KNIPEXDiagonal Cut

The pliers arrived in a nondescript, plain, and uncoated brown carboard box. Inside the pliers were packaged in a flexible plastic bag only with a small label attached. The bag was wrapped tightly several times around the pliers and taped to afford some protection. There was no other packaging material inside the box save a single small plain brown paper sheet wrapped around the plastic bag.When I examined the diagonal cutters the Knipex name and model number (70 01 160) were not printed on the handle as was portrayed on the Amazon webpage. Neither was the inscription "Made in Germany". However, the name "Knipex" and "Made in Germany" were inscribed on one jaw of the pliers. On the same jaw was inscribed "70 160" which I inferred was an abbreviated article number for this tool. There is sufficient space on the jaws to have the complete article number inscribed; however, I cannot explain why this was not done. All metal inscriptions were legible, crisp, symmetrical, perfectly aligned, and spelled correctly. There were no inscriptions on the second jaw. Each Knipex tool has an associated article number which is a seven number code. The last three numbers refer to the length of the tool in mm. The first four numbers refer to the specific design, type, finish, and handle style. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the diagonal cutters I received are authentic. There is no doubt in my mind that these diagonal cutters are genuine Atramentised (or phosphate finished) diagonal cutters with plain red handles and 160 mm in length. It would be less likely that counterfeit Knipex product to have inscriptions on the metal portions of the tool as this would require time and skill that a counterfeiter could not or would not perform. Also, it would be less expensive to fabricate a counterfeit Knipex product with inscriptions on the plastic handle than on the metal.The phosphate coating and polished surfaces are impeccable with no scratches or blemishes. The cutting edges are sharp. When the jaws are closed and cutting edges parallel there are no gaps - in a darkened room I placed the closed pliers between a light source and my eyes and observed no light between the cutting edges. The handles are covered in bright red plastic that is uniform in color and consistency, without cracks or flaws, and perfectly matched the color and consistency of other Knipex tools that I have. The handles are not textured which makes them easy to clean, but more difficult to grasp if covered in grease, oil, or other fluids. Running my finger nail along the surface of pliers I detected slight deviations in the surface where the handles meet and at the fulcrum. However, using my fingertip I could only feel the surface defects at the fulcrum. These surface defects on the Knipex pliers are minor and insignificant, and do not affect the functionality or usefulness of then pliers. In comparison, I have a pair of Tsunoda pliers and the mating surfaces of this set of pliers are as smooth as silk – essentially undetectable. To be fair, the friction between rubbing metal surfaces of the Tsunoda pliers was much greater than that of the Knipex pliers and required more force to open and close the jaws.The cutters are comfortable and solid in the hand, have no slop, and feel neither heavy nor bulky. The handles moved easily with one hand. However, when holding the pliers horizontally and releasing the bottom handle and the jaws did not open fully. Instead the jaws opened about 40% of maximum. I applied Liquid Wrench light machine oil to these surfaces. I did not use penetrating oil because there was no corrosion present. I worked the handles for about 10 minutes, but the jaws would not open completely when the pliers were held horizontally and the lower handle was released to gravity. Subsequently, I combined small amounts of WD-40 and 100,000 grit (0.25 micron) diamond paste in oil in a shallow empty glass container. I used a tooth pick to stir these ingredients (about 10 minutes) until a homogenous slurry was made. I added a brief spray of WD-40 to achieve a consistency that was "right" - no lumps, not too thick, not too thin. I applied the slurry to the fulcrum and rubbing surfaces using a Q-Tip and set the tool aside for about 10 minutes to allow the slurry to penetrate spaces between the surfaces. I then worked the handles for an additional 10 minutes after which the jaws would finally open completely once the lower handle was released to gravity. (I performed the same process with my Tsunoda pliers but it required 70 minutes time to achieve the same results.) I then sprayed the fulcrum and rubbing surfaces with WD-40 to flush the slurry from the tool. I wiped the tool with a rag, applied more WD-40 to the fulcrum and rubbing surfaces, worked the handles again for about 30 seconds, and cleaned the surfaces with a rag. I allowed the WD-40 to evaporate (about 15 minutes), removed any remaining surface residue with a rag, reapplied light machine oil to the metal surfaces, and set the pliers aside. After 30 minutes I wiped excess oil from the pliers and placed them in my tool box.Avoid using these diagonal cutters for snipping plastic cable ties. The shape of the cutting edges will NOT make a flush cut. This leaves a sharp protruding plastic nub that can snag and scratch. Get a flush cut pliers for cable ties.Note: Untreated carbon and alloy steels are exceptionally prone to corrosion thus are significantly inferior to tools with black oxide and phosphate finishes. Some people have stated that the black finish on Knipex tools is a black oxide coating. This is incorrect. Knipex tools are either chromed or have a phosphate finish. Knipex describes the phosphate finish as atramentised which can be either iron, zinc, or manganese phosphate finishes. The atramentised finish is thicker and perhaps more durable (especially manganese phosphate) than black oxide. Atramentised finishes have slightly better corrosion resistance than black oxide finishes. Black oxide finishes apparently reduce friction between metal surfaces better than atramentised surfaces (except perhaps manganese phosphate). Also, the atramentised finish requires higher temperatures and is more "complex" than black oxide thus more expensive. Aesthetically, black oxide finishes are deep black and often have a shiny surface while atramentised finishes are matte black color. Matte black surfaces reflect less light whereas black oxide finishes are considered more visually appealing (whatever that means). I cannot confirm which Knipex tools have iron, zinc, or manganese phosphate finishes. Of the three atramentised finishes manganese phosphate is certainly superior. Nevertheless, both black oxide and atramentised finishes require care and maintenance to reduce or eliminate corrosion. The phosphate finish is, in my opinion, slightly more superior to black oxide; and manganese phosphate finish performs better than black oxide, iron phosphate, and zinc phosphate finishes. Both black oxide and phosphate finished tools should last for decades if these tools receive proper care and maintenance.

