Grip-On 500 5-Piece General Purpose Locking Pliers Kit in Roll-Up Pouch, Black, Orange

I've had a collection of Vise-Grips that had been acquired nearly three decades ago. I've used 'em and abused them. I've welded "accessories" to them and reground their noses to suit some nearly impossible jobs. They always got me out of a pinch when all else had failed. I was about to replace a pair or two to get some of the most abused back into spec, but then started reading about the shoddy quality now under the Irwin name. I've previously bought Irwin drill bits and more, being completely unaware of the name and given them a shot and have found every dollar to be fully wasted. More research revealed that the Vise Grip name has been sold several times in recent times, but the good ones were made by Petersen Mfg. in DeWitt, Nebraska, USA. Checking mine I saw this stamped into mine. The Irwin ones are made in China. While I can't speak for those, I've already learned not to waste hard earned money on that brand!Online forums suggested to dig through store racks to find the dustiest Vise Grips and these would likely be the good old ones. The other suggestion was to get these Grip-Ons, made in Spain, and I wouldn't be disappointed. Being a fond Amazon customer, I went with Grip-On rather than running all over town looking for dust relics of the past. I'm so glad I did. I now prefer these over the Petersen-made Vise-Grips, good as those were.While I have yet to use these in genuine anger ... you know clamped on ridiculously tight and then beating them with a 5 lb. sledge hammer to convince something to just give a little bit ... I have no doubt they will handle it. Mine came with their trademark orange finish instead of the nickel plating as shown on Amazon -- a pleasant surprise since they look awesome and are easier to find this way.But I didn't buy them for appearances. Check out that omnium-grip featured on two of the pliers and tell me that doesn't look useful to you. They do seem pinch proof and I have been pinched badly a few times by my old Vise-Grips. The release lever on these is activated by squeezing towards the screw instead of pulling away from the screw. Because of this, the release lever extends past the moving handle by about a finger width so that it's super easy to release these, but the overall profile is such that you shouldn't have to worry about releasing them accidentally unless you're clumsy. I suspect the release mechanism was made different to avoid patent issues, but it really seems to be an improvement to me. You're much less likely to smash your knuckles releasing an extremely tight grip with these since you squeeze rather than pull.All but two of the pliers have a jam nut on the adjuster screw which might be really useful for a bunch of repeat work. I'm not sure why all don't have this -- I suspect its to offer more variety rather than a quality control issue; these speak quality on so many different levels.I'd try to describe the actual grip profiles in more detail but your best bet would be to visit the mfr. website where the have excellent photos and descriptions. I will say this kit offers a great variety of useful shapes and sizes. I might want to compliment this set with a pair of small, long nose ones. The hose clamp pliers can be used for this role if a bigger pair is ok since these do have teeth at the very front (and rear) while the flat center area is toothless as you'd want for temporarily closing off a hose.The vinyl pouch is quite heavy duty with a sewed in cloth reinforcement border and hook/loop closure, but I'll probably shove these in a door or try to make room on my pegboard as they're too wonderful and handy to have buried away out of reach.

Love the sturdy construction. Minimal side-to-side translational jaw movement. Good gripper strength (as expected).

Received only 110-05, 139-10, and 111-10. Missing 2 of the pliers, missing 131-07 and 131-10.

These tools are not the quality that I was expecting, they're apparently made from soft metal and are not the same as what is pictured, these come in an orange color and don't seem very sturdy

Can't say enough good things about these. I grew up on good old vise grips, but having heard that Irwin moved production of those to China, I found myself searching for another product. These Grip-ons, although made in Spain, are about the best available, at least that's both the consensus online and among my tool-using peers. As well, Snap-on and Proto sell rebadged grip ons, if that tells you anything. Mine showed up in Grip On's signature orange paint with black accents. They tool roll that comes with is an excellent vinyl roll and is very durable. Overall, I'm very pleased with these.

These are the best locking pliers you can buy. I like my old Vise Grips, but they sold out like craftsman did and started making junk in China. It's cheaper for them to replace it 3 times than it is to make a good tool in the first place. this set is solid. I expect them to last. Made in Spain.

Nice set of locking pliers here. Great price and as mentioned in many other reviews, they came in the orange painted scheme and not the bare metal. Personally I prefer my tools to be bare metal or black but the paint job on them is so nice I'm ok with it.

These things are much more amazing than any budget tool shop or cheap Chinese steel (think Irwin after they moved over sea). I use these mostly for welding and they hold tight, release easily and have a mechanism that doesn't pinch your fingers, easy to use while wearing thick leather gloves. Would purchase again.

Really like this set. It is very well made and is superior to any other locking pliers I have had before. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that the picture shows the chrome plated pliers while the actual ones delivered are the orange and black epoxy ones. I personally prefer the epoxy ones myself and I am happy that I received them, but it is ultimately misleading to show the chrome ones in the product photo.