German Pliers - A Look at Felo Brand Pliers

One of the under sung and often overlooked brands of quality made tools comes from German toolmaker Felo. We’ve mentioned them here and there, but unfortunately, we sometimes overlook them too. Which is a shame because they are often a very affordable tool and as good as or better than other brands in terms of quality. Depending on the tool. Felo tools are made in Germany and are distributed in the US by another great but underrated and affordable brand, Bondhus. It’s a perfect match for two remarkable toolmakers. Given the quality both of these brands are known for, we’re quite happy to announce that we now carry the full line of Felo pliers!

Probably one of the most versatile and useful pliers to have a look at would be lineman’s pliers and their close cousin the combination pliers. Lineman’s pliers were pretty much invented by Mathias Klein and they’re used mostly in electrician work but more generally can be used for crimping, reaming, pulling fish tape, straightening and bending wire, stripping wire and more. Conversely, combination pliers do most of the same stuff except that combination pliers have a round area for grabbing nuts instead of the cutting area of the lineman’s pliers. Combination pliers are also a tad shorter. The one available style of Felo lineman’s pliers varies from the American style in that it does seem to have a gripping space for nuts. For Felo combination pliers, they come in 6 ¼” length (and insulated) or 7” length (also in insulated). Any one of these pliers would make a fine addition to your toolbox and equip you to take on many different types of jobs.

While lineman’s pliers and standard pliers are useful in many situations, there are times when you need something slimmer and with a longer reach. Something like Felo’s chain nose pliers. These chain nose pliers look like a standard needle nose pliers, however they have a couple different features, mainly that the tips are thinner than standard needle nose pliers and slightly longer. The Felo chain nose pliers also have a burner hole with gripping teeth, presumably again for gripping nuts. The Felo chain nose pliers come in 8” length (and 6 ¾” insulated) and they also come in curved 8” (and insulated) to give you added reach in tricky areas.

More than any other type of pliers we have an enormous selection of diagonal nippers and side cutters in addition to a multi cutter and cable cutter. The diagonal nippers come in 5 ¾” length, 6 ¼” length (and insulated), 7” length (also heavy duty and insulated), heavy duty 8” length side cutters (also heavy duty insulated diagonal nippers). The chief difference between diagonal cutters and side cutters is that side cutters tend to have the cutting surface parallel to the handles whereas the diagonal cutters are not and give you a slightly better angle for cutting.

In addition to these standard pliers, Felo also makes a few other types of pliers. First, there’s the rather common type of classic waterpump pliers which look somewhat similar to Knipex pliers that you can adjust by unlocking and sliding the handle. Alternately, you could go with the MX waterpump pliers which you can adjust with the push of a button saving you movement to unlock the tool. A couple other specialty pliers you can pick up are the insulated insulation stripping pliers and the Felo pincers which would be used for gripping and removing nails, screws and cutting rods and wires.

Last but not least, if you want get the most value, you have plenty of multi-tool sets to choose from. This gets you not only multiple pliers, but also a variety of screwdrivers too. These types of sets are often a better deal than buying all the pieces separately and some even come with a carrying case. These sets have an added bonus - they’re insulated toolsets too. You have choices ranging from a basic 8-piece set, a 9-piece set that includes a voltage testing screwdriver and sturdy pouch, the 11 piece set with a folding pouch, and the E-Slim 11 piece set which features Felo’s slim handled screwdriver.

Felo Tools is a great brand that’s on par with other leading toolmakers and their selection of pliers and combo sets encompasses all of the most common sizes and types. If you’re in need of pliers these are a great first stop to start building your toolkit or if you need to replace an old or lost tool, it might be worth checking out the pliers Felo makes. They are a solid brand and you won’t be disappointed with their quality.