Vise grips
- Thread starter bratwurst
- Start date
What is on the other side? Petersen or Irwin?
Petersen Dewitt
Kaervak
Well-known member
Those are pretty old, not sure on the exact age though. But they are pre-Irwin when the quality was still very good. I have a lot of Petersen Dewitt vise grips and are very happy with them.
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
Nice find! I pick up the Petersen Dewitt ones from Garage sales when I see them.
Shiftless
Well-known member
I do too.
Even though the Irwin ones look identical, the operation on them is inferior.
anndel
Well-known member
Awesome, hold on to them one of the last made in USA Petersen Vise-Grips, pre-**** chinesium Irwin.
Y00PER
Well-known member
Pre-2002. Newell Rubbermaid bought American Tool in 2002 and changed the name to Irwin (which was another company owned by American Tool). Irwin vise grips were made in the U.S. until 2008ish then production got shipped to China
None of mine have it, and they span many decades. I think that it is an owners mark, without actually engraving them.
richfinn
Well-known member
No difference at all between Petersen 7R or Irwin 7R (Its the only model I ever buy) I own multiple pairs with both brand names, the teeth eventually wear out on all of them, as they are a little soft (I,ve come to the conclusion this is how they are designed and what gives them such a good bite into the workpiece. Treat as a consumable they are so cheap on ebay nowadays
The teeth on the lower pair are already worn
The teeth on the lower pair are already worn
Made in USA
Well-known member
I disagree 100%. IME, the Irwin non-USA vise grips are vastly inferior. Jaws are extremely soft, mechanism is poorly made. I've been using Vise grips for more decades than I care to count, and was quite unpleasantly surprised when I purchased a pair of Irwin-made VG's a number of years ago.
richfinn
Well-known member
Yep ,me too 35 years using them every working day
They work and grip and handle exactly the same as the old Petersens, the teeth wear out same as the old USA ones (I have about 10 pairs)
I get that people only want USA tools and I support it 100% but I'm not gonna hate Chinese made tools just for the sake of it (and its a forum about tools not politics)
The truth is the Irwins are the only ones available new and they work fine and he could of bought 2 new ones for the same price he paid for the used ones with the same soft worn teeth
Look at the pics closely!!!
woody 73
Well-known member
I don't own any vise grips...
a fun story for the op today on the GJ.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=397715
a fun story for the op today on the GJ.https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=397715
Empty Pockets
Well-known member
Any time I see Petersen/DeWitt vise grips, I grab them. Wife tells me I have enough, but in her travels, she still picks them up for me, when I am at work
r_olson_06
Well-known member
Some of them have the patent dates on the bottom of the moveable handle. The really old ones didn't have the release lever and usually had a patent of 1942 if I remember.
Looking for a Plomb 3061 Pebble Open End.
Looking for a Plomb 3061 Pebble Open End.