/diy/ - Do It Yourself

We got fucked hard by inflation and energy crisis. That model is 35€ even over here. Don't expect any reasonable prices from us the next five years minimum.
t. Kraut

>*AHEM*
alright larpers, make way for the real electricians so work can actually be done instead of wanking over muh honorable german tight grain structure steel

>>2797627

>>2797627
Oh ma gawd! Is it real?! It's le epic troll!?!!

>>2797601
I got $70 at Lowe’s. They got lots of Knipex on their website. What do I need next? Or do I go Klein like a real ‘Murrican?

>>2797601
>60 plus tip
Where are you shopping?

>>2797632
klein tools are trash

>>2797634
Amazon but yeah already found cheaper ones

I use these quite often. They are vastly superior to "channel locks".

>>2797668
If you think those are good, try the Irwins! The Knipex can barely even hold your stepsister without your mom’s boyfriend helping hold her!

>>2797632
This is an impressive Knipex collection. You even have the foreskin stretcher.

>>2797691
And the Icon Raptors! A tool that I couldn’t justify spending the $40 for the Knipex version because I’m not quite sure where it excels. It looks like it will grab like a bitch on 3/8”-1/2” hex, but so will the Cobras so…

Wondering if I should snag some linesmans and then maybe a long nose? Or some even bigger Cobras/Gators? I got that $70 for Lowe’s out of my ass so I might as well burn it on something dumb

The pair of Husky lineman pliers I found in the parking lot of work has worked for 10 years and will continue to work.

>>2797693
When you step up tho, they’re friggin nice. Not worth it really to a DIYer, but that extra 20% comfort and perfomance is nice over the course of a couple jobs.

Except for the Cobras + Alligators. Even if you’re just a DIYer, spend $50 on a 7” and 10” pair, they’re fucking miles ahead of your basic flat jaw channellocks. You can easily grip and twist stuff with the Cobras that you wouldn’t come close to moving with the old school channies. And of all the Cobra knockoffs I have messed with, most of them have an odd grip geometry somewhere (or everywhere) along the jaw opening range, but the friggin Germans did it right.

>>2797695
>an odd grip geometry
babby hand cope

>>2797695
Nah brah, I'm a total tool Jew. I love a good deal, preferably free. I'd say a good 30% of my toolbox is from REKT tools I buy from this local store that buys returns/overstock for .50 or $1 then return to Lowe's Home Depot or Harbor Freight

>>2797687
Irwins are comparable to Harbor Freight garbage. You must be in poverty.

>>2797698
The Indian is more important than the arrow, Kimosabe.

>>2797632
Red pill me on the wire strippers.

>>2797617
No, it’s a cash grab.
Prices will never go down.
Just like the fake coffee crisis in the 80s
Now with olive oil.

>>2797720
I meant that as "when wages and shipping adjusted", not products getting cheaper again. That ship has long left the harbor.

haha buy....
no you can rent
in the near future it is illegal to own pliers

>>2797601
those soft handles are fucking shit
i have knipex needle nose with those and i peeled them the fuck off. how do people like them

>>2797738
I call bullshit. None of mine are even close to peeling off, heck my father's VDE series is still going strong and those are almost as old as me.

>>2797743
I didn't say they peeled off by themselves, I did it myself voluntarily
Work on reading comprehension dummy

>>2797745
Wat
So you destroyed your tools and are complaining about it now. Are you alright?

>>2797748
You are thick, please learn to read properly
I didn't "destroy" my tool, I got rid of the part that I didn't like about it. Not hard to grasp is it?

>>2797751
Seek help.

>>2797752
>mr therapist? I got rid of shitty grips on my pliers and they still function fine, I'm just here to tell you about it because an anon who literally doesn't understand english despite being a native speaker told me to seek you out

>>2797617
>>2797601
germany's germans are dying and retiring, and thus so is it's industry and economy. The war only sped it up with increase fuel costs, their entire system was based on cheap russia fuel, but covid killed their people so now all that remains are turkroaches.
It's the end of german tools as you know it, there are more turks than germans now.

>>2797692
i got one them cobra adjust swedish wrenchs how is the manual one I feel they are shit compared to normal money wrench.

>>2797638
brand whore

>>2797696
Akchually I tell people never to buy those XS or 5” tools because they’re impossible to work with above average size man hands. I haven’t figured out how to work them with 2 fingers.

>>2797717
They just work, they strip and cut so clean. Most all in one tools suck, but those strip better than my regular Klein and Ideal strippers.

