manufacturing founded 1857 founder mathias klein headquarters lincolnshire illinois products hand tools website www.kleintools.com klein tools is an american company based in lincolnshire illinois 1 that manufactures hand tools . the company is known for its popularity with workers in the electrical 2 3 4 and telecommunications 5 6 industries . lineman s pliers are often called kleins an example of a genericized trademark . klein s line up contains more than 3 800 different tools including 165 different types of pliers in addition to screwdrivers nut drivers wire pulling and stripping tools crimping tools scissors snips and shears cable and bolt cutters conduit benders personal protective equipment and tool bags . 7 klein produces a high end line of tools under its journeyman label . 8 contents 1 history 2 sponsorships 3 gallery 4 references 5 external links history edit klein tools was founded in 1857 in chicago illinois by german immigrant mathias klein . 9 the first tool klein made was a pair of side cutting pliers for a telegraph lineman . the company grew as the telegraph and eventually telephone and electrical industries grew after the civil war by adding 100 types of pliers in the 1910s . from the 1960s 1980s the company expanded their product line to include leather and canvas products occupational safety equipment hex key wrenches screwdrivers nut drivers as well as electrical terminals and connectors . along the way klein acquired the r.h. buhrke company of fort smith arkansas in 1968 and the vaco products company of jonesville michigan in 1986 . 10 also in the mid 1980s the company started manufacturing adjustable wrenches in the us which they had previously been purchasing from a japanese supplier . 11 klein tools built a drop forging plant in moran kansas and distribution center in cedar rapids iowa before the 1990s . 12 13 in 2006 klein tools moved its corporate headquarters to lincolnshire il . also that year the company added an affiliate klein connection to help ensure a wider distribution of klein products . klein connection is an e commerce website . 11 in 2011 the company opened their new advanced manufacturing facility in mansfield texas . in 2014 they opened their new heat treating facility and announced plans to expand on their 100 acres in mansfield . 14 the company is still owned and managed by members of the klein family . 15 12 klein tools currently has offices and facilities in fort smith ar ; lincolnshire il ; cedar rapids ia ; bolivar ny ; mansfield tx ; and turn key forging & design inc. operations in elk grove village il . 16 17 sponsorships edit klein tools got involved in motorsports in 1994 to gain visibility with auto racing fans . 11 drivers of klein backed cars included jacques villeneuve who won the indianapolis 500 and the cart championship in 1995 ; and dan weldon co major sponsor with jim beam who won the indianapolis 500 in 2005 . 11 18 in 2001 klein tools started sponsoring aerobatics pilot michael mancuso . he flew the klein tools extra 300l during air shows and at indycar events as the official air show of the indy racing league . 11 19 gallery edit three klein screwdrivers with their distinctive handles . newer cushion grip screwdrivers . klein journeyman screwdrivers . a set of klein journeyman pliers . an adjustable wrench . a double open ended wrench . a wire stripper . a modular plug crimper . a 240 steel fish tape . a bottle opener . references edit electrical contractor magazine 2006 08 . klein tools moves corporate headquarters . retrieved 2010 01 09 . industrial maintenance & plant operation 2000 05 01 . klein tools a tradition of quality and success . retrieved 2010 01 09 . cage chuck 2007 03 16 . reader find klein s beverage tool . toolmonger . retrieved 2010 01 09 . brewer jay 2008 05 20 . klein tools turns 150 . tool snob . retrieved 2010 01 09 . contracting business 2007 04 01 . klein tools founder inducted into lineman s museum hall . retrieved 2010 01 09 . alloy artifacts . various hand tool makers . retrieved 2010 01 25 . klein connection . about us . retrieved 2010 01 12 . klein tools 2001 08 . klein tools introduces new journeyman line of premium pliers for professionals . retrieved 2010 01 12 . murphy h. lee 1996 07 08 . pliers poker . crain s chicago business . retrieved 2014 03 12 . f & f industrial equipment corp. manufacturer spotlight klein tools . retrieved 2014 04 04 . a b c d e wack kevin 2008 . forging endurance the klein tools story . old saybrook connecticut greenwich publishing . p. 91 . isbn 0 944641 69 5 . retrieved 2014 04 04 . a b cableorganizer.com . the history of klein tools . retrieved 2010 01 09 . f & f industrial equipment corp. manufacturer spotlight klein tools . retrieved 2014 04 04 . contractorsupplymagazine.com . inside klein tools texas manufacturing hq . retrieved 2014 04 17 . klein tools . about klein . retrieved 2010 01 09 . fox 17 news . klein tools rockford michigan facility to move in 2015 . retrieved 2014 03 13 . contractorsupplymagazine.com . inside klein tools texas manufacturing hq . retrieved 2014 04 17 . the auto channel . klein tools signs multi year sponsorship deal with andretti green . retrieved 2014 04 17 . crash.net . air show to enhance pre race build up . retrieved 2014 03 17 . external links edit klein tools web site klein connection e commerce web site klein tradesman club web site v t e hand tool manufacturers current dasco pro inc. apex tool group allen armstrong tools crescent diamond gearwrench k d tools lufkin nicholson plumb sata tools wiss xcelite bondhus buck bros. channellock cornwell tools digitool solutions disston saw works ega master eklind emerson ridgid empire level estwing felo few fiskars gerber gardner bender gedore gray tools dynamic tools hazet hans tools heyco ideal industries pratt read sk hand tools western forge klein tools knipex kukko leatherman lie nielsen toolworks lisle corporation lowell corporation matco tools martin tool & forge newell brands irwin lenox otc park tool pb swiss saltus sandvik senco snap on bahco cdi torque products williams stahlwille stanley black & decker blackhawk bostitch dewalt facom mac tools proto sidchrome stanley hand tools textron greenlee klauke paladin tools techtronic industries milwaukee thorsen manufacturing tom f teira toptul vaughan victorinox wenger wera tools wescott westward tools wiha tools witte tools wright tool historic coes wrench company easco hand tools forest city screwdriver and drill company goodell pratt hinsdale holtzapffel indestro mathieson mckaig hatch new britain machine company norris north brothers manufacturing company h. d. smith & co. utica tools bonney forge herbrand vlchek house brands ace hardware ace tools autozone duralast blain s farm and fleet duracraft canadian tire mastercraft the home depot husky lee valley veritas lowe s kobalt menards masterforce montgomery ward powrkraft sears craftsman retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title klein tools & oldid 724328231 categories electrical tool manufacturerstool manufacturing companies of the united statescompanies established in 1857privately held companies based in illinoiscompanies based in lake county illinoislincolnshire illinois navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 8 june 2016 at 14 45 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy 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