RTM
Well-known member
Dang, are those new to HJE? Missed them. I'd go with skiving or rubber cutting, have lots of the Sloyd and shoe sizes.
What are good vice grips?
- Thread starter craftsman creep
- Start date
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
So of course Amazon got it wrong. I was looking at their web site trying to figure it out and they do not say, usually a clear indicator that not USA :-(
The Amazon page linked to above shows "Country of Origin" as being U.S.A.
The woman who answered the telephone a few minutes ago at Armor, after placing me on hold for a couple minutes, came back to the phone and told me "The locking pliers are made in China." *
Armor / Armor Tool LLC, 1161 Rankin Dr., Troy, MI 48083 / https://armor-tool.com/ / est. (?) / part of Bora Tool, Troy, MI, part of Affinity Tool Group / see also Bora Tool (US), see also Ox Tool (AU) /
Bora / Bora Tool, 1161 Rankin Dr., Troy, MI 48083 / https://boratool.com/ / est. 2006 / see also Armor Tool, Troy, MI / part of OX Group /
Ox / OX Tools AU, PO Box 498, Ermington, New South Wales 2115, Australia / https://www.oxtools.com.au/ / est. 2010 / merged with Bora Tool (US) 2023 / see also Armor Tool LLC (US), see also Bora Tool (US) /
(may be some errata in the contact info there I'm kind of in a hurry to get out of here - have a shopping list from Mom.)
(* pers. comm/phone/Armor/102424 BK)
MichaelP
Well-known member
If you want the best, go with Facom. But they're not cheap.
Steel_Rain
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2024
- Messages
- 1,371
Bought these tonight just to try:
They have a little bit of flex, but for $10ea and a lifetime warranty, I’ll give them a shot.
But they won’t replace my USA Craftsman’s or Malco’s.
They have a little bit of flex, but for $10ea and a lifetime warranty, I’ll give them a shot.
But they won’t replace my USA Craftsman’s or Malco’s.
isb cornbinder
Well-known member
I have two CRESCENT CRV C600S locking "C" clamps. I do not know where were made. but they sure are nice. The well used one was in a toolbox I bought. The other was a Craigslist find. I would buy Crescent again, in a New York Minute.
These are the first two Crescent lockers I have seen.
If a person is collecting a rare and unusual Vice grip, watch for picture 3. After years of watching, I bought it and soon, a second pair became available, locally. would buy 10 if I could.
These are the first two Crescent lockers I have seen.
If a person is collecting a rare and unusual Vice grip, watch for picture 3. After years of watching, I bought it and soon, a second pair became available, locally. would buy 10 if I could.
Attachments
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Ohio Andy
Well-known member
Is that like locking player? Multi-tools?
The Leatherman Crunch was actually an awesome locking plier multitool, but they were discontinued. You can still get a pair on ebay... for like $500...
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I just picked up two one for each car... They both seemed okay, well, even better than that based on what I paid.Bought these tonight just to try:
They have a little bit of flex, but for $10ea and a lifetime warranty, I’ll give them a shot.
But they won’t replace my USA Craftsman’s or Malco’s.
Ton ton
Well-known member
You can still get USA made locking pliers through your local snap on rep.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
Snap-on Store
I've definitely ordered some of the needle nose and 5" curved jaw pliers from snap on as well, but for all other flavors, I would definitely visit HJE or other vendors before spending 3+ times as much on the exact same thing from snap on.Snap-on Store
shop.snapon.com
Search: 44 results found for "eagle grip"
The Harry J. Epstein Co. - USA Hand Tools - Surplus/Retail/Liquidation
www.harryepstein.com
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nicks78camaro
Well-known member
Has it been confirmed who the Snap On locking pliers are made by since their rebranded Malco source is no longer available? Do they make them in house in USA now?
nicks78camaro
Well-known member
That would make the most sense
I was under the impression Snap On purchased the Eagle Grip factory from Malco.
Ton ton
Well-known member
I paid $58.35 for the 5” locking pliers off of the Snap On truck on October 22, 2024. I just checked my receipt.
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richfinn
Well-known member
If you are in the USA buy Malco before they become extinct, expensive but definitely the nicest pair of grips I have owned 
I have no idea how snap on pricing works in terms of buying things from a dealer vs online, but they go for $80 online.
nicks78camaro
Well-known member
I'm almost positive prices have gone up significantly on the Snap Ons since Malco shut down production.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
Just yesterday I had to get a 1/4-in square bolt out a very difficult to reach location in very tight quarters. And it was screwed into something that could flex which made it even more difficult.