>>2797738
I’m tempted to try them, everything I have is the regular dipped, even the stuff that was cheaper for the comfort grip. A lot of company’s comfort grips just ruin the pliers and you can’t go wrong with the dipped handles as long as they don’t slip. Makes certain tools bulky too.

>>2797792
That’s an Icon one, I snagged it a couple weeks ago with some dumb coupon they sent so I don’t have a real judgement yet. If it comes in real handy, maybe I go Knipex on another size. But I wasn’t trying to spend $100 on a once a year wrench like that.

Shillfest, the thread.

>>2797601
>new pliers from a shop
There's millions of these mass produced pliers lying around. You can pick new or barely used ones up for couple bucks at a fleamarket. And when some boomer dies all his tool stash (unused kek) gets sold off as well. same with boomer porcelain. Even if they stopped producing I don't think we will run out of pliers anytime soon.

>>2797843
Shitty pliers are shitty when they’re new, but they become really shitty the first time you touch anything harder than copper with them. If boomers had boxes full of good pliers, you might survive, but I had some cheap Craftsman Evolves and the teeth were ground flat so fucking fast.

i bought a bunch of knipex stuff in 2020. i like it, but i still find myself carrying my old, narrow 420 channellocks. even bought the mini cobra, but went back to gluing a magnet inside my hardhat and keeping my 4" channelocks handy stuck to the side of my head.

>>2797617
"Energy crisis" and inflation are excuses of the industry to prop up prices

Doubt knipex even manufactures there metal stuff in germany anymore

t. Kraut

>>2797791
every problem you mentioned as a common root source

>>2797815
yah but feels like a normal pipe wrench is better when you go so big.

FYI, this is what you pay for:
https://youtu.be/N12lGLyEufc?t=5760

>>2798089
You notice a lot when you get a cheap Chinese knockoff and see them side by side

>>2798136
Pics don’t do justice describing how awful the cheap dipped grips on the knockoffs feel. I’m sure within a couple weeks, the grips would be gone from the cheap one whereas that Knipex textured dip doesn’t crack and peel as easily as most.

>>2798138
I need me a set of those Jappo HRC files they sell for way too much money

>>2798140
The knockoff one needs an orthodontist

>>2797913
why? are you masochistic and like it when they pinch the shit out of you?

>>2797791
watched a video on how BMW sportbikes are made
at the end of the video there was an angry looking brown guy driving the forklift
everyone else in the video was german

>>2797843
based knower

>>2798211
i like 'em. and i don't flip the fuck out every 5 minutes and think mexicans stole them when i lay them down somewhere.

>>2797695
How well do the Knipex ones cut? I'm mostly doing 16gauge stranded stuff and I already have a dedicated insulation stripper. Right now I have an Irwin stripper that I use exclusively to make the cuts and nothing else.

>>2797601
Or at least $90 wouldn't be so bad.

i really like the knipex concrete nippers but other than that don't really care about the brand

>>2798224
fair enough
being paranoid about expensive tools getting stolen does suck
id just get a holster for my mini knipex in your situation but whatever

>>2798231
They cut great, better than I would ever expect for some 6-in-1 tool. Knipex is known for doing a really good job on all their curtting tools and they hold an edge forever.

I bought the two piece set for $55 in 2016
it $72 now
https://www.homedepot.com/p/KNIPEX-Forged-Steel-Cobra-Pliers-Set-with-61-HRC-Teeth-2-Piece-00-31-20-V01-US/205651635

>>2797601
>Before the end of the decade people will be paying 100 american pesos for pliers lmao.
nah, before the end of the decade they won't be available for sale to the general public anymore and you'll be forced to rent them for $19.99/hr

>>2798269
better delete your info there

>>2797993
this has been debunked
>>2798089
that video shows why their shit is so good compared to the chink stuff. they pick a fitting steel mix and rely heavily on robots, the victorinox of toolmaker

>>2798235
i found a pair of those for a buck at a flea market. must be pre-mid 80's, they're stamped west germany.

>>2798321

>>2798321
factories didnt suddenly stop putting west Germany on their shit in 89
those gift screwdriver still have it in fucking 2024

>>2798330
dang, I wish I could find some Confederate States of America screwdrivers

>>2798271
>rent
I figured 10yrs isn’t too far away, we would probably still be able to lease them for $10.99/mo for 36mos as long as we pay all of our carbon taxes on time.

