The True History of Vise-Grips (Locking Pliers) USA to China and back to USA?
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- The True History of Vise-Grips (Locking Pliers) USA to China and back to USA?
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I own 6 original Vice Grips made in the US that I got from my grandpa when he passed. Love them
I’d like to find a pair of the original style with the hole in the tension screw ( I made this comment before watching the entire video. Now I see the Milwaukee and Tekton brands. ).
Awesome treasures
most of them have a hex in the end these days its better then the hole@@jonnelson9760
The "history of tool/brand" videos are some of my favorites that you do, Mr. Bear. It's cool to learn where all this stuff came from.
And you're not alone. No matter who makes them, I call all of them vice grips. Same goes for channel locks and crescent wrenches.
Yep. All of the Kleenexs of tools. What the hell is plural Kleenex? 🤣
agreed with the history. that being said I just bought 2 of all the styles from Eagle Grip...
@@super_slo Kleenii??? 🤣
Yup, and Aspirin, Bandaids, whatever... 'Hoover' is a catchall for vacuum cleaner in Britain.
Why are cranked head slip adjustable pliers called "water pump pliers"?
Were they made to tighten a scroll or packing nut on actual pumps, and have nothing to do with automotive water pumps?
@@super_slo A box of Kleenex.
Can I have a Xerox copy of this page and a Q-tip?
Happy to be making these back here in Nebraska once again.
Bill was my Grear Grandpa Nel's brother. The story my Grandpa Harry Petersen (Nels's son which of course means he was Bill's nephew) told me is that Bill, holding his original patent vise grip, approached Nels and said "I've got a million dollars here in my hand". Basically he wanted Nels to go in with him. And Nels looked at him and said " Na, I want to farm". Supposedly Nels had seen Bill fail at several other things so he didn't have much faith in that. Well dang! So I ultimately ended up growing up on Nels's farm south of Curtis, Nebraska as my Dad bought it from him. But its a great life. Phenomenal research job. Thanks.
I grew up in DeWitt. All my friends' parents worked at "the factory". I still miss the sound of the presses on a quiet night. The word around town in DeWitt is Malco used the Snap-on deal to bankroll the Eagle Grip release. Thanks for doing the video on my hometown.
I used to live in Fremont. Gotta support small town USA when I can.
@@denoftools what!? I'm watching you in Fremont right now haha 😂
@@Brian_P Your kidding! Wow. Yeah, I used to live here. bit.ly/33F6EDd I can still remember playing out back when black paper just started falling from the sky. It was the Pathfinder hotel exploding. Man, that was a long time ago.
@@denoftools I'm 36 so that was a little before my time but I've heard the stories from a lot of people. That's crazy.. small world haha! I live kinda over in the Nye st area. Fremont has changed quite a bit and seems to be growing pretty rapidly these days.
GATOR GRIP would have been a better name. Who can visualize how much damage an EAGLE can do ?
I can't remember who said it but I remember someone saying, "locking vise grips, the perfect tool for when you don't have the perfect tool."
just like the adjustable hammer
That my friends is called the TRUTH the whole TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH. Can't remember all the ways I've used a pair of VISE-GRIPS for lack of a clamp vise extension handle and GOD knows what else.
No worries bear! My father always called adjustable wrenches a crescent wrench when I was a kid.
I still do LOL, and my grandfather called them Fitsall.
Adjustable wrenches used to be "Crescent Wrenches" when I was growing up and they were made in Jamestown NYS .
I have two pairs of genuine original Vice Grips made in Dewitt USA. My 10” pliers I found in my grandmother’s garage when I was 12 (in the summer of 1993), which belonged to my grandfather. I recently showed them to a buddy of mine and he insists that they date back to anywhere from the late 50s to the early 70s. I did some research and confirmed this fact, but couldn’t pin down an exact date of manufacture. My other pair which is smaller, I bought brand new from a Rite Aid in 2004. I still have both pairs and both still work great. I’ve checked out the Irwin versions, but I’m not sold. After watching this video, glad to hear they’re being made in Dewitt again, and by Malco! I’m ok with them being called eagle grips.
You are very lucky to have those don’t ever lose them
My favorites are OLD, original American made Vise-Grips. Not the only ones I haves, but definitely my favorites.
At least they are reopening their factory here in Nebraska soon and remaking the originals.
I used to have some but can't find them. So I bought some American made Malco's
Thanks, I just ordered a set. I had some old ones that were made in the USA that have been great. Every pair I have ever gotten that were made in China/Taiwan were sub-par. The are loose, wobbly, don't lock on tight, and are junky. I will happily pay the money for a good set again.
