American Made Vise Grips - DeWitt Plant Reopens

[Ji m]

Fantastic news!

Thanks for posting,

It will be good to move every new pair I've bought in the last 10 years into the "spares" drawer, and have some real locking pliers back again.

 

[Ryan]

Made in the USA = AWESOME.

Politics = ****.

Please keep the politics out of it guys.

 

[Jayman17]

Made in the USA = AWESOME.

Politics = ****.

Please keep the politics out of it guys.

Sorry about that, won't happen again

 

[Farmall450]

That patent has to be long dead. I also don't think this is a good thing. They couldn't even be bothered to improve the ergonomics or at the very least fix the release handle? Very disappointing. I'll stick with my Euro ones.

Those are very specific/opinionated "flaws". I most people I know well prefer those release handles to the knock off version.

 

[LB-1911]

I agree, the members of this forum will probably drop north of 100 grand on them alone. Hard to tell but someone must know the demand is there.

Some additional background - Cut from link below

MAY 8, 2018

In the wake of significant growth, Malco Products found themselves running short of manufacturing capacity in 2016.

Taking an innovative approach, they opened their minds to the possibility of utilizing an older building outside their local area, and in early 2017 purchased a 346,000 square foot plant located in DeWitt, Nebraska.


Peterson anticipates future benefits from:

Revenue from new Made-In-America Eagle Grip products

Hiring savings resulting from the DeWitt skilled workforce and available resources

Increased brand awareness and sales due to reshoring comeback story



Expansion takes an innovative turn at Malco Products

 

[Farmall450]

Some additional background - Cut from link below

MAY 8, 2018

In the wake of significant growth, Malco Products found themselves running short of manufacturing capacity in 2016.

Taking an innovative approach, they opened their minds to the possibility of utilizing an older building outside their local area, and in early 2017 purchased a 346,000 square foot plant located in DeWitt, Nebraska.


Peterson anticipates future benefits from:

Revenue from new Made-In-America Eagle Grip products

Hiring savings resulting from the DeWitt skilled workforce and available resources

Increased brand awareness and sales due to reshoring comeback story



Expansion takes an innovative turn at Malco Products

It's clearly working
Brilliant plan.

 

[L.Cheapo]

I bought some Malco tools when they bought that new plant in 2017. I'm very happy with them.

I've long waited for some USA made locking pliers, and have had to buy some Knipex ones since none were available. If these are of good quality, I will definitely be interested in a number of them. Maybe we can get a group buy or "Malco Day" somehow?

 

[jeffmoss26]

This is good news.
Was disappointed to see 'Made in China' on the Enderes 6 in 1 screwdrivers at the hardware store yesterday. Gonna have to email them and see what's up with that.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I read that their plan is to make the best licking plier available. Won’t be cheap, but I’d be happy to upgrade my stuff.

What flavors will they be available in? Lol

 

[Skin]

Those are very specific/opinionated "flaws". I most people I know well prefer those release handles to the knock off version.

Most people you know prefer to smash their fingers? Okay then...

 

[metaldad]

This is good news.
Was disappointed to see 'Made in China' on the Enderes 6 in 1 screwdrivers at the hardware store yesterday. Gonna have to email them and see what's up with that.

huh?
i thought they reopened the plant in minnesnowta

 

[Farmall450]

Most people you know prefer to smash their fingers? Okay then...

I have never smashed my fingers using Vise Grips. Operator error?

This is good news.
Was disappointed to see 'Made in China' on the Enderes 6 in 1 screwdrivers at the hardware store yesterday. Gonna have to email them and see what's up with that.

That is messed up; I though they'd made a resurgence...I love my Enderes 6n1 *USA*s

 

[redwrench60]

Most people you know prefer to smash their fingers? Okay then...

Just my opinion but I don't find traditional Vise Grips too dangerous . At least not as bad as many make them out to be. I think a pair bit me when I was maybe 11 years old tinkering on some **** and I said to myself "hey don't do that again, dummy" and that was that.

 

[WWheeler]

Yeah I never smash fingers with vise grip release lever.

Now, the stupid design below is the release that I despise.



That's the only kind that has ever pinched my fingers. Happens when they are so tight that squeezing the release as far as it will go is not enough to get them to release. Try to ease off the release lever of the still locked-on pliers results in an 'ouch'.

 

[L.Cheapo]

Yeah I never smash fingers with vise grip release lever.

Now, the stupid design below is the release that I despise.



That's the only kind that has ever pinched my fingers. Happens when they are so tight that squeezing the release as far as it will go is not enough to get them to release. Try to ease off the release lever of the still locked-on pliers results in an 'ouch'.

This has been my experience exactly. All my Knipex locking pliers release like the photo above, and I have the exact same issue with them. Clamped on tight, you can squeeze that little release lever right to the handle, and nothing happens. I usually say at least one four letter word every time I use them.

