The Ubiquitous Chinese SOG Toolclip knockoffs: Many Models Reviewed

[ChopperCharles]

I’ve seen these all over eBay. Lots of weird brand names or no brands at all. No clip and all of very similar design. Are any of them any good, and how do I recognize one of the good ones?

Charles.

[gregozedobe]

I haven't had any that I liked.  One way of culling out the also-rans might be to look carefully at the file surface - most I've looked at have been quite poor, so if you find one with a functional looking file then maybe the rest of the tools will be better quality too (maybe).

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have had a few of this variety, and sadly this is about the best of them.



It's a hunk of crap compared to the SOG, but for the price (I estimate just over a dollar, as it was a gift pack, I think 9 "tools" for $15 or so) it is functional enough.  And the 80's style puffy stickers really help the ergonomics.   

Bear in mind that these have suffered some rust issues resulting from the hard life of being kept in a drawer and rarely used.

Def

[cody6268]

All the wrong stuff is sharp on these, and all the wrong stuff is dull.  The pliers are decent, and in a way so are the drivers. The cutters don't cut soft wire at all.  Ergonomics are really bad, and when you're cranking down, the handles are painful.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Pretty much agree with Cody.   

Def

[Noa Isumi]

I found an old one with a Tru-Value hardware store stamp that was close enough I broke out the calipers and started counting file teeth.
It is close enough I initaly questioned it as external licence like the Stanley PPPs are. Unfortunetly it is just a clipless knock-off...better than most, but still a copy.
If you find one of these they are better than the Sheffields; but they arent as common.

Here's my thread of "foolsgold" insanity

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,76484.0.html

[temo]

Kind of tools when you don't want nothing to get done but like wounds in you hands

Sent from my VIE-L09 using Tapatalk

[ChopperCharles]

So, I've been buying a bunch of this type of multi tool, from various brands and configurations, to find a good one. So far, I've found a couple that are passable, a couple that are marginal, one that is utter garbage, and one that's really good.  The Sheffield is not the best one, not by far. It's not bad, it has some features that the others don't, but it's in the passable to okay. Usable, but not great.

The best I've found so far is not currently available. It's the "SwissGear" version, made in Taiwan, with a blade, serrated blade/file combo, and fish scaler. And a really nice phillips screwdriver, actually. The blades all have better snap than any version I've tested so far, they're quite sharp, and they're well machined. The pliers are the shining star. The SwissGear uses a different spring mechanism than all the other copies I've seen, and it feels amazing to use. The wire cutters do cut insulated stranded wire, though mine are well-used and show some dings to the blades, so it doesn't cut 12ga stranded wire cleanly. The sheath -  if you can find one with the original sheath - is of medium quality, but quite usable. The only annoying quirk about this tool is the retention loop is loose and easily knocked off, so the handle pops out. BUT, it's an easily removable part, and one could easily replace it with a slightly thicker wire, or a shorter wire loop, in order to better retain the handle.

Also, there's one on eBay right now for 12.74 plus shipping. Search for "Swiss gear pliers" and it comes right up.

Full review will come later, once all my multi tools arrive and I work out the details of the test.

Charles.

[Poncho65]

Can't wait for the writeup Charles

[Grant Lamontagne]

Kind of tools when you don't want nothing to get done but like wounds in you hands

Sent from my VIE-L09 using Tapatalk

That is as great a description of these kinds of tools as I have ever heard! 

Def

[ChopperCharles]

I'm waiting on a few more copies of this tool, but I just want to say this. There are two versions of this tool available on Amazon right now, which you can buy brand new. The "RUKO 15-Function Stainless Steel Multi-Tool with Nylon Sheath" and the "Grand Way Multifunctional Folding Knife with Pliers and Screwdriver". The Ruko is decent. The Grand Way is absolute, total garbage. Stunningly so.

Edit - There are THREE versions on Amazon right now, not two. I just found a "Kikkerland CD504 Wooden Plier Multi-Tool" as well. It appears to be the same construction as the plastic-handled tools, which I've found to be by and large better than the all-metal bodies (with exception of the Sheffield, which is so far the best of the bare metal bodies). I will snag one of these and test it as well.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

I'm using this thread now to rate and review all the various SOG Toolclip knockoffs I've been slowly accumulating (for very little money, mind you). Some are really good. Some are really bad. The results may surprise and awe you. Okay well maybe not that. But mind entertainment? Learnin' stuff? Or just make fun of me for liking these tools and buying so many. I don't care, whatever floats your boat.

