2026 test16 productsHand Tools
Which Diagonal Cutters Brand Wins?
We compared 16 diagonal cutters options head to head. SK came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
SK
Price shown in test: $18
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Runner-up
Channellock
Price shown in test: $29
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Budget pick
SK
Price shown in test: $18
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Made_in | Claim | Weight_g | Jaw_gap_pivot_mm | Nail_cut_peak_lb | Screw_cut_peak_lb | Squeeze_close_force | Drill_bit_cut_peak_lb | Hex_key_test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1SK$18 | China | heavy-duty cutters built with high-carbon steel, laser hardened edges | 314.29, heaviest at the point it was tested | 4.26 | 66, best (lowest force) of all 16 brands | 137, second place behind the Wiha | closed without the force meter registering any resistance, right out of the box | 187, second place behind the Workpro | broke at 233 lb with some damage to the cutting knives; made 0.1 mm of progress before failing |
| 2Channellock$29 | USA | extreme leverage technology, claims less force to cut compared to other high-leverage models | 303.74 | 3.43 | 75, moved into third place behind the Workpro at the time it was tested | 140, third place behind SK and Wiha | closed without any noticeable resistance | 197 | broke at 263 lb, main body was the point of failure; made 0.26 mm of progress, more than average |
| 3Wiha$37 | Vietnam | double the cutting power with the press of a button; patented dynamic joint claims 40 percent less cutting effort and longer tool life | 327.84 | 4.92 at maximum jaw opening, 2.04 at maximum leverage setting, described as a lot of leverage | 81 | 117, best (lowest force) of all 16 brands | no noticeable resistance despite having several moving parts | 196, third place behind Workpro and SK | broke at 243 lb, main body broke and the jaw was badly bent, though the cutting knives were still in good shape; made 0.24 mm of progress |
| 4Workpro$13 | China | high-leverage diagonal pliers, bevel edge design, claims 30 percent less effort, corrosion-resistant coating | 273.38 | 4.25, about half the gap of the Utoolmart | 68, second place behind the SK | 146 | 1,170 g (2.6 lb) after 100 open/close cycles, described as pretty stiff | 158, best (lowest force) of all 16 brands | broke at 235 lb, main body broke with only a small amount of damage to the cutting knives; made 0.11 mm of progress |
| 5Craftsman$23 | Vietnam, finished in China | compact action design for more leverage, cutting edges claimed to stay sharper longer, drop forged steel, lifetime warranty | 319.53 | 2.58 one-handed at the pivot point with 5 in handles; about 5.66 mm if using both hands | 87 | 184 | 1,290 g (2.8 lb) after 100 open/close cycles, described as pretty stiff | 225 | broke at 353 lb, jaw was the point of failure; made 0.35 mm of progress, the most of any brand up to that point in the video |
| 6Engineer$23, same price as the Craftsman | Japan | designed to cut nails and screws, claims blade hardness of HRC 58 | 263.6 | 6.72 | 121 | 259 | moved freely right out of the box with no noticeable resistance | 284 | did not break: 'the Engineer pliers held in there just about as long as the Knipex' before finally breaking at 528 lb, the body broke but the cutting knives remained in really good shape; made 0.46 mm of progress, the most of any brand |
| 7Irwin$26 | China | angled head for tight spaces, laser heat treated cutting edges, two zone comfort grips | 328.44 | 4.89 | 89, good enough for fourth place behind the Craftsman at the time it was tested | 161 | closed without any resistance | 215 | broke at 287 lb, jaw was the point of failure; made only 0.1 mm of progress |
| 8Southwire$29 | China | angled head for cutting hard and soft wires, induction hardened cutting blades, lifetime warranty | 308.52 | 3.95 | 78, good enough for fourth place behind the Channellocks at the time it was tested | 154 | moved very freely with no resistance | 204 | broke into two pieces at just over 300 lb, with quite a bit of damage to the cutting knives; made 0.24 mm of progress |
