# Anyone heard of COMMERCIAL ELECTRIC tools?



## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

Commercial Electric is Home Depot's brand. Look in the lighting section and you will see CE recessed lights, surface fixtures, and ceiling fans. If the tools are of the same quality as the fixtures, and I suspect they are, they are crap and should be avoided.


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## jwhite (Mar 12, 2006)

Once you feel klien in your hands, cheeper tools will not even be an issue.


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

HouseHelper said:


> If the tools are of the same quality as the fixtures, and I suspect they are, they are crap and should be avoided.


This is the exact statement I was going to make.


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## bigMikeB (May 31, 2007)

*never heard of them*

I saw the same set of tools at the depot the other day and was thinking it looked too good to pass up, the color and style look a lot like Greenlee which just started turning out electrical hand tools 
If they are made of decent steel how bad can they be for the price?


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## VITAL (May 24, 2007)

Well, once again i passed by this set in HD and finally gave in. lol. 

first big turn off is that on one side of each tool (exept screw & nut drivers) it just says CHINA. I wish they had THAT side facing u when u buy the damn product  !!!

Metal looks like it's not gonna last long when u put it to work everyday.

And as i found out yesterday handles aren't gonna last long either. I took a square tip screwdriver with me to work to test it out since i had to install a new panel, so i knew i'll use it all day. Well, after just one day's work green part of a handle started to come off of the black part. :no: 

So to sum it up - KEEP USING YOUR KLEINs!

It's still a good set to have as "just in case" / "2nd set" or for house use just not for everyday abuse.

btw any feedback on GREENLEE hand tools?


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

VITAL said:


> btw any feedback on GREENLEE hand tools?


Top of the Line! Although there are a few others at the top as well.


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## JohnJ0906 (Mar 18, 2007)

I don't have too much Greenlee, but what I have is top notch.
Klien - great

My experience is, buy quality tools. This is not an area to scrimp.


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## mikemy6 (Feb 21, 2007)

I purchased my Kliens as pieces, 2 flat screwdrivers, 3 phillips, and 4 nut drivers 1/4 to 7/16. I also added a screw starter later when I had a job that reqired one. As electrical work is one job I do that can kill me I had no thoughts of the cost, which was not that bad. 
Mine have an orange coating that turns white when its time to destroy and replace them. the size/type is on the butt end so they can be read if kept in the side pockets of my bag instead of inside getting banged up. And none have become maagnetic something I hadn't thought about, hence the screw starter.
Less then 200 bucks for 10 tools that wont let me down or get me hurt or killed sounds like a good deal to me.


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## Tankless Man (Jun 10, 2007)

> Less then 200 bucks for 10 tools that wont let me down or get me hurt or killed sounds like a good deal to me.


LOL....LOL....it's not the tool that kills you, it's the guy holding them. Owning Kliens do not make you a better electrician, they tell others you do not like buying the same tools over and over, and you take pride in your work, therefor you buy the best. That and once I was working on a job where the EC sent one of his guys home because he came to work with all his made in China crap tools. Higher quality tools last longer, and work better. You can still kill yourself with or without Kliens.....


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## Plumber man (Nov 6, 2007)

*Ive been searching for this tool set and cannot find it anywhere*

I would have bought one of these if i had found out about them sooner 




VITAL said:


> Well, once again i passed by this set in HD and finally gave in. lol.
> 
> first big turn off is that on one side of each tool (exept screw & nut drivers) it just says CHINA. I wish they had THAT side facing u when u buy the damn product  !!!
> 
> ...


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## GeryFajardo (Apr 2, 2008)

I used klein ever since and if someone's gonna pay me to use other products. I'll surely gonna give it back to them. 









__________________
“An intellect rivaled only by garden tools”
Electrician FAQ - Commercial Electrician Tools


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## goose134 (Nov 4, 2007)

The most expensive tool you buy is the one you keep replacing.

Buy quality once.


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## wire_twister (Feb 19, 2008)

you get what you pay for


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

Never a borrower or a lender be.


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## HandyPete (Mar 23, 2008)

While were on the subject...

Has anyone seen my 35 year-old pair of red 8" Klein dikes? Damn-it! it's been like two weeks now.:furious:

- pete

Klein,T&B, Ideal, Greenlee,...each one has it's strong and week points.


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## jrclen (Feb 20, 2008)

The Chinese are really good at making junk that looks just like a quality item. Inferior steel and heat treating look pretty much the same as high quality. It's when you use them that you find the difference. I use my tools to make money. It would be foolish and short sighted to buy junk in my opinion.



