Everybody knows Crescent Tools, right? No introductions are necessary. Back in late 2017, Crescent announced a new brand identity and went through some changes, with their sibling brands – Wiss, Lufkin, Nicholson, H.K. Porter, JOBOX, and APEX- also being brought into the Crescent brand envelope.
Crescent has been coming out with new tools at a steady pace. Some of them flew under my radar, others really caught my attention, such as their open tote tool bags.
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Crescent recently signed on as a ToolGuyd sponsor to help support our content. This couldn’t have happened at a better time – I have a large number of reader requests, buying guides, and tool comparisons drafted or in my queue – a whole lot of hand tool content – and Crescent fits into some of these plans.
There are also a number of new Crescent products that interest and even excite me, and I’m sure there are some tools you guys are curious about.
Here’s an example of one outstanding reader question: what can be used to cut small hard wires? Well, there are lots of ways to do this, but my favorite is for mini bolt cutters.
With a lot of the questions that come in, readers mention not wanting to spend $50 on a tool sight-unseen, they want a good tool or problem-solver at an affordable price.
This is what I use – the Crescent Wiss 8″ wire cutter ($10 via Home Depot). I probably mistakenly call them mini bolt cutters, and they’re meant for cutting hard wire, cable, and light chain. This is a new sample I picked up locally, mine is from a few years ago.
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They do the job.
A similar question and request came in recently. The user is working with semi-flexible hard wire, and it has been cutting up their fingers. They’ve been cutting the wire from a spool with a rotary tool, and then working it into shapes around objects with their fingers.
Okay, I start writing to them, you might want to consider long nose or lineman’s style pliers, and Wiss mini cutters… and then I realized – Crescent came out with new Z2 pliers.
I recently tried to use one of my other brand of diagonal pliers the other day, to cut some hard wire. That’s usually a big no-no, but I tried it anyway. Some of the spiral wire reinforcement from my dust collection hose was poking out and it scratched my hand. I grabbed my diagonal cutters, and… the wire made a small dent in them. Oh… the wire is harder than I thought.
That’s not going to be a problem with these Z2 pliers. Crescent designed their Z2 pliers for increased cutting power. There’s more going on – these are described as Crescent’s best performing pliers ever, with innovative features that make each style the new best performer in its class. I’ll be exploring what these pliers can do.
These Crescent Z2 pliers seem fitting as a single-tool alternative to what I was going to suggest, which would have been to get basic pliers and the aforementioned Crescent Wiss PWC9W mini cutter. With one of the Z2 pliers, one tool can do two things.
I briefly reviewed Crescent APEX screwdriver bits when they first came out. The brand has been expanding its selection since then, with non-marring screwdriver bits and other fastening accessories.
The non-marring bits are actually really cool, and you’ll see more on them here soon.
And then there’s this – new Crescent Apex BoltBiter nut drivers that remove and tighten hex fasteners.
I have some bolt extractors I’ve been meaning to test out, but they’re really designed for automotive work and stubbornly rusted stripped fasteners. I tend to come across damaged lag screws and similarly sized hex bolts.
These nutdrivers could be useful.
I’m a little hesitant, to be honest, but I recently spent a pricey sum on new hex drivers with similar “great for installation or damaged fastener removal” claims. I didn’t know there were new nut driver accessories that worked similarly for 6pt hex fasteners, but it’s worth looking into.
I’m going to find out just how well these work for fastening applications, and I’m sure I can find some stripped fasteners to test their removal success rate on.
I have been working on a series of content that’s supported by another sponsor – DIY and basic Pro tool kit selections and reviews – and Crescent keeps popping up there too.
Over at Instagram, I posted about a trio of my go-to scissors, and I asked if there are any other brands I should check out. There were several recommendations for Wiss.
Take a look at my recent New Tool Day haul from Home Depot. There are a couple of Crescent and Crescent Wiss tools in there, and my shopping for that content series isn’t done yet – there are a couple more tools to buy.
I use Lufkin tape measures, Nicholson files, Wiss tin sips – and I’ll be testing their scissors out soon – Crescent APEX power tool accessories, more than a few Crescent tools, and Crescent H.K. Porter cable cutters have been on my shopping list ever since I started working with larger diameter flexible cables.
Do you know what I saw at the local Home Depot recently?
Crescent Wiss left-handed scissors!
