Oval Jaw Lock-Grip Plier (10")

The locking mechanism is what separates these from any ordinary plier. A screw in the handle sets the jaw opening, and squeezing the handles pushes an over-centre toggle past its pivot, so the tool holds itself closed under great pressure until the release lever is pulled. It becomes a vice you can carry, and once locked you can take both hands away.

That is why lock grips have the reputation they do for rescuing jobs. A rounded nut that no spanner will touch, a bolt head with the corners gone, a snapped stud, a fitting seized solid — locking pliers bite hard enough to turn them. They also hold work for welding, drilling, filing and grinding, act as a temporary handle on something that has none, and clamp components together during assembly.

Ten inches is the standard size and the one most workshops own. It is steel plate material, nickel plated: a stamped and riveted construction, which is normal for this type and keeps the linkage accurate, with plating against corrosion.

The buyers are welders and fabricators, vehicle, motorcycle and plant mechanics, plumbers and pipe fitters, agricultural and machinery repairers, maintenance staff, and hardware dealers, who sell this pattern more than any other lock grip.

Three limits. The jaws are hardened and serrated and they bite by design, so they mark, score and can crush — keep them off plated, polished, thin-walled or finished work. Do not use them on a nut you want to reuse; they round the corners, and a rounded nut is a worse problem than a stiff one. And set the adjusting screw so the jaws just close over the work before squeezing: wound too tight, the toggle becomes very hard to release and the jaws can be sprung permanently.

Keep the screw thread and pivots oiled, since a dry lock grip becomes stiff and unpleasant. Ask us on WhatsApp for a price.