HandyPete said:


> While were on the subject...
> 
> Has anyone seen my 35 year-old pair of red 8" Klein dikes? Damn-it! it's been like two weeks now.:furious:


Have you moved the 10 foot step ladder yet? Put your hard hat on first. :laughing:


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## Double A (Sep 10, 2006)

HandyPete said:


> While were on the subject...
> 
> Has anyone seen my 35 year-old pair of red 8" Klein dikes? Damn-it! it's been like two weeks now.:furious:
> 
> ...


Right here....










Oh wait, you said Klein Dikes, not Klondike. My bad.


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## joed123 (Mar 31, 2008)

*to vital ce tools at hd*

stick with kline I dont want to look at made in china when working :huh:


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## MCM (Aug 30, 2010)

*Commercial Electric Okayish*

I work for Home Depot and can attest to the fact that CE is a far inferior brand to one like Klein. However, they do have their place. I purchased an 11 piece set on clearance for $9(originally $35) for about $60 worth of CE tools, the deal aside the tools work and will be fine for my DIY/friends projects . I plan to replace with Klein when I see what I really use, I haven't seen any difference in the key hole saws yet, but the Klein multi head drivers are well worth the $10 or $12. My Klein strippers that I already owned, definitely feel more natural in my hand. The 22-piece set for $60 is popular with the Tech school crowd, I think that is a fine place to start before you even know that you will earn any money as an electrician. I knew where the CE tools where made, but I too pissed when I saw that the "china" sticker is engraved.


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## JodyBS2 (Jan 13, 2011)

*CE tools not all that bad*

It am a facility manager and I have bought CE tools for use in our facility. I have a lot of volunteers that help on projects, so I don't feel all that bad when a tool walks off. Most of my personal lectrical tools are Greenlee. I think they are great! I do have Kleins, but the Greenlee just feel better. Hope this helps.


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

The OP mentioned having a backup set of tools. In this case I say go for it. Also, Klein is not what they used to be. I know plenty electricians that have given up on Klein for one reason of the other. Ever tried to "break in" a pair of Klein side cutters (linesman's)? Not easy is it. It can take months. 
While 90% of all my electrical tools are Klein, I plan to look elsewhere in the future. Especially for screw drivers. Klein screw drivers have really gone down big time. They don't last long at all. It would be foolish to not at least try what all the other trades guys are now using in place of Klein.


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

And this post is almost 4 years old.
I would hope they have made up their mind about what tools to buy!!!!!


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## AndyinAtl (Mar 22, 2009)

Lowes in Atlanta is carrying Knipex. As good or better than Klein and nooooooo break in.


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

J. V. said:


> The OP mentioned having a backup set of tools. In this case I say go for it. Also, Klein is not what they used to be. I know plenty electricians that have given up on Klein for one reason of the other. Ever tried to "break in" a pair of Klein side cutters (linesman's)? Not easy is it. It can take months.
> While 90% of all my electrical tools are Klein, I plan to look elsewhere in the future. Especially for screw drivers. Klein screw drivers have really gone down big time. They don't last long at all. It would be foolish to not at least try what all the other trades guys are now using in place of Klein.


About 5 minutes with some WD-40 and some fine sand will loosen up a new set of Kleins.

Mark


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

I have been using Klein's for 35 years. The only way to break them in is to work with them until. Until Until and Until. I have tried everything under the sun and nothing works but use and time. You got some magic sand or something. I am asking?


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## busman (Nov 7, 2008)

J. V. said:


> I have been using Klein's for 35 years. The only way to break them in is to work with them until. Until Until and Until. I have tried everything under the sun and nothing works but use and time. You got some magic sand or something. I am asking?


I spray the joint with WD-40 and then dip them in very fine play sand (like for sand-boxes). It gets into the joint and loosens it up like sandpaper would. Really, it works, but takes 5-15 minutes of working the tool open-closed to work.

Mark


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## Klawman (Nov 10, 2009)

*Waring*

I just picked up a small digital multimeter at Home Depot; a Commercial Electric MS8232B that I told the guy I wanted to be capable of testing Air Con capacitors. I still haven't figured out if they will, but they have a setting for Ohms or CAP that seems to measure nF, which I take to be nano farads.

Anyway I do not see where it says China on the meter. It may on the packaging, but as for quality control I would have liked to have been able to see the back of the meter before buying. Above the prominent verbage about avoiding electrical shock when replacing the two AAA batteries, in much larger case it reads "WARING". The goofs didn't realize there was an "N" in warning!


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## a7ecorsair (Jun 1, 2010)

nano farad is a very small capacitor, so does the instruction sheet list the scale ranges? Most capacitors will have their value stamped on them somewhere.