>>2798089
>Couple minorities feeding the machines but otherwise it's autistic krauts in development, quality control and running the show
Yep, knipex is looking solid.

>>2797632
>doesn't even have the best ones

>>2798382
The regular Cobra/Alligator head isn’t that fat at all. What do you gain? Like 1/2” clearance max? I haven’t run into spots where I wish I had the slim version enough to justify another 10” pair when I already have 10” Alligators, 10” Cobras that I snagged for $11, plus some 10” Irwin knockoffs and the NWS-made Kleins in the same size.

>>2798392
Not him but I find them very handy. I always run into spots where clearance is an issue. They paid for themselves when I had to leak test a system in a residential highrise that somehow had loose, leaky packing nuts on half the valves installed on 20 floors.

>>2797601
It’s a fad, idk why but these dudes on Reddit that work in office buildings think it’s manly to carry around a benchmade or some other expensive pocket knife, and a pair of pliers in their suit???

Get on my level. Picunrel.
Electrician here. I can work with just about anything if need be. The quality difference is negligible. I don’t buy expensive ones, because I have never worn out a pair of cutters/pliers.
Most are just lost/stolen.
Good proportion rusted out left in my pickup
Many were left in ceiling crawl-spaces/walls/in sub-panels etc.
Lots were lent out and disappeared.

A friend of mine is a butcher, I asked him what kind of knives he uses, figuring he’d use some kind of expensive japanese/dumbascus steel thing…. Nope.. uses “Laser” (sp?) stainless steel knives.
Chucks in the garbage when done or dull.

Anything more than the cheapest usable crap is just for show-and-tell.
Do likewise, gents.

>>2798496
>ching chong ping pong

>>2797720
that's my conclusion too.
Saw it in full force with Kroger
>2019: For some dumb reason here's a patio set at a grocery store for $400
>2020: Get this $1,000 patio set before you die without a patio set
>2022: Patio set, $400
>2024: we're a grocery store.

>>2798496
That looks stupid.

Link plox?

>>2797632
Nigger I see that fucking icon hiding there on the end

>>2798496
God-tier Electrician here. No 8/32 or 6/32 screw cutter. Not optimal for use in the USA. Intriguing design, though.

>>2797632
>Pack of Newports
Found the NAPA.

>>2798343
back in the 1860s we called them "turnscrews"

>>2798392
It's nice to have the long flat section at the tip.

>>2797668
Why on earth would you not get the cobra instead?

>>2798534
AI post

>>2798562
I had the cobra with the push button. These are much easier to manipulate one-handed.

>>2797638
Their strippers, pliers and some of their screwdrivers are really nice, however there's a bunch or other stuff they make that would probably be better from other companies. I did however find their adjustable wrenches very nice when a friend lent me one during a project. I would probably avoid most of their other stuff though.

>>2798547
>>2798544
Lies!

>>2798573
The Cobras are nice for having a million positions, but the Alligators are easy to use with one hand and the half moon hinge thing is way better than old school channies, much easier to get in a certain slot.

Tbe Irwin version that ratchets closed is still my favorite.

>>2798141
It’s for gripping and putting grip marks in shit. Chinese one works better, and has a nicer surface finish.
I’ve used mine so much that I’ve actually sharpened the teeth with a triangular file, and then they really look like shit. But at least the really fuck up the surface finsh of pipes and chrone/brushed nickel shower head nipples like they’re supposed to.

>>2798539
>>2798545
https://www.temu.com/ca/1-set-of-electrician-wire-stripping-pliers-handheld-cable-cutting-and-crimping-pliers-with-pointed-jaws-sharp-enough-to-cut-iron-wire-pull-wires-and-strip-electrical-wires-for-electrical-equipment-maintenance-and-circuit-inspection-g-601099535145319.html

I don’t actually use these, most of mine are mastercraft, power fist, or husky branded.
To the point, though, I could use them if I needed to.

> screw cutters are metric
That wont work in canada either. I try and avoid chopping screws altogether.

>>2798496
>>2798612
…oh and while I’m on the topic, I forgot a major reason why I don’t buy expensive cutters. If you cut live stuff it leaves a huge divot the cutter which you can’t file out and is annoying as hell.
Even if you’re one of those kind of guys who always forces customers to kill the circuit, you still run across the odd live, backfed, or miswired stuff carrying current of some kind.

>>2797632
you got all of those brand new for $70 burgerbux?
or do you not use them?
People laugh at my old wrenches, but I have ones from pre-post WW2 that still work perfect.
thanks gramps, RIP

>>2797641
A lot of things are retardedly expensive on Amazon. That's how they have "free" shipping.

