've seen pass the penny test are Klein, Knipex, Ideal, Wiha and Greenlee

I am an electrician and I use the Milwaukee 9" 6 in 1 lineman pliers and they are fantastic

Basically all these pliers will achieve the same thing and most people might not notice the difference. I will say that the pliers with that small gap in the teeth are real nice when using 16 gauge tie wire since the plier handles wont be wide open when using them. I have some beater Huskies that dont have that gap and they're wide open and suck to use. Channel Lock has a good pair Linemens pliers. Highly recommend those

The best for the money are the Doyle.

Knipex then Klein is exactly right. Really the only choice for the "New England" style of linemans. Point of note the Kleins are more expensive than Knipex in Canada.

Great review. You did a great job being objective and giving the reasons for your rankings. Keep them coming. BTW, I pronounce Knipex "expensive" with the emphasis on the "spensive"

Does this guy not know that you're only supposed to cut copper with lineman pliers 😆

Both the Quinn 7" diagnol and the Doyle diagnol work just as good as the Stanley and Craftsman I have..

Stiff linesman's that are had to open should be sent back. I'm a master electrician and having to try and open a stiff pair with one hand sucks. They are NOT supposed to be that way. They may loosen up over time, but I need them to work right as soon as I grab them out of my bag. They also make good hammers lol

The back end of the doyle's (the gap you mentioned) is actually the fishtape puller slot. THe fishtape falls parallel behind the lap joint.

"they're all lined up perfectly". there's literally a line on your cleaning mat that shows they're not

Sir would you consider Southwire and Ideal pliers on your next reviews?

Great review and comparison of these lineman pliers! I learned a few things too, which is always good. Thanks.

Even at $4 the Pittsburgh should still function as intended. I still want my $1 coffee to be coffee lol

That cut out area in the Doyle's is the fishtape puller, u run it thru them close and pull

I have few knipex tools like alligator, pliers wrench and side cutter they're great, but when it comes to Lineman's plier Its just Klein for me, I have the J2000 HD.

great you show the looks of them, But how do they actually work. cut some different type of wire from soft to hard and see how they compare before getting nicks in the cutters, actually twist copper wire and compare the twists. actually, pull wire tape and see what works the best. who cares on how they look

In the 80s all the guys on the job had Klein pliers and tools. I still have my originals bought as the new guy at the company store all those years ago with the thick red insulators. I worked in construction for a summer job for a couple years. Today my Klein pliers are retired, has am I. I usually carry a pair of Doyle's when neighbors call to have something fixed. I cant imagine today leaving your tool belt alone for a second with expensive Klein or Knipex tools at a construction job. In Florida they would be gone in an instant. I also have a pair of Irwin 1902416 Lineman pliers. Their just a piece of Art for the tool box. Many Irwin tools with numbers like 19024## are made in Germany and are top quality.

I bought my first pair of Linesman Pliers at 13; Mastercraft from Canadian Tire. Similar to the Doyle. Got a free pair of WELL USED Channel Lock brand (they were smothered solid in a puddle of MDI (Gorilla Glue). "unusable" I dropped em in a Bonfire to burn off everything..Rubber & all. Left em cool in the ashes & washed off to find they still cut wire etc. just as well as before. They open & close perfectly. They are similar in appearance to the Klein. I have Klein Needle Nose, & had Knipex Cable Shears (someone swiped em) Cost $110. Now replaced with Channel Lock USA $40/45. I find the Expensive Pliers keep the Cutting Edges & Teeth the longest. Cheap ones to loan out to ppl who might walk off with 'em...

i dont understand how the gap between teeth protects the wire, it was only true if used for fixed size of wire, otherwise any wire diameter bigger than this tiny gap doesn't matter at all. i think its just a marketing trick to make people believe technical advancement. I'm not a professional but from an Asian perspective I can tell you I have never seen any lineman using this type of pliers neither anyone have ever damaged a wire with normal (without gape) type pliers. I have used several high quality Japanese made pliers and have never seen any with gap. and they work fine.

I followed the link from Red Beard, and glad I did. Good, informative review. Thanks.

DUDE! DON'T EVER CUT OPEN A PACKAGE LIKE YOU DID WITH THE KNIPEX!!!!!!!!