There’s a lot of good stuff here.
I had a good idea of the types of content this Crescent sponsorship could support, but it also seems there’s a lot that I missed.
I spoke with a company today, about how a project they’re sponsoring has been thoroughly enjoyable, and about how it really opened my eyes as to how well everything has been coming together. They said something about how they’ve been reading my content for a while, and that it seems I have a special place in my heart for [very specific brand] of hand tools. And I do.
As open-minded as I try to be, I am set in my ways and set-in-concrete recommendations. This partnership with Crescent has me looking at some of their new tools, and it’s supporting some of my long-overdue independent content where some of their tools fit in. And in getting started on all this – and vetting the brand’s tools to ensure they were a good fit for ToolGuyd – I realized that it’s almost like I’m seeing the brand for the first time again.
So, that’s where you come in.
Do You Have Any Crescent Tool Review Requests or Recommendations?
This includes anything in the Crescent brand lineup – Wiss, Lufkin, Nicholson, H.K. Porter, JOBOX (within reason), and APEX.
I already have a test and review sample shopping list, what would you add to it?
Crescent Tools is a ToolGuyd sponsor as of the time of this posting.
HG Forage
Bain capital / Apex tool group has shut down, off shored, and destroyed many good brands.
With that being said their indexing pallet ripper (dkb446x) is a beast. If you have any pallets or demo work it could be a fun review.
The shockforce tape measures have proved to be extremely durable. Lasted longer than any fat max or Milwaukee tapes I have used and sustained 30ft drops with ease.
Also the Phillips bits with protective sleeve is very nice for door knobs.
The innovation is outstanding, just leaves a bad taste in my mouth buying from them.
Rob
The collective in question was doing that far before Bain showed up.
fred
What Apex has now done is to blur the Crescent brand – combining it with many of their other once recognizable brands. I’m not sure what the strategy or benefits are for doing this. Perhaps it helps them consolidate management and advertising – or they think it will add to better brand recognition. Born during WWII – I think of Crescent as the brand that was associated with adjustable wrenches. Like so many other brands they became synonymous with their product (think Kleenex, Band-Aid, Xerox, Scotch Tape etc.) That is a two-edged sword. IMO – lots of the APEX tools lost some of their luster when production moved to China – and sometimes quality slipped. Buy a 50 year old pair of Wiss shears and compare them to current offerings to see what I mean (inlaid blades and fine cutting adjustment have for the most part been lost). That’s not to say that everything APEX makes – even under the Crescent name – are now of low quality. We bought Apex insert bit in bulk quantities for our businesses. We relied on Apex’s Dotco and Cleco pneumatic grinders, drills and sanders in our fabrication business. But Crescent has been the brand name slapped on some pretty gimmick tools:
https://www.toolbarn.com/crescent-fr28swmp.html/
To be fair – maybe Apex is trying to resurrect the brand with some new offerings – and I hope that you find some worthy examples to try out.
Stuart
Like you, I use a number of their more industrial-focused brands, and some of them remain unmatched. Those are really outside the scope of my current focus – unless there’s strong interest in which case I can jump into those waters too.
For the most part, I think that their consolidated branding makes sense. The distinctions remain, but the brands are also connected.
I’ve been shopping for tools for various editorial projects, and could see retail benefits in the shared branding – I think it will prove to be a good move.
There are some tools that don’t appeal to me, but I’ve been surprised as to how many do. I was also surprised as to how many recommendations there are for Wiss scissors. This led me to wonder if there are any other recommendations or requests for tools for me to look at.
fred
Maybe it would be useful to see what you could find (say the Wiss brand) that is still made in the USA . Or you might compare a Wiss branded pair of shears/tin snips made in China to a USA-made brand like Malco or Midwest. Many of the Wiss scissors that I’ve seen at HD seem to be mass market utility scissors – rather than shears that are used by tailors and pattern cutters – who relied on the older Wiss products. That’s not to say that a $12 pair of Wiss shears on the rack at HD are not fit for purpose – just that they are not likely to suit a custom tailor
Stuart
A lot of the Crescent Wiss snips are still made in USA.
I bought a couple of different Crescent 8″ adjustable wrenches over the years to see how they compared against older USA-made ones. I bought another one last month.
Surprisingly, the quality is on-par and in some ways a little better.
