Eric L. Anstadt’s business card reads assistant professor of electrical technology/occupations at Pennsylvania College of Technology. It could be shortened to electrical ambassador. 

The proof is obvious in the positive manner he uses to instruct and encourage his students. The way his eyes brighten when discussing the field’s abundant career possibilities. The way he smiles when revealing how the industry has benefited him. The way he spends some of his free time. 

Admittedly, the latter piece of evidence is inconspicuous. It requires some detective work and a trip about 40 minutes south of the Penn College campus. The winding country road ends at a partial log home tucked in the woods outside of Mifflinburg. It’s the residence Anstadt shares with his wife, Becky, their four kids and three dogs. 

After maneuvering past Gibor, Meatball and Groucho – the dogs, not the kids – a narrow staircase awaits. The steps descend to the basement. To the right is a door that Anstadt obliges to open. What’s revealed resembles a vault rather than a storage area. The space is a treasure trove of tools. 

Not just any tools. These are Klein Tools, some dating to the late 1800s, long before the company became known as the top producer of hand tools for the electrical industry. 

“I separate my collection into three categories: lineman tools, commemorative tools and weird stuff,” Anstadt said. 

Each classification is well-represented. 

The orange Klein Tools-branded pegboards that envelop the walls hold the lineman pliers, organized by year from pre-1897 to today. All but four years are represented. “I’ve got a wild hair to have a pair from every year,” Anstadt admitted.

The shelves above and the floor below are cluttered with collectables, all affixed with the Klein name, logo or both. There are hats, mugs, toolboxes and work gloves, complemented by moleskin coasters, grilling accessories and flags. Want a canvas bag given as a wedding favor at the nuptials of Mathias Klein IV? Anstadt is your guy. He’s also the source for Klein screwdrivers boasting glow-in-the-dark handles, an Indy 500 pit pass, enamel signs dating back decades, old clocks, a model airplane and a rare keychain from Australia. 

“I like to buy anything odd and stuff that was in limited production,” he said. 

On cue, there’s a 125th anniversary toy truck stuffed in a box. And chrome pliers to celebrate the same company milestone. Hanging close by are commemorative pliers for the year 2000. On the floor is a stuffed “Skokie” bear given to employees when Klein closed its original foundry in Skokie, Illinois. And taken from the attic is a four-wheel, remote-controlled cooler in the shape of a box truck. It’s usually stored next to two large totes, containing doubles and triples of the 800 or so pairs of pliers that Anstadt owns. 

“You have to unpack the totes to move them,” he chuckled. 

Anstadt became a Klein Tools “snob” during his freshman year at Penn College in 2006. The toolkit he purchased to pursue associate degrees in electrical technology and electromechanical maintenance technology (known today as mechatronics technology) contained the company’s products. 

“I had never heard of Klein before,” he said. “I liked the way the tools felt in my hand. You get used to how the handle feels, and if you switch to another company, the tools don’t feel the same. Klein Tools are tough and reliable.” 

To back his claim, Anstadt showed still-sturdy Klein pliers manufactured more than 125 years ago. His sleuthing skills determined the age of the tool. The pliers are stamped “M. Klein & Son.” In 1897, the company transitioned to “M. Klein & Sons” and began putting that new name on its tools. Consequently, Anstadt believes anything marked “M. Klein & Son” was made prior to 1897. Since 1917, Klein has imprinted a code on its tools to identify the production year. Of course, Anstadt deciphered the code. 

“I like the history of the company. I like the fact that they’re an American company and that they are family owned,” Anstadt said. “They believe in the products they make and will stand behind their products.” 

Klein’s origins date to 1857 when, according to company lore, Mathias Klein, a German immigrant, opened a forge shop in Chicago. His repair of side-cutting pliers for a telegraph lineman led to the first Klein pliers. The development of telegraphic communication and electric power spurred the company’s growth because workers in the fledgling industries required hand tools. Klein’s descendants to the sixth generation own and manage the company, headquartered today in the northern suburbs of Chicago. 

Anstadt was 28 when he enrolled in college and became smitten with Klein Tools. About to be married, he desired a profession with regular hours after working for years as a shipping manager at a furniture factory and sales representative/driver for the former Schwan Food Co. Plus, Mike Bower, the owner of Turnkey Electric Inc. in Williamsport and the uncle of Anstadt’s best friend, promised a job if he graduated from Penn College’s program. 

“I’d always been interested in electrical work and had done some on my own. I just needed to be trained in how to properly do it,” Anstadt said. 

The nontraditional student learned well, making the Dean’s List every semester. After graduating, Anstadt followed his promised path, working at Turnkey Electric. In 2016, he returned to his alma mater when a faculty position opened. Teaching became an avenue to give back. 

“I have a duty to the students. That duty originates from a debt I owe to those who trained me,” said Anstadt, who in recent years obtained a bachelor’s in applied technology studies from Penn College and a master’s in education from Wilkes University. “People trained me and invested in my future to help me be successful throughout my career. I like to think that I am doing a little of that with my teaching. I take great pride in the thought that I might be making a difference for someone else.” 