I see your channel is growing very fast, keep up the good work I hope to see your channel go far.

Dude... I really enjoy watching all your videos. Your doing a hell of a job keeping me entertained. I used to be a in the field as a licensed electrician. I left the field 17 years ago and God willing I'll be retiring from my government job in 4 years and I plan on going back into the field. Please keep the videos coming and f$&k what a small percentage of may people may think. You've got a good following of people because your enjoyable to listen to and watch. See you again

Knipex for the win. I have a bunch of their stuff and their smooth jaw pliers are one of my favorite tools

I probably use linesman pliers for the wrong things. I don't use them for electrical reasons. I just use them as stub nose pliers and kinda like slip joints. For grabbing and manipulating metal surfaces and tabs on coolant spring hose clamps on cars.

Just started the video, immediately, when comparing size difference, clearly they are not lined up properly. You have the smallest pliers notably lower than the rest of the pliers, especially the other "smaller" ones on the far right. You should have lined them all up equally on the white line.

that hollow space on the doyle pliers is the fishtape puller lol

I save everyone some time the 9" knipex is the best. U want put cutters too the test. Cut 5/32 stainless wire and the good cutter will stand out quick

my left headphones enjoyed this video.

Throw some channel locks in there. Barely more expensive than the Doyle and made in the USA. How do they compare to the Taiwan Doyle and the more expensive USA Kleins

@Redemption garage. You point out the the doyle pliers stick and you gotta manualy close them is a bad thing, then right after you open the klein pliers; They do the same thing, but you say its a good thing then. Seems kinda biased on my end...just saying....

Should probably educate yourself a little bit better before doing reviews. What you call "fish tape puller" is just a gripping edge. The only lineman's in your lineup that actually has a fish tape puller is the doyle, where it has that triangular cutout where the gripping edge is.

The Pittsburgh’s don’t have has much flex in the handle because the handles are so much shorter. Every pair of pliers is going to flex when the handles start getting that long. I use the Quinn’s for side residential jobs and they do just fine. The gap is not as big of a deal as you think because after twisting wire you usually cut off the end. But yes, you don’t want to totally mash your wire up. For work I use channellock 3610, 10” linesman’s and I’ll take them over ANY other linesman’s I’ve used in the past.

Great interesting video ! I wish you had added a Husky and Craftsman pliers to that group.

I have the klein and it didn't take me long at all to break them in. They're great. I wouldn't use a different pair for nothing.

There is different models of Klein you pick with the taper

Klein are good but the reason electricians prefer them is Klein started and focused on electrical supply houses so they became synonymous.

Klein is great also but Knipex is my go to

I am not overly impressed with the Knipex. I was a commercial electrician for over 10 years. I used Klein almost exclusively for one very specific reason. Klein pliers stay where you put them. The Knipex are loose and floppy. When working with electical wires, you want pliers that you have to open and close with a little force. I would take a punch to my Kleins and mark the center rivet when they would get loose to make them tight again. As far as cutting strength...if you only cut copper and aluminum, that isn't an issue with any of them. I would never used linesman's pliers to cut anything harder. I suppose you could punch the Knipex pliers to make them tight too but I'll stick with Klein...

Kleins makes 100 different kinds of linemen’s which is ridiculous and it’s hard to tell which ones are the good ones. They should just make 2 at most. Professional and budget because I’ve always bought them and tbeee other tools but my latest linemen’s I paid $45 for and don’t like them

It’s not a matter of how anyone prefers to pronounce “Knipex” It’s pronounced a certain way by the company. There’s only 1 pronunciation

For plier patterns in general, Knipex and Klien are my go to's but when I'm in a pinch for an oddball pattern I know I will seldom use, HF Doyle is a big bang for the buck. Far superior to the orange handle pig iron garbage.

Ive been using the doyle for 3 years now and in comparison I've replaced them 8 times after getting blown up by coworkers and only paid 16.99 one single time. They get dull? Replace. Blown up? Replace. I tried milwaukee and they were trash. Tried justifying using klein? I CANT justify it because they cost too much to replace.

