Klein Tools D2139NERWB American Legacy Lineman's Pliers, New England Nose, 9-Inch

No. The D2139NERWB is not insulated. The plastic-dipped handles are there for grip and quick identification in a pouch, not shock protection, and Klein states plainly they are not intended for protection against electrical shock. If you need to work energized, you want a 1000V insulated tool, not this one. Klein's insulated lineman's pliers carry a -INS suffix on the catalog number.

No. The D2139NERWB has no tether point and is not tether capable, so it should not be used on an aerial lift, tower or any elevated job where a drop-prevention program requires an attachment point. Klein builds a separate tether-capable line for that work; look for their tools marked tether capable with a factory attachment ring.

The New England nose is a shorter, blunter, slightly tapered head than the classic Western pattern, which is why electricians who twist a lot of conductors in a box favor it. On the D2139NERWB the jaw runs 1.594 inches long, 1.25 inches wide and 0.625 inches thick, with cross-hatched knurling for grip. If you spend more time reaching into deep gutters or pulling in a trough, the longer Western nose gives you more reach; the New England head trades reach for a stouter tip.

Jaw capacity is 1.375 inches, so anything up to about 1-3/8 inches across fits between the jaws. That covers a 1-inch conduit locknut and most bushings you would snug by hand on a rough-in. The knurled, cross-hatched gripping surface is what holds it. For anything above that opening you are into a pump plier or a channel-type wrench.

The cutting knife measures 0.781 inches and is induction hardened for long life, with the rivet set close to the cutting edge for 46 percent more cutting and gripping power than conventional plier designs. Those are side-cutting knives sized for copper and aluminum building wire and soft wire. They are not a hardened-fastener cutter, so if your work involves ACSR, bolts or screws, order a lineman's plier built with a dedicated crimping and hardened cutting design rather than relying on the plain side cutters here.

Mechanically it is the same New England nose 9-inch high-leverage lineman's plier. The American Legacy difference is cosmetic and it is a limited edition: blue and white plastic-dipped handles instead of the usual Klein red, with the American flag lasered onto the plier head. Spec for spec, jaw, knife and leverage are unchanged, so buy it on the handle if you want the flag, and buy the standard dipped-handle version if you are matching a crew's existing tools by color.

Yes, the D2139NERWB is made in the USA, which matters if you are buying against a Buy American or domestic-preference requirement on a public job. The head is precision-hardened steel with a hot-riveted joint, so there is no handle wobble as the tool wears in.

That is what the handle tempering on this Klein plier is for. Klein tempers the handles to absorb the snap when a conductor parts, which is the sting you feel in your wrist cutting a taut run. Combined with the Handform handle shape and the 5.688 inch handle length, it is aimed at repeat cutting through a shift rather than the occasional cut.