 

[WWheeler]

Vise Grips are waaaay better because the release lever works in the same direction to open them, not opposing. There's nothing to pinch. If & when you have pulled the release all the way to the squeeze grip and it hasn't released, you just need to pull harder. I don't care how hard you have them bit into something, you pull hard enough they will open up.

 

[WWheeler]

The REAL test will be when I attach them to my slide hammer for pulling cotter pins or nails out of pallet wood. Then I'll know if they have an 'Eagle Grip' or not.

Peterson Dewitt Vise Grips don't let go when the hammer hits. If they are clamped on tight the pin or nail comes with it.
Irwin Vise Grips do let go. They just pop open when hit hard. Useless.
Milwaukee 'torque-lock' locking pliers do. Also useless. Waste of money.

If these Malco Eagle Grips can handle my hammer then I'm sure I will be buying more than just a couple of them.

 

[BFHtime]

Next spring start here - Where To Buy

Cut from previously supplied link

According to information published earlier this year by the University of Wisconsin-Stout's Manufacturing Outreach Center, DeWitt will be the manufacturing site for Malco's new Eagle Grip locking pliers, which will hit the market next spring.


LOCKING PLIERS TO BE PRODUCED ONCE AGAIN IN DEWITT!
BY Dave Schroeder | October 20, 2018

Today a modest production area is slowly coming online in one part of the building. The plan is to create prototypes of tools this fall and winter and launch them at a major hardware show in the Spring.

Quandt says they will produce 4 different locking pliers, 3 hand seamers(used for bending sheet metal) and a couple of welding clamps. He says they will hire production workers as the demand approaches but, many of the current employees worked in the former Vise-Grip factory.

The Eagle Grip pliers will have a similar look and feel as those familiar with Vise-Grips. They will be produced in 7″ and 10″ sizes and some with wire cutters too.


http://kticradio.com/regional-news/audio-videolocking-pliers-to-be-produced-once-again-in-dewitt/

Thank you!

 

[plinker]

Yeah I never smash fingers with vise grip release lever.

Now, the stupid design below is the release that I despise.



That's the only kind that has ever pinched my fingers. Happens when they are so tight that squeezing the release as far as it will go is not enough to get them to release. Try to ease off the release lever of the still locked-on pliers results in an 'ouch'.

+1

If I have Vise grips on something and they are really on there, a small prybar or similar works rather well to trip the lever to release them.


Good to see they are coming back, interested to see how they compare to the older ones.

 

[Farmall450]

Yeah I never smash fingers with vise grip release lever.

Now, the stupid design below is the release that I despise.



That's the only kind that has ever pinched my fingers. Happens when they are so tight that squeezing the release as far as it will go is not enough to get them to release. Try to ease off the release lever of the still locked-on pliers results in an 'ouch'.

Exactly, same.

 

[Farmall450]

The REAL test will be when I attach them to my slide hammer for pulling cotter pins or nails out of pallet wood. Then I'll know if they have an 'Eagle Grip' or not.

Peterson Dewitt Vise Grips don't let go when the hammer hits. If they are clamped on tight the pin or nail comes with it.
Irwin Vise Grips do let go. They just pop open when hit hard. Useless.
Milwaukee 'torque-lock' locking pliers do. Also useless. Waste of money.

If these Malco Eagle Grips can handle my hammer then I'm sure I will be buying more than just a couple of them.

Hopefully they're the same thread. I made the same adapter you did lol.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here's the only photo I've been able to find so far of what the Eagle Grip product lineup will look like.

Last week marked 10 years ago that Newell/Rubbermaid shut down the Irwin plant in DeWitt. It's great to see Malco invest American dollars in an American community and get American workers back to producing American tools again.

An article in the Beatrice Daily noted that "The Eagle Grip line will consist of 10 types of locking pliers that Malco President and CEO Mardon Quandt said will be the strongest available. "Our plans are to have the world’s strongest locking pliers,” he said. “When Vise-Grip moved this over to China, they cheapened the product and we heard a lot of complaints about the quality decreasing. The price went down but the quality also went down. We’re going to be the most expensive out there, but also the best quality and most durable.”

Here's a link to the article in the Beatrice Daily Sun newspaper:
https://beatricedailysun.com/news/local/production-of-locking-pliers-returning-to-dewitt/article_424e0819-e670-59df-8474-e75e2a401ca3.html


I wish Malco nothing but the very best of success with the Eagle Grip locking pliers line, and I look forward to getting my hands on some soon! From what I'm reading, they will be doing some prototype production this fall and winter and gearing up for mainline mass production by May 2019.

