Over at KC Tool, today’s deal of the day features this NWS 3pc pliers set. If you’ve never used NWS pliers before, this would be an instant upgrade.
The set comes with 7″ high leverage combination pliers (109-69-180), 6.25″diagonal/side cutter (134-69-160), 8″ chain/long nose pliers (140-69-205), and a lanyard clip (819-1).
All 3 pliers have SoftGripp handles and NWS’ TitanFinish, a black PFTE coating.
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I have been expanding my NWS pliers collection over the years, and consider them a top-shelf brand – one of the best you can buy. They offer a wide range of styles and with different finishes.
I have bought tools with NWS’s chrome finish as well, and prefer the TitanFinish as featured by these tools. They’ve all held up well over the years.
Competitive Pricing
- 7″ high leverage combination pliers (109-69-180)
- 6.25″ side cutter (134-69-160)
- 8″ chain nose pliers (140-69-205)
- System Clip with lanyard (819-1)
Should you buy this deal?
The pricing seems good – $75 for ~$85 in pliers, not including the lanyard clip that not everyone will want or need.
These are fantastic pliers, and the 3pc combo makes for a good intro to NWS, especially if you’re not sure which to buy.
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Amazon’s Global Store has the 775 3pc pliers set for $71.60 at the time of this posting, and a 3pc insulated pliers set for $71.19, both in limited quantities.
Price: $75 w/ free shipping
Thank you to Robert for the heads-up!!
The NWS 862 2pc set is also a nice intro to the pliers brand. It comes with the same 7″ high leverage combination pliers and 6.25″ side cutter as the 3pc set above.
Price: ~$54
With the coupon, the price at KC Tool is brought down to $48.61, plus shipping unless your order totals $75 or more.
Mike
This is great set of tools. I picked it up in 2020 when KC Tools has is a sale of the day or something similar. I paid $42, I think so this price for 2022 is killer.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Is your price a typo, maybe? $42 would be an amazing price for TWO of these pliers, let alone three!
I don’t usually nitpick comments, but your price is making me seriously bargain-envious!
Mike
I will see if I can find the invoice. But it is only about $5 cheaper than the deal today.
KokoTheTalkingApe
The price for today’s deal is $75. You’re saying you paid $42 for the same set, right?
Stuart
Are you talking about the 3pc set or 2pc set? The 3pc set is on sale, the 2pc set is regular price, but I thought it would be good to mention.
Joatman
Looks like the pliers are different models in the two pics. Is there an advantage to one over the other?
KokoTheTalkingApe
That’s the wrong picture of the two-piece set above. The two sets have the same models.
Stuart
I’ve been trying to find a definitive answer.
From what I can tell, both combo pliers shown above have the same SKU, with the square-sided jaws being the older version and the pliers shown in the 3pc set being the newer version.
I can’t find any revision history, but it looks to me that the updates are mainly cosmetic.
Jim Felt
I’ve a question. Who, why and when do trades/civilians actually plan on using insulated tools like these?
I’ve been “wiring*” for decades before even realizing Klein had competition…
*Time being the primary motivator.
And I admit to mostly using/liking German and Japanese hand tools now. Though I still haven’t tossed my U.S. made Craftsman let alone any Klein’s.
@TooMuchStorageAvailable
Stuart
The sets shown in images are NOT insulated. The insulated pliers have red and yellow handles and different handle grip with finger guards. The insulated handles say “1000V” on the side opposite the branding.
MM
I have many Knipex pliers with the Yellow-and-Red VDE handles mainly because I like the ergonomics. Those VDE grips are thicker and more comfortable than normal dipped handles. They have just the right amount of cushion as well. I find that the normal thin dipped handles aren’t as comfortable. The larger dipped style VDE handles are comfortable but they get slippery if your hands are wet or greasy while the 2-color ones have a subtle texture that make for a very good grip even with dirty hands.
It is extremely rare that I work on any sort of live electricity.
Wayne R.
Traditional telecom power distribution is -48VDC but lots of amps. In a lot of companies, having a set of insulated tools (and the certification to use them) was a prerequisite for even opening a live panel. The power in those panels would not blow a chunk off a shorted tool but weld the tool to a buss bar and then melt it. The power was not dangerous to a person but a short would be awesome in a bad way.
There was no “turning off the feed” (except for individual breakers), everything stays running.
Sticking these kinds of tools in there is not best practice – usually only wrenches/nutdrivers to attach lugs to studs. Those needlenose have a lot of exposed metal, thinking about using them gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Today, the distribution is frequently UPS AC, and the DC is only local from a collocated rectifier to the adjacent equipment.
