Recommendation for pliers set for electronics and repair: Brüder Mannesmann

c.d.ewen said:

If you can do good work with cheap tools, then they are good tools.

Click to expand...

I appreciate this answer very much an agree completely.
I'm working in a similar way.
Additionally I build my own tools, sometimes out of broken other tools or crap.

Andreas Thaler said:

As a fan of good tools, I like to look at what is on offer.

There are relatively few special tools for camera repairs, so electronics is a related field, for which there are tools in the right small size.


View attachment 371658

I recently received this inexpensive set of electronics pliers from Brüder Mannesmann, Germany, which I really enjoy working with. The pliers are high quality, fit well in the hand, and there are shapes that I have never seen before.

View attachment 371657

The small combination pliers in particular are a highlight for repair work, and complement my standard combination pliers from Knipex:

View attachment 371659

Elektronik-Zangensatz 8-tlg.,

rutschfeste Griffefeingeschliffener Kopfleichtgängiges GewerbeIn praktischer Reisverschlusstasche40x27,5x26,5Mit rutschfesten Griffen und einem feingeschliffenen Kopf liegt er perfekt in deiner Hand und ermöglicht präzises Arbeiten. Dank des leichtgängigen Gewerbes bewältigst du jede...

www.br-mannesmann.com

+++

All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.

Click to expand...

Looks nice and they are of German brand but are they made in Germany? I know the Wiha is made in Germany.

Good grief. The OP said "inexpensive" in his first post, and the link shows the 8-piece set to cost 24 Euro. Take that for what it is. I'm pretty sure a Knipex or Wiha or (other high-end) set would be something in the neighborhood of 24 Euro for each plier in the set or more.

While any of us can certainly search Amazon for hours, we may still be unaware of various offerings that could prove useful. I participate in a somewhat niche automobile thread. Due to that participation, I found out about a company that offers metric only clam-shell tool kits (ratchet handle, sockets, etc) Every item in the kit was redundant for me, but to someone just getting started it could prove just the ticket.
Much like this pliers set being an easy starting point for someone just getting "tooled-up."

I looked at other purchasing options and customer opinions on this set of pliers.

The set is also offered by Reichelt and Conrad, among others, who are the two major electronics distributors in German-speaking countries and offer quality. Customer opinions are predominantly positive.

These are pliers for electronics and precision mechanics, i.e. tools for low loads. They should be used accordingly.

My reference is electronics pliers from Knipex, where the cutting pliers have indicated maximum values for copper wire, among other things. There are special pliers for larger diameters or hard wire.

The pliers here do not have a high-quality finish and the plastic covers on the handles are also spartan. This makes it a good quality set that offers good performance for the low price.

Even with my Knipex pliers, which are several times more expensive, I make sure not to overload them and use the appropriate tool for harder jobs.

---

What annoyed me about the course of this discussion is the partial focus on the negative and the undifferentiated prejudice against products made in China.

It is true that the markets are flooded with a lot of inferior goods from the Far East. But that does not mean that everything that is produced there is bad.

I use my LED workstation light, soldering station, laboratory power supply, multimeter, spanner wrench, etc. all on a regular basis, which were produced in China with the names of European companies. This is durable, flawless and affordable quality that serves its purpose.

I also do believe that a fundamentally positive approach is needed for camera repair work, as it is an area that is not standardized and for which you have to gather the necessary tools from a wide range of sources. Anything that is affordable and helps is welcome.

For example, I also work with very cheap circuit board tools that are simply made and very useful for repair work. Or with plastic tools from iFixit, which are also designed to be worn out. If I overload these parts, they are replaced.

If we want to maintain enthusiasm and motivation or encourage others to repair things themselves, we need the positive attitude that is necessary for this. This is also urgently needed, given the ever-critical ratio of attempt to success.

At least that is how I see it.

forest bagger said:

I appreciate this answer very much an agree completely.
I'm working in a similar way.
Additionally I build my own tools, sometimes out of broken other tools or crap.

Click to expand...

I think that's the best approach.

c.d.ewen said:

Andreas:

If you can do good work with cheap tools, then they are good tools.

Charley

Click to expand...

+ 1

4season said:

I own an identical-looking tool sold under the Velleman name. I wish that the spring hadn't broken off, but for my purposes, it's still useful.

Tool geekery, can become it's own rabbit-hole. My new bench power supply is not the latest from Rhode & Schwartz, but rather, it's a palm-sized thing from Alientek. And for my purposes, I think it will work just fine. Some of my most useful camera-repair tools are home-made, including flexiclamp wrenches that I cut from scraps of metal or fiberglass, or miniature spanner wrenches that I designed in FreeCAD and 3D printed on an old entry-level 3D printer (but it works!).

