Knipex pliers

A pair of Knipex circlip pliers I picked up a few weeks ago:

In 1882, Carl Gustav Putsch founded a small forge, making pliers in Cronenberg, Germany.  With the assistance of two apprentices, he forged carpenters' and farriers' pliers by hand in his cellar.  Twelve years later, he installed a drop hammer in the house, which shook every time the hammer struck.  The hammer was soon moved to a neighbouring shed.

Source:  Knipex online museum

By 1914, he had 7 employees, and 27 by 1927 (when they were producing 7,000 pliers each week!)  The "Knipex" brand was registered in 1942. 

Today, the company is the world's leading brand for pliers.  They maintain a museum in Wuppertal, samples from which can be viewed online.  Some examples below.