PIPELINE 2.0: New USA Made Milwaukee Cutting Pliers and Screwdrivers

Updated 4/24/23: Milwaukee have put their Made in the USA hand tools up for pre-sale, and we’ve got a video detailing all the features that you’ll find on the new line of screwdrivers and pliers. Watch the video below, and read our latest write-up here!

In their second round of PIPELINE releases, Milwaukee has announced a full range of electrician’s hand tools along with new Outdoor Power Equipment (learn more)! Their new line of cutting pliers and screwdrivers were created to address common frustrations across a variety of industries. These wont be available until early 2023, but Milwaukee gave a sneak peak into the new range this week!

Made in the USA

Milwaukee confirmed that this new line of cutting pliers are all manufactured in the US, over in West Bend, Wisconsin. They are also committed to sourcing nearly all of their raw materials domestically, which is huge news and definitely worth celebrating. With this new line of American-made hand tools, Milwaukee is promising to outperform their top competitors like Knipex, Klein, Wiha, and Wera, who create some of the best hand tools in the world. Now that’s a big promise! Their current offering of imported Milwaukee hand tools will still be available at a mid-range price point, but if you want to opt for the USA-made models, you can find those in this launch.

Cutting Pliers

Cutting pliers are used by all trades to cut wire and cable; to grab, twist, bend, or pull materials; to ream; crimp; cut bolts; remove knockouts; and more. With this launch, Milwaukee is announcing six new lineman’s pliers, six new diagonal pliers, and two new long nose pliers that are all designed to outperform all other cutting pliers on the market. The most common complaints with certain cutting pliers have to do with their cutting capacity, the life of the blades and teeth, and how easy they are to open and close. Milwaukee took these concerns into account when making these to create the best cutting pliers targeted towards professionals.

How did they do this? All of their new cutting pliers offer the best leverage possible to make difficult cuts. The handles have a comfortable grip that is shaped to cut through wiring and difficult materials with less effort. The curved design of these new pliers supports your hand at the front and back, helping you apply more force to make difficult cuts. The cutting heads also have laser-hardened edges and teeth to prevent them from wearing down over time. This, along with the press-forged steel body, will help keep the tools effective and functional for much longer.

Another key pain point that Milwaukee wanted to address with this new launch was avoiding the annoying break-in period for pliers where they’re stiff and uncomfortable. Their new line of pliers are designed to have a smooth open and close even on the first use, giving you a lot more consistency with your cuts and preventing your pliers from sticking.  

Available Styles

There are six new 9” Lineman’s Pliers in this launch. Specialized for electricians and power utility workers, these come in both dipped grip and comfort grip options, with either crimper and bolt cutting features or thread cutter features included depending on your application. Whether you want a dipped grip or comfort grip plier usually varies based on personal preference. Dipped grip pliers are more cost effective and offer non-slip protection from the metal body. Comfort grip handles are generally designed to be more comfortable (shocking, I know) especially when you need to apply a lot of force. The comfort grip also helps prevent blisters and add more padding in targeted pressure point areas on your hand. Whichever style you like better, Milwaukee has an option available for you in all of their new plier styles.

Milwaukee also has 6 new Diagonal Cutting Pliers, which can be used for a ton of universal applications across industries. There are 6”, 7”, and 8” options available in both comfort grip and dipped grip. These are made of the same durable press-forged steel that the lineman’s pliers are and have a tapered nose for precise, flush cuts.

Lastly, there are two new 8” Long Nose Plier styles in either dipped grip or comfort grip. These can cut 1/2” to 1” conduit and also have the lanyard-ready design to tether them if needed. These are great for gripping small objects, reaching awkward places, holding wires, bending loops, and attaching smaller gauge wires together.

Screwdrivers

Now, onto their new screwdrivers! The new range of screwdrivers is optimized to be used across industries including electrical work, remodeling, carpentry, metalworking, mechanical and HVAC, maintenance and repair, and more. These are all designed for long-lasting precision, with the key selling point being the laser-etched bit tips that prevent slipping and are made of high-strength boron infused steel. Each bit is precisely shaped to fit perfectly into screws to reduce stripping on tough screws.

The new screwdrivers are going to be available in 4-piece (MT200-4) and 6-piece (MT200-6) kits, as well as individually. There are 19 individual screwdriver styles, including various Phillips head, slotted, cabinet, ECX, and square screwdrivers.

Both the Cutting Pliers and Screwdrivers come with a Lifetime Guarantee from Milwaukee. In fact, Milwaukee is so confident in this new line of made in the USA hand tools that they will replace any of them that are determined to be defective in material or workmanship during the useful lifetime of the tool.

This is an exciting second release for the Milwaukee PIPELINE event, and we’re definitely going to test these out once we can get our hands on them. The new Cutting Pliers and Screwdrivers will be available early 2023! Check out all the tool announcements from the June and August PIPELINE launches here! If you have any questions about these new releases, give us a call at 800-242-4424, email us at sales@ohiopowertool.com, or leave a comment below for assistance. We’re always happy to help! To be the first to know about new products and deals, subscribe to our e-newsletter and follow us on social media!