Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Hand Tools). This thread is read-only.
I decided to order a set of Blackhawk by Proto long-reach mini pliers, they seemed like a nice set in a cheap case. Pretty pricey for a Chinese set but it’s made by Proto right?
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So this is what I received. These pliers make Harbor Freight look like Snap On. Literally chunks of metal chip off when I touch it. Unfinished on every edge.
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So this is a warning; STAY AWAY FROM Blackhawk by Proto!
Wow that’s pretty disappointing. Thanks for the heads up.
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Agreed, luckily Amazon has a great return policy. I’ve never seen such poor quality pliers before, these are just pathetic.
I think that set didn’t go through quality control. There is no finish work whatsoever on them. If you touch them in the wrong spot you are getting your finger cut open
I’m pretty sure I made better tools than that in my high school metal shop. It wouldn’t have taken any time at all to knock down those burrs either.
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Wth!! I can’t believe proto would even put there name anywhere close to that crap
NicholasShetley wrote:
1 hour ago, NicholasShetley said:I think that set didn’t go through quality control. There is no finish work whatsoever on them. If you touch them in the wrong spot you are getting your finger cut open
The metal isn’t hard enough to cut you, any edge that you can catch just peels away and takes more metal with it, it’s almost like rust. I really didn’t know you could make metal that poorly.
BMack37 wrote:
The metal isn’t hard enough to cut you, any edge that you can catch just peels away and takes more metal with it, it’s almost like rust. I really didn’t know you could make metal that poorly.
That’s insane, well thanks for the heads up and good they have a reputable return policy.
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Thanks for the heads up man,that just sucks. That is one reason I also get alot of my stuff from Amazon,easy to return.
I can tell you one thing ive learned about chinese metals over my machining career,they usually are not made to proper alloy specs. Having worked for shops that tried getting chinese materials to save costs on a big project. It bit them in the end when it had to be sent back causing massive delays.
I like getting certified materials.Chinese stuff machines like shit and its gummy,and harder to get fine finishes on.
Wow… I’ve never seen something from blackhawk that bad, usually they have decent tools
Yeah, I was expecting a bit better than Kobalt quality. I’ve heard good things about Blackhawk by Proto, this makes me question ALL of their products. I should have known better, I’m generally not a fan of anything related to the Blackhawks 😛
They look great to me…
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BMack37 wrote:
Yeah, I was expecting a bit better than Kobalt quality. I’ve heard good things about Blackhawk by Proto, this makes me question ALL of their products. I should have known better, I’m generally not a fan of anything related to the Blackhawks [emoji14]
I wonder if it’s just certain products that have that cheap Chinese flaking metal… I’ve seen some pretty nice tools by them on eBay still dissapointing
JimboS1ice wrote:
3 hours ago, JimboS1ice said:I wonder if it’s just certain products that have that cheap Chinese flaking metal… I’ve seen some pretty nice tools by them on eBay still dissapointing
Agreed, specifically the long reach pliers with the orange or green handles.
Dano123 wrote:
17 hours ago, Dano123 said:They look great to me…
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I didn’t know they had pictures in brale.
Hugh Jass wrote:
I didn’t know they had pictures in brale.
It’s a new app I have…
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Where is mister Conductor when we need him? He is the end all answer to any and every question related to Proto.
If I remember correctly Proto is owned by the SBD comglomerate. The Blackhawk stuff isnt supposed to be higher end,but still thats no excuse for lousy tool finishes. Blackhawk wrenches and such are still pretty decent.
Fazzman wrote:
14 hours ago, Fazzman said:Where is mister Conductor when we need him? He is the end all answer to any and every question related to Proto.
If I remember correctly Proto is owned by the SBD comglomerate. The Blackhawk stuff isnt supposed to be higher end,but still thats no excuse for lousy tool finishes. Blackhawk wrenches and such are still pretty decent.
Blackhawk is Proto’s version of Blue Point/Williams(Taiwan) owned by Snap On. I was expecting something of moderately nice quality and hoping for a pleasant surprise…well I was surprised!
Total crap .. ???