I got hung up on the COO and my preferences for another brand, but unless you’re willing to spend double the price, the Crescent wrenches are still great. Given what I’m seeing with the latest sample, it’s the best option currently available at retail at anywhere close to its price point.
It would be tough to include any such comparisons right now, given that Crescent/ATG is a current sponsor and any comparisons would be largely subjective.
Dave P
8″ is more of a toy than a tool. Something one might keep in the truck of your car “just in case”, but certainly nothing very usable when a set of little end wrenches is so reasonable.
Just how bad (or even necessary/usable) can an 8″ Crescent wrench be? I wouldn’t stake my reputation on such a tiny example…
I have a bunch of old 15-18-24″ Diamonds and Crescents, and I’m pretty sure there’s some ancient Craftsman in there too. I have a lot I can compare to, and this new stuff w the Crescent name isn’t anything I’d trust very far. I needed a few more large adjustable wrenches and ended up w a new Crescent, which I promptly gave away. I knew better, buying on price…. when your jumping on a 6′ piece of pipe slipped over the handle of a 24″ adjustable wrench, you sure don’t want what’s now called a Crescent… and don’t tell me we shouldn’t do that as its a dead giveaway that you’ve never spent time in a shop working on big stuff as that’s how things get done in all such shops on occasion.
Stuart
Depends on what you’re working on.
If you need a backer wrench for tightening say 3/8″ hex hardware with 9/16″ flats, a 15″ adjustable might be too large to fit, or even unwieldy if it can.
I use 6″ and 8″ adjustable wrenches far more than I have to dig out my 12″. I might have a 15″ around here somewhere, but the fact that I can’t recall should give you some indication as to how infrequently I would need one. At that point, I’m more likely to use pliers or a pipe wrench.
And no, you shouldn’t put a 6-foot cheater pipe over a 24″ wrench!! Yes, I know it’s done, but that doesn’t mean it’s proper. But to be fair, I’ve used a 24″ wrench before and it can withstand a lot of force. A 6′ cheater on a 24″ wrench is going to be a lot different than say a 2′ cheater on an 8″ wrench.
If you have the space for a 24″ wrench, why not use a socket with a long breaker bar and dead blow hammer? I know this hinges upon having the right socket on-hand, but is it a strength consideration compared to say a 3/4″ 1″ drive breaker bar?
MM
I own a variety of adjustable wrenches but I find my most commonly used ones are the extremes. In my case that’s a pair of Bahco 4-inch and a Blue Point 30-inch. The small ones are just super handy to grab if I’m working on relatively small fasteners that are easy to access and don’t need much torque. Easier to grab one or two of those than a variety of combination wrenches. And while I love the Knipex pliers wrenches and use the small ones a lot too, these are even smaller/lighter in the tool bag. I use the big one simply because I don’t own a set of open-end wrenches that size, nor do I use them often enough to justify buying a set. The big one is also very handy for bending metal when doing welding/fabrication. Combined with a stout vise it can make some very nice bends in quite heavy material.
MM
I’ve been of the opinion that this group of brands has been slipping for a long time now. My first job was at an old Mom-N-Pop hardware store back in the early 1990’s. Back then this group of brands was under the “Cooper Tools” umbrella, and I considered them higher quality than most of the low end or homeowner brands like Stanley or Vermont American, or our house Ace branded tools, but they were not up to the standard of industrial or high-end brands like Proto, Wiha, Knipex, Mac, Snap-On, etc. We had a handful of older Cooper tools on the shelf, as well as some used ones which were property of the store and used for maintenance, and those appeared to be far better made than the new stock we were selling. I recall a customer who bought an HK porter bolt cutter from us try and fail to cut something on his trailer in the parking lot; the jaws seemed soft. We pulled out the store-use version of the same tool which we used to cut chain for customers and tried it on his job….cut it no problem with no harm to the tool. These were the exact same model bolt cutters, only difference was roughly 20 years. I’ve used some more recently made Xcelite screwdrivers and a Crescent branded adjustable wrench and they are certainly not made to the same standard that the older ones in my toolbox were made to years ago. Everything from the quality of the zinc plating to the fit of the tips in screws has slipped for the screwdrivers. The adjustable wrench shocked me with how much wobble there was in the moveable jaw and I don’t think those are cheapo tools by any measure.
