The grips came in today so as promised here is a wee review and a comparison to other grips. (The only old style alligators i have are insulated ones, only the handles are different)
The grips are officially Draper Expert's (61755 4003). They look very similar to alligators without the dipped handles. Differences apart from that are they are handed the way they are made compared to knipex and don't have the knipex stamp. They open the very same distances at all settings and grip nuts at exactly the same points. The casting finish is slightly rougher than on knipex but comparable with rothenberg.
Photo's
Trying them on a piece of 1" steel compared to others, steel pipe in the vice and swinging on them with 16 stone of weight, and the drapers bite and grip as good as either of the knipex. The only ones that slipped were the rothenberg
I think for everyday use if you were constantly using them, the lack of plastic grip may bother you but apart from that the build quality is very good. They are nothing like any of the other draper pump pliers offerings. Time will tell on the quality and hardness of the steel used with the wear rate of the teeth. I'll let you know how they wear in a month or so.
Scores
New style alligators 9/10
Old styles alligators 8½/10
Drapers 7½/10
Rothenberg 5/10
The new style alligators score higher because they open further. The drapers loose a point from the old style alligators for no plastic handles and the rothenbergs are quite junk anyway.
So there you have it. For 4 quid they are not a bad set of grips in fact for 4 quid they are excellent. There is a few places selling them about the internet. Buy a set and make your own mind up.