Jp
Are these special enough for a marginal user? Or should pros buy these?
Jp
I didn’t ask that correctly. Would a marginal user really benefit from these as opposed to kobalt-level quality tools?
Jerry
I don’t have these NWS, but I have a set of Knipex side cutters, which I consider to be of equal quality.
For occasional use, the user would still benefit from the reduced force needed to cut things, compared to cheaper pliers.
I loaned my Knipex cutters to a friend who needed to ‘shorten’ some nails just a little bit. Before he returned mine to me, he bought himself a brand new pair just like mine. Said that it seemed like it only took half the effort to cut the nails, and it was worth the price to save aggravation and blisters.
Now if he was only cutting a dozen nails, instead of 100 or more, it might not have been worth it.
Stuart
Yes, and no.
Higher end pliers tend to provide a better user experience – smoother pivots, more comfortable grip, better cut quality, etc.
If you’re not sure, pick up just one in your most-used size/style and then pick up more as your budget allows.
Dave
Haven’t used NWS, but Knipex are my main set, and Kobalts are one of my backup/extra sets if I need to leave them at a job for whatever reason. To be honest I would say no. If I’m rouging in or trimming out a whole house I’d much prefer my Knipex, but putting in a single J box here or there Kobalts will get the job done just the same.
Jared
Just my 2 cents, but I feel like pliers are the hand tool with the biggest disparity between cheap and pro level.
E.g. Husky and Nepros sockets work about the same 99% of the time, but I expect you’ll notice the difference between Kobalt and NWS pliers right away.
However, that’s not to say you’ll have jobs that just can’t be done with Kobalt pliers – it’s more like the precision, comfort and ease of use of the NWS pliers adds up to a much better user experience.
NWS pliers are my favorite, but I’m perfectly happy with Knipex, Klien, Channellock, etc.
John
While I do have some of the actual NWS pliers and cutters, few years ago I bought a bunch of the identical knock offs from Aliexpress. Pleasantly surprised how close they were in quality and hardness for wire cutting. At the time those were a third the price but now prices have creeped up to where buying the real ones is ok with getting them in a few days vs 1 to 2 months from China.
Ct451
You can also get clones made in germany from the same factory but under different brand names.
KG
FYI, the Amazon link to the 775 set comes up as $61.59 with free shipping for me.
Stuart
I don’t see that. I saw $71 and change and now it’s out of stock at Amazon.
Bill
Yes, I paid $61.59 earlier today on Amazon, plus a tax of $4.31 and free shipping. I have a 4-6 week wait from Amazon Global Store UK.
Phranq
Can we please go back to just ordinary plastic dipped handles.
Never cared for these style of handles on any tools, going all the way back to when Stanley started dorking out on this style with the Fatmax.
Chris
Yeah, and why can’t we get lead put back in our gas while were at it!?!
In all seriousness, there are thousands of “standard” plastic dipped handles that you can buy in stores and across the internet, just look around. It’s not like someone took them away from you.
MM
Even these same pliers from NWS are available with plain dipped handles, or electrically safe insulated handles. Knipex is similar, the majority of their pliers are available with a variety of handle options.
Richard
Got the 3 piece set from Grooves a while back for like $58 and they’re still that price now. I find all kinds of killer deals there by just searching for German tool brands and sorting by price, haha. I’ve actually really been liking NWS a lot lately… I have kind of a pliers problem and there are definitely areas where the offerings from NWS and Knipex don’t perfectly overlap, with the NWS tool coming out on top. Between the two brands I often feel like the NWS tool is “fancier” in build quality while carrying less of the brand name markup you see with Knipex.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Ordered! Thanks Stuart!
FWIW, the only buying option on Amazon is for $129, from a seller with a 3.3 rating. It doesn’t show up on Amazon Global at all (for me.)
Julian Tracy
The 1000v set was available from Amazon UK just a few months for $55 shipped I think (I’m in the US). They are somewhat cartoonish in color tones, but nice quality.
I especially appreciate the standard square-ish plier head’s pronounced gripping ridge at the tips making it especially effective for pulling out or gripping things.
Shawn+Y
It’d be cool if there was an off-the-shelf way to all a spring back mechanism to pliers. I’ve only ever used <6" sized pliers and side cutters until becoming a homeowner and non-sprung pliers continues to feel wrong.
