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Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?

us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
on: March 19, 2013, 10:43:45 AM
  Are all Wenger pliers in this bad of shape, new? Or even Victorinox??



  One half as some sort of shallow texture to it on the nose end of the pliers, but the other half barely has any. And the two halves to not align when closed together - the heel end of the nose meets first. As such one cannot grab onto anything thin with end of the pliers.

  Was trying to grab hold of a stainless steel ring mail link, to give its opening a twist over a neighboring ring joiner as to unlock the two that had become tangled. The S557's pliers kept slipping off, and I could not grab onto the link. Ended up using the much better pliers of the Leatherman Charge TTi. Used the cap crimper, oddly enough, to help squeeze the link in tighter.

  Here's a before photo of the links, to give some sort of estimation of the task that these SAK pliers failed me on.


  Sent an email off to Wenger's Customer Service asking them if this is normal Swiss quality .
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us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #1 on: March 19, 2013, 11:17:56 AM
  Is there a way to resurface the pliers gripping to be more effective? Even the edge of a Leatherman replacement file has more ridges, not to mention the pliers of their PS4.


  Even the photo on SAKwiki shows wimpy gripping.



  Nikos' photo shows the same dysfunctional gripping ability...



  From another forum. Guess this is normal Swiss quality.  :cry:



  So... is there a way to resurface the pliers gripping power and realign them? How does Leatherman and other companies put gripping grooves on their pliers??


  The only real gripping is more inside the pliers jawls. This is what I get for assuming these pliers would be more like the quality of a Leatherman PS4... and for the price of these SAKs....  :facepalm:
¬ Outback in Idaho

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no Offline JRB65

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #2 on: March 19, 2013, 11:33:35 AM
Well... I have no experience with Wenger pliers.

But about the gripping ability of Vic pliers: the pliers on my SwissChamp and my old CyberTool allow me to use them as big tweezers (think pulling out facial hair that escaped the razor) ;)
But they're too small for a lot of tasks, that's when I have an excuse to use a Wave or Spirit  :)


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #3 on: March 19, 2013, 11:46:09 AM
  Would of at least expected that ability, these can't even pull a whisker, or even a piece of paper for about 2.5mm   ???
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gr Offline firiki

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #4 on: March 19, 2013, 01:24:25 PM
Sorry to hear that you're not happy with your new Wenger, Xelkos. On the bright side, it reminds me of why I never liked them.  :rant:
Omnia vincit amor. Vae victis.


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #5 on: March 19, 2013, 02:01:30 PM
Sorry to hear that you're not happy with your new Wenger, Xelkos. On the bright side, it reminds me of why I never liked them.  :rant:

  Not unhappy, just a couple of things I don't like about it. The awl was taken care of, minus it not being a sewing awl. Victorinox has the leg up there. Pliers, they have a slip-joint which doubles the use of the inner gripping. The flat parts am not pleased with especially for the cost of the tool and Wenger being an innovator.
  These pliers are more toyish in comparison to other tool pliers. Cannot send it back, done modified the awl to be useful. Has many other useful tools that cannot be found on Victorinox - yet.

  It is more of needing them for a simple task and they failed. If there only was One Tool to Rule Them All:rofl:
¬ Outback in Idaho

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us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #6 on: March 19, 2013, 02:56:14 PM
  Did get a reply from Wenger. 4 weeks for warranty repair??  :ahhh

Quote
Thank you for contacting Wenger NA.
 
I'm sorry you are having a problem with your Wenger S557.   We checked the stock to see if the problem is occurring with any of the knives here.    They all meet at the tip and the gripping surfaces are okay on both sides.  If you are having a problem, I would suggest sending in the knife for our knife technician to examine it.
 
Please follow the instructions attached.
Cordially,
Wenger Consumer Services

Dear Consumer,

All Wenger Genuine Swiss Army Knives are covered under a limited lifetime warranty. If you
have a Wenger Genuine Swiss Army Knife that is in need of repair, please send you knife to:

                      Wenger Swiss Army Knife Repair
                      15 Corporate Drive
                      Orangeburg, NY 10962

Please allow 4 weeks for repair. In our efforts to better serve you, we have provided a list of
shipping instructions. Following these instructions will ensure that your knife is returned in a
timely manner.

Shipping Instructions:
Please be sure that the blade of your knife says "Wenger Delemont Switzerland Stainless".

Please be sure to include a check or money order in the amount of $3.00 per knife, payable to Wenger NA
to cover the cost of return shipping and handling.  PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH.

We will repair, or at our option, replace any defective knife with the same or comparable model.
We will refund the purchase price if repair or replacement is not commercially practical or
cannot be made in a timely fashion.