It's an amazing tool. Thanks for the background!
When I first started doing home repairs and working on my own cars back in the day, vise grips and duct tape were the two "go-to" items in the tool box. Remember, if it's loose, tighten it. If it's jammed, force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway.
First pair of vice grips I owned, I got in a Craftsman tool set. When you locked them real hard they would pinch the palm of your hand and hurt real good.
Love these videos Red the amount of research you have to do to get one of these videos done has to be exhausting on time @TheDenOfTools
That is a great full circle going on with Malco buying the old Petersen plant... their locking pliers are amazingly good! I didn't know they were made there.
Wow... So much information I didn't know that I needed to know 😆 seriously though, I appreciate the research that went into this video. As an old fart I am fascinated by those kind of stuff. Keep up the great work.
Love hearing the history of tools. Some of my favorite videos on RUclips have been old tool restorations and recreations of old tool patents. I have recently started cleaning up around my dads property as I get back into metal working (as a hobby), he is a retired machinist and chrome plater, I was raised around shops, and I love to see tools being respected and cared for, these tools helped build this country (hell, the whole world) as we know it today.
Same Vice-Grip. Really enjoyed the history on these pliers.
Always called them visegrips and I always will. Great video, love history of tools/company videos
Kind of like a Coke. I have my Irwin Vise Grips, my Dewalt Vise Grips, my Milwaukee Vise Grips.......
Love the history vids Jeff , I looked in my tool chest and found my Dads Petersen Vice Grip made in DeWitt it’s the 10 wr he must have bought them in 1953when he owned a service station in Southern California, they are 2 years older than me and in excellent shape better than me lol. Nice having my Dads history in my too chest.
Thank you for this video. I greatly enjoy the history of companies, especially tool companies. I had heard of the Eagle Grip, and am anxious to get some. Many, in fact nearly all, of the locking pliers I have are older USA made Vise Grips. I do appreciate you showing some competitive brands with this video. And yes, I tend to always refer to locking pliers as vise grips.
Blacksmith tongs used to just have a chain link like ring over the handles, that would slide out and hold the jaws closed.
It's called a tong clip and they're easy to make. Still used a lot
@@HelenaOfDetroit Right. I was just saying that the inventor (Petersen?) came up with Vise-Grip's for his forge. So there must have been a use case for him.
We don't see many (any?) Blacksmiths using Vise-Grips for their work here on RUclips.
I would think with the availability of welders to customize the jaws grip you would see more, not less
@@jimurrata6785 Possibly it was for specific niche tasks or for something which is no longer considered a blacksmithing task.
I am always on the lookout for your very interesting tool reviews on RUclips, The video today on the history of ViceGrips was especially interesting. I carry 3 different sizes in my tool bag. And, Yes, I have always called them “Vice Grips.” Wonder if you have ever made a review on the Craftsman Extreme Grip 10-Inch adjustable Wrench, a combo of a crescent wrench and vice grips. Provides incredible snug grip with a crescent wrench. Definitely no slipping. A friend loaned me one and I immediately had to have one with me all of the time. Surprised to not see them at Lowes!...or Home Depot. But they are on Amazon. Great gift for “Tool People.” Shine ON!
nice history lesson on these vise grips have bailed me out alot workin on atvs
I always wondered why grandpa always called Vice Grips a Petersen pliers when I was a kid!
I probably have a dozen or more Irwin Vice Grips but I'll definitely be looking into the Eagle Grip stuff soon, especially the C clamps since my Irwins have seen better days.
I own the malco 7" and 10" and the snap on 10" didn't care how much they cost just glad they brought them back to the USA and my malcos both pair are shiny as my Snap-on but I paid 45 and 50
Being born and raised in Nebraska I am happy to see manufacturing come back to Dewitt! I’ll be buying Eagle Grip just to support! With the exception of my large clamping locking pliers and metal bending locking pliers all were made in Dewitt!!
Thanks to you I know about Eagle Grip. I bought the 10 and 7 inch. The quality is truly noticeable! I got some cheap Irwin ones for the car tool bag so I dont care as much if they get stolen.
Please do more of these tool / tool brand history videos . This was so awesome . Hands down, one of the most bad ass videos I've watched in while. I know these take some work , for sure, but man was this awesome .
I love learning the history of tools! Keep it up.
Nice to be informed about the vise grip history. They somewhat changed the way many problems during repairs could and can be solved. Do you know the French Facom 500A vise grip? A next level vise grip that I already use, I guess, 25 years. Saves almost a complete set of wrenches from small to large. Greetings, Gerard, the Netherlands.