This irked me enough to look into how to add your own spring and why peeps would not want springs. I understand now that eletricians may not want a spring when working in tight spaces or it may take up too much space in a tool pouch. Peeps have also mentioned coil springs falling out. I very much dislike springs not secured to the handles too.
It seems the only way to secure spring steel wire or leaf springs to the handles is to be a competent machinist. Unless anyone else can chime in?
Wayne R.
I dislike sprung handles that don’t also have a closure lock. Unused and always open jaws have no place in a tool bag.
So if you’re adding a spring, add a lock, too.
KokoTheTalkingApe
I’ve thought about using Sugru, that putty-like rubber that cures in air. I have a pair of shears with a coil spring that falls off its retention posts when the shears are opened wide. A blob of Sugru on each end should keep the spring on. Maybe roughen the posts and drill a few small holes in them, or just file some notches in them (they’re FRN) to give the Sugru something to grip.
I suppose epoxy putty could work, though it wouldn’t flex at all. Maybe that’s okay.
Come to that, I could drill those holes and thread some fine wire through them to secure the spring.
On other posts, people have mentioned jamming a piece of stiff rubber tubing to one handle end, and curving it around and jamming it onto the other handle. That would create a kind of spring, though it would be bulky.
Andrew
Bahco have a neat solution for this, with a ‘switchable use/don’t use spring option’. Works great. Makes the side cutters for example much more pleasant to use, more like electronic side cutters.
It’s basically a spring steel strip that you flick into place, or not.
It really adds to the pleasure of using these tools, and being able to turn it on/off (e.g off for storage) is extremely handy.
I fully recommend, have been using for a few years, and the spring / tool quality is very high.
https://www.bahco.com/gb_en/new-holding-pliers
Shawn+Y
That’s pretty cool. Does Bahco have any plier types their exceptionally known for?
Andrew
The quality of their tools is generally very high, I would give them a go. I own quite a few, back to the sandvik days.
I’m not aware of any other manufacturer that has this spring feature.
Jerry
Loop a.piece of fuel line between the handle ends. It needs to be long enough to not kink. Works pretty well but does make the pliers longer but is easily removed.
I’ve also see people who could use their pinkie in such a way that they could control the handles without a spring.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Just FYI, I got this email from KC Tool:
“We expect there to be elevated supply chain delays this holiday season. We expect some of these delays to impact a small percentage of orders being delivered in time for Christmas. We will work as hard as possible to make sure your order is shipped with minimal delay.
The following item is currently on order with the manufacturer:
QTY 1 of 1 NWS 775 Pliers and Cutters Set, 3 Pieces
We estimate your item to arrive at our warehouse from the manufacturer on February 2, 2023. Once it does, we will ship your order as soon as possible, and you will receive tracking information shortly thereafter.”
So I’m not going to get the pliers for at least a month, perhaps more. I can live with that, but others might decide it isn’t worth a 12% discount, or they might order from Amazon Global.
Stuart
In my experience as a customer, KC Tool is very good with backorders.
Once their in-stock inventory sells out, they’ll quickly add a replenishment ETA. For instance, their website says the ETA for the 3pc set is Feb 3rd.
One of my backorders was delayed, and they let me know. They are very proactive with and also responsive to emails.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Surprise! They arrived in the mail on 1/20, about two weeks early. I’m a happy camper.
These pliers are something to see. I’ve never seen cutter edges that were actually knife-sharp. The joints are smooth but have no play. Tips and edges meet perfectly. The handles feel great in the hand.
I do wonder about all the spurious ridges and scallops forged into the heads. Why? And for some reason, they put softer, stickier rubber (the grey stuff) on the handle tips, where they don’t touch the hand but will get substantial wear, I’d think.
Ryan Guldbrandsen
The “KCTOOL4LIFE” 10% off discount is coming up as invalid.
Stuart
I’m sorry, it’s TOOLGUYD4LIFE.
Ryan Guldbrandsen
Thank you! That worked.
Mark M.
I bought the diagonal cutters a few years ago as an experiment to see how I liked NWS. They are good, and took the place of the Channellock diagonals I had been using, but they didn’t exactly knock my socks off in the same way that some of my Knipex purchases have. Which isn’t a knock on NWS, I guess I was just expecting like a night and day difference compared to the CLs. Another quirk was they have a torx-drive pivot pin and they were a bit stiff so I went to adjust them and couldn’t get it to budge. So it has the appearance of being adjustable but mine (at least) are not. But the proof is in the pudding, I’m still using them and they work fine.