When shipping, we recommend that you insure your knife against damage, theft, or loss during
shipping. 

When sending in your knife to our service location, please pack it carefully and securely. Be sure
to include your name, mailing address, email address, phone number, and the nature of the problem.

If you have any questions, please call 800-267-3577, or visit us on the Web at
www.wengerna.com

Thank you for choosing Wenger.

Sincerely,
Wenger Consumer Services
¬ Outback in Idaho

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no Offline North Man

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #7 on: March 19, 2013, 03:05:39 PM

i would go up to a larger plier for this work, more surface on them :tu:
Get more tools


us Offline RoboYeti

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #8 on: March 19, 2013, 09:54:13 PM
I suspect that the '4 weeks' quote is just to set expectations low. When I sent in a Wenger for warranty last year I got a replacement in about 2 weeks. Your mileage may vary, of course.


us Offline tattoosteve99

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #9 on: March 20, 2013, 12:33:57 AM
If you don't want to send them in for repair. Get a diamond triangle file and put little notches back in them where they were before. I have done this to many pliers both regular and sak and it works well.
If I remember correctly, wait, what was I saying?


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #10 on: March 20, 2013, 01:09:09 AM
If you don't want to send them in for repair. Get a diamond triangle file and put little notches back in them where they were before. I have done this to many pliers both regular and sak and it works well.

  Yeah, seems a shame to send them in just cause of the pliers. but there's that thing that Wenger is vanishing - or are they? Where to get a diamond triangle, preferably a thin long lasting one? Any recommendations?  :tu:
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


ca Offline jzmtl

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #11 on: March 20, 2013, 04:09:25 AM
It's a brand new tool and not cheap, I'd send it back to them. If your repair didn't work you can't send it in anymore because they'll deny warranty due to your "modifications".


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #12 on: March 20, 2013, 11:56:52 AM
  Knew should have just left it alone, but went ahead and filed down that ridiculous lump off the heel end of the nose. Gave the teeth some texture, and now they can grab something, even at the end. Not like tweezers but close.

  Then read your post, and figured, well.. send Wenger another email explaining the issue and ask what my options were. As of now they are not pretty, but they work a lot better and can grasp something tangible with the nose of the pliers. if Wenger doesn't want to offer any help, can always get one of them thin fiberglass wafers, that Dremel sells, and put a better grip on.



Quote from: Xelkos
  Recently I had purchased a Wenger EvoWood S557 from a distributor. Last night went to try and used the pliers on thin stainless steel wire to bend a loop and clasp it for a necklace and pliers kept slipping.

  One side of the pliers had more grip than the other, and the back-end of the nose of the pliers (flat portion) was raised in the back. Could not even grab a whisker, or even a piece of paper, with the nose of the OEM pliers.

(Image removed from quote.)

   So used a file to remove this ridiculous lump, and get some teeth to grip something with. It works, but not overly well.

  Was discussing if all Wenger pliers were this bad on a forum (multitool.org): Are all Wenger Pliers this bad? Found a lot of photos online and it does seem to be an issue with all the Wenger pliers I had found. I am up to more of Leatherman standards, and thought surely Swiss quality would have been better.
  Seems like bad teeth and not a defective part, so was not sure if what I did was a good or bad thing now. Did get my project done, and there is some grip to the pliers under pressure now, whereas before there was no thin grip for 2.5mm.


  So can I send the tool in to have it looked at, and since I altered the teeth that was not there would I have to purchase a pliers replacement? Not good to spend $100+ on a tool and not have it working in top shape. Will pay for whatever I need to get it up like it should have been. Should not have had to do anything past lubricating it Right?


  Want to know my options as one fellow on the multitool.org forum says that since I tried to clean up the teeth that if I sent the pliers in it could be rejected and sent back unrepaired due to it being altered. Seems rather odd that would happen, as I had to sharpen the blade of the knife. Would that not be considered an alteration too?

  What good is a tool if it doesn’t perform like it should, especially a $100+ Swiss tool. Please send me my options, and what I can do. Thank you.


  Kind regards

  Not touching the pliers as they do work now. Will wait for Wenger's reply.

  Had used the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker triangles to put some ridges back in, but could not get decent teeth definition. If Wenger says I'm out of luck I'll get the thin Dremel fiberglass wafers and put some teeth on them pliers. If they will make it good or offer a reasonable fee then might go ahead and send it in.