I hope they are improving the brand with some honest attempts at improvement but time will tell if quality and function are there or if they are just slinging gimmicks.
Rob
The 90’s is when Cooper started really junking up those brands. It was about the 00’s when the Nicholson stuff went to a new plant in Brazil and it’s no secret that the files and rasps went from very good to unusable (I’m not blaming Brazilians).
I was into recording and worked on a lot of analog electronics. I started off on the Cooper brands…. their cost reduction drove me to their European and Japanese competitors. I never looked back.
MM
I agree with you 100% about Nicholson going downhill after moving to Brazil. I encountered that firsthand when trying to find #49 & 50 rasps. I wondered what all the woodworker fuss was about when I first found an example for sale and it looked like garbage, then I learned about the production being outsourced and their stellar reputation was earned back when they were USA made. I couldn’t find a decent rasp until a friend clued me in to Logier in France. Handmade (and priced like it too!) but thankfully very nice tools unlike the Brazilian-made Nicholsons.
I think their files started to slide before then the rasps though. Even in the mid 90’s I found their files, even when brand new, to be inferior to some well (ab)used European brands my father owned. The one strange exception was their chainsaw files, which I found were great back then. However it may have been that our store simply had old stock–we very rarely sold a chainsaw file, while we often sold mill files, half-rounds, rattails and so on. I don’t think I ever had to order chainsaw files a single time in my 4 years at that store whereas I’d order at least one kind of normal file or rasp every week.
Patrick McIntosh
The current CEO of Apex Tools was formerly the CEO of Irwin Tools, he is the one who amalgamated all of the Irwin brands Vise Grip etc into the one brand Irwin. He has done the same to Apex, working out the best known name and making that the central brand name. Sensible really, it makes advertising the brand a whole lot easier.
Nathan
I’m left handed, grabbed the Crescent Wiss scissors at Home Depot a few months ago. They have been great.
Chad W
I love my Crescent adjustable wrenches, on the rare occasion I actually use an adjustable wrench. USA made pliers, Wirecutter a, etc. I also like their ratcheting screwdriver, (although, built by Megapro).
Albert
Are you sure you’re not thinking of Channellock?
Stuart
Crescent wrenches are still very good, although this is something I too have forgotten in recent years.
https://toolguyd.com/crescent-adjustable-wrench-better-than-remembered/
But yeah – it does seem like they’re talking about Channellock.
Chad W
Oops, errrr, yep Channelock…
Jared
Easy mistake – since Channellock has the superior “crescent wrench”. 😄
Not that Crescent’s crescent wrench is bad.
James C
I think I’m late to the party having never used this type of tool until recently, but their nail pulling pliers are great (I think they’re 9″ with the curved leverage area near the jaws). They work very well for pulling small nails, brads, staples, etc.
Stuart
They have a couple of different ones. I’ve actually been looking at their longer one, which resembles a weeding tool I bought.
Fm2176
I’ve got three pairs of those. About 7 years ago I had to pull thousands of drywall staples from a manufactured home, and my hand cramped up while using linesman’s pliers. Found the Crescent pullers, bought a second pair when I had a helper with me, and grabbed the third pair on clearance.
Bob
I won’t buy tools made in China if at all possible.
Joe H
I noticed GearWrench selling the same pliers, just different paint and markings, Apex brands as Crescent at a slightly higher mark up in price at a few websites. I get that they are owned by the same company and I think they are trying to market GearWrench as the step up automotive centered brand but they even use the same pictures just with different (really the same) pliers in people’s hands. Its hard not to notice they are the same. The price mark up may have changed since I looked. This isn’t a new thing for a company to do. If I was interested in the new GearWrench pliers I would just buy the Crescents. Granted different sites have different prices on the same stuff.
Stuart
There are often subtle differences, such as with the Double-X plier handle grips.
TonyT
I’m still looking at getting some more hand tools for work, inclining towards German brands (already settled on Knipex for Cobra & Pliers Wrench), but might look at some Crescent, too.
For tough duty diagonal cutters, I definitely want a smaller cutter with tapered head and tungsten carbide insert (probably Aven’s Pakistani made flush cutters) because it can get in smaller places than the Wiss Wire Cutter or Z2 pliers. But the Wire Cutter might be a good addition for even larger wires.