Among my locking pliers assortment, I also enjoy using my black Craftsman Auto-Lock pliers. They are well made, very durable, and hold very well in many applications.
If I didn't have a bunch of old school Vise Grips from the 1970's and 80's, I would pick up the Eagles for sure. I might still, just for comparison.
The best pair I own were apparently left behind by a previous owner and/or mechanic who worked on a 1996 Jeep Cherokee I purchased in 2008. I was in the process of changing the oil when I discovered them....Of course my "Old Faithful" Phillips head screw driver (bent slightly in the middle of the shaft) was discovered, by me, while I was in the process of flushing the cooling system of a 1978 Ford LTD in 1990. Both tools are stamped "Made in USA" and reside in my tool bag to this day....Because they work and I trust them.
I was so peeved when I heard about the Malco Eagle Grips. The week before I learned of them, I had just bought a 5pc Vise Grip set with my stimulus money.
I hadn’t heard of Malco until earlier this year apparently they had been around for 5 years
the bigest difference (as a Nebraska farmer whose grandpa bought some of the originals and several of the others made in the 60's ) is the quality and thickness of the metal in the release handle ive personally used 3 chepos that have had the release lever bend or break off and half a dozen old one that sill work fine
I had bought 2 of them Malco vise grips earlier this year their manufactured in the old plant in Dewitt Nebraska unfortunately Malco is closing down the plant at the end of the year luckily I purchased 2 of them because I had no USA made vise grips
In the UK all locking pliers are known as Mole Grips but like Vice Grips they went out of business due to cheap imports.
I emigrated from the UK to the USA in 2002, I still have my late Father's Mole Grips
I bought my first ViseGrips at the PX in 1971 for 2 dollars and change 10WCR and 7WCR. In the 90's I lived in Lincoln and drove past the original building in DeWitt. The Peterson family had a home in Lincoln and I met some of the grandchildren.
For the last 20 years I have been carrying the ViseGrip Toolbox in its leather sheath. The 6LC large jaw with cutter has done countless jobs over the years.
sen instead of son
The ViseGrip Toolbox I have carried on my belt for almost 20 years says Petersen, but the lettering is so tiny its hard to read.
I bought the 10 and 7 inch this week. Sorry to hear the factory was shut down, these pliers are great, extremely well made. Work a lot better than the Chinese ones
In 1955 'Mole Grips' appeared in the UK.
In the UK all locking pliers are known as 'molies' or Mole grips.
No matter who actually manufactures them.
Like in the UK, all adjustable spanners or shifting spanners, are called 'shifters'.In the US, my understanding is they're all known as Crescent wrenches, after the Cresent tool company.
Love your content! Cool to learn the actual history behind these tools and brands and how they came to be today! Helps me understand the company I'm investing my money into.
Excellent vid, Red. It’s what sets you apart....
Some of.my best Every day grips. I bought really cheap 15 years ago.
I chose with the design I liked the best. The design that works well, and feels good in hand.
They've lasted and worked better than grips 5 times the price.
During my Domestic Gas training in early 2000, I was taught about a fitting called a 'Long Screw'😂 Its a imperial 1/2" or 3/4" female thread using hemp and gas paste.
We were taught using "Footprints "
Their grips with a knurled nut ,that adjusts to 4 positions. Abit like Stillsons.
Keep up the educational videos! Thanks
That's a nice story about a vicegrip welded in the liberty ship. I remember a FJ40 my father bought
And saw a vicegrip, vicegrip tightly under the fender😀
great histroy video, do more like this. Da Bear should be the guest of honor at the hardware show. Shine on.
Great to see some Made in USA tools happening. I think $30-35 USD would be ok. I have some DeWalt vice grips that were made in Taiwan.
Great video Red! I just bought a Kobalt 3 pack of these last week at Lowes for $15
My favorite emergency use was my oldest friend (R.I.P.) were driving home from 4x4 excursion in the Pocono's in his 70 something Bronco when it suddenly started bouncing the front end up and down...I asked if this was inherent in Fords? lol So we pulled over and the nut that held the coil spring (I believe) had fallen off...We scratched our heads for a minute and I remembered he had a vice grip holding the CB antenna on...We locked that on made it home...and I kinda think it was still there when he sold the thing...lol
I got a pair from my grandpa. Love it. I have a cheap China made one, no comparison. USA hands down. Glad to see USA again. Will buy for sure
I have the new Snap-Ons and they're excellent. The dealer took my two Chinese Irwins on trade and I got 50 bucks off the pair. Not a bad deal
Mom (bless her heart) bought me a Vise-Grip with curved jaw and wire cutters, using S&H Green Stamps (1958, maybe). Still got 'em. I have a pair of CH Hansen pliers with a magic self-setting grip, and I hate them.
