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Wera and Knipex from Germany
Knipex is just so good, specially compared to almost any other brand, that it’s almost stupid. I have handful of their pliers and they are always a joy to pick up and abuse (which they absolutely can take). Next purchase will be their twingrip-pliers but local supplier has been out of stock for quite a while. Sure, they cost a bit more, but my cobras have seen ~10 years of abuse with cars, farm equipment, random tinkering, really hot and cold stuff, all kinds of chemicals and everything else and after all that beating they still go strong, just the plastic in the handles is a bit more black than it used to be.
I’m a big fan of Fiskas. Bought a pair of hobby shears/scissors for cutting polycarbonate sheet maybe 40 years ago, they’re still going (although would benefit from a sharpening).
I see their stuff in the gardening section of big box stores from time to time. Looks like they may have gone downhill slightly, but still pretty darn good.
https://www.fiskars.com/en-us (And yes, I’m aware I’m seeing the USA link, because well, guess where I live…)
I’m really happy with my Wera Tools ratchet screwdriver.
Gerber makes some excellent multitools and knives.
They also have nice bike tools, and also torque wrenches for bicycles. Great christmas present fir enthisiastic cyclists ☺
From Sweden: Bahco, Husqvarna, Hultafors and Sandvik make qualitative reliable construction, woodworking, metalwork and other various diy tools and equipment. Anza and Mäster make great paint equipment.
A friend of mine has a seriously old Husqvarna chainsaw that is still going strong, although it’s most frequently used at Christmas for ”sneakily” getting Christmas trees for friends and family.
Morakniv also makes a huge variety of knives, everything from knives for woodworkers and electricians to utility and kitchen and outdoor recreation knives. All of their knives since the company was founded over a century ago have been made in their factory in Sweden.
Sadly Bahco was bought by Snap-On and Husqvarna large tools are mostly made in China now.
Stihl is still made in Germany for most things!
I must admit I did not keep up with these changes. Good to know. Thank you.
My personal favorites are Knipex, Wera and Proxxon. Worth every
pennycent.Me!
Proxxon tools are great! I thought they where a german company, but they are from Luxembourg.
Wera is a bit pricier but also very worthy for its cost.
I feel like Proxxon is the Noctua of tools – the color scheme is hideous, but if you’re after quality, you don’t care about the looks. Or is it the other way around and Noctua is the Proxxon of fans?
Man, never heard of Noctua before. They are so good?
To be honest, I quiet like the color sheme. Reminds me of an old Nintendo Game and Watch, I had as a kid. But since my Gaming PC is pure black and well hidden under the desk, nobody would notice anyway. 😁
Yeah, they’re mostly known for being super silent and reliable. They do have special-application fans too (high airflow/high static pressure) and for PCs where color is of importance, there are some black-and-gray variants.
As far as I know most of Metabo’s stuff is made in the EU. Not everything mind you but in general I’ve heard very good things about them & the tools I’ve used from them (mitre saw) were pretty nice
Stahlwille.
I really like Victorinox. I have the swisstool spirit multitool and I’m really happy with it. Also lifetime warranty.
Thor Hammers I use their rawhide ones and replaceable face ones for leathercrafting.
What’s a good tool for checking temperature on hardware?
