CHANNELLOCK546 6.63 – Inch Heavy Duty Slip Joint Plier

Jaws do not align properly

Best slip joint pliers I ever owned. The jaws are slim at the tip, so they get into tight places, yet don't flex no matter how hard I squeeze. The two halves fit without any slop, yet still work smoothly. I didn't know what to think about the ends of the handles bent outward, but I now see why they are that way. With my old pliers, if I had them on the 'wide' setting on the joint, and they would slip off of whatever I was grabbing, the ends of the handle would give me a blood blister in the web of my hand. The upturned handles prevent that from happening.Add to that the tips of the jaws are not just grooved, but cross-hatched for better grip, and meet precisely. I thought I ordered the 6 1/2 inch pair, but got the 8 inch instead (not vendors fault, I just got the model #s turned around) and I'm glad I did. They still fit in a standard plier holster (thanks to the slim jaws), yet the little bit of extra length gives me a stronger grip, and lets me grab larger objects.

They are a good sturdy pair of pliers, but the jaws are not properly aligned and the edges are not finished (They did not take the additional time to grind all the edges round for a more finished look and feel). It looks like they were just stamped out, ground flat on the sides and bolted together. Frankly, they look half finished, and since the jaws are misaligned, Quality Control is lacking. The handles are dipped in plastic, which is not as durable and functional as those found on other more progressive manufactures products, i.e., Irwin/Vise Grip, Stanley, Powerbilt, et al. I would expect more from Channellock.

I'm old school and there are a lot of traditional tools that have been "modernized". In most cases they are bulkier and awkward. This is a notable exception. Channellock has taken a nearly perfect tool and made it even better. It has slightly more reach with slightly longer handles for better grip and power. The jaws are very useful for almost any job... as you would expect from a great slip-joint plier. Cheaper pliers have thick jaw ends. These, because of good steel, have thinner jaws for better access to the work. I love it. It'll be a great gift for son-in-laws (daughters too!).

Seems like a good tool, but I'm not impressed with the durability of the teeth. I had a couple internally rusted screws holding in a license plate, and after holding the fasteners in from the other side, I was not able to generate enough force with a screwdriver to get them out. Now I'm sure these aren't the best tool for removing a license plate screw, but it's what I had, and (barely) allowed me to generate enough force to get the first half dozen rotations done. So I was happy about that, but then I looked at the teeth, and they were pretty chewed up. That was their first usage, and a dozen rotations of two screws generated gouges in the teeth.