2022 test12 productsHand Tools
Which Locking Pliers Brand Wins?
We compared 12 locking pliers options head to head. Vintage Vise-Grip (USA-made, circa 1980-1982) came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Vintage Vise-Grip (USA-made, circa 1980-1982)
Price shown in test: $95
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Budget pick
CH Hanson
Price shown in test: $8
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Background | Made in | Weight | Jaw measurements | Grip test 1, quarter inch bolt, 60 in lb adjustment torque | Grip test 2, 7/16 in bolt on hardened tool steel, 80 in lb adjustment torque | Wire cutter test, 8 penny nail | Impact wrench holdback test, 3/8 in socket extension, 80 in lb adjustment torque | Failure/breaking test, adjustment bolt tightened until failure | Claimed specs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Vise-Grip Vintage USA-made, circa 1980 to 1982$95 | a used vintage set the presenter found, with a copyright date insert from 1980 to 1982 and US patent information on the handle; claims long thin jaws for hard to reach areas and an integrated wire cutter | USA (implied by 'vintage USA made vice grips' and the US patent markings; not a fresh manufacturer statement like the other brands) | 356 g | narrowest jaw width of all 12 products at 4.56 mm, shortest jaw height at 6.33 mm, and least side to side wobble/slop at 1.04 mm, all the best results in the field | 75 in lb before losing grip, the best of all 12 products | 450 in lb before losing grip, by far the best of all 12 products, described as 'totally crushed the competition' | made a clean cut at 193 lb, one of only three products (with the Irwin and CH Hanson) that fully cut through the nail rather than just smashing or failing to sever it; the cutting knife held up well with some damage noted below the lower cutting knife | 254 in lb before losing grip, by far the best of all 12 products | 452 in lb, the best (highest) of all 12 products, described as refusing to break; the adjustment screw got stuck and suffered some damage as it moved out of position against the connecting rod | not tested |
| 2CH Hanson$8 | not tested | Taiwan | 370 g | 5.29 mm jaw width and 8.11 mm jaw height, both among the largest (least tight-space friendly) of the products measured; 1.42 mm of side to side wobble | 69 in lb before losing grip, third best of all 12 products | 352 in lb before losing grip, second best of all 12 products, needed a larger torque adapter than originally planned; teeth still in great shape afterward | cut through at 194 lb, one of only three products (with the Vintage Vise Grips and Irwin) that fully cut through the nail, though described as mostly smashing its way through; cutting knife flattened slightly but still in good shape | 105 in lb before losing grip, tied for second place with the Eastwood | 222 in lb; the weld held up but the threads on the adjustment screw stripped | constructed of high grade heat treated alloy steel, claims maximum strength and gripping capability |
| 3Eastwood$17 | not tested | Taiwan | 373 g | 8.34 mm jaw height, the largest (least tight-space friendly) of the products measured; 1.24 mm of side to side wobble, third best result | 70 in lb before losing grip, second best of all 12 products, just ahead of the CH Hanson | 342 in lb before losing grip, third best of all 12 products; did significant damage to the bolt itself and the teeth held up well | reached 193 lb but could not quite cut all the way through the nail, despite doing a great job of smashing it; cutting knife still in great shape | 105 in lb before losing grip, tied for second place with the CH Hanson | 307 in lb, tied for second place with the Tekton; the adjustment bolt moved out of position | made of chrome moly steel, heat treated body for added strength and durability |
| 4Irwin Vise-Grip$15 | not tested | China | 368 g | 1.19 mm of side to side wobble, second best (least sloppy) result of all products measured | 65 in lb before losing grip, fourth best of all 12 products | 336 in lb before losing grip, fourth best of all 12 products; the teeth are sharper than most other brands and held up well with minor wear | made a clean cut at 128 lb, the best (easiest, lowest force) of the three products that fully cut through the nail; cutting knife still in really good shape | 92 in lb before losing grip, above average, and second place at that point in testing | 238 in lb, better than average; a rivet on the pliers broke | high grade heat treated alloy construction, includes a wire cutter, claims hardened teeth that grip from any angle |
| 5Tekton$15 | not tested | Taiwan | 376 g | not tested | 63 in lb before losing grip, fifth best of all 12 products | 284 in lb before losing grip, moved into second place at that point in testing | not tested; the Tekton does not include a wire cutter | 84 in lb before losing grip, second place at that point in testing | 307 in lb, tied for second place with the Eastwood; the adjustment screw moved out of position and became lodged next to the connecting rod | includes a pull type lever release for one-handed operation, adjustment screw has a hole for added leverage, strong chrome moly jaws with sharp teeth |
| 6Crescent$22 | not tested | China | 371 g | not tested | 61 in lb before losing grip, better than average | 312 in lb before losing grip, fifth best of all 12 products, better than average | gave up at 125 lb without fully cutting through the nail, though it came pretty close; cutting knife still in good condition | 65 in lb before losing grip, gave up sooner than most other brands | 226 in lb, a little better than average; the adjustment bolt moved out of position | includes a built in wire cutter, angled teeth for maximum grip, includes a hex key for maximum jaw tightening, nickel plated finish, non-slip cushioned grip release lever |