View attachment 371738

Daiso is a Japanese chain of "100 Yen Stores", though in their USA stores, it's closer to 1.79 USD. Which is what I paid for one of my latest tools. They even illustrate it being used as a camera spanner wrench, and it certainly seems sturdy enough, but that's not what I bought it for.
View attachment 371743

Click to expand...

I see it just as pragmatically.

The pliers you show can also be used without return springs and plastic covers, as long as they still function.

Nicholas Lindan said:

Well, the Chinese most likely copied a set of someone's high quality pliers. As a result there should be two sets identical in appearance, but not in performance, being sold.

That said, the quality of 'Made in China' products has increased dramatically over the years so a set bought a dozen years ago and a set bought now are probably made from different steels.

The best pliers and cutters I have were both made in Sweden by either Lindstrom or Vigor.

Against that standard I have found the stamped steel tools made by Xuron and a whole host of imitators to be excellent. I have some Italian clones sold by Hakko that are a match for the originals. Available from Amazon and just about everyone else.

For servicing (and the engineering development of) modern electronics a set of SMD soldering, and maybe more importantly, desoldering tools is necessary. Again, I use Hakko products. There are also Chinese copies of Hakko products at far lower prices that may be more suited to hobby use.

Desoldering tweezers, with a good selection of tips, are needed for discrete and SOIC components and other parts with exposed solder joints. Trying to remove and replace components with hidden solder joints, like BGA packages, requires skills I never acquired. My solution was to find a good technician who moonlighted.

Click to expand...

I have a soldering tip thermometer from Hakko that is simple and inexpensive. It serves its purpose for me and it would therefore make no sense to buy a more precise or expensive device. I am actually grateful for it because it saves me from an unnecessarily high investment.

loccdor said:

My main pair of pliers was passed from my grandfather to my father to me. They're a little bent and I don't know what they're made of, but they've gotten good use for almost 100 years now.

Click to expand...

This quality will never exist again, unfortunately.

4season said:

Daiso is a Japanese chain of "100 Yen Stores", though in their USA stores, it's closer to 1.79 USD. Which is what I paid for one of my latest tools. They even illustrate it being used as a camera spanner wrench, and it certainly seems sturdy enough, but that's not what I bought it for.
View attachment 371743

Click to expand...

I have this tweezer as well. It is ok and I slightly sharpened it for better grip.

China is a big factory and they have made a lot of stuff, from excellent to real bad , just depends on their contract's QC requirement . The lesser quality might sold unbranded while the good one would have iconic names on it.
But any good technician don't always need excellent tools for the best job. A good tool can do the job easier while a hand and mind helps how and when to pick up a good tool .

My favorite brand? Chinese "Diamond" brand pilers and filers are the stuff I used most of the time. They are dirty cheap and have been with me for over 20 years.

Some familiar-looking tools listed on the Harbor Freight web site: 10 USD for a 6-piece set!
https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/pliers/precision-pliers-set-6-piece-63813.html
At that price, everyone can afford to do Thomas Tomosey-style tool hacks as needed.

My two most valuable pliers from Knipex:

• For extreme demands on cutting pliers caused by hard or tough materials, e.g. piano, nickel, tungsten and diode wire, such as those used more frequently in the electronics and aerospace industries
• Always the right cutting tool, even with the hardest material
• Precision carbide metal cutting edges soldered into forged blanks
• Sturdy, zero-backlash box joint
• Hardness of the carbide cutting edges 80 – 83 HRC
• Pliers with carbide metal cutting edges have a substantially longer service life than such with conventional cutting edges
• Constantly reliable cutting results due to the avoidance of cutter deformations caused by overloading
• High cost saving due to longer service life of the pliers
• Electrically discharging handles - dissipative

Click to expand...

For work I only use flush face side cutters and by far the best brand for longevity and sharpness are called Xuron and made in the USA. They are largely promoted to the modelling community, so search in model railway outlets etc. and one of the best versions is the 'track cutter' which will give an effortless clean cut through stainless model railway track. Other versions of Xuron cutters have a narrow point for getting into tight spaces.

Staying within the design use parameters of your tools will help to ensure that they are in good shape the next time you use them. Bending, forming, and cutting material that the tool was not rated for is the fastest way to damage or even destroy it.

Click to expand...

Hi Andreas! I have read the company's Wikipedia entry - it seems that while they used to be manufacturers, today they are just wholesalers, probably capitalizing on the famous Mannesmann brand name.