Stahlwille 6571 Long Nose Self Grip Wrench, 165 mm

I've been a bit disappointed with the fit and finish on the 2 Knipex grip pliers I bought from KCT, but they function properly. I decided to try a Stahlwille to see if they were better. These appear to be identical in construction to the comparable Knipex I already have, with the exception that they have a smooth plated finish, and operate slightly more smoothly in terms of adjustment. So I rate them as "best", without having yet tried Gedore. If you work with greasy hands or gloves, you might like the Knipex rougher finish, even though it shows scratches and dings more easily. I work with dry hands, and i prefer the smoother feeling Stahlwille. On the other hand, since by report they are both made OEM by Bollman in Germany, from now on I would probably buy whichever of the pliers is cheaper at KCT. I am replacing my old and new Irwins since i find the US downward lever release so annoying. I have an ancient Craftsman/?Crescent/?Vicegrip and 2 current Irwins all of which work as well as the Germans, except i really dislike the release method. Unlike the Germans, the current Irwins have a 4mm hex hole in the adjustment bolt, for additional clamping strength if that is a feature you want.

Pleasure to use, as you'd expect with something from Stahlwille, feels good just to handle it and feel it work.

Better than the original vice grip brand, contact area is more precise and the release mechanism is easier to disengaged.