I was trying different types of knipex pliers and adjustable... Finally moved to my locking pliers and I tried like six different ones. Problem is I needed something with a lot of grip but I didn't have a lot of space and what I really needed was long nose to get in there. I don't own any long nose malco.
I tried my 4-in versions and none of them held. The one that finally got it was my Tekton long nose. I have one Auto locking long nose and that slipped. My Knipex slipped. I was surprised that my tech didn't long nose, the larger ones, took it right off. I mean it was still tedious but it did the job. After that I went looking for malco Long nose and didn't see any.
I've considered buying the snap-on LP6LN or the LP5LN.
Snap-on Store
Snap-on Store
I think the 5.
The 5s are great. I wish they made a larger set of long nose though.Just yesterday I had to get a 1/4-in square bolt out a very difficult to reach location in very tight quarters. And it was screwed into something that could flex which made it even more difficult.
I was trying different types of knipex pliers and adjustable... Finally moved to my locking pliers and I tried like six different ones. Problem is I needed something with a lot of grip but I didn't have a lot of space and what I really needed was long nose to get in there. I don't own any long nose malco.
I tried my 4-in versions and none of them held. The one that finally got it was my Tekton long nose. I have one Auto locking long nose and that slipped. My Knipex slipped. I was surprised that my tech didn't long nose, the larger ones, took it right off. I mean it was still tedious but it did the job. After that I went looking for malco Long nose and didn't see any.
I've considered buying the snap-on LP6LN or the LP5LN.
Snap-on Store
Snap-on Store
I think the 5.
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Ton ton
Well-known member
Keystone Air Power has 7” Malco’s for $49.99. 866-866-9224. Myerstown,PA.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
The 6 is 1/2 the price. I'm really curious with the actual difference is. The five looks like it is made by malco. The six looks to be the same style as the knipex.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I tried to go to their website and it looks like you need an account and they want you to install some software called plesk for a better experience.
So I'm guessing it's mostly for in-person stuff only. No online presence to buy stuff.
four.cycle
Well-known member
10 inch straight jaw $29.95
10 inch curved jaw $29.95
7 inch straight jaw $29.95
7 inch curved jaw $29.95
6LN Petersen $20 bucks
6LN Petersen $20 bucks
6LN Petersen $20 bucks
6LN Petersen $21
4LN Petersen $26
They are almost always in plentiful supply on ebay - you just have to watch them and cherry pick what you are looking for. The four-inchers are a little more spendy than the six-inchers, for some reason.
10 inch curved jaw $29.95
7 inch straight jaw $29.95
7 inch curved jaw $29.95
6LN Petersen $20 bucks
6LN Petersen $20 bucks
6LN Petersen $20 bucks
6LN Petersen $21
4LN Petersen $26
They are almost always in plentiful supply on ebay - you just have to watch them and cherry pick what you are looking for. The four-inchers are a little more spendy than the six-inchers, for some reason.
d42jeep
Well-known member
Used Peterson Vise Grips are often available for pennies on the dollar at estate and garage sales and are very good quality. If there is some rust they generally respond well to an overnight in evaporust. 
-Don
-Don
The 5 is definitely made with Malco tooling (whoever actually made it...) and is made in the USA. The others are the variety Snap On has carried for a while. Weren't they made by GripOn?
Grip-on manufactures in Spain - and those look like Grip-on pliers to me.
I think the Vise-Grip criticism is overblown and they are perfectly good locking pliers you won't feel bad abusing. Grip-on is a little nicer, but appreciably more expensive. Sometimes that's worth it.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I wondered about that.... Thanks for the information.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
Thanks for the links. I wanted another long nose version so I ordered a 4LN and a 6LN and I will try these before I move on to the snap-on. I have plenty of the larger ones.
I was just really annoyed that they only pliers I had that would reach and work on this one nut were from Tekton. Then again, maybe I should have just ordered more from Tekton!
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ Again, I only tried one pair of the "Tekton" model - ordered them from an ebay seller dirt cheap - tried them here a couple times and was NOT impressed at all - sent them to Blake who apparently found them worthless in a real shop setting.
There's still a glut of used Petersen Vise-Grips in the second-hand market, as Don's post just above clearly attests to. (You don't think he's shelling out $20 bucks a pair for those at garage sales, do you?)
All this panic is for nothing - there's still plenty of them out there - just like Craftsman RP ratchets.