Does Crescent have any good cable strippers? Tools for tie-wraps? Wire strippers with special features?
Mutombo
Those wire snips have a mean capacity according to their description on hd, “The cutters can cut mild steel wires with diameters up to 5/32 in. and hard steel wires with diameters up to 3 in. x 32 in.”
Jared
Your first pick is my number 1. I need some mini bolts cutters.
I’m interested to know how their mechanics tools stack up. I typically trust Gearwrench, Tekton, for middle tier stuff. Most of my purchases are industrial brands these days. I’m still curious though – where does Crescent fit?
MoogleMan3
I’d love to see some impressions on the 14″ open top tool bag.
garrett
I haven’t bought a Crescent tool in almost a decade. The poor quality of the steel (or lack of decent heat-treatment) made any pliers super soft – Charmin soft. I’m sure there have been changes, but there are many good options nowadays (many brands that this site has introduced me to). I now find that most of my pliers and wrenches come from NWS, Knipex and Channellock/Irega.
Stuart
I try to remind myself regularly that different users have different needs, wants, and budgets.
For the user who needs an easier way of cutting and manipulating harder wire, the Crescent pliers are a convenient 2-birds-1-stone solution. Are they the best pliers? No. But they also wouldn’t dent like my other diagonal cutters when I try to cut something I should be getting a different tool out for.
My solution for such a task might involve higher-end cutters and pliers costing maybe $70-75 for two tools. Crescent Z2 at $20 to $25, depending on style, is an easier recommendation to someone on a tight budget, or the Wiss cutter plus decent basic pliers, which would cost about the same.
fred
looking at their web page – perhaps a look at one or more of their “new” e-Shok-Guard bit drivers would be interesting. They also seem to have insulated (electrically isolated) socket wrench adapters. Someone else may have also mentionned their new line of “u-guard” bits.
At the other end of the spectrum (large vs small tools) – maybe they would be willing to ship you one of their bigger Site-Vaults to try out as a backyard storage solution.
Peter Fox
Those insulating bit and socket adapter are interesting. Their product flyer has the UL mark and a UL file number along with the the ASTM and IEC specs for insulated tools so they look like they are actually legitimately rated insulated tools. I would be interested to know what their maximum torque ratings are.
Although I am not sure that they would be useful/acceptable in an industrial environment where the NFPA 70E rules were required to be followed to the letter.
They show pictures of non insulated sockets being used on large electrical terminations that if live would be a significant hazard and safety violation. Insulated tools are more than just direct shock protection from the working end to the users hand. they are usually covered as much as practically possible to reduce the risk of causing a line to ground or line to line short likely resulting in an arc flash. The use if an insulating adapter with a bare metal socket or worse a bare metal ratchet would create a significant risk of that type of incident.
Additionally insulated tools are only one part of the puzzle for doing safe work on or near live electrical equipment. Voltage and arc flash rated PPE along with proper training to recognize electrical hazards and what work is and isn’t allowed are honestly more important.
I could definitely see inexperienced and unqualified people having a false sense of security using these adapters and getting hurt. If you are working with lower energy circuits and shock hazard is your primary concern these might have some value. However they are probably not appropriate for higher energy commercial or industrial applications.
fred
Sounds logical. maybe Stuart could elicit some examples of applications from Apex. I also don’t see them as being sold at Lowes as Lineman’s tools but maybe for residential electricians or carpenters who might inadvertently encounter a live wire.
We used to like to share “near misses” and after-action analyses of actual accidents among our workers as a way to improve safety. I can recall several instances where either the remodeling guys
or plumbing crews drilled/screwed/cut into unprotected live NM conductors in places where the should not have been. Some of that may have been a result of homeowner work – but sadly some of it may have been done by so-called professionals taking shortcuts.
Rob
What’s with this trend of on-purpose self inflicted brand confusion? Metabo that isn’t really Metabo. Flex that isn’t really Flex. Apex bits that aren’t really Apex bits. Does KKR believe that the average Lowes customer has heard of Metabo and that they’ll buy Ex-Hitachi tools based on that reputation? Chervon believes that the average Lowes customer has heard of Flex and will buy Black Kobalt based on that reputation? Whomever carries and sells Apex Tool Group’s Crescent’s Apex bits thinks that that market ever heard of Apex and Zephyr and will buy some Taiwanese OEM stuff based on that reputation?
