2025 test18 productsHand Tools
Which Locking Pliers (vice Grips) Brand Wins?
We compared 18 locking pliers (vice grips) options head to head. Malco Eagle Grips came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Malco Eagle Grips
Price shown in test: $35
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Runner-up
Irwin
Price shown in test: $26
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Budget pick
Irwin
Price shown in test: $26
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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 | Made in | Claims | Weight | Adjustment screw | Test 1 - max torque before slipping on a soft grade 2 bolt | Test 2 - front-teeth grip on grade 2 bolt (adjustment screw preset ~100 in-lb) | Test 3 - front-teeth grip on grade 8 bolt (same preset) | Test 4 - front-teeth grip on a hardened socket extension (adjustment screw increased to 180 in-lb) | Test 5 - unlock force with ~60 in-lb preload on the adjustment screw | Test 1 - max torque before slipping on grade 2 bolt | Test 2 - front-teeth grip on grade 2 bolt | Test 3 - front-teeth grip on grade 8 bolt | Test 4 - front-teeth grip on hardened socket extension | Test 5 - unlock force | Jaw design | Weld | Build quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Malco Eagle Grips$35 | USA | patented power ring for increased thread strength; pinned, embedded, and braced upper jaw for a superior bond; claims the sharpest teeth with best-in-class grip | 536 g | the smoothest of all 18 brands | 1,250 in-lb, the best of all 18 brands ('very impressive') | 222 in-lb, the best of all 18 brands | transcript reads '1,11 in-lb' on both its first mention and in the test's final recap; almost certainly a garbled/truncated '1,110 in-lb' given a dropped trailing zero, consistent with this brand dominating every other test; kept literal and flagged rather than silently corrected; stated as the best of all 18 brands | just under 410 in-lb, the best of all 18 brands; did cause some damage to the socket extension itself, with a small amount of wear on its own super sharp teeth | 8.1 lb of pull force to release the lock | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Irwin Vice Grip$26 | Taiwan | the original Vice Grip brand; claims 3 times the gripping strength; curved jaw designed for square, flat, round, or hex surfaces; high-grade heat treated alloy steel | 522 g | moves freely | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1,129 in-lb, second best of all 18 brands ('very impressive') | 169 in-lb, best of all 18 brands (won this test outright) | 913.6 in-lb, second best of all 18 brands | 308.5 in-lb, best of all 18 brands (won this test outright); teeth held up really well | 6.9 lb, easy to work with | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Craftsman$20 | China | one-hand operation with easy release mechanism; multi-zone bilateral grips; high-grade heat treated alloy steel | 604 g | not quite as smooth as the Klein Tools | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | transcript reads 'just over 92 in-lb' moving into the lead; this figure is implausible given the CH Hanson's already-stated 693.7 in-lb result immediately prior in the same test sequence (which Craftsman could not logically 'move into the lead' over at only 92); almost certainly a dropped-digit garble similar to the Klein Tools anomaly in this same test, likely closer to 920+ in-lb; kept literal and flagged | 125 in-lb, tied for first place with the Tekton | 772.5 in-lb, moved into the lead over the CH Hanson at that point, finished third overall behind Malco Eagle Grips and Irwin | 284.8 in-lb, third best of all 18 brands; teeth held up really well | 8.3 lb, easy to unlock | straight jaws; narrator notes he was unable to find a curved-jaw version while shopping | not tested | not tested |
| 4CH Hanson$19 | Taiwan | durable nickel plate finish; 2in jaw opening; 1.5in throat depth | 518 g | smoothness very close to the Klein Tools | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 693.7 in-lb, described as about 8 in-lb less than the Klein Tools brand; this differential does not match the Klein Tools' own stated Test 1 figure of 71.1 in-lb, further supporting that the Klein Tools number is a garbled dropped-digit value rather than a true low result | 88 in-lb, third place at that point behind the Tekton and Klein Tools | just over 551 in-lb, described as by far the best result up to that point in the test, moving into the lead over the Duratech | 188.7 in-lb; teeth held up really well | 13.6 lb, about the same as the Pittsburgh | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Tekton$16 | Taiwan | strong chromoly jaw with sharp teeth for a sure grip; generously sized tension knob | 546 g, heaviest of the brands tested up to that point in the video | smoothest of the brands tested up to that point | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 729.3 in-lb, moved into the lead at that point | 125 in-lb, moved into the lead at that point (later tied by the Craftsman) | just under 395 in-lb, moved into second place behind the Duratech at that point | just under 237 in-lb, moved into the lead at that point; teeth sharp but experienced a small amount of damage | 18.8 lb, the most force required of the brands tested up to that point | not tested | better than the Duratech's | not tested |
| 6Duratech$15 | China | high-grade chrome vanadium steel; heat treated for toughness | 524 g, tied with the WorkPro | a little gritty | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | just over 715 in-lb, moved into the lead at that point | 76 in-lb, performed almost the same as the WorkPro | 468.6 in-lb, moved into the lead at that point, having outperformed the WorkPro in the two prior tests | only 116.3 in-lb, struggled; teeth experienced a small amount of damage | 14.7 lb, one pound more than the Pittsburgh | not tested | not tested | seems the same as the WorkPro |
