I have a few locking pliers. Most recently I have been using these to hold (mostly small) parts as I polish and buff them to remove rust.
My oldest locking pliers are the craftsman (black) that auto-adjust. These are old, are perfectly aligned, and have always worked well. I have never attempted to really wrench something hard to move with these but for my average usage these have worked fine.
For small things I have the Pittsburgh Mini Locking Pliers Set (3-piece) . These are all roughly 4" or 5" in total length. The fit and finish is blah. The long nose pliers the bottom jaw is larger than the top jaw and they do not naturally align but can be easily aligned if you desire. The other two mostly align well. The finish is mat, not polished. A set of three for $7 and very usable. OK, worth it. Not great, but usable.
Notice that on the long nose the natural jaw position mis-aligns by maybe 30%, but it looks worse because the top is smaller than the bottom so it still only hangs over the edge by about 20%. I would buy these again if I lost my set given the size and functionality; but I would gladly pay more if Malco made a set like these.
Tekton sells a set of Long Nose Locking Pliers (6" and 9") for $27. These are pretty shiny for a mat finish and are made of CR-MO. The tightening lug has a hole for ease of tightening. These work really well and the fit and finish are spot on with perfect natural jaw alignment. These are made in Taiwan. The release is very easy to use. For me these are the best value for the money. I have only tried their long nose locking pliers, but these two are spot on. If you want a set of these, just buy them. Best bang for the buck.
Includes: 9, 10 inch long nose locking pliers. One-hand pull release. Slim nose for tight spaces. Clamps flat stock, L-angle, sheet metal for welding. PLK30006.
www.tekton.com
Not sure what the "yellow-ish" color is in the photo, probably a reflection. These are oddly shiny for what appears to be a mat finish.
I own two USA made Malco Eagly Grip Jaw Locking Pliers LP10WC (10" curved jaw with wire cutter) and LP7R (7" straight jaw with no wire cutter). I have never tried the wire cutter but am skeptical; but not curious enough to go find some wire to cut and test them. These are roughly $40 each and boy oh boy are these nice. Highly polished shiny chrome (over-kill), made in USA, you can use a Hex Key to increase the clamp force, jaw alignment is perfect. If you think you will ever need or want locking pliers, these are the best I have used, but they cost more. They release more easily than the others. The release is a press down (or squeeze) as opposed to pull up like the others I have. I wish they sold smaller long nose versions.
To be clear, these are USA made and are available now on Amazon for a good price. Just go buy some. I thought that they closed the plant, but these are still available.
I was expecting perfection for the Knipex because I own other fabulous Knipex tools. Although these work well, they were my biggest disappointment based on fit/finish expectations. The bad first, and then the good. My first set of 41 34 165 6-1/4" narrow jaw nickel plated locking pliers had numerous serious defects in the lower jaw that looked to be numerous rust spots and the jaws did not naturally align. I returned them and the next one has a flawless appearance, a very mat plating, but the jaws again do not align. I just had very high expectations given my other flawless Knipex tools. As with the Harbor Freight (Pitsburgh), I can easily align the jaws, and the upper and lower jaws can mesh perfectly. These lock-up tight, hold well, and release very easily. If the jaws naturally aligned these would be my favorite for the money. This is an almost identical size to the smaller Tekton, but I think that the jaw shape on the Knipex is “rounder” and the release is a bit easier. So the knipex feels more solid, but the misaligned jaws annoy me, it is something I simply need to learn to adjust if I think it mattes. As of today, I see a price of 43% off on the Knipex for a total price of $23 on Amazon, which feels like a great deal.
So two out of two had misaligned jaws that could be brought back into alignment. Both worked well and one had a decent finish.
I am curious about the versions made in Spain (Crescent is one, but not the only one).
usatooldepot.com