I haven't put those into heavy use, but so far they have been working good for me. This is a mid-size tool suitable for DIY car work or around the house. However, not really suitable for heavy duty work like cutting chain links, etc.The build quality is high, no gaps or misalignment of any sort. One can easily tell it's made of high quality tool steel. The rubber handle material fits very snug and seems durable too.

I was in the market for a pair of 6-inch diagonal cutters. Klein is what I would have normally bought, but thought I'd give this German brand a try. Happy I did - it's well-crafted and has that perfect "feel" in my hand.

Love these cutters. I originally bought a large set of different pliers to gift to someone starting out in the HVAC trade. As these Knipex tools started arriving, I checked them out. I was really impressed with the feel and quality of the tools. I had bought all new Irwin pliers for myself earlier the same year. So I ended up keeping the Knipex tools and gifting the nearly new Irwin tools. I couldn't be happier (and so is my son in law.).Admittedly, the first few tools that arrived were smaller than I expected. The Knipex 8" diagonal cutters, for example, were considerably smaller than the 8" Irwin brand. But, I have smaller hands so it worked out great for me. Everything about these pliers is great. The feel great. They're balanced very nicely. They operate very smoothly and the ones that adjust work very nicely. The jaws on the gripping pliers are fantastic. I tend to use the smaller "channel locks" for almost everything. They do a great job.

Simple diagonal cutters but wow ill never buy another brand. Feel great and cut super smooth

A little smaller than expected

This is the third one of these I’ve bought. I bought a pair for my husband for use in the garage workshop, a pair for me for household use and this one as a gift for his work in our antique store. The quality is the best I’ve ever found. The blades stay sharp even cutting heavier wire, assorted nails, screws and metals.I’ve bought many pair of other brands over the last few decades and they all seem to get notches as soon as you cut something with them, not these! They stay sharp over and over. You can rely on them to work when you need them for a very long time. The grip is the right size for most and the sleeves stay in place.It’s a pleasure to use these and I will never switch now that I’ve found the right ones! Highly recommend!

I can't say enough good things about these snippers. Very well built, smooth, and sharp. I will be buying more of the Knipex products in the future!