>>2798607
We call that proof of work when the customer complains and says “$400?! You barely even touched anything in there!”

>>2798626
If you tried the Cobras, you would never use your WW2 channies again

>>2797601
Mine were $80 AUD but I stole them from a big warehouse chain so not really

>>2798566
your mom is AI

>>2798639
I think anon was looking at a different model. They vary widely. Linesman pliers could go from like $30 up to $50+ based on grip and features. The cutters are like that too.

And Amazon is pretty fair with Knipex pricing unless it’s from a 3rd party. Shipping doesn’t hit you hard on a $40 pair of pliers. The increased costs because of the free shipping shows up on <$10 items that are $9 on Amazon but $4 at your local store because they factor in the same day shipping. Also on heavy/oversized items, which is why you will rarely find a floor jack or something on Amazon for less money than Harbor Freight.

>>2798800
I first noticed this comparing basic 16oz claw hammers. $3-4 at harbor freight, $9-10 on amazon

>>2798855
A ~50pk of zip ties or a single roll of teflon tape is the same shit. But once you get to the 600pk+ of zip ties or the 10pk of teflon tape, you could probably save money ordering online.

>>2797852
Well, here are my fleamarket finds. All a couple of bucks. All basically unused. It's madness how much stuff is floating around. It pains me everytime I have to buy something at a store.

>>2799227
You must be in Yurop.

That would be harder to find in the US, although you could grab affordable Channellock, Klein, and Snap On, but you’re not the only one looking for good deals so it’s a waste of time when you actually need a tool. The fags around here who say “Just go to the pawn shop and flea markets and build a socket set piece by piece with old SK!” obviously do not value their time. Even if I were in Yurop, I could spend a Saturday morning making $150-$300 doing a side job instead of hoping I found another 10” Alligator for $5.

Also these Cobras were $11. Check the clearance aisle when you’re at the hardware store since most of us are probably at Home Depot or Lowe’s twice a week anyway. I went to flea markets and pawn shops like half a dozen times and realized there’s very little upside to it unless you’re unemployed. The majority of the tools are budget crap that got dumped after the kids cleaned dead grandpa’s garage out, and the good stuff is priced at 90% of MSRP, so I would rather buy new and get a warranty and there’s a good chance I get a better deal. Most people google prices before they sell them at the flea market so you rarely catch a good deal unless somebody fucks up like this pawn shop near me that had a Power Probe IV mispriced as a used PP3.

>>2799234
>could spend a Saturday morning making $150-$300 doing a side job instead of hoping I found another 10” Alligator for $5.
Yeah, obviously. If you need a certain thing right the fuck now, then it's not a good idea to wait for it. And someone else will tell you it's a waste of time to make 300 on some side job when he made $250,000 last wednesday afternoon on some finance kikery. If it's about slowly building up a collection of good quality tools, a fleamarket is a good place to look is all I'm saying.

>>2799234
>Even if I were in Yurop, I could spend a Saturday morning making $150-$300 doing a side job instead of hoping I found another 10” Alligator for $5.
cute larp

>>2799270
And I’m saying you need to creep flea markets for multiple afternoons to find those couple pairs of pliers, at a certain point I would rather get shit done and spend the extra $25 because I’m not collecting pokemon cards. As much as I like collecting, I have too many things to do between my own projects and people asking me for stuff and then 10min of shitposting in between.

>>2799276
Ahh, the anon who was confused when he saw a workbench with a couple tools on it and an ongoing project.

>>2799315
>10min of shitposting in between.
you must do 140 one-minute projects every day

>>2799315
you need to back off on the newports about 23 to 27 percent. your poor peabrain needs all the spare oxygen it can get

>>2797692
how do you always have gift cards

>>2799460
My employer has a bunch of random programs. I get like $300 in Amazon gift cards a year for tracking my steps every day and going to my annual physical.

>>2799492
Jesus christ, do you work with a bunch of fatties or what!

$6 at Grandma’s yard sale.
$10 at pawn shop

There are tools. Why buy new?

>>2799626
>There are tools. Why buy new?

1. I'm an adult
2. I have a job
3. I know what I want, and I know where I can buy it
4. Only slobs with no life drive around hunting for yard sales or visiting the local pawn shops weekly

Love the pipe wrenches. New autococker is ok, good for quickly screwing down small nuts bad for anything near the max jaw width. The bent handle parallel jaws are great.
>>2799547
He lives in a brown state so yes.