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## Klawman (Nov 10, 2009)

a7ecorsair said:


> nano farad is a very small capacitor, so does the instruction sheet list the scale ranges? Most capacitors will have their value stamped on them somewhere.


It was supposed to have a users manual but none was included and neiter was there an instruction sheet. It automaticaly scaled from nF to µF when I used it this morning. Similarly, when reading ohms it begins with MΩ and quickly scales to KΩ or down to Ω.

I measured my dual capacitor and start capacitor. The Fan side of the dual read 10.41 µF. but the Hermes side was a mere 1.91 nF. The start capacitor was even worse; 0.19 nF. I havenn't been able to read the ratings on them, yet, but I may have found my problem.


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## a7ecorsair (Jun 1, 2010)

Klawman said:


> It was supposed to come with a manual, but there is none. When capacitance is selected, it begins measuring nF but quickly scales to
> µF. Similarly on auto the first function is MΩ, but it scaled itself to KΩ, when reading the crankcase heater and to Ω when reading single digits.
> 
> The dual capacitor read:
> ...


I'd have to agree. Any electrolytic capacitor is going to be more than .19 nF..


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## Klawman (Nov 10, 2009)

a7ecorsair said:


> I'd have to agree. Any electrolytic capacitor is going to be more than .19 nF..


Yep. I think I may have located the problem and for $35 the new meter is well worth it. How long it would last in continuous use is one thing, but hopefully it will do just fine for me.


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## Haligonian (Jun 4, 2011)

J. V. said:


> The OP mentioned having a backup set of tools. In this case I say go for it. Also, Klein is not what they used to be. I know plenty electricians that have given up on Klein for one reason of the other. Ever tried to "break in" a pair of Klein side cutters (linesman's)? Not easy is it. It can take months.
> While 90% of all my electrical tools are Klein, I plan to look elsewhere in the future. Especially for screw drivers. Klein screw drivers have really gone down big time. They don't last long at all. It would be foolish to not at least try what all the other trades guys are now using in place of Klein.


I just got some Knipex lineman's. omg i love them! Cuts though everything like a hot knife through butter!
Had Klein's before which i liked alot but they did take awhile to break in.


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## Dornier (Mar 16, 2011)

Klawman said:


> I just picked up a small digital multimeter at Home Depot; a Commercial Electric MS8232B that I told the guy I wanted to be capable of testing Air Con capacitors. I still haven't figured out if they will, but they have a setting for Ohms or CAP that seems to measure nF, which I take to be nano farads.
> 
> Anyway I do not see where it says China on the meter. It may on the packaging, but as for quality control I would have liked to have been able to see the back of the meter before buying. Above the prominent verbage about avoiding electrical shock when replacing the two AAA batteries, in much larger case it reads "WARING". The goofs didn't realize there was an "N" in warning!



I have that meter. Personally, I think it's difficult to read. And mine's missing an "N" too!?


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## Oso954 (Jun 23, 2012)

bigMikeB said:


> I saw the same set of tools at the depot the other day and was thinking it looked too good to pass up, the color and style look a lot like Greenlee which just started turning out electrical hand tools
> If they are made of decent steel how bad can they be for the price?


???
:confused1:


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## andrew79 (Mar 25, 2010)

J. V. said:


> I have been using Klein's for 35 years. The only way to break them in is to work with them until. Until Until and Until. I have tried everything under the sun and nothing works but use and time. You got some magic sand or something. I am asking?


Last set of Klein's I bought they had this special oil I bought at the supplier. Loosened them up real quick. If I can find the bottle ill post it. I'd rate the new greenlee stuff just below Klein's and just above ideal. They've made a solid product at a decent price point.


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## electures (Dec 22, 2009)

Been using Klein for close to forty years. The best!!:thumbup:


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## jrclen (Feb 20, 2008)

busman said:


> I spray the joint with WD-40 and then dip them in very fine play sand (like for sand-boxes). It gets into the joint and loosens it up like sandpaper would. Really, it works, but takes 5-15 minutes of working the tool open-closed to work.
> 
> Mark


Or you can buy Craftsman or any other good brand and have them work right out of the box. And get a new pair for free when you wear them out. I bought Kleins for years because that is what the older guys used. I finally figured out the performance was worth more than the name. I don't have time to screw with a tool. I need it to work from day one.


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## Had Robinson (Mar 10, 2019)

Stay away from Home Depot's "Commercial Electric" brand - it is mostly junk made in China. I needed a quick pair of crimping pliers while traveling but they did not crimp properly - the jaws were too far apart! Stick with Klein. My Klein tools are still going strong after decades of hard use - there is nothing like them per quality and ease of use. - Master Electrician


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

another zombie thread brought back to life after years.


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