What's happened to vice grips.

[Hood]

Didn't notice the 2 pins. I'm pondering now, don't think I will be going with Irwin again anyway. The size of the steel on the jaws/well machined look on the hazet's had drawn me to them but on the other hand you point out the 2 pins on the on the wurth and your positive feedback.

The finish on the jaws does let the Wurth ones down but on looks only, the actual working face of the jaws seem decent. How good they will be in the long term I have no idea but so far I am happy enough, time will tell I suppose.

 

[Richard.]

Didn't notice the 2 pins. I'm pondering now, don't think I will be going with Irwin again anyway. The size of the steel on the jaws/well machined look on the hazet's had drawn me to them but on the other hand you point out the 2 pins on the on the wurth and your positive feedback.

I would say every comment in the thread I’ve made should be enough to say Irwin vise grips are best avoided.

 

[Richard.]

but on looks only, t

On a pair of moleys looks don’t matter one bit. By the time you’ve dabbed em with the grinder and knocked off the spatter they are gonna look a bag of #### anyway.

 

[Hood]

Vid here of the movement, looks more than it actually is but even then you will notice they spring back to alignment when I let go.

 

[Richard.]

Ha. That's nothing. Mine are way better than that. I can get at least 12.5 inches of sideways play on my jaws

 

[Richard.]

Mine spring back too. When you put enough force behind them to pull the jaws into alignment they spring right back out of alignment every time to the point they are like a pair of scissors.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Funny I always knew them as whale and mole grips, then at uni they started talking about vice grips and I learned another name for them. The Irwin ones are terrible that I've used. Snappy on the grip and a pain to release, often have to exert a lot of pressure to get them to go, then they fly off the workpiece, great fun when you're forming metal with oxy-acet Sadly it's another of those things that old is better than new. I was talking with my friend the other day actually, as they're on this big eco-drive in NZ atm with placcy bags getting phased out, talking about a bag-for-life being more eco friendly as it lasts longer. Well, guess what else lasts longer? Well-built tools, properly hardened, not cast with aero chocolate steel that the Chinese seem to love to use. The same applies to many facets of life, not just tools... we've gone full circle, made good products to last, then cheap ones to throw away, now they're telling us to buy things that will last... crazy.

 

[Dieselman 63]

I lent a pair of mole grips to a guy in the village, he had never seen mole grips before , I tried to show him how they work but he was'nt taking any notice ...just kept saying Endacsi endacsi ...Greek for Ok Ok I get it ... He came back a hour or two later asked me if I could explain again ....He was trying to adjust the gap before putting it on the pipe fitting he was trying to tighten up....

Hahaha a more truer statement could not be made! I have to work with the Greeks all the time, they're a nightmare to say the least, every one pre-loaded with the idea that they're an 'expert' in their field, then you see them butchering a job... (okay, that might be a bit of an unfair generalisation, but I do see some truly awful repairs!)

 

[Hood]

Ha. That's nothing. Mine are way better than that. I can get at least 12.5 inches of sideways play on my jaws

Ha ha well maybe a slight exaggeration on your part there I think
I just tried with both pairs of mole grips I have and slightly more movement but they are old so.....
The Draper ones I have are also pretty good but they are probably 20 years old so can't say what the modern Draper ones are like but the jaw faces are not as good on the Draper compared to Wurth.

Mine spring back too. When you put enough force behind them to pull the jaws into alignment they spring right back out of alignment every time to the point they are like a pair of scissors.

At least they are springing back, has to be a bonus

 

[MrFluffy]

I have a set of facom brevete's that I reach for when I want a really good self grip plier. They are so good that you can undo cheesehead screws that have been butchered on motorcycle cases by gripping them outside on the rounded profile of the cheese head screw and rotating the screw.
This is the sort I have, I found them under a seat of a motorcycle I bought 25 years ago and still think its the best bit of buying that bike, although I sold it for double what I paid for it the next day sans the pliers.
I have all sorts of random other ones, but they get regulated to stuff when its not important or as welding clamps. I'd not use the facom's like that.

 

[Shox Dr]

I have a set of facom brevete's that I reach for when I want a really good self grip plier. They are so good that you can undo cheesehead screws that have been butchered on motorcycle cases by gripping them outside on the rounded profile of the cheese head screw and rotating the screw.
This is the sort I have, I found them under a seat of a motorcycle I bought 25 years ago and still think its the best bit of buying that bike, although I sold it for double what I paid for it the next day sans the pliers.
I have all sorts of random other ones, but they get regulated to stuff when its not important or as welding clamps. I'd not use the facom's like that.

Now they are awesome. Used some, never could find what they were called, or where to get them, so thanks(I think)

 

[Carl Wilson]

I've got some Facom ones that are width adjustable, the jaw moves along a rack similar to how water pump pliers do. They are good.

 

[Hood]

....... I'm gonna ask would you mind dropping some comments into the thread after you've given them a good pull and twist because if you find they hold out well after a bit of use and abuse I'll be taking it on board and buying the same ones. .....

Been using them quite a bit in the last few weeks while I have been ripping stuff out of the AMC Catamaran.
Impressed with them, they grip exceptionally well, release very easily and so far the finish seems to be standing up.
They are way better than the Vise Grips I have and also the Mole Grips but really that is probably an unfair comparison as the Wurth are new and the Vise Grips were my Granddads and came over during WW2 (lease lend) and the Moles were my Dads so likely about 1960/70's.