MM
I’m sure that’s exactly what the point is. They hope a customer will recognize a respected name like Metabo or Crescent or whatever and will buy based on that alone. I’ve noticed that many companies will buy old or defunct brands simply so they can sell their products, which are often very low quality, under the respected name. I see examples everywhere. South Bend used to be a respected name of small machine tools; it has since been bought by an Asian brand. You can still buy a “South Bend lathe” but it’s nothing like the old South Bends were. England once had many very respected knife makers since Sheffield was a historical center of the cutlery trade. Many of those old brand names and trademarks like Joseph Rodgers & Sons or George Wostenholm which were famous for high quality have now been bought by an international conglomerate called the Eggington group which is selling garbage quality asian import knives under those old respected names. Even food is not exempt. “Smithfield Hams” were once very famous and were written about with enthusiasm even by stuffy French chefs….now “Smithfield” is a Chinese-owned brand of pork products and they no longer follow the traditional methods of curing a ham.
And then there’s misleading names in general, like “Chicago Pneumatic” which has absolutely nothing to do with Chicago, and “Birmingham” branded sheet metal tools which are certainly not made in Birmingham.
fred
Harbor Freight is sort of know for picking USA or German sounding names to brand their China-made tools.
Not to be outdone – Amazon and their third-part sellers offer tons of tools with brand names that IMO are meant to obfuscate their Chinese origins. I came across some branded as Werkzeug to sound German – but made in China.
I suspect that some merchandisers may troll trademark listings looking for ones that have lapsed – in the hopes of finding new brand names that may still have some cache.
Then, as you say their are defunct or bankrupt companies that may have been bought up on the cheap – for the sole purpose of trading on their good name or that of their defunct brands. That (goodwill) may in fact be the only thing left of value in some companies that have gone under.
Finally – I note that some trading companies seem to attach what look like spurious GTINs to their product packaging – with those GTIN’s once having been associated with companies that are now out of business
Vards Uzvards
Explanations about Hitachi Power Tools renaming into HiKoki / Metabo-HPT were posted here several times already. It has nothing to do with Lowe’s. But it is confusing of course.
Jerry
At one time Crescent locking pliers were not a bad second choice after Vise Grips. I wonder if the new ones are still as good.
Steve
Crescent flare wrench set. For around 10.00 dollars you can purchase a three wrench metric set. I had to replace brake lines and was lacking a flare wrench. Took a chance on these and was happy with what I got. Surprisingly, a really nice set at 10.00 dollars for DIY use. The SAE version can be purchased for around 12.00 dollars.
Sean
The Crescent pliers look decent but they’re priced near or at Channellock.
The nut extractors look interesting.
Sky
I love the Wiss 7″ shears. There are two models, one part number ends with a “7T”. I’ve used both, and highly recommend them. They’re Super.
Paul
I have a customer off Pristine Waters Drive less than a block from Lufkin Road where Apex is located in Apex, NC. Maybe get some free stock footage?
One thing I’ve been on the hunt for is that are a lot of crumpets for the red, blue, and yellow (#10-12) electrical connectors. I won’t say good crumpets…most are horrible from an ergonomics point of view. But as soon as you go one size larger, #6-8, there is almost nothing out there. The “big” crimpers go from starting around #4 to around 4/0 before most are hydraulic and go as high as you have money for.
Right in that gap Crescent actually has some promising looking products but I’ve seen no reviews at all.
Peter Fox
As you go up in wire size the force required to produce a good quality crimp increases dramatically. I did not see anything on the Crescent Tool website that looked even remotely like a crimper for 8 or 6 AWG terminal. To my knowledge there are no simple pliers type crimpers for 8 or 6 AWG insulated terminal. Additionally I know of only a few handheld mechanical crimpers for such terminals.
The least expensive and easiest to find is probably the T&B (Thomas and Betts) ERG-2007 and ERG-4007. The ERG-2007 is the older version and the lower die has to be rotated depending on whether you want to crimp 8 AWG (red) or 6 AWG (blue) terminal. The ERG-4007 has a different opening for 8 or 6 AWG. These can be found on ebay for $100 to $200 pretty regularly.
