Pliers and side cutters 4

[db67]

Hi, there.
I have to import some handy tools from China; what should I look for?

How can I distinguish a good qaulity pliers, side cutters and screwdrivers from a bad quality? What are the main characteristics I should pay attention to?

Many thanks.

 

[mcgyvr]

If quality is your main concern then China is not the answer..
I bet "cheap" is your real concern..and now you want "high quality cheap" stuff. Good luck..

 

[ornerynorsk]

Look at fit and finish, get a couple of samples and try to break them. Cut various wires and nails and see how the edge holds up. Leave them outside to rust and observe what happens. Harder and higher alloy steels rust slower with a much finer oxide than do low alloy and softer steels, as a general rule. Poor plating will rust through, though it may take a little longer than unplated steels.

If you've got some budget, and I imagine that you do because China is not going to sell small quantities, send a sample or two to a metallurgical lab for alloy composition and hardness testing.

My first reaction is along the same lines of mcgyvr, though.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[db67]

ornerynorsk thank you very much - it was very useful.

mcgyvr, yes, I'm looking for non-expensive tools. I have Knipex pliers in the store with 1 cm dust on it.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

If you are buying say less than dozen - DON"T go to China or Harbor Freight for that matter, Harbor Freight has some GREAT bargains - but their tools aren't for the journeyman. I buy stuff there because it is usually cheap - but I only use them a couple times a year!!

 

[db67]

Actually I need it for the retail chain of specialized stores I work for. Here (south Europe) people look first at price, and (unfortinatelly) not at quality

 

[berkshire]

One of the things you need to be aware of with tools from China, is something I will call Quality fade. The first batches you get will be good, then as you buy more and more, the quality will fall off. You need a man in the country to inspect your product bfore it is shipped to you.
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[MiketheEngineer]

We have every batch from China tested by an independent agency - well known name. Have had very few problems!!

 

[tomwalz]

Dear Berkshire,

I gave you a star. Sorry it was only one and red not gold.

Yours is an incredibly important point.

I ordered some parts with a tolerance of 0.250" -0.00" / +0.004"

Samples were good. Production parts were + / - 0.015" with huge variances in all dimensions.

Apparently it is common practice to hand sort sample parts.

Tom

Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.

 

[ornerynorsk]

Agreed Mike, it's just good business practice, no matter who the vendor, to verify and inspect each order. "Dock to stock" can even be a challenge with well-verified and qualified vendors.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.