| 7Klein Tools$16 (same price as the Tekton) | China | high torque gripping power; intuitive thumb knob; pinch-free operation with leverless quick release handles; high teeth for high torque gripping power | 584 g, by far the heaviest of the brands tested up to that point in the video | the smoothest of the brands tested up to that point | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | transcript reads '71.1 in-lb'; this is roughly 10 times lower than every neighboring result in this same test (Duratech 715, Tekton 729.3, CH Hanson 693.7, which is explicitly stated as only about 8 in-lb less than this brand's own result), strongly indicating a dropped-digit caption error (likely intended as approximately 701-711 in-lb); kept literal and flagged rather than silently corrected | 108 in-lb, moved into second place behind the Tekton | 132.1 in-lb, about the same as the WorkPro | not tested | 5.5 lb, easy to unlock | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8WorkPro$10 | China | crafted from industry-leading chrome vanadium steel; one-handed release trigger; heat treated for ultimate strength | 524 g, heaviest of the brands tested up to that point in the video | the smoothest of the brands tested up to that point | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | just over 672 in-lb | 74 in-lb, moved into the lead at that point | 280.5 in-lb, a lot better than the Pittsburgh and the Harden | just over 130 in-lb despite having plenty of strength to handle the 180 in-lb adjustment torque; teeth experienced a small amount of damage | 11.6 lb | not tested | not tested | described as a lot better than the Pittsburgh and the Harden |
| 9Teng Tools$21 | China | chrome vanadium for added strength; includes a locking nut on the adjustment knob for presetting | 520 g | a little gritty | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | just over 723 in-lb, performed almost as well as the Tekton | 31 in-lb, lost grip early | 636.4 in-lb, second place behind the Craftsman | 242.2 in-lb; teeth experienced more damage than the CH Hanson and Craftsman | 15.2 lb, a little difficult to work with | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10Stanley Proto$24 | Spain | not tested | 632 g, very heavy | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 551.1 in-lb, better than average | 76 in-lb, about average | just over 250 in-lb, really struggled | really struggled again (no specific numeric result given in the transcript for this test, only that it struggled and one tooth experienced quite a bit of damage); flagged as a qualitative-only gap | 20.3 lb, even more force required than the Teng Tools | not tested | not tested | weld could definitely be better, but the adjustment screw operates freely; teeth appear very sharp; noticeably less slop in the moving parts than most other brands |
| 11Knipex$27 | Germany | each tool proven and tested for durability; precisely hardened with a maximum of 0.8 percent carbon | 552 g | moves freely and smoothly | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 454 in-lb; narrator notes 'some of the best tools I've ever tested are made by Knipex, but their locking pliers really struggled' relative to expectations | 96 in-lb, a little better than average | 243.7 in-lb, struggled to bite into the bolt | began to bend and warp under the 180 in-lb adjustment torque and was not able to gain a good grip; no numeric grip result given, a build-quality failure rather than a data gap; some teeth experienced wear and tear | 10.4 lb | not tested | described as definitely the most secure weld of any brand tested | not tested |
| 12Channellock$27 (same price as the Knipex) | Spain | extended release lever for one-handed control; forged steel jaws for maximum strength and durability; epoxy resin coating for rust protection | 622 g, pretty heavy | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 360.7 in-lb, really struggled to gain a grip | 75 in-lb, below average, trailing the leaders | 308.5 in-lb, struggling with the grade 8 bolt | adjustment screw survived 180 in-lb, but grip itself really struggled at 146.2 in-lb; small amount of damage to the teeth | 10.8 lb, about the same as the Knipex | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 13Milwaukee$32 (for two sets of pliers) | Taiwan | Max Bite technology to maximize pressure points for round pipe, hex bolts, and other locking-tool applications; claims 3 times the gripping force; built with forged alloy steel | 538 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 987.3 in-lb, second place overall behind the Irwin | 66 in-lb, about 100 in-lb less than the Irwin | 373.6 in-lb, lost grip somewhat early on this test | 225.3 in-lb, better than average; small amount of wear and tear on the teeth | 7.7 lb, unlocked without too much force | not tested | not tested | adjustment screw moves very freely and smoothly, noticeably less wobble and slop than most other brands, sharp teeth |
| 14Grip-On$33 | Spain | not tested | 626 g, pretty heavy | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 287.5 in-lb, held back by its gritty adjustment screw | 57 in-lb, really struggled | 237.7 in-lb, described as about 140 in-lb less than the Milwaukee's 373.6 | adjustment screw was not able to handle the 180 in-lb torque and began to bend, so the pliers were not able to get a grip at all in this test; teeth held up really well despite the screw failure | 13.1 lb, more force than average to unlock | not tested | not tested | weld could definitely use improvement; adjustment screw does not move quite as freely as some other brands (gritty) |
