Might have been... suffice to say, my Dad is almost at the point where he makes me sign for things I borrow
Which reminds me... I really should find his fish tape and take it back next time I visit
Thing is, there is nothing worse than trying to muddle through making do with a bit of kit that is oh so nearly right but not quite. Life is much easier if you have the right gear, or at least that's what I keep telling myself.
Just been to Edmundson's in Newport... had to drag myself away from the tool wall... me likey
Anyhow with regards to the Knipex Installation Pliers, I generally don't use the ferrule crimper as I prefer the ratchet one I have and I don't use the cable shear part for say splitting the end of T+E, I normally use my wire cutters for that. I think the main reason is the shears are pretty dam sharp and I have no desire to clip the end of a pinky with them. As a result I normally just take my Knipex snips and the installation pliers, which if you're installing in say a loft using Wago boxes is great. Hammer for clipping, snips mainly for splitting the cable, installation pliers for everything else and say a screwdriver for fixing the boxes in place.
They are quite long and can seem unwieldy but the flexibility from one tool, saves weighing yourself down with too much.
Stripping cable smaller than 1.5mm can be a bit of a pain, but that doesn't happen that often. The only real issue I have is if I don't grab enough of the CPC when pulling it out to split the sheath, it can slip out as the end section of the pliers is smooth and I have scratched a wall, left and indent on a ceiling before and smacked myself in the face as a result. But other than those minor niggles, I wouldn't be without them.