I'm grading these tools on an A-F scale in the following categories:

• Jaws
  
• Cutter
• Tools
• Sharpening
• Peening
• Sheath

I'm then rounding each review off with some Notes and an Overall recommendation

For the cutter grading, I'm testing the cutters with the following wires:

• 18ga speaker wire. Generic clear insulation with copper or silver wire visible through it
• 16ga speaker wire with extra thick insulation
• 12ga primary wire (can be purchased at any auto parts store or ace hardware)
• 24ga stranded wire (just a few strands of wire in very thin insulation)

Note that though I'm testing speaker wire, which usually comes as two strands connected together, I'm only testing the cut of a single wire, not the pair. Also, I don't believe ANY of these tools will be able to cut the 24ga wires. It's not the tools' fault, really. It's a limitation of the shear-type cutter. I also do not expect a shear-type cutter to be able to cut bare stranded wire, so I am not testing that. For that kind of functionality a plier tool with side cutters would be required. (Lineman's Pliers)

In addition, I'm testing with one normal sized zip tie and one small zip tie.

Reviews forthcoming!

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

First off, is the Sheffield. It's been sorta praised and sorta maligned. I have a brand-spanking-new copy of it, so I figured I'd start with it.


Jaws: B

Jaw operation is smooth. It started off a tad tight, but my copy is brand new, so this is to be expected. As I played with the tool these loosened up very quickly, giving me an easy to use, smooth operating tool. The tips of the jaws are flush with each other, but there's a 0.5mm offset to the jaws. The teeth of the jaws also do not mesh with each other. I cannot pull a hair out of my arm with these pliers. This is odd, because the machining elsewhere on this tool is top notch. I'm giving these a B because they're still really good jaws, and they do move very smoothly.


Cutter: B

The cutter easily cuts 12ga and 18ga wire. It for some reason struggles with the 16ga speaker wire with extra thick insulation. The insulation cuts but the wires do not, there are some stragglers left uncut. It does not cut the 24ga wire. It has no problems cutting zip tie big or small. Cut ends go flying as they should. While not perfect, the cutter does work for most applications I've thrown at it.


Tools: A

The Sheffield has a similar, but markedly different tool set than most of these plier tools. The plain blade is bigger, with more belly. The can opener is in the Victorinox style. It's a forward-moving opener, where most of the other copies have Wenger-style backwards operating can openers. It's *quite* sharp too. The can opener includes two different sizes of wire stripper notches, and these notches are sharpened. The serrated blade is larger, with a pointed, sharpened "stabby" end. The file on the back of this blade is double cut and quite sharp. It is good for soft metal. I have not tried it on steel, but it makes short work of aluminum. The phillips screwdriver head is well defined. The small flat head screwdriver has slightly rounded edges, but it is acceptable.


Sharpening: A+

All of the blades are SHARP. The main blade can cut receipt paper, and the serrated blade is razor sharp as well. The can opener is sharpened, and the two different sized wire stripper notches are also sharpened. This is one of the few tools that have those notches sharpened.

Peening: B+

This tool is well-peened. Big round heads everywhere, with nothing looking like it's about to pull through. The handle lock peen is nice and tight, but not so tight as to make the tools difficult to open. There is still a slight bit of side play in the tools, so it could stand to be peened a little more. I'd rather have a stiff lock than blade play, but all in all it's quite acceptable. So far I've only come across one tool with better peening. However this is likely to change, as I have more tools on the way.

Sheath: n/a

This tool didn't come with a sheath.

Other things of note:

The spring is stronger and longer than most other tools, and it opens the jaws almost exactly 50% before you have to manually open them further. This is wider than many other tools, and convenient because the cutters are open. The spring is also notched to match the handle, so the phillips screwdriver will clear it without a problem. The notch in the handle for the lock is well machined. The puffy stickers are easily removable, leaving bare metal with no logos underneath.

Overall: Buy.