| 15MacTools$36 | Taiwan | not tested | 514 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 749.1 in-lb, better than average | 114 in-lb, better than average | 328.3 in-lb, struggled with the grade 8 bolt hardness despite doing well in Test 1 | barely made it past 200 in-lb; small amount of wear and tear on the teeth | 7.4 lb, less force than the Eagle Grips to unlock | not tested | not tested | teeth look pretty sharp; adjustment screw not as smooth as the Eagle Grips |
| 16Gedore$48 (most expensive of the 18 brands tested) | Austria | forged tempered jaws with a special jaw shape for secure gripping; jaw body made with high-tensile sheet metal | 520 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 333.7 in-lb, lost grip sooner than most of the other brands | 99 in-lb, a little better than average | 260.4 in-lb, struggled again as it had on the grade 2 bolt | adjustment screw was not able to handle the 180 in-lb torque and began to bend, unable to get a grip at all, similar to the Grip-On's failure; teeth held up really well despite the screw failure | 13.1 lb, same as the Grip-On | not tested | not tested | adjustment screw doesn't move very freely (gritty), but has a pretty secure weld |
| 17Harden$9 | China | heavy duty forged carbon steel; milled vice grip jaws for maximum grip; lifetime warranty | 450 g | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 257.8 in-lb, a lot better than the Pittsburgh | 24 in-lb, struggled, but better than the Pittsburgh's 13 | did not gain enough grip to register on the calibration tester (failed) | the adjustment screw became misaligned with the connecting rod at 180 in-lb, described as a build quality issue, and the pliers were unable to handle the test | 1.8 lb, unlocks far too easily; explicitly flagged by the narrator as a reliability concern | not tested | not tested | includes a weld (unlike the Pittsburgh), a definite improvement, but the adjustment screw is still pretty gritty |
| 18Pittsburgh$7 (least expensive of the 18 brands tested; sold at Harbor Freight) | China | not tested | 438 g, lightest of the brands tested up to that point in the video | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | did not generate enough torque to register on the ~100 in-lb calibration tester (failed) | 13 in-lb, struggled badly, worst of the tests referenced | not enough torque to register on the tester (failed) | struck out three times in a row, only leaving scuff marks on the paint; teeth too soft and experienced damage | 13.7 lb | not tested | not tested | adjustment screw is very gritty and difficult to work with; body appears simply pressed onto the adjustment screw with no weld |
How it was tested
- Test 1: maximum torque before slipping on a soft grade 2 bolt (adjustment screw preset to 100 in-lb using a torque adapter, torque wrench calibration tool measures the slip point)
- Test 2: front-teeth grip strength on a grade 2 bolt at the same 100 in-lb adjustment preset
- Test 3: front-teeth grip strength on a harder grade 8 bolt at the same 100 in-lb adjustment preset
- Test 4: front-teeth grip strength on a very hard tool-steel socket extension, adjustment screw increased to 180 in-lb (also observes build-quality failures and tooth damage)
- Test 5: force required to release the lock, using a push-pull force meter with about 60 in-lb of preload torque on the adjustment screw
“While they're a little bit expensive at a price of $35, they would definitely be my choice.”
Data notes and caveats
18-brand locking pliers showdown with no meta chapters, so brand resolution relied entirely on the ascending price order matching the description's Products Tested list, plus internal consistency across the 5 tests; this worked cleanly for all 18 brands despite heavy phonetic mangling of several names (Tekton as 'Tekin'/'Tekken'; Duratech as 'Durk'/'Durate'; Teng Tools as 'Tang Tools'/'Tank Tools'; Knipex as 'Canipex'/'Kipex'; Gedore as 'Gdore'/'Gadore'/'Gdor'/'Gore'; Grip-On as 'Gripon'/'Grion'; CH Hanson transcribed throughout as 'CH Hansen'). Malco Eagle Grips is the clear overall winner, explicitly declared the outright winner of all four numeric torque/grip tests in separate per-test recap sentences, despite the closing summary's self-contradictory line ('an average finish of second place... finish in first place in every test'), which is flagged as a likely transcript/caption error rather than trusted at face value. Irwin is the clear runner-up and is also explicitly framed as the value pick relative to the winner ('If you're unwilling to spend the extra for the Eagle grips, the Irwin vice grips are a great option'). Craftsman is explicitly given a numeric average finish of 4th place. Several individual test results show signs of dropped-digit caption corruption where a value is roughly 10 times lower than its neighbors in the same test: Klein Tools' Test 1 result (71.1 in-lb, versus neighboring results all in the 690-730 in-lb range, and explicitly contradicted by CH Hanson's own result being stated as only 8 in-lb less than Klein Tools' true figure) and Craftsman's Test 1 result (92 in-lb, stated as 'moving into the lead' over CH Hanson's already-recorded 693.7 in-lb, which is numerically impossible at 92). Malco Eagle Grips' Test 3 result is rendered three separate times in the transcript as the truncated '1,11 in-lb', almost certainly a dropped trailing zero for '1,110 in-lb'. None of these were corrected, only flagged, per the extraction rules against inventing digits.