 

[isb cornbinder]

My son says I have about 146 pair of Dewitt Pedersen Vise Grips. I buy them to save them. I may do a thread on my collection and the diversity of specialty models.
Here are pictures of a few of them;
I owned a complete Ford Model "T". I bought it in pieces. When a man was coming to look at the "T", I Vise Gripped the car together so it could be viewed complete. the "T" sold. I kept the Vise Grips.

My mother was born in Hardy Nebraska and her family knew the Pedersen family.

 

[Farmall450]

My son says I have about 146 pair of Dewitt Pedersen Vise Grips. I buy them to save them. I may do a thread on my collection and the diversity of specialty models.
Here are pictures of a few of them;
I owned a complete Ford Model "T". I bought it in pieces. When a man was coming to look at the "T", I Vise Gripped the car together so it could be viewed complete. the "T" sold. I kept the Vise Grips.

My mother was born in Hardy Nebraska and her family knew the Pedersen family.

Awesome collection & signature.

 

[Jazz1]

with this post from a few days back about channelllock beginning to make USA locking pliers, to hit the shelves next year, gotta wonder if the dewitt plant will be making them also, and whomever else wants to supply USA product
(from) KDoug
Senior Member

Default Re: Original Vise Grip Plant - Dewitt, Nebraska
Great information. I emailed Channellock earlier this year and asked them if they had any intentions of selling any rebranded Grip-On locking pliers or making any in the future like they have in the past. They responded and said they are developing made in USA locking pliers that should be available in 2019
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=817638&d=1539182023

When I was at the DeWitt factory to pick up a load way back they were packaging the Snap On and I thinks Craftsman locking pliers day I was there so Channellock no doubt will also be manufactured there.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I'll probably buy some just out of curiosity.

 

[SilverDeck]

When I was at the DeWitt factory to pick up a load way back they were packaging the Snap On and I thinks Craftsman locking pliers day I was there so Channellock no doubt will also be manufactured there.

It will be interesting to see if Malco ends up doing contract production for other companies like Petersen Manufacturing did. I’ve seen DeWitt-made Vise Grips rebranded under contract for Proto, Master Mechanic, Wurth, Wilde, and (ironically) Malco. If they ever rebranded locking pliers for Snap On I’ve never seen them (but I don’t have much Snap On). Craftsman’s locking pliers were produced for them by Parker and had a slightly different release lever than Vise Grip.

Malco is currently running a small staff of 9 at DeWitt (7 of whom are former Vise Grip employees). They plan to ramp up staff when production picks up, but it will likely never approach the hundreds of employees that Petersen employed when they were in their prime under full production.

 

[L.Cheapo]

It will be interesting to see if Malco ends up doing contract production for other companies like Petersen Manufacturing did. I’ve seen DeWitt-made Vise Grips rebranded under contract for Proto, Master Mechanic, Wurth, Wilde, and (ironically) Malco. If they ever rebranded locking pliers for Snap On I’ve never seen them (but I don’t have much Snap On). Craftsman’s locking pliers were produced for them by Parker and had a slightly different release lever than Vise Grip.

Malco is currently running a small staff of 9 at DeWitt (7 of whom are former Vise Grip employees). They plan to ramp up staff when production picks up, but it will likely never approach the hundreds of employees that Petersen employed when they were in their prime under full production. The

Rebranding them under the Craftsman name would result in huge market placement for Malco, another USA product for SBD, and easy access for consumers. I wouldn't mind that.

 

[jeffmoss26]

I have never smashed my fingers using Vise Grips. Operator error?



That is messed up; I though they'd made a resurgence...I love my Enderes 6n1 *USA*s

I emailed Steve. The plant is still in operation, mostly punches and chisels along with anvils but screwdrivers are currently outsourced to China. He is working on bringing them back once the machinery is up and running.

 

[Jaysreal]

Rebranding them under the Craftsman name would result in huge market placement for Malco, another USA product for SBD, and easy access for consumers. I wouldn't mind that.

Or even IRWIN (since Stanley owns them now too) which would make it come full circle. Lol

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[SilverDeck]

Vise Grips are waaaay better because the release lever works in the same direction to open them, not opposing. There's nothing to pinch. If & when you have pulled the release all the way to the squeeze grip and it hasn't released, you just need to pull harder. I don't care how hard you have them bit into something, you pull hard enough they will open up.

Gotta agree with this. Have never pinched my fingers releasing Petersen Vise-Grips.

Malco’s Eagle Grip prototypes appear to be made and manufactured almost identically to the Petersen Vise Grips. Instead of a knurled adjusting screw the Eagle Grips appear to have a black hex-headed adjusting screw (similar to the Petersen Vise Grips from the 1920s and early 1930s). I haven’t seen one of the Malco Eagle Grip prototypes in person yet but hope to within the next couple of days if my connections pan out. I’ll post my observations and hopefully some photos if I can get one in my hands.