>>2799643
Derp

>>2797601
They are worth the $80 tho. Klein linemans suck dick. Too tight and they will lock up if you beat them too hard or get them wet. Knipex are loose like a sissies bussy right out of the box and stay that way.

>mine after about 3 years

>>2799656
I have loosened many sissy bussies that were not loose out of the box. You must encounter very low quality sissies.

>>2799633
>bragging about paying full retail price
not the flex you think it is

>>2799547
If you work for a big company, dig into it. They get breaks from insurance by offering a bunch of health programs and there’s often incentives just for enrolling in some of the shit and then blocking the # when some counselor tries to call you and talk about your blood pressure.

There’s also $50 gift cards here and there for years without accidents or when somebody else fucked something up and you stay late and clean up their mess. Almost all of the Knipex stuff I have is either gifts or impulse buys when I get a couple $25 gift cards.

>>2799626
Because I’m not trying to spend half of every weekend driving around to pawn shops and yard sales for the 1 in 50 chance that there’s a good deal on something that isn’t grandpa’s old ass rusted Craftsman

>>2799698
>Because I’m not trying to spend half of every weekend driving around to pawn shops and yard sales for the 1 in 50 chance that there’s a good deal on something that isn’t grandpa’s old ass rusted Craftsman

This and Ebay is much faster and better. I only buy opportunistically at sales. Auctions etc are for large stuff like steel, steel carts, welding machines, industrial air compressors and much more.

>>2799682
I’m all for grabbing a power tool when you get a free battery and charger with it, but pawn shops and garage sales and flea markets are a waste of time unless your hobbies include creeping garage sales every Saturday morning. And when you find a deal that is too good to pass up but you don’t need the thing, reselling anything for <$50 profit isn’t worth my time either because retards on faceberg marketplace are a huge time suck. If I want to get rid of something and don’t want to throw it in the trash, I’ll list it for an absurdly low number because I’m sick of people not showing or showing up 2 hours late and offering half of the fair price I’m asking because the obviously used item isn’t new in box.

>>2799707
even easier nowadays to find deals without ever setting foot in a yiddish hawk shop. they all list on ebay and it's no risk with easy refunds. why should i drive somewhere or deal with zuckbook fuckwits when i can get a better deal mailed straight to me with a couple clicks instead?

>>2799707
>my time is way too valuable to waste looking for used tools
>anyway back to my 11th consecutive hour of shitposting

10$ set of picks. lifetime warranty. worth a shot
>>2799643
wtf is a brown state
>>2799698
fair enough. my shop has like 12 people so no luck on my end. oh well

>>2799760
See, you understand it!

>>2799791
ah shit. I thought this was the new tool / consoom thread. whoops

>>2799835
>>2799791
Half of /diy/ is now a consoom thread!

I still gotta shill for those Mayhew Catspaw mini picks for the money. I grew to like the $2 orange HF pick’s handle size, but I dislike snapping or bending the things. I got a set of Kobalt picks in that same smaller size years ago and never used them because they have a fatter handle.

>>2799791
A state full of shitskins

>>2799968
cool it with the racist remarks buddy
>>2799931
my craftsman handles are probably like your kobalts. you should see how thick (and square) the snapon pick handles are

>>2798213
>look at this ad, we are still white.
look all the other videos wheer muhammed is making benz engines etc. In North America bmw cars are Mexican cars.

>>2800001
I have some cheap big picks for the shit where I want a big pic. Was trying to avoid that on the small picks. The dental type picks are too small though

The Kobalt ones aren’t that horrible, I just couldn’t get down on that handle shape. It’s too fat to do a 3 finger grip, but too small to hold like a full size screwdriver

>>2800605
damn, you've got alot of em!
what do you do for work if you don't mind Mr asking?

>>2800628
Professional shitposter

And it’s not really a lot of sets. I got the orange $2 HF ones a long time ago but most of those are bent and I snapped a couple tips. And then the Kobalt ones I snagged on clearance for cheap at some point but didn’t like them, so I got the Mayhew Catspaw ones. And then the dental pick set is for real small stuff, that was a couple bucks from HF.

Those OEM ones are specifically for o-rings and seals. The big pick is for different purposes, and that is some cheap generic set but I got it because it came with a couple scrapers which are handy in spots where a razor blade doesn’t work well. I think it was picrel from an auto parts store.

Then there’s 2 screwdrivers for size reference.