Sorry to piss on your parade boys but, This was a fluke. There isn’t a single company (probably, I can’t back that up though) that doesn’t have defective products that make it through quality control. All Black hawk hand tools have lifetime warranties. If you had something like this you could go to your nearest distributor and walk out with a new set. Stanley Black and Decker has a very specific tool branding method. They have Black and Decker as their homeowner power tools, PC is a little odd as it has a combination of DIYer powertools, contractor grade woodworking tools and pnuematics. Bostitch tools are their contractor grade pnuematic tools and accessories, Stanley is general hand tools, DeWalt is contractor grade tools, then we have Proto as their industrial professional grade tools. Almost all are domestically manufactured. Mac tools are their automotive professional grade tools (some crossover with proto especially with pnuematic). Blackhawk is their import professional grade tools. They sacrifice slight quality for a much lower price while maintaining a lifetime guarantee. They are meant to be on par with a brand like Sunex . I have had no negative experiences with Black hawk tools and it will be your loss if you decide to never buy from them again.
Stercorarius wrote:
On 5/4/2016 at 9:19 PM, Stercorarius said:Sorry to piss on your parade boys but, This was a fluke. There isn’t a single company (probably, I can’t back that up though) that doesn’t have defective products that make it through quality control. All Black hawk hand tools have lifetime warranties. If you had something like this you could go to your nearest distributor and walk out with a new set. Stanley Black and Decker has a very specific tool branding method. They have Black and Decker as their homeowner power tools, PC is a little odd as it has a combination of DIYer powertools, contractor grade woodworking tools and pnuematics. Bostitch tools are their contractor grade pnuematic tools and accessories, Stanley is general hand tools, DeWalt is contractor grade tools, then we have Proto as their industrial professional grade tools. Almost all are domestically manufactured. Mac tools are their automotive professional grade tools (some crossover with proto especially with pnuematic). Blackhawk is their import professional grade tools. They sacrifice slight quality for a much lower price while maintaining a lifetime guarantee. They are meant to be on par with a brand like Sunex . I have had no negative experiences with Black hawk tools and it will be your loss if you decide to never buy from them again.
Nah I don’t buy that shit. Each tool in the set has serious defects. A fluke would be if one out of 4 were defective, but every tool is? That’s not a single machine error, or a sudden change in tooling calibration…somebody pulled 4 tools off of 4 separate tooling lines and put them in a single package with flakes of sharp metal hanging off of it?
That’s borderline fraud IMO. They take your money for a product that’s so inferior it can barely function for it’s purpose (pliers can’t close flush with a sharp burr across its leading edge) is unacceptable.
I can literally buy better quality at the dollar tree my man. If that were my company and that passed through my factory I’d fire every QC employee within eyesight of such a pile of shit without hesitation, and replace them with my 11 yr old kid who’d know better than to let that go out the door.
Hugh Jass wrote:
2 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:
Nah I don’t buy that shit. Each tool in the set has serious defects. A fluke would be if one out of 4 were defective, but every tool is? That’s not a single machine error, or a sudden change in tooling calibration…somebody pulled 4 tools off of 4 separate tooling lines and put them in a single package with flakes of sharp metal hanging off of it?
That’s borderline fraud IMO. They take your money for a product that’s so inferior it can barely function for it’s purpose (pliers can’t close flush with a sharp burr across its leading edge) is unacceptable.
I can literally buy better quality at the dollar tree my man. If that were my company and that passed through my factory I’d fire every QC employee within eyesight of such a pile of shit without hesitation, and replace them with my 11 yr old kid who’d know better than to let that go out the door.
It was made in China so it probably was an 11 year old kid…………
In all seriousness though, feel free to never purchase BlackHawk. You have a right to that opinion and could very likely be right. They could very well be churning out sub-dollar store pieces of shit and charging premium prices and maintaining a profitable business in today’s economy by marketing these to professional tradesman, who as we all know, have their heads so far up their asses that they aren’t able to pick out a quality tool. After all, their livelihoods don’t depend on being able to get the job done. I know I don’t give a flying fuck about wether or not my tools are worth a shit. I’m just some undiscerning little hick who doesn’t know anything other than cowshit and sleep deprivation so don’t put too much weight on my words or experience with any of the tools that I own.
Sooo… here’s a picture of a penguin falling off a diving board 🙂
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