There's still a glut of used Petersen Vise-Grips in the second-hand market, as Don's post just above clearly attests to. (You don't think he's shelling out $20 bucks a pair for those at garage sales, do you?)
All this panic is for nothing - there's still plenty of them out there - just like Craftsman RP ratchets.
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
I tried three styles of Knipex pliers (all failed) including their Locking Pliers, which look like the the made in Spain Snap-On (the 6 version), which is why I am leery of those specific Snap-On that look like the Knipex. I did not have a set of Matco that could reach it. Ultimately, the only locking pliers I had that reached and got it off were my newer Tekton Long Nose.
I decided that if the Tekton were ****, but they were the only thing that worked and all the others failed for me (Irwin, Knipex, and four others) maybe I would buy some nicer long nose. I was thinking about the Snap On 5 series (look like Matco tooling) but decided to try a couple of Peterson locking pliers for under $30 each before buying the Snap On 5 series at $80.
Seems that I was not the first person who tried to get that bolt out, but I am the person who managed to get it out.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ You DO own some Vampliers, right?
(Also look at Engineer - some here say their prices are better.)
(Which reminds me... we need to get Vampire hooked up with "Secret Santa")
(Also look at Engineer - some here say their prices are better.)
(Which reminds me... we need to get Vampire hooked up with "Secret Santa")
Ohio Andy
Well-known member
You know I don't... I did look at some and it looked like they were a Japanese company and it wasn't clear if all their tools had the special tips... So for example, there was this set on Amazon, A five-piece set for about $160 I think
VAMPLIERS 5-Piece Screw Extractor Pliers Set. Made in Japan: 8" Linesman, 7.5" Needle Nose, 7" Slip Joint, 6.25", 5" Mini Pliers + Rolling Tool Pouch. Stripped Screw Removal Tools
Do you have a recommended set for someone who doesn't have any? And a recommended place to buy them?
In this instance, I had to reach into an area for a limited access and I had to grab the head from the side. I couldn't come straight in. And if I remember correctly, most of the vampire players looked like they assumed that you could come straight in and grip the top from the sides.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ To be honest, I cannot answer that, because every pair I've bought was given away.
I DID have a pair sent to the guy who installed the new grinder pump on my Mom's septic tank a few months back. I watched him struggling with an old pair of Channellocks on a chewed-up screw head and had a pair of these drop-shipped to him.
I called him a week later to confirm he'd received them. He said he thought they looked pretty good, but he hadn't tried them yet.
I gave my buddy a couple pairs of smaller ones: this one and this one. He liked them.
I believe I sent @83VillageRepair a set of these last year at Christmas. No reports from him on those.
I've purchased this model but I cannot recall who I sent them to.
I haven't gotten any complaints other than on the VT-003-85 linesman pliers I had them drop-shop to @Sparky1971 - scroll down on that page for his story. That item seems to be discontinued - I'm not finding it on their site.
Vampire's own recommendations HERE.
(I've never purchased any "sets" from them - just singles when they were running a promo deal.)
(Speaking of which... it's about time for them to do that... they will probably be running some kind of "Black Friday" deal soon.)
I DID have a pair sent to the guy who installed the new grinder pump on my Mom's septic tank a few months back. I watched him struggling with an old pair of Channellocks on a chewed-up screw head and had a pair of these drop-shipped to him.
I called him a week later to confirm he'd received them. He said he thought they looked pretty good, but he hadn't tried them yet.
I gave my buddy a couple pairs of smaller ones: this one and this one. He liked them.
I believe I sent @83VillageRepair a set of these last year at Christmas. No reports from him on those.
I've purchased this model but I cannot recall who I sent them to.
I haven't gotten any complaints other than on the VT-003-85 linesman pliers I had them drop-shop to @Sparky1971 - scroll down on that page for his story. That item seems to be discontinued - I'm not finding it on their site.
Vampire's own recommendations HERE.
(I've never purchased any "sets" from them - just singles when they were running a promo deal.)
(Speaking of which... it's about time for them to do that... they will probably be running some kind of "Black Friday" deal soon.)
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Ton ton
Well-known member
They have a paper catalog that you can order from, LOL! You are correct on no website. I am old school and prefer paper catalogs.
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83VillageRepair
Well-known member
The Eagle Grips are great but I haven't used them much. I use Vice Grip welding clamps much more than the pliers. I have used the Vampliers a bunch though. They are just the ticket for removing stripped out machine screws in electronic and electrical motor control centers.