  Least am being up front and honest with them, instead of intentionally breaking the pliers like some people probably have done. Leatherman's facebook page is filled with those almost daily... Really, they break a flat driver, send their tools in, then whine about getting a refurbished tool instead of a new one.  :facepalm:
« Last Edit: March 20, 2013, 11:58:34 AM by Xelkos »
¬ Outback in Idaho

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us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #13 on: March 20, 2013, 08:59:13 PM
  Wenger Customer Service says to send it in for evaluation.  :D  :tu:

  Now to find a box to wrap her up in, and brave the wet elements to get the knife off to Wenger.

Quote
Thank you for contacting Wenger NA.   Please send the knife as per the instructions attached. 
The knife will be evaluated.

Cordially,

  Wenger
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #14 on: March 21, 2013, 12:36:35 AM
  Yikes, domestic shipping went up. Shipping my Wenger EvoWood S557 from Idaho to New York, insured for $150, hit me for $16.26 + $1 for the box + $3 check to Wenger. :ahhh  Still cheaper than carrier sparrow or driving there myself.

  Sure hope Wenger's technicians can fix the pliers, as that's almost a tank of gas.
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


gr Offline firiki

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #15 on: March 21, 2013, 10:22:15 AM
They'll probably fix it fo' ya  :)

*Sigh* 25.86$ = 20€ = 11.73 lt over here. Man, it never ceases to amaze me that the US is one country. If I were to drive that distance from Idaho to New York I'd end up in a foreign country or in the middle of the sea for sure!

Omnia vincit amor. Vae victis.


us Offline twiliter

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #16 on: March 21, 2013, 01:49:17 PM
The pliers on my S557 are the same way, not very grippy. It looks to me like the pliers were polished during production after they ground the teeth, which dulls them almost beyond use. Vic pliers seem to be much sharper as it appears they polish the parts before grinding the teeth, or are careful not to polish the business surface at least. I have filed a few sets of standard sized pliers, needlenose and slipjoint pump pliers mostly, but refiling those tiny Wenger pliers is beyond my filing skill and arsenal. They sure are shiny!  :tu: The whole tool has an excellent polish.


us Offline twiliter

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #17 on: March 21, 2013, 01:54:49 PM
Additionally, I'll add that the Wenger Ranger pliers are very sharp and grippy, now if they would open wider...


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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FedEx??
Reply #18 on: March 26, 2013, 12:47:49 AM
  FedEx, where are you?  :ahhh

   3/21/2013  -  Thursday  -  7:14 am  -  Departed FedEx location  -  North Salt Lake, UT

     Sure hope it gets to the repair facility in Orangeburg, NY on time.
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #19 on: March 26, 2013, 03:54:00 AM
  Buggers added another day to delivery ETA...  :twak:
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


us Offline Donald

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #20 on: March 26, 2013, 06:06:20 AM
After reading your post, I checked out the pliers on my Wenger S557 and my Vic SwisssChamp.

My Wenger ones look fine with fine even grooves. They do not grip near the tip though. So they would not work on a short splinter, cactus spine, or such. On something thin like paper, you need about a length of about 3/32" to get a grip. A 1/6" is not quite enough. On a thin plastic ruler, they started gripping sooner, i.e. needing less length or depth to get a grip.

On my Vic SwissChamp (gray magnifying glass) the pliers have the slightest texture. You can feel the slight grooves if you run your fingernail on the jaws, front to back, vice-versa. That is nice as it is less likely to mar something delicate and they start gripping much sooner than the Wengers, you hardly need any length at all.

If you think about a pair of tweezers, those usually have the tips ground flat at the end so they will meet and grip immediately. In other words, I imagine after the inside is ground or whatever, they are closed and the tip ground so both sides end exactly the same.

On the Wenger, it does seem the ends are polished and thus rounded a bit, which means they do not meet immediately. I imagine if one is careful to keep the end perpendicular (difficult, esp. manually) one could grind off the end so that the pliers meet immediately. Looking at the Vic pliers under magnification one can see that has not been done, but they are much closer. Under 10x though one can see they are not perfectly flush in length, although they close flat. Comparing both, the SwissChamp plier flats are only flush near the tip, with more gap as you get further from the tip. The Wenger are somewhat the opposite, and the rounding from polishing near the tip exacerbates the gap there.

So it really seems to be a design issue. Quality on each is fine, but not necessarily what you might want for maximum effectiveness. They would either have to make them differently or one would have to have them modified. That is why the precision ground tip on some screwdrivers are more effective and fit more precisely in a slot than ones that have just been cast or stamped (whatever process is used). That is an extra step, which equates with extra cost. In the case of new shiny polished SAKs, as opposed to some of the older ones, polishing is an extra step which exacerbates the problem instead of reducing it.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2013, 06:20:28 AM by Donald »


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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FedEx Delivered
Reply #21 on: March 28, 2013, 03:35:25 AM
  FedEx delivered my S557 to Wenger Repair just after 4PM. So much for business priority days. They must of had a long route, or everything in Orangeburg, NY is a business. Wonder what the turn around is from delivery to inspection and/or repair?

