The 2 Best Locking Pliers of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney is a writer covering home-improvement topics, outdoor power equipment, bug repellents, and (yes) bidets.

The Channellock 102-10 locking pliers are our new runner-up, replacing the discontinued Blackhawk PT-1110-2. We’ve also added Milwaukee’s 48-22-3410 to the Competition section.

Locking pliers (also known by the trademarked name Vise-Grips) are versatile tools.

Their primary purpose is to lock on to stripped nuts or bolts, but you can also put a pair into action as a rudimentary clamp. Their uses are defined only by your situation and creativity.

We’ve used locking pliers to quickly pinch off a hose, temporarily repair animal fencing, and grab and pull out a difficult nail.

If you’re going to own a set of locking pliers—and we strongly suggest that you do—the best one to get is the Grip-On 111-10.

The build quality and mechanics of this Grip-On pair far exceeded those of the other models we looked at. None of our testers knew that a pair of locking pliers could be so smooth.

This Channellock set is almost identical to our top pick. It’s excellent, but its black color makes it harder to locate in a toolbox.

The build quality and mechanics of this Grip-On pair far exceeded those of the other models we looked at. None of our testers knew that a pair of locking pliers could be so smooth.

After three carpenters tested 12 sets of pliers, the praise for the Grip-On 111-10 pair was unanimous. In my nearly two decades of using and reviewing tools, I’ve never seen a pair of locking pliers combine so much finesse with such aggressive gripping force. These pliers have, by far, the smoothest and easiest unlocking mechanism of any pair we’ve tested. They also have a jaw-sizing knob that turns easily. The overall build quality is outstanding, and the tool has a distinctive orange color that makes it easy to locate in a full toolbox or workshop drawer.

Advertisement

This Channellock set is almost identical to our top pick. It’s excellent, but its black color makes it harder to locate in a toolbox.

If the Grip-On pliers are not available, we also like the Channellock 102-10 pair. This set is the same as our top pick, except that this model has a locking nut on the jaw adjustment and is black instead of orange. We’ve never felt the need for the locking nut, and we much prefer the bright color of the Grip-On set; although these Channellock pliers were functionally fantastic in our tests, they easily got lost in a crowded toolbag because of their black color. This model is typically a few dollars cheaper than our top pick, so if you don’t mind the minor compromise of the dark color, it’s an excellent choice.

Advertisement

I spent 10 years in the trades, first as a carpenter, then as a foreman, and finally as a site supervisor working on multimillion-dollar residential projects. I’ve also done extensive work on the houses I’ve lived in, including one full gut and remodel. During that time, I’ve spent countless hours with locking pliers in my hands. I also raise sheep, chickens, and sometimes pigs. With the animals, I often encounter emergencies that need quick fixes, for which locking pliers are occasionally instrumental—like the time I used them to temporarily clamp together a broken section of fence in order to stop the flow of sheep into my neighbor's property.

As part of the research for this guide, I also spoke with Stuart Deutsch of ToolGuyd and with Harry Sawyers, Wirecutter senior editor and former editor at This Old House and Popular Mechanics.

Locking pliers do just that: They lock on to a nut, a bolt, or any of a hundred other small objects with a thick pair of serrated jaws. To use them, you need to adjust the jaws so that the space between is slightly smaller than the size of what you’re trying to grab. Then, as you apply pressure to the handles, a series of levers and pivot points tension and lock the jaws in place. In most cases, to unlock the jaws, you need to trip a release lever, but with some designs you simply need to pull apart the handles.

The most basic function of locking pliers is to grab rounded-over and stripped screws, nuts, and bolts, but in reality they’re much more versatile. As Wirecutter senior editor Harry Sawyers says, locking pliers “are at the center of a million little labor-saving shortcuts that you pick up one by one over a lifetime of doing projects.” As an example, Harry pointed to this video, which shows Tom Silva of Ask This Old House using a pair to hold up a garage door while he works on the cables.

Advertisement

Comfort matters. ToolGuyd’s Stuart Deutsch told us that the best locking pliers are all about ease of operation: “Can I open and close the pliers easily without needing superhuman strength and without pinching my skin?” The quality of the threaded adjustment is also important, but the most crucial factor is the jaw release.

Look for an upward-facing release lever. To us, the release lever is the most important part of a set of locking pliers. Because the jaw mechanism is so tensioned, the sudden release of the pliers can be a jolting experience—most carpenters have gotten at least one blood blister from a popping set of locking-plier handles. You can find a number of styles, but our testing has shown that the upward-facing release lever is the easiest to use. You can operate it with a single hand, and it opens the jaws with a subtle pop, as opposed to the violent jarring of some of the other options (all of which we cover in the Competition section).

We tested all kinds of locking pliers, in all kinds of ways. After all of our research, we chose our test candidates based on company reputation as well as customer feedback at retailers such as Amazon and Home Depot. As for the specifics of our testing, I enlisted the aid of two other carpenters: Aaron Goff, then with 12 years of experience in high-end remodeling, and Mark Piersma, then with 14 years experience. Each of us handled all of the pliers, spending time clamping, locking, unlocking, and adjusting. Once we had a consensus as to which model was the best—and really, after we examined the whole test group, the winner was clear—we did a second round of testing in which I exclusively used our top pick for eight months as I wrapped up the full gut and remodel of my 100-year-old farmhouse. Since then, I’ve continued using our picks as needed, on probably a weekly basis as I’m now in the process of renovating a 250-year-old colonial saltbox.

The build quality and mechanics of this Grip-On pair far exceeded those of the other models we looked at. None of our testers knew that a pair of locking pliers could be so smooth.