This is a good tool, it's definitely one of the better tools of this style. It's machined well, put together well, and the blades are all razor sharp. The cutters work on most wire and on zip ties. It does all the jobs it should do. It is however uncomfortable in the hand. The exposed rivets and the hard edges to the side plates don't make this the nicest tool to use. It's not going to actually injure you to use it, it's just not comfortable in the hand. This is largely due to how narrow it is, I think. There are a lot of Chinese Plier Tools with the same exact toolsets and features, which have plastic scales. These are infinitely more comfortable to hold and use. The 5-blade versions are even wider, and even more comfortable because of that. I may eventually mod this by putting scales on it from a different Chinese Plier Tool.


Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Additional pics of the Sheffield drivers.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Next up is the Grand Way plier tool. I picked this up on Amazon brand new for the paltry sum of $9.99

Jaws: C

The jaws are extremely tight, to the point that the tool is difficult to use. The spring is extremely strong, stronger than the sheffield, likely made so as to overcome the stiffness of the jaws.  The jaws also are not flush on the tips. One side is higher than the other by 0.3mm, and the jaw tips are not square to the sides of the jaws. The teeth of the jaws almost line up, so when squeezing the tool hard they close, and then if I keep squeezing they close a little more, an I can feel a little flex as the jaws move slightly. The jaws do not open as far as the Sheffield tool does. There is no side offset to the jaws, and I can pull out arm hairs easily, but I just can't get past how stiff the jaws are. That, coupled with how strong the spring is makes this tool largely unusable.

Cutter: F-

The cutter on this tool has no edge, and it was not machined. It has casting marks on it, not machine marks. The cutters are too far apart from each other to work at cutting anything. These shear-style cutters require close tolerances, much like scissors, to work. If there's a gap between them, they don't cut. This tool was unable to cut ANY of the wires or zip ties used in my tests.

Tools: C

These all have largely the same tools. These are just your average crappy tools. The blade is different. It's shorter and fatter and has "Grand Way" laser-etched on it. The blade tapers before it comes to an edge, where most of the other tools have a flat blade with an edge and no taper. The serrated blade looks to use the same blank as the Sheffield tool, but with a different serrated grind and a flat screwdriver head instead of a point. Unfortunately they used the same blank as the Sheffield, but not the correct backspring for that blank. Thus the serrated blade sits up far too high in the tool when closed. The phillips driver and small flat driver are both quite rounded and smooth. The phillips is passable, but the flat driver is likely too rounded to be useful. The can opener is the standard reverse-opening style, but it's not even remotely sharp. The file is double cut, but it's not very deep and not very sharp. Good for fingernails and not much else.

Sharpening: D

Nothing in this tool is sharp. The plain blade might take an edge, but it didn't come with one. The serrated blade is not sharp either, and no part of the can opener is sharpened. Not the blade, and not the wire stripper notches. Blade can open packages, so it's not a complete fail. I guess.

Peening: F

The plier pivot pin is peened too hard, making the jaws stiff. The two backspring rivets are barely peened at all (see pic). The layers are not held together securely, and I can squeeze the sides of the tool around the rivets and see gaps close up. One of the rivets is for the phillips screwdriver. Putting torque on the screwdriver causes the layers to start to separate and the rivet pin begins to pull through. The rivet for the tools and handle lock is also badly peened, and will easily pull out of one side if I make any twisting or prying motion with the serrated blade/screwdriver tool. I've attached a pic showing what happens when I gently push the serrated blade to the side. You can see why the tools are all loose with lots of side play. The rivet isn't peened tightly at all. Also the rivet for the small screwdriver is supposed to be ground down flush on the inside of the tool to make clearance for the serrated blade. This was not done, and the serrated blade smacks that rivet every single time. I have to push the blade to the side to get it to drop down fully. (See pics in followup posting)

Sheath: D

It's very, VERY thin nylon. Almost paper thin. But the stitching is not pulled out, so it can't fail completely. It's a very poor sheath, and will not last. It's the absolute cheapest possible thing they could include and still call it a nylon sheath.

Other things of note:

The handle lock loop is too short. The handle has to be really squeezed to get the lock over it, and it's difficult to do. The edges of this tool are not smoothed in any way, and it feels sharper than the Sheffield. The serrated blade tool doesn't retract fully and it makes the tool slightly more awkward - and pointy - to hold. The notch in the handle is cut poorly. Brand new, the tool arrived with nicks and dings and scratches on it, like it was tossed into a box with a bunch of other tools, shaken a bit, and then finally wrapped up and put into boxes. It looks like I've used this tool for a few months, but I've only owned it a few days, ad I've never done more than fiddle with it and try to cut wires with it.