| 9Crescent$30 | China | compound action claimed to reduce cutting effort by 40 percent, 0.5 in jaw capacity for thick wire | 362.8, heaviest at the point it was tested | 2.82 | 93 | 148, good enough for fourth place behind the Workpro at the time it was tested | 400 g (just under 1 lb) to close | did not complete the cut; the main body of the pliers suffered catastrophic damage, though the cutting knives held up well | not carried forward to this test in the transcript, consistent with its failure in the prior drill bit test |
| 10GearWrench$35 | Vietnam, finished in China | laser hardened cutting edge for 50 percent longer life, reaming edges for deburring pipes, claims 35 percent less effort | 320.5 | 3.56 | 69, third place behind SK and Workpro | 144, third place behind Channellock at the time it was tested | 640 g (1.4 lb) after 100 open/close cycles, described as pretty stiff | 205 | broke at just over 300 lb when the jaw failed; made 0.16 mm of progress |
| 11Milwaukee$35 | USA | optimized pivot point for leverage, laser hardened edge, claims smoothest opening and closing, press forged steel, lifetime guarantee | 273.29 | 4.64, a leverage disadvantage compared to several other brands | 75, better than average | 180 | moved freely as advertised, no noticeable resistance | 254 | became badly bent at a peak force of around 272 lb rather than breaking outright; made 0.4 mm of progress |
| 12Knipex$38 | Germany | high leverage diagonal cutters for tough continuous use, claims cutting edge hardness of approximately 64 HRC | 259.89, fairly light | not given a specific figure in the transcript beyond being described as offering less leverage than most other brands | 107 | 217, struggled relative to other brands | 280 g (0.6 lb) after 100 open/close cycles, a small amount of effort | 307 | the only brand of all 16 to survive without breaking, cutting all the way through the hex key at 531 lb of force; described as only the second set of pliers the reviewer has ever tested that managed to cut through a hex key in five years of testing |
| 13Klein Tools$41 | USA | induction hardened cutting knives, designed to cut ACSR, screws, nails, and most hardened wire | 315.2 | 5.31 | 72, better than average, outperforming its own leverage profile | 165 | opened and closed like a well-lubricated machine | 219 | broke at 387 lb, main body was the point of failure; made 0.75 mm of progress, finishing second behind the Knipex, which cut all the way through |
| 14Gedore$70 | Austria | induction hardened precision cutting edges with a claimed hardness of 63 to 65 HRC, good lever action | 318.1 | 5.94, less leverage than the Klein Tools | 104 | 234 | performed just as well as the Klein Tools, essentially no resistance | 332 | broke at just under 500 lb, main body broke with quite a bit of damage to the cutting knives; made 0.37 mm of progress, better than average |
| 15Snap-on$78, most expensive brand tested | USA | joint positioned close to the cutting edge for greater leverage; claims small joint combined with longer handles increases leverage by 19 percent; designed for hard wire, soft wire, and spring steel | 345.21 | 4.8 | 101 | 211 | 2.4 kg (5.5 lb) after 100 open/close cycles, the stiffest of all 16 brands, purchased new directly from Snap-on | 228 | broke at 299 lb, main body cracked; made 0.18 mm of progress |
| 16Utoolmart$10, least expensive brand tested | Japan | high-quality carbon steel, spring-loaded handle (unlike most other brands tested) | 215.86 | 8.58, worst leverage profile of all 16 brands | 171, worst (highest force needed) in this test, with some resulting damage to the cutting knives | 290, causing catastrophic damage to the cutting knives | 450 g (1.1 lb) | not tested further in the transcript, consistent with the catastrophic damage sustained in the screw test | not tested further in the transcript |
How it was tested
- jaw gap/leverage profile measured in mm at the pivot point with handles at 5 in
- weight of each set of pliers
- peak force in lb required to cut through a 16-penny nail
- peak force in lb required to cut through a number 10 deck screw
- force in g/lb required to squeeze the jaws closed, measured after 100 open-close cycles to break them in
- peak force in lb required to cut through the shaft of a 3/16 in (4.7 mm) drill bit
- peak force in lb and cutting progress in mm attempting to cut through a 3/16 in hex (Allen) key, a near-destructive final test
“the very affordable SK tools came in on top with the best average finish of 3.8”