Sargent tool makes a larger tool, the 6220 CT that supposedly covers 8 to 2 AWG. however in my opinion to does a poor job on 8 and 6 AWG. I do not know what standard or manufacturers products they intended it to be used with. the smaller openings in the crimp dies are to large to properly crimp 8 or 6 AWG well.
AMP (now TE connectivity) has made a few hand held crimpers for 8 AWG but I am not aware of any for 6 AWG. I have their model 69959 and it is really impressive https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-69959.html?q=69959&source=header . Additional they also have a slightly different one (model 69355) meant for their PIDG series nylon insulated terminals with a metal insulation grip https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-69355.html?q=69355&source=header . And yes the prices listed for these crimpers new are not a mistake, these are MIL spec tooling. You can however occasionally find them used on ebay for much less.
Lastly insulated terminals for large wire sizes are normally used for higher volume manufacturing and most often applied using bench mounted presses designed specifically for crimping terminals. For low volume use you are probably better off using un-insulated terminals and insualted them with heat shrink tubing after crimping. The most common, interchangeable, and easiest to get tooling for are probably the color coded tubular types such as Panduit’s LCA and LCS series. Alternately they have a non color coded tubular ( “S” series) and less expensive brazed seam (“P” series) terminals. Those however are not industry standard designs and interchangeability with other manufacturers tooling is not intended. Other manufacruers probably have similar options I am just most familiar with Panduit’s large wire terminal.
Greg
I think about how many quality tool brands are made in Japan and Europe that keep making there tool lines in there respective countries but then you these big companies that will never learn that we not pay a premium for China/ Taiwan tools just because you put a American name on it no matter how much you market it you cannot fool us.
I also bought a 4″ adjustable USA made Crescent last year in a local hardware store and the finish was awful the made in Spain Channel Lock are much nicer. But I love the older Crescent adjustable wrenches I find them at the pawnshop and flea markets my favorite are the ones with the extra wide handle. I think I buy so many older tools in the used market because how disappointed I am with brands like Crescent.
Don’t destroy a name that took years to build just make a new band name for the made in China/Taiwan line of tools if you must sell that stuff and keep on improving the USA made brands and make that name mean something as it had in the past.
IronWood
First comment on the forum, been reading ToolGuyd forever, but this article struck a nerve somehow. Crescent (and plenty of other brands, lookin’ at you Irwin) are in a category for me that I won’t touch. They sold out and broke an old high quality USA brand years ago. They spent years in the wilderness making crap and now they want to come back as “innovators.” Well, Klein and Knipex have been making quality the whole time, so has Channellock, Proto, Wright, Wilde, and plenty of others. I look at buying Crescent tools and their ilk as an exercise in rewarding bad behavior. Same reason I won’t buy anything from Irwin. Plenty of good options that have hung tough this whole time that deserve my support.
Now, that said, I’m glad Crescent/Apex is supporting ToolGuyd because it’s a great site. So I’ll comment on their lineup, as that’s the intent of the article. Those pliers look unbelievably cheap, the handles and recessed black-painted areas just scream grocery store battery and lightbulb aisle. Glad to see Wiss is still made in the USA, I have a 10-15 year old pair that are great. But I’d still buy Midwest if I needed another. I have used a lot of Apex driver bits/sockets over the years and they’re absolutely fantastic. Not pleased at all to see these clearly imported cheaper “Crescent Apex” tools coming out. I really hope they keep the good USA industrial Apex tools, but obviously the line is blurring and probably going to be harder to tell what you’re getting. Guess I’ll keep an eye on other sources for those as well now.
A company has every right to set their own goals for production (financial, stewardship, reputation, whatever). I also have the right to set my own goals for purchases (quality, durability, fit-finish, price, COO). When you put price point and margin completely in front of quality, warranty, tradition, finish, etc. it’s going to be a long road back to my buy list. Crescent hasn’t made it back.
Stuart
Thank you for the comment, I appreciate it!
With respect to “bad behavior,” I have found that a lot of tool industry shifts take a lot more into account than is at the surface. There are the tool brands, the customers (usually retailers except in B2B), and end users (consumers) that communicate their needs and wants via their purchases. I might never understand certain shifts or evolutions, and others I might understand but personally disagree with.