Overall: DO NOT BUY

This tool is junk. It's poorly machined, poorly peened, and completely smurfty in most categories, with no category ever rising above average. As it's a current (as of June 2018) item being sold on Amazon, you may be tempted to get one. This review is here to dissuade you of that. Avoid this piece of crap tool at all costs. This tool gives Grand Way a bad name. I don't know if the rest of their knives are any good, and after buying this POS I'm not about to find out either.

[ChopperCharles]

Grand Way Pic upload #2:

The first pic shows the rivet head that is in the way of the blade. The second shows the blade contacting the rivet head. I have to push the blade to the side to get it to drop down fully. It still doesn't drop down all the way because the wrong backspring was used. The Sheffield has a different backspring for this extra-big blade, but this Grand Way tool doesn't. The third photo shows the blade down, and smacking the rivet. The last photo shows it after I pushed the blade to the side, and it dropped down just a little bit more. The blade still sticks up more than it should, and it is uncomfortable.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Last batch of Grand Way pics.

This next photo shows the grand way and sheffield compared, and you can see how much higher the serrated blade sits in the Grand Way than it does in the Sheffield. You can also see how much better the Sheffield is peened. The peened rivet heads are much larger on the Sheffield, and the Grand Way has one visible un-peened rivet. (There's another on the other side).

The second pic shows the poor machining of the notch on the handle, and the last two photos show the rounded and smooth drivers.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Today I have a Kikkerland CD-504 Wooden Plier Multi-Tool, which is also currently available on Amazon for $9.99. Quality-wise, it's better than the Grand Way by a considerable margin, but it's a long way from as good as the Sheffield model.

Jaws: B

Jaw operation is tight. There's obvious wearing on the jaws where they rub on the side plates. This will likely improve with time, but it's significant and a little annoying to have to break in a pair of pliers. It's far worse than the Sheffield, which was just a slight drag which improved with very little use. I've worked these for 10 minutes and have seen only a little improvement so far. It's *almost* a livable amount of drag. The tips are even with each other, and the teeth mesh nicely. I can pull a hair out of my arm with these. However, there's a 0.75mm side offset to the jaws, which is pretty significant.

Cutter: D

The cutter on this tool is a mixed bag. It cannot cut the 12ga wire nor the 16ga with the extra thick insulation. It can cut the 16ga speaker wire. It cuts normal zip ties, but not the small ones. It doesn't cut the normal zip ties well, but it does cut them. So it's better than the Grand Way, but really it's not enough.

Tools: C+

This has the standard compliment of tools. There is side play in all of them, but it's not as bad as the Grand Way. It's still significantly worse than the Sheffield. The serrated blade sits high in the tool, like the Grand Way. The rivet head is low profile and not in the way in this tool, so that's nice. The double-cut file is not cut very deeply, and it appears to be cut unevenly, with one small section smoother and not cut as deeply as the rest. Still, it's passable.

The backsprings are very strong - some of the strongest I've encountered so far, which is nice. The can opener is a real nail breaker though. All the tools have a gritty grinding to them when opening, but some oil and working them hasn't completely cleared that up. The phillips driver is better than some, as it still retains some squared off profile. The small flat driver is rounded, but I've seen worse. The flat driver on this tool is actually pretty sharp, it could be used as a tiny scraper.

Sharpening: B-

The main blade is decently sharp. Good enough to cut paper, but not notably sharp otherwise. The serrated blade still has a burr on the back side, so that's not great. The can opener has an edge, but it's not a very sharp edge. It's good enough for a can, but some other brands sharpen this much more. None of the wire stripper notches are sharpened.

Peening: D

Well, this tool is peened better than the Grand Way, but it's still pretty bad. The rivet with the handle holder, that keeps the tools nice and tight is barely peened over. It's about to pull through one side of the handle lock. That's bad. Removing the scales to get a look underneath shows that some peens are ground down for clearance with the wood scales -- which is unnecessary, as the scales have holes drilled to compensate for the rivet heads. The two backspring rivets - one of which holds the screwdriver - are not peened at all on one side. Elsewhere the peening is sloppy or incomplete.

Sheath: n/a

This tool doesn't come with a sheath. Unfortunate, but not a deal killer.