Red,
Great informative video ... my favorite locking pliers is an old set of Vice Grips.
I’d like to see a comparison of the brands.
Also FYI, I received as a gift a “Crescent Wrench” (made by Craftsman) that locks like the Vice Grips ... surprisingly it works pretty good.
Keep up the great work!
Thank you
Fortunately locking pliers are a no-no working on nuclear submarines as they leave gouges on metal, which are precursors for cracks to develop! And who wants to be aboard a vessel with cracks?
But for home use, I purchased (& still have after 40yrs) over 50ea types and sizes of vicegrips that I have modified to accomplish certain tasks!
Note: I would grind the jaws smooth when I used them aboard the subs (to prevent gouging)!
love ur History videos bear! thanx & god bless dude
Great vid Jeff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great story, love these history vids 👍🏽
I bought a few different Grip on locking pliers and they are great.
So cool to hear how eagle grip started amazing history and Storyline @TheDenOfTools
Good job! Love your videos.
That was interesting. I've always gravitated to using the needle nose variants of locking pliers. Presently have the Milwaukee branded version in my tool kit. One of the rubber grips kept slipping, but some glue solved that and they are great again.
Red, Have you seen the Automatic locking vicegrip type pliers by CH Hanson? They have no knob, grip tightly (you choose how tight) on anything within their jaw size. You don't have to change anything between gripping different size items and it releases easily. I own several-some I got from Amazon. Work super well. I think other mfr are waiting for the patent to run out before copying them. Very competitive price too. Have used Original Vise-Grips and good copies for 60 yrs and given small sizes to my grandchildren. Keep up the good work!
Glad to see these come back to America! Knew the history of Vice Grips, and was disappointed in how Newell-Rubbermaid sold out this american classic... I own alot of the old Petersen ones. I refuse to buy then new "Chinese" vice grips. Been picking up extras at yard sales and ebay for years! Glad to see I'll have something new to buy that's American! Favorite ones I own are probably the "75th anniversary" special edition ones they made.
Good information in the narrative and it would be better if the illustration were larger and the bear avatar smaller. I know the bear is the brand to gain recognition. For the sake of the presentation the pictures ought to be dominant. I like the channel and intend to keep watching.
The malcos aren't cheap but they are top notch I got a pair last week
Malco makes quality tools
Agreed 👍
Do they have lateral wiggle between the jaws when the jaws are not touching?
@@AndrewDasilvaPLT none at all on mine.
I'm not a fan of all their tools. I bought some overpriced notchers for vinyl siding that do not work as advertised. They'll last forever because they'll never be used.
My favourite pair is a Facom oil filter locking wrench it is astonishing how many things you can use them for ! In the UK they are almost universally called “Mole Grips” after a tool company who seemed to make most of them ! in South Wales I think. I have always preferred flat jaw mole grips.
most useful for me is the needle nose, recently got the "CH Hanson 09300 7-Inch Needle Nose Self-Adjusting Locking Pliers" quite handy not having to adjust the size anymore, you should check those out.
I have both straight jaw and curved. A Tool Bear fan posted them on the Bear's Den of Tools FaceBook group and I liked what I saw, so I dropped $80 smackers on the big A(mazon) and got them. Absolutely great American tools! And they are as shiny as the (twice the price) Snap-On version. Compared the quality to the sets I already own (all crappy loose as a goose Chinese junk) and there is absolutely no comparison! Well worth the $$ in my opinion.
My boss had the Kobalt Vise-Grips with the rubber grips, and if you try to grip on the rubber parts, they twist and try to rip off, but he was bothered that I always pulled the rubber off. Vise grips are for clamping, and rubber on slick metal isn't going to help.
I used to do a lot of welding and blacksmithing, and I still have some of the old Vise Grips made in De Witt, Nebraska. Still working fine, too. Plastic or rubber comfort grips - not such a great idea in welding situations ;-)
Interesting, thanks for sharing. Back to the US is a good thing!
@@prozack1312 Duh!
To give credit where it is due - most of the "Vise Grips" I see today use the quick release you mention and actually resemble the "Mole Wrench" manufactured in South Wales, UK. Quoting from the Times newspaper:-
"Versions of the Mole wrench are still used in households all over the world more than half a century after Coughtrie patented it"
I got a pair of them several weeks ago, they are nice and they give me the fizz
That Malco play was sharp. Remember, SBD got Irwin from Newell.