I have the Klein 2000 version, the Knipex and a set of 9.5 ChannelLocks. 1. Do not use these to cut anything other than wire. Use a mini bolt cutter such as the Knipex CoBolt. Any of 3 that I have will do it, but if you want your tools to last a long time... don’t cut nails, especially screws with them. 2. There will always be a reasonable amounts of flex in handle to close the cutting edge by compressing the metal. As long as it’s not too much. The key is how much for that perfect grip strength. 3. High leverage is not just the distance of the fulcrum being changed, it has to do with the ratio and works in conjunction with other factors such as type of cutting (shear, anvil, matched...). Something being high leverage does not always mean it will cut with minimal efforts as seen in the video. 4. The gap in the front of any lineman is intentional for stripping. 5. Closing action is often affected by the roundness of the rivet. The larger ones often feel stiff because it’s not perfectly round. Some get better results with smaller rivets, but these can result in a set of pliers wobbling. You also need to make sure to remove any finish lacquer or metal shavings when you use it first time to ensure nothing gets stuck in there. Drop of light oil helps. For my money and hands, I would say ChannelLocks cuts the smoothest with anvil action. But small rivet is of concern and 1080steel is probably not as strong as the Klein 2000 series (this is a rough but extremely tough beast) or the Knipex. Knipex is always best finished, but it often feels fragile. Never had any problems with any of them, but CL’s feel the best.

You pronounced knipex somewhat correctly don't put to much emphasis on the k. Also knipex is better all day, and any harbor freight tool isn't in kleins league.

Them kleins are not lined up right. Lay them all along the line on your pad. U can clearly see the kleins are up a little next to the Doyle's

Why do people keep pronouncing the silent K in the name Knipex? I’m pretty sure it’s a silent K.

Pull handles apart to open Klein packaging

Knipex with the crimper and fishtape pull are hands down the best

How much money will all the companies save if they go to the packaging standards of Pittsburgh though? Most of us cut open the packaging and toss it so why have it at all?

I'm doing just fine with my Quinn.

The gap on the Doyles is a real fishtape puller. Its meant to be there. And the K in Knipex is pronounced because its a German product. So youre saying it correctly but lots of people dont. Watch some German Knipex reviews... Dude these pliers are usually for electricians to cut copper wire - not nails.

Knipex are hands down the best tool on the market.Quality steel and German precision.

No Channellock linesman pliers?

pittsburg wins the packaging competition, tear one little strip of paper and you are ready to work

O’doyle doesn’t rule

Doyle are some of the strongest cutters I used they don’t flatten the the cutters. I have the wire cutter/crimpers are high quality

Klein is still King. I also heard that the kleins can cut one more gauge higher wire than the Knipplex because of the width of the "blade" section.

The marks on the pliers don't matter. The question is whether or not the cutting edge has lost its straight edge.

I've tried most of them but prefer knippex over even the snap on. The Klein's are good too I've not used the Doyle's yet though

I've only used klein and some old school Craftsman linemans I've heard a lot of people say good things about kniepx but never used any

Doyle are supposed to be the same as Mac. I did grab a pair of needle nose, but haven’t used Mac pliers. Any thoughts on that?

Klein and knipex is around 60CAD here in Canada which is not fair even by applying the exchange rate 😏 tnx for video

So why didn't you use the knife on all of them instead of those stupid scissors?

For force to cut, the Pivot Pro by Crescent & Pivot Force by Gearwrench are the best. Meaning most cutting output force compared to input = easy of cutting. Check them out a Home Depot

What is the point to compare pliers solely by their appearance? I can make you nice looking aluminum pliers with zero gaps. Do some tests, cut wire, pull something, try to break them. Useless for now

Klein are better for use over long term and your pliers should! be stiff that is a win for Klein when your using these all the time you want them to stay open just long enough to get your wires in them. And you save a few bucks compared to the knipex with the Klein but they are expensive compared to the rest of the brands I know Klein are the best because I’ve used them all. The bonus is they are made in he USA.

Channellock 369 are a solid choice...to me they require less effort to cut than even knipex.

Do you breathe heavy or is the mic too close to your mouth? PS flex is good - metal pliability reduces levels of breakage along unexpected metal grain, for lack of better words.