Other Things of Note:

The spring on this tool is rather weak, and only opens the jaws about 45% of their travel. It would open it about 50% if the jaws weren't so tight. The notch in the handle is cut poorly, and the serrated blade sticks up too high, making it slightly less comfortable to hold. The handle itself has sharper edges than other tools. The spring doesn't have a cutout, so it has to be pushed to the side when opening the phillips screwdriver. The wooden scales make the tool more comfortable to hold than a bare tool like the Sheffield or Grand Way. The wood is unfinished and would take well to a stain. The screws that hold the wooden scales on look to come pre-stripped though. They look terrible. Also, the side plates on this tool are not mounted symetrically. They're higher on one side than the other. This indicates both poor manufacturing and poor quality control.


Overall: Do not buy

While the wood scales are a nice touch, they don't make up for what this tool lacks. And what it lacks is a reliable cutter head and decent peening. The tools are okay quality, sharpening is just okay, the side plates aren't on straight and the jaws are tight. Really the only reason to buy this tool would be to use the wooden scales on a different brand of multitool. These scales on the Sheffield tool would be a win, for instance. (although that would require drilling and tapping the screw holes)

[ChopperCharles]

Does anyone care about this? Should I even bother to continue?

Charles.

[Don Pablo]

I’ve been reading along.
As for continuing;
Since you’ve already got the tools, why not? 

[Poncho65]

Yes please do continue There are some who just read the reviews and others might be along in a day or 2 to comment Remember forum speed isn't as fast as some types of social media but when it gets here it stays

[magentus]

Yes! Keep going please Charles - very interesting. Thanks for posting the reviews   

[Wspeed]

Yes keep going Please 
Excellent reviews 

[jcs0001]

Charles:

Please do continue.  A very interesting and useful thread.

Thanks,

John.

[ChopperCharles]

Well then, I will continue! Today I have a VERY different version of this tool. It's a Swissgear, and from what I gather from Google searches, it's mid to late 90s, likely sold in K-Mart stores (but also possibly sold elsewhere, I just don't know). In a way, this is a completely different tool from every other Toolclip clone I've come across. There's a long laundry list of changes. The most distinctive changes are the handle spring and the handle lock. The spring curls forward and dips under the handle near the jaws. All other toolclip clones I've seen have the spring pointing rearward and up, to contact the handle and open it between 30 and 50%. This spring design opens the jaws 83%. The handle lock is no longer on the same rivet that holds the tools in place, instead it's a small wire fitted into the plastic scales.  This tool is also made in Taiwan, not China. Judging by the logo and the time period this was released, Wenger likely had absolutely nothing to do with it. The logo is a red octagon with a white cross. Similar to the Wenger logo, but it's not Wenger.

Jaws: A+

The jaws on this swissgear are like no other Toolclip clone. First off, they're not scissor jaws. Top fixed jaw is held in place by two rivets, and the entire bottom jaw pivots. No scissor pivot. Next, the jaws themselves are much narrower and pointier. They're a fine needle nose, and they're very well machined. The tips are even and there is no side offset. What's more, the jaw operation is completely smooth, almost loose. There's not even a hint of tightness. The spring opens the jaws up almost all the way, making this tool FAR more comfortable and easy to use than any other clone so far. I can pull out arm hairs with this tool, even though it's obviously been used. It's retained that capability, which says something about its robustness. The teeth also all mesh perfectly when the jaws are closed.

Cutter: A-

The cutter easily cuts 12ga and 18ga wire. Like the others, this tool has an issue with the extra thick insulation on the 16ga wire. It does a slightly better job, but it's still not getting through in one cut. However, it does get through with a second cut. Sheffield doesn't manage that. Small and large zip ties are cut with forceful flying of the cut end. Cutter performance is roughly identical to the Sheffield, but it can cut the thick insulation wire in two tries... and the cutter jaws are always open a lot wider. So that bumps the score up a bit.

Tools: A

Again continuing with oddities. This multitool has a different tool load than any other I've come across thus far. The main blade is there, but it's bigger and longer than in any other tool so far. The serrated blade is also there, and it has a very similar serraded pattern to the other tools, with a scraper or flat screwdriver on the end. The file on the back of the serrated blade is cut finer than I've seen on any other Chinese Plier Tool. Normally the saw would be the center tool, between the main blade and the can opener. Not on the Swissgear. For the Swissgear the serrated blade is on the end, and the center tool is a fish scaler with a fish hook remover, and both inch and metric measurements printed on it. Unlike the other two blades, the fish scaler doesn't open completely flat. The backsprings on this tool are the BEST of any tool I've come across to date. They're nice and strong. There's also not even a hint of side-to-side play in the blades. I attribute this to the pin for the blades not having to share double duty as the pivot for the handle lock. Finally, the phillips driver is actually much beefier than any other model. It's larger in diameter and longer than on any other Chinese plier tool. It's actually ground flat on one side to clearance the handle.