He’s meeting that goal, explained Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial and computer technologies. 

“Eric’s genuine commitment to the electrical field is evident not only by his own technical expertise but also his dedication to fostering the next generation of professionals,” she said. “His enthusiasm for teaching goes beyond the classroom, where he ensures our students are equipped with the hands-on and problem-solving skills they need. He also builds in them the confidence necessary to succeed in their future careers.” 

When teaching, Anstadt doesn’t brag about his Klein Tools collection, which now totals about 2,500 pieces and countless types of memorabilia. What started as buying additional tools for school and work morphed over the years into a crusade. “It just snowballed,” he admitted. 

More like an avalanche. 

Whether through swap meets, flea markets, eBay, or other means, Anstadt loves the hunt for atypical items representing the company he reveres. His favorite tool? That would a bone-handle knife used to cut zinc off the top of batteries. “I have never seen another one,” he said. The most unusual? That distinction belongs to a metal patent tag from an 1871 Wilson’s “adjustable invalid chair” for which Mathias Klein did the metalwork. 

Anstadt has put plenty of miles on his Subaru Outback to support his hobby. Like the time he drove to Richmond, Virginia, on a moment’s notice – with $2,000 in his pocket – to purchase “a pile of stuff” at an electrical store that was going out of business. Or the occasion he traveled to Southern Ontario – another day trip – to buy limited edition pliers only available through City Electric Supply stores in Canada. 

That trek across the border required proof of purchase for Anstadt to return to his homeland. 

“The border agent was like, ‘You drove to Canada for 45 minutes to turn around and come back?’ The lady was a little suspicious,” Anstadt recalled. “When I told her I came up to buy pliers, she was even more suspicious! Then I showed the pliers and the receipt.” 

When the incredulous border official asked him why he would make such an effort just for pliers, Anstadt had a very matter-of-fact response: “This is the only place you can get them.” 

Sometimes an ocean separates Anstadt from coveted collectables. He meets that challenge by relying on other Klein enthusiasts. A friend in Ireland is his source for Klein Tools exclusive to the European market. As for the Australian and Asian sectors, Anstadt relies on “Tommy from Guam” to ship anything on his wish list. 

Those and numerous other contacts have been developed through an active online community. A few years ago, Anstadt’s contributions to a Facebook page dedicated to Klein Tools collectors prompted the company to appoint him as the site’s administrator. He later assumed the same role for the Klein Tools fans page. Combined, the two social media groups have over 36,000 members. Anstadt is responsible for approving new members and monitoring the content. He also shares his knowledge.

"Eric manages the groups well. He does a great job of helping others understand and get into collecting,” said Kevin Enke, director of digital technology for Klein Tools. “He is very generous with his time and has made connections across several states and countries. It’s great to see the camaraderie he has with the groups.” 

Anstadt also has established a bond with Enke. In fact, the Klein executive visited him and his collection last spring. 

“Eric has several unique, out-of-the-ordinary items,” Enke said. “I love his commitment to the sequential pliers collection. He has the largest collection of pliers I have ever seen. The pre-1900 pliers are amazing to me. They’re still usable. To think how much has changed in the world in the last 125 years and to hold something that built America over a century ago was really cool.” 

Enke spent time with Anstadt on campus, touring the college’s state-of-the-art electrical labs and witnessing them full of aspiring professionals. The associate degree majors in electrical construction, electrical technology and mechatronics technology have been at maximum student capacity for the past couple of years. While there, Enke surprised Anstadt with an engraved glass award, signifying him as the inaugural member of the Klein Tools Hall of Fame. 

“The Hall of Fame was put together to honor those who have made contributions to the company and the trades,” Enke explained. “We appreciate Eric for his dedication to trade education and the passion he shares with others in running the Klein Tools Collectors group.” 

“It was astonishing that they would recognize me,” Anstadt said. 

While humbled by the honor, he takes greater pride in serving as a conduit between the college and the company. Klein Tools is a Penn College Corporate Tomorrow Maker and supports electrical students with tooling donations and educational discounts. 

“We are grateful for the support of Klein Tools that has provided help to many of our students,” said Elizabeth A. Biddle, senior corporate relations director. “Because of Eric’s engagement and passion for Klein Tools and his appreciation for the company’s history, he opened the door to a partnership.” 

Anstadt doesn’t measure his passion for Klein Tools by the monetary value of his collection. Yes, he believes he could find someone to pay about $20,000 to buy it “lock, stock and barrel.” If he sold it piece by piece on eBay, he estimates the haul would be about $60,000. But for Anstadt, neither avenue is an option. The experience of supporting his favorite company by accumulating its tools and memorabilia is priceless. 

“I like to sniff around,” he said with a sly smile. 

And he has plans to use some of the artifacts as a tool to inspire today’s students. Anstadt hopes to fill a display case in the college’s Electrical Technologies Center with vintage pliers, knives and a lineman torch from the early 1900s. 

“I want to show the students what was actually used back then and how lucky they are now that they don’t have to do it that way,” he said. 

Electrical ambassador indeed.