| 7Milwaukee Torque Lock$23 | not tested | China | 377 g, the heaviest of all 12 products up to that point in testing | 4.75 mm jaw width, fourth narrowest of the products measured | 54 in lb before losing grip, struggled to gain a good grip | 255 in lb before losing grip, about average; teeth described as pretty soft with quite a bit of damage | reached a peak load of 201 lb but is treated as not fully cutting through the nail per the video's closing recap, which credits only the Irwin, Vintage Vise Grips, and CH Hanson with a successful cut; cutting knife looked lopsided and experienced some wear | 80 in lb before losing grip, could not keep up with many less expensive brands; teeth are pretty soft and experienced quite a bit of damage | 250 in lb, better than average; the weld on the handle was the failure point | claims faster setup and easy release when clamping round material, hardened jaws claimed for better grip force, traditional release lever |
| 8SATA$10 | not tested | China | 363 g | 4.69 mm jaw width, third narrowest of the products measured | 46 in lb before losing grip | 170 in lb before losing grip, less than half of the CH Hanson's result; teeth described as not very sharp or aggressive but held up fairly well | reached 250 lb but gave up without cutting through, leaving a sizable dent in the nail; cutter is fairly soft and took quite a bit of damage | 83 in lb before losing grip, struggled to slow the impact wrench, quite a bit of tooth wear | 225 in lb, barely beat the CH Hanson in this specific test; the weld was the failure point | induction hardened angled teeth, includes integrated wire cutters, chrome moly steel body, nickel plated finish for corrosion resistance |
| 9Performance Tool$12 | not tested | China | 355 g, the lightest of all products up to that point in testing | 4.65 mm jaw width, second narrowest of the products measured, nearly as narrow as the Vintage Vise Grips | 40 in lb before losing grip, third from the bottom, 'really struggled to hang on' | 161 in lb before losing grip, about the same as the SATA; teeth not very sharp or aggressive but held up fairly well | reached a peak of 171 lb before giving up, came very close to cutting through but did not; small amount of wear to the cutter | 47 in lb before losing grip, barely slowed the impact wrench, quite a bit of tooth wear | 194 in lb, gave up early; the threads on the adjustment screw were badly damaged | drop forged and hardened chrome vanadium steel, precision machine jaws with an integrated wire cutter, triple riveted and welded center point for added strength |
| 10Grip-On$27 | not tested | Spain | 395 g, the heaviest of all products up to that point in testing | 7.32 mm jaw height, fourth largest of the products measured | 52 in lb before losing grip, about the same as the Milwaukee | 214 in lb before losing grip; very wide jaws spread pressure over a wide area of the bolt, preventing it from really digging in, and the teeth took more damage than average | not tested; the Grip-On does not include a wire cutter | 69 in lb before losing grip, continued to struggle, quite a bit of tooth wear | 187 in lb; the adjustment bolt appears undersized compared to other brands and broke at this load | claims epoxy coating provides 10 times the protection against corrosion; does not include a wire cutter |
| 11Snap-on$34 | not tested | Italy | 419 g, by far the heaviest of all 12 products | 7.23 mm jaw height, third largest of the products measured; 1.45 mm of side to side wobble, the most (sloppiest) of the products measured | 48 in lb before losing grip, very close to the Grip-On's result | 206 in lb before losing grip; very wide jaws spread pressure over a wider surface area than most other brands, and the teeth held up fairly well | not tested; the Snap-on does not include a wire cutter | 72 in lb before losing grip, barely edging out the Grip-On; teeth held up slightly better than the Grip-On | 187 in lb, broke in the same place as the Grip-On, tied for the worst result of all 12 products | locking nut secures jaw opening for repeat jobs, spring loaded release lever for quick no-pinch release, larger jaw capacity, jaws claimed to have greater surface area and brighter teeth for more secure gripping; does not include a wire cutter |
| 12Tolsen$15 | not tested | not stated, the transcript explicitly notes there is no manufacturing information on the product | 354 g, the lightest of all 12 products | not tested | 28 in lb before losing grip, the worst of all 12 products, 'really struggled' | 78 in lb before losing grip, the worst of all 12 products; teeth barely left marks on the bolt and are described as pretty rounded and not designed to gain a good grip | threw in the towel at 182 lb without cutting through the nail; cutting knife looks designed to smash instead of cut | 48 in lb before losing grip, 'really struggled,' about the same wear as the Tekton | 86 in lb, the worst of all 12 products; threads on the adjustment screw stripped | drop forged carbon steel, rigid grabber teeth, adjustable bolt with spring; no information given on where it is manufactured |
How it was tested
- grip strength test 1: pliers clamp a quarter inch bolt with the adjustment screw set to 60 in lb, torque to slip measured in in lb via an electronic torque adapter
- jaw measurements: width, height, and side to side wobble/slop of the nose jaws (partial data, only some brands measured)
- grip strength test 2: pliers clamp a 7/16 in bolt of hardened tool steel with the adjustment screw set to 80 in lb, torque to slip measured in in lb
- wire cutter test: force in lb required to cut through an 8 penny nail via a hydraulic press, tested only on brands with an integrated wire cutter
- impact wrench holdback test: pliers clamp a 3/8 in socket extension with the adjustment screw set to 80 in lb, torque to slip measured in in lb while an impact wrench spins the extension
- failure/breaking test: adjustment bolt tightened until the pliers fail, failure torque measured in in lb, failure mode also recorded
“the vintage vice grips performed by far the best at 254 inch pounds”