Sharpening: A+

Hot damn these blades are sharp! The main blade can cut receipt paper. While I see that the pliers have a life of semi-regular use, I don't see any evidence of that on the blades. They look largely unused. The serrated blade is also super sharp, and there is a sharpened cutout for stripping wire on the serrated blade as well.

Peening: A+

The peening on this tool is the best I have EVER seen. A whole lot more care went into manufacturing this tool than into any other Chinese Plier tool I've seen. These peens weren't made by kids with hammers and anvils, they are obviously machine-made. There is a much higher degree of manufacturing work into this tool than into any other clone I've come across to date. (although I have several on the way, including another with jaws of this style, so that may change).

Sheath: A-

The sheath is pretty nice. It's got a nicely stitched Swissgear logo in red and white, and the seams are double stitched and perfectly straight, with no threads coming loose. It's a bit on the thin side, but it's still robust enough to have lasted this long. It's got loops for both horizontal and vertical carry.

Other Things of Note:

The notch in the handle for the lock is not machined very deep. The wire loop that locks the handle also does not have a lot of resistance to moving on its own. This means the handle likes to pop open easily. I gave my wire a bit of a bend so it makes some friction, and that helped things, but it's still a lot easier to bump the handle free on this tool than on any other. That's really the only gripe about this Swissgear.  My copy is slightly worn and obviously used, but taken good care of. It's got a little gunk in the crevasses, wear showing on the jaws where they rub the side plates, and some tiny rust spots here and there. And yet it still has a very good cutter, the peening is still magnificent, and it's still performing very well.

Overall: Don't hesitate, BUY IT!

This is easily the best copy of the ToolClip I've ever found. It feels really good in my hand, the scales are nicely patterned and comfortable to hold. The handle has the edges smoothed so they don't cut into hands. The jaws open almost all the way via the spring, which honeslty makes these pliers so SO much nicer to use than any other Chinese Plier Tool. There is a lot more quality and precision put into this tool than any other I've seen. This is not just a good tool, it's a great tool. I just lament the fish scaler. I'm far more likely to want to pop open a beer than to scale a fish. The best recommendation I can give about a tool is the "I want another one" rating. And I do, I want one to stay permanently in my motorcycle bag, and one to EDC or at least keep in the garage for regular use. I almost didn't post this review, because I don't want competition when another one of these comes on eBay! If you come across one of these gems, it's really quite worth the purchase.




Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

More photos of the Swissgear:

• First photo shows the Swissgear's beefy screwdriver
• Second photo shows the Scheffield's screwdriver, which was one of the better drivers. The difference in thickness, pivot, and quality striking, with the Sheffield losing badly.
• Third photo shows the finely cut file and the wire stripping notch.
• Last photo shows the handle notch is not very deep. But it is machined well.

Charles.

[Wspeed]

The Swissgear looks nice quality 

[ChopperCharles]

Finally, here are the pics of the peening, as well as a photo showing the difference in how far the jaws are opened between the Swissgear and the Sheffield

Charles.

[Wspeed]

I like the idea that the scales can be removed
That way you could make your
own out of wood or aluminium 

[ChopperCharles]

Well, the scales can be removed on the other tools as well. You just have to remove the rivet that holds the blades in place, and then replace it. On most of the cheesy tools this would be easy, because that rivet is normally badly peened in the first place. I'm seriously considering keeping the Kikkerland just for the wooden scales, sanding them down, staining them, hitting them up with some tung oil, and then drilling and tapping the sheffield side plates for screws to mount the scales. That would make the Sheffield a LOT more comfortable in the hand.


NOTE: There is a Swissgear on ebay right now, but the spring is broken. So if you're thinking about pulling the trigger, keep that in mind. The best part is the spring action for the jaws, and you'll be missing out on that. It's a high quality tool nonetheless, so you may want it anyhow, but I passed on it because of the broken spring.

Charles.