Without question, the high point of the Grip-On 111-10 is the ease of using its unlocking mechanism. The release lever is nested in the lower handle and extends slightly from the back end. To unclasp the jaws, you pull the lever toward the upper handle; it’s possible to do this with a single finger even when the jaws are locked extremely tight. Upon release, the jaws open with just a smooth, low-key pop. Compare that with nearly all of the other pliers we tested, which produced either a sudden jolt, a loud springing noise, or some significant clicking or clacking of metal on metal. Not here.

This Grip-On pair offers exceptional build quality and comfort. On all of the other pliers we tested, except for our runner-up from Channellock, the lower jaw could wiggle back and forth. On this Grip-On set, the tolerances are so perfect that there is no movement at all. And even though the 111-10 has no padding on its handles, as some models do, the handles’ rounded-over shape makes them comfortable to hold and squeeze.

The jaws are long and capable of a maximum grab of about 2 inches. The teeth are deep and aggressive, too. We tried these pliers on a variety of bolts and pipes, and we found that once this tool is locked on, it’s not going anywhere.

Its unusual orange color makes it easy to locate. The color is not only oddly stylish but also functional, we’ve found. In the years we’ve been using this tool, we’ve always been able to identify it instantly in a crowded toolbox or on top of a cluttered workbench. A tool’s color may seem insignificant, but this orange hue’s high visibility can save you a lot of time and frustration, particularly if you’re the slightly disorganized type.

It’s pricier than most locking pliers. The Grip-On 111-10 typically sells for around $30, which is a lot, considering that the original Irwin Vise-Grip pliers retail for half that. But we’re convinced that the smoothness of the unlocking mechanism, combined with the overall quality of the tool, more than justifies the cost. After we used this Grip-On set, the majority of the other locking pliers we tested felt clunky, cheap, and at times dangerous.

The jaw-adjustment knob requires a short breaking-in period. Out of the box, the threads of the Grip-On 111-10 pair were a little grainy. But after we applied a squirt of WD-40 and spent a few minutes threading the knob in and out, the problem was solved.

Advertisement

This Channellock set is almost identical to our top pick. It’s excellent, but its black color makes it harder to locate in a toolbox.

If the Grip-On 111-10 pair isn’t available, we recommend the Channellock 102-10. This model is the same tool as the Grip-On set, from the same Spanish manufacturer, Irega. In nearly every way, the models are identical. The two differences: The Channellock version has a locking nut at the adjustment, and the tool is black, rather than orange. The nut allows you to lock in a desired jaw width so that the threaded adjustment can’t move. For around-the-house tasks or even heavy DIY and pro use, this is a feature we’ve never needed; it seems more like something that could end up getting in the way in regular use.

The tool’s black color is a bit of a mystery, as well. In contrast to our experience with the distinctively orange Grip-On pair, we often had to take a few moments to find the Channellock pliers in a stuffed tool bag. It wasn’t a huge amount of time lost, but it was a slight annoyance that’s totally avoidable. Why not make these pliers Channellock blue?

But even with that minor quibble, the Channellock 102-10 is an excellent tool and in all other ways behaves just like the Grip-On 111-10. This model is usually a few dollars cheaper, so if you are looking to save a little and don’t mind the dark color and the locking nut, it’s a great option.

The upward-release lever on the Knipex 40 04 250 is almost, but not quite, as nice as the that of the Grip-On and Channellock pliers. This model also has what Knipex calls a “universal jaw,” which is supposed to make it easier to grab a variety of shapes (round, hex, and flat), but we couldn’t find any real additional benefit to that design in comparison with the Grip-On 111-10’s jaws.

The majority of available locking pliers, particularly inexpensive pliers, have a downward-facing lever. In comparison with the upward-release lever, which we prefer, it’s a similar but mirrored design. To operate it, you either use two hands or drop one hand to the lower handle. It isn’t a smooth system, and the jaws tend to release with a violent pop that can cause the tool to jump right out of your hands. Another issue is the potential to get your palm stuck between the lower handle and the release lever, which can easily cause a blood blister.

As for tools using a downward-release lever, we tested the Irwin Vise-Grip 5-10WR, which is the descendent of the original Petersen Vise-Grip pliers (Irwin merged with Petersen in 1993) and represents what most people think of when they hear the term “locking pliers.” The 5-10WR was functional, but the release lever made it difficult to use.

The third unlocking method has no release lever—to open the jaws, you simply open up the lower handle. That may sound like the easiest method, but if the jaws are tight, as they usually are, it takes two hands. Also, when the jaws are in the open position, the handles are nearly perpendicular to one another, so it also takes two hands to lock the tool onto an object.

Of the tools with no release lever, we tested the Irwin 10WR, the Irwin 11T, and, in 2024, the Milwaukee 48-22-3410. All three had beefy padded handles, which was nice, but ultimately the awkwardness of the release caused us to dismiss them.

We also took a close look at the CH Hanson 10100. This model is unusual in that it makes the jaw-width adjustment automatic—simply clamp on an object, and the tool adjusts the jaw width by itself. A separate small knob lets you tweak the gripping force. It’s a fast method, but the handles need to open so wide that it’s almost impossible to use just one hand to lock the pliers.

We tested a number of other models from Craftsman, Kobalt, and Stanley that have since been discontinued.

This article was edited by Harry Sawyers.

Advertisement

Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning.

by Doug Mahoney

Here’s our advice on all-in-one problem solvers.

by Doug Mahoney

After enlisting three veteran carpenters to test 17 different pairs of needle-nose pliers, we found that the Klein J203-8 Heavy Duty Journeyman Pliers are the best.

by Doug Mahoney

Grip and hold just about anything with a versatile tool that can last decades.

by Joel Santo Domingo

A handy, compact, quality multi-tool makes everyday tasks so much easier.

Advertisement