The patents for the models Malco is producing have expired. Maybe some day they might do needle nose. Petersen didn’t release and patent the needle nose design until the early 1980s, but that patent as to be expired by now too.

 

[xin]

Just the start, it is about time we take care of our own COUNTRY and focus on manufacturing at home.

 

[Farmall450]

I emailed Steve. The plant is still in operation, mostly punches and chisels along with anvils but screwdrivers are currently outsourced to China. He is working on bringing them back once the machinery is up and running.

What happened in between? How much does it take to make some plastic handles and roughly machined steel sleeves lol.

 

[Farmall450]

Gotta agree with this. Have never pinched my fingers releasing Petersen Vise-Grips.

Malco’s Eagle Grip prototypes appear to be made and manufactured almost identically to the Petersen Vise Grips. Instead of a knurled adjusting screw the Eagle Grips appear to have a black hex-headed adjusting screw (similar to the Petersen Vise Grips from the 1920s and early 1930s). I haven’t seen one of the Malco Eagle Grip prototypes in person yet but hope to within the next couple of days if my connections pan out. I’ll post my observations and hopefully some photos if I can get one in my hands.

The patents for the models Malco is producing have expired. Maybe some day they might do needle nose. Petersen didn’t release and patent the needle nose design until the early 1980s, but that patent as to be expired by now too.

Needlenose vise grips aren't the best, assuming you have a set of hose pinch off pliers lol

 

[L.Cheapo]

Needlenose vise grips aren't the best, assuming you have a set of hose pinch off pliers lol

I use needle nose locking pliers with a piece of tight fitting fuel line over each jaw to pinch off hoses. Never met a pair of hose pinch pliers I liked.

 

[Skin]

Just my opinion but I don't find traditional Vise Grips too dangerous . At least not as bad as many make them out to be. I think a pair bit me when I was maybe 11 years old tinkering on some **** and I said to myself "hey don't do that again, dummy" and that was that.

I suppose it shows who uses their tools hard and who doesn't. Or at least who is just using their vise grips to hold material for a weld or what not. Fairly common to squeeze them on tight enough to crush atoms in the rust belt as they're a go to for unrecognizable fasteners and ball joint studs. They absolutely **** to open since they snap from the force and the lower handle springs back and can nail you pretty good. I've had my fair share of blood blisters from them. SOP is to open them with pliers so to say its perfect is asinine. They're terrible and it was something that absolutely could of been improved. My Facoms open very gently no matter how tight they're crushed on something as they designed the release independent of the clamping force. The other pairs I have quite a few of with the reversed lever is the universal style with the screw. Never ever had a situation where the lever depressed up without releasing. When mine when the lever moves the jaw is released, period. Maybe that's operator error or just shoddy QC for whatever brand someone bought.

Either way you cant tell me there wasn't room for improvement in locking pliers. Other companies have already proven there is.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I suppose it shows who uses their tools and who doesn't. Or at least who is just using their vise grips to hold material for a weld or what not.

That's a pretty broad reaching statement...

I'm another person who hasn't had any problems with the original Petersen design, and I've squeezed them on things HARD on many occasions.

 

[Skin]

That's a pretty broad reaching statement...

I'm another person who hasn't had any problems with the original Petersen design, and I've squeezed them on things HARD on many occasions.

Yea well I don't appreciate being treated like im a ***** after the years of Grip-On preaching I've read on this forum and all the people saying that the lever is improved and vise-grips bit them when set to maximum clamp etc etc etc. One thread shows up and all of a sudden the old fashioned vise grip is perfect (when I know from personal experience it isn't).

What I feel im reading through is a swath of loyalty bias simply because a company brought some US manufacturing back. Hey, US manufacturing, im happy. But to say they couldn't improve ergonomics? Please.

 

[ChrisLS8]

I like the release function on the Peterson version for my line of work since it's not automotive. For auto I prefer Grip On style

 

[65k10]

For most uses, I preferred the Petersen visegrip release lever. Part of that is likely because I grew up with them and because how I use them. I never had much issues with releasing the lever and for clamping stuff I prefer them to my Grip-On/Bollmangrips since I don't have to worry about knocking the release lever on accident. Plus, I prefer the palm swell on the release lever grip of the Petersen style when using 7 and 5 inch locking pliers. I'm kind of meh about my 7 inch Grip-Ons since the handle is getting kind of small and not as easy to hold onto as a 7WR. I don't like my Bollmangrip 5 inch since the handle is too small and just isn't friendly to use compared to a 5WR.

Sometimes I prefer the release lever on Grip-On locking pliers, but I didn't really find it to be superior to visegrips. I'm happy to have Malco making what will hopefully be a really good visegrip in the style I preferred.