  Looked on Google Maps and the facility, least when the map photo was taken, is not as big as I would have assumed for Wenger.

  Sure hope their technicians can get the pliers repairs in tip top shape. Guess if one wants precision pliers than a Leather PS4 would be needed. Had assumed for the price of this tool and the quality of Wenger & being Swiss made they would of been comparable.

  Looking like I'll have to eventually get another PS4 and not loan it out. Are there are small plier tools to consider that have precision tips? That can be used for tweezers for hair or sliver removal?


  And still not sure why that awl is blunt... wished I could talk them into putting awls with a thread hole in place of that blunt horseshoe nail thing. Rangers have sewing awls, wonder why not on the exclusive 557??
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 03:40:46 AM by Xelkos »
¬ Outback in Idaho

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us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #22 on: April 03, 2013, 12:30:27 AM
  Wonder if Wenger sends an email as to when your product was fixed, rejected, replaced, or is it more of a 'wait and see' waiting game? Leatherman I know is a waiting game.

  If had known Wenger was going to be shut down for a near-week could of sent it snail mail and gotten a better shipping price. Had asked their customer service about the possibility of an awl replaced with a Ranger version, which no doubt they would be like Leatherman and reject the request. Still cannot imagine a basket weaving awl on a Wenger SAK, especially a tinkering/machanically influenced version like the S557 is.

¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #23 on: April 16, 2013, 05:50:02 AM
  It's been 3 weeks now, nothing. The $3 check has not been cashed in yet either. Wenger Repair sent it off to Switzerland maybe??

  Guess know how the UK folks feel about when they send their Leatherman tools in.
¬ Outback in Idaho

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us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Replacement on its way, Monday
Reply #24 on: April 18, 2013, 09:24:42 PM
  Wenger is going to send out a replacement EvoWood S557 on Monday. Hope this replacement will had been checked over to make sure all is up to par before being sent out. Wonder if I'll get even sexier walnut scales too?  :D

Quote from: Wenger
I apologize for the delay.
It has been determined that your knife cannot be serviced and as such will need to be replaced.   The knife technician brought this to my attention yesterday for approval.    I have authorized it and the replacement will go out Monday morning.

 
« Last Edit: April 18, 2013, 09:26:25 PM by Xelkos »
¬ Outback in Idaho

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ca Offline jzmtl

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #25 on: April 19, 2013, 03:33:33 AM
Hmm, interesting that it cannot be serviced, was the scale epoxied on or do they just not replace parts anymore?


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #26 on: April 19, 2013, 04:23:10 AM
Hmm, interesting that it cannot be serviced, was the scale epoxied on or do they just not replace parts anymore?

  No idea. Might be time constraint as the Wenger representative said the take over has begun, as such the turn-around on repairs is affected. Looks like the Victorinox USA facility is in Monroe, Connecticut.

  Has asked if any of Wenger's products & tools will still be produced, or if the tools will be incorporated into Vic's lineup. They did not have a definitive answer. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose.


   :tu: Irma, she's bonzer!
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


us Offline Outback in Idaho

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #27 on: April 25, 2013, 01:12:08 AM
  Replacement S557 arrived today, pliers look WAY better, though they still meet at the back side slightly before the front. However am not going to mess with it as they look really good.  :tu:

  This is how it should had been.  :D
¬ Outback in Idaho

Behind every mask there is a face, behind that a story.


gr Offline firiki

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #28 on: April 26, 2013, 01:30:07 AM
Let's hope they got it right this time  :P
Omnia vincit amor. Vae victis.


us Offline ChopperCharles

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Re: Are all Wenger Pliers this bad?
Reply #29 on: May 23, 2018, 08:27:37 AM
Just as an update to anyone who finds this ancient thread, the Wenger pliers in my SwissBuck Taskmate meet at the same time front to back, and the teeth are well defined on the front part. I can grip a piece of paper right at the front edge of the pliers, or pull hairs out of my arm with the tip of the pliers. So at least at some point they've made good pliers. They don't have any grip force to speak of, and will twist easily, but they work well for holding things I'm soldering, bending LED leads, cutting leads short, and... well, honestly I haven't found much else to use them for yet.



Charles.


 

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