Some Crescent tools have a place in my tool box, and others do not. I have been having a lot of fun exploring different hand tool tiers as part of a couple of separate projects, and I seek to do the same here. Especially given the breadth of Crescent’s range, there are a lot of different tools and categories, which is why I was hoping part of my journey could be driven by reader requests or questions. For instance, I wouldn’t have expected there to be such strong interest in Wiss scissors and shears, but that seems like an interesting product line to explore.
As for APEX, their line of consumer/retail power tool accessories is relatively new, and as far as I am aware, there is no indication that any of these developments will affect their industrial SKUs. I have purchased APEX screwdriver bits accessories from time to time, and so far the retail lines look to be complementary. There are also some potentially useful additions there, such as the u-GUARD non-marring bits.
The pliers do have a more utilitarian look, but they’re comfortable, and they work as advertised. Do they match up with my top-shelf pliers? Of course not, but not everyone can budget for top-tier tools, or even if they can, they might still want a strong daily driver.
This will be an interesting exploration process, and I’m hoping others will share the sentiment.
Stacey Jones
How about these? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SPQ55Z6/ I’m interested to know whether they prevent a “shocking” experience or not!😉
Stuart
I’ve got those on my queue as well!
I probably won’t be able to test them to 1000V though.
fred
The price is less shocking (only 60% of what Amazon is asking) at Lowes:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Crescent-Apex-Crescent-Apex-1-4-in-Hex-Drive-Isolated-Bit-Holder/1003097608
We always liked Apex insert bits and holders that were made in the USA
This stuff looks to be from a different source (China and/or Taiwan) – so I’ll be interest to hear about what Stuart can discern about quality and longevity.
Stacey Jones
Lower at Lowes? Shocking indeed!😉
Robert Adkins
I’ve had a set of Crescent pliers for about 15 years and absolutely love them. They’re every bit as good as Channel Lock. The heat treat is mostly what makes them great. I’ve cut and bent a lot of tough music wire up to 1/8″ with them, and the cutters and jaws look almost brand new. I doubt the new ones are as good, but if they are, I definitely recommend them.
Jared
I just thought of one I would really like to see reviewed (not sure if this is up your alley though Stuart): the Crescent fence pliers – 193610CVSMN.
I have a few days of barbed-wire fencing to do every year – both installing new and fixing up old stuff. Fencing pliers never seem to work as well as I think they should. I was going to buy a Channellock 85 this year because I’ve had good luck with the brand but never tried the fencing pliers – but Crescent’s certainly LOOK good.
I have the following complaints with fencing pliers:
– many brands add extra thick handles which make them hard to use one-handed. I’ve used Dewalt and Stanley Fatmax with handles like that – I don’t like them one bit.
– the cutters never seem to work well. If I’m working near a tractor or truck, I just bring extra tools (even a cordless grinder at times). Sometimes I’m just walking down the fenceline though and I can’t carry a bunch of extra stuff with me – which means I have to suffer through the fence tool cutters. If the cutters don’t wrap around the wire a bit when they close, the wire just shoots out when I cut. If the cutters aren’t lined up properly, the wire will also pop out, bend or just take way too much force to cut. The cutting portion of some pliers also seems to wear out fast.
– if the spike you wedge under the staples to remove them is too thick, it’s almost useless. I sometimes resort to carrying a hammer so I can whack the fencing pliers under the staple.
– the hammer face of fencing pliers is milled – this works great when they’re new but some seem to be made of soft metal and wear out fast.
Looking at the Crescent version:
– I like that the spike seems to come to a nice sharp tip.
– The handles are the skinnier style I like.
– The gripping portion sticks out a little bit at the top of the head – that seems handy to grab things.
– They seem to be a little larger than Channellock 85s
– The Crescent website says it has “standard or flush cutting edges” (really? Where is the flush cutter? That would be neat)
– hardened cutting edges
Fencing pliers are a kind of multi-tool. Like any multi-tool, it is useful to have an all-in-one solution, but none of the functions work as well as individual tools. I just want a pair that works decent. Crescent’s certainly look appealing.
Jared
Irwin and Matrix are the other brands I can recall owning. Irwins were about the same as Dewalt and Stanley. Handle shape and fat head really kill this style for me.
Matrix was a surprise – it’s a cheap pair I picked up at a local farm supply chain. I actually like them the best and have used them for years – but they have their faults too. The hammer face milling is pretty much worn smooth and, while the cutters are better than most, they only work on one side and I have to cut one strand at a time (two-strand barbwire).