Gents, if there is one thing that could be called a near universal language amongst men it is the appreciation of good hand tools. Put ten men of any nationality and language in a hardware or tool store and they will eventually communicate!
I have been on a bit of quest to round up a few precision pliers and cutters these last few years and one brand keeps coming up; Schmitz of Germany. I mean, they make a good number of their lineup for private branding such as NWS and C-K Tools. The main problem with that is those two are typically pretty specific to certain market segments and the other issue is for some reason most of the models imported to the States are smooth jawed(no serrations inside the jaws for holding) and it lends itself more to jewelry making and such. I use my pliers in more of a commercial and industrial setting and need the ability to hold the wires or small components firmly and the smooth jaws make that harder.
As you will see if you head over to their site they offer a fabulous selection of styles and three handle options for each one. Attention to details like this are what makes them popular with technicians. Should be easy to source yeah? Well not so fast. Outside of Germany and the European Union getting these under their own brand is rather hard. In the States there is no importer. You can buy direct but the selection is limited and if you want something else in the catalogue you have to buy a certain minimum of each style you want. I tried Amazon.de with Google translator and found a decent selection but the reseller does not ship to the U.S.A. So could someone who speaks German recommend a retailer who ships to the States? Hopefully someone who's English is better than my Deutsch. I only speak a couple of German words and certainly could not begin to carry on a conversation. Thank you for any help.
I have been on a bit of quest to round up a few precision pliers and cutters these last few years and one brand keeps coming up; Schmitz of Germany. I mean, they make a good number of their lineup for private branding such as NWS and C-K Tools. The main problem with that is those two are typically pretty specific to certain market segments and the other issue is for some reason most of the models imported to the States are smooth jawed(no serrations inside the jaws for holding) and it lends itself more to jewelry making and such. I use my pliers in more of a commercial and industrial setting and need the ability to hold the wires or small components firmly and the smooth jaws make that harder.
As you will see if you head over to their site they offer a fabulous selection of styles and three handle options for each one. Attention to details like this are what makes them popular with technicians. Should be easy to source yeah? Well not so fast. Outside of Germany and the European Union getting these under their own brand is rather hard. In the States there is no importer. You can buy direct but the selection is limited and if you want something else in the catalogue you have to buy a certain minimum of each style you want. I tried Amazon.de with Google translator and found a decent selection but the reseller does not ship to the U.S.A. So could someone who speaks German recommend a retailer who ships to the States? Hopefully someone who's English is better than my Deutsch. I only speak a couple of German words and certainly could not begin to carry on a conversation. Thank you for any help.