The new Malco are amazing and look like a piece of jewelry. Get a pair and you will see why they cost that much they didn't cheap out anywhere on them. Yes I would like a better deal but for that quality I cant complain too much.
Just wondering if the 4LW "The Original" of Irwin is in anyway comparable to Petersen brand. I can't find a stamp on the pair I currently have that says made in china. Still think Petersen stamped tools are better.
As with UK Tony being English I grew up calling them Mole grips. Most English still do. They only went back to the 50s though. I hope the new American version from Eagle has returned to the quality steel of the old versions. I had an old set of Mole grips that somebody kindly pinched from me onsite one day. Had them clamping what I was working on went to get something and when I came back gone. I have had several pairs since none as good as the original. Very interesting piece enjoyed it.
EAGLE GRIP ... seems like the logical choice... but isn’t Snap-on supposed to have an excellent lifetime warranty for the initial buyer?
I think this video should also mention made in Japan locking pliers. I just bought Engineer brand locking pliers on Amazon for under $30. They are excellent pliers. They are known for removing stripped screws but good for anything else too.
I liked the old lockjaw ones before C.H. Henson bought them. Stronghand pliers are great too.
Also I just left the malco warehouse last week I got a pair of these pliers seems good test over time we’ll tell the durability.
@Project Farm tested locking pliers and the Eagle grip were in the top.
I don't know but without the quick release, you just might want to have the pass-thru hole in the tension bolt to actually loosen them to get them off.
Depends on the brand some brands seem to release easier than others the Milwaukee ones seem to release really easy just like the Malco’s but a cheap Walmart pair of vise grips forget trying to get those open lol
If you look, you can get the Malco Eagle Grips for $30 a piece right now. I bought a full set for myself and several for eventual family christmas gifts
I agree would like to see the American made eagle grips for around 15 to 20 percent less since there already here @TheDenOfTools
I have a bunch of them including a needle-nose set. All different brands and I think I only have two that I actually trust. I'm really interested in the new set that has u.s. made as well as the tecton ones
I bought a set of the Tekton ones a couple years ago. Highly recommend. Today I used the long nose one for the springs on the rear drum brakes on my truck. I'm certain that if I'd used one of my cheap ones they would have slipped.
I will add a couple pairs to my toolbox. I think they will come down in price once they get a little deeper into the market place. It did take 3 years for them to get released. That was retooling the factory, training people on the new equipment, finding vendors for parts. I cost to them and the price to us should come down over time.
Ps: Replace the tension adjustment bolt with an eyebolt and you have a place to attach a retaining lanyard.
If they’re made in the USA I wouldn’t ask about the price coming down 20% just yet as you’re lucky the manufacturer is back. Locally for me (Australia) would be Taiwan which produce quality stuff so I guess I’m lucky to have good neighbours - rant over :P
I have a pair of grip on I use for welding. And the are great.
thank god, its been so hard to even find a good set of vice grips
An interesting fact the original Vise-Grips were made in Omaha before old man Peterson got everything set up in DeWitt. My mom was part of the last group that worked there, she made uni-bits.
Fascinating! I troll garage sales and estate sales just so I can buy older Made in USA tools. I am ordering two of these, one for each of my adult children.
have more then 25 pair of vise grips. mostly. original they work fabulous
Want... All mine at home are the made in USA vise-grips - including the 11HD hold downs.
Looking for a recommendation on the smaller floor jacks and can't seem to get any good info. Can you help?
I own an authentic USA made irwin vicegrip. Its still looks almost new. I also have a few vicegrip brand types that came in original black and yellow packaging. I call others locking pliers because they don't compare to the original.
I’m going to offer a contrary opinion.
In VG’s favor: For decades I found knock-offs to be inferior in design and construction. The “real” ones prevailed.
VG’s “Achilles heel” was that additional designs were needed. First was the guy who welded a C-clamp to one. Another independent made one that mounted to a hole in a workbench. The French firm Facom has great designs. Today, Tractor Supply regularly offers locking pliers that may be “cheap imports” but are also either unique designs or packaged in useful assortments.
Petersen / Irwin got smug, got lazy, got consumed by dry rot - and lost their lead.
I just watched Project Farm compare most of the major locking plier brands. Malco's "Eagle Grip" dominated his stress testing. Massively out-performed Grip-on (Spain) and Knippex (Germany). However, last year Malco shut down the Nebraska plant and has stopped producing the Eagle Grip. A sad day.
They are still selling the rest of their inventory on Amazon. Great tools!
Love the history stuff