Vise grip

Locking pliers (also called Vise-Grips, Vice Grips, Mole wrench or Mole grips) are pliers that can be locked into position, using a bistablecam action. Locking pliers are available with many different jaw styles, such as needle-nose pliers, wrenches, clamps and various shapes to fix metal parts for welding. They also come in many sizes. HistoryThe first locking pliers, with the trade name Vise-Grip, were invented by William S. Petersen in De Witt, Nebraska, United States in 1924. Later, in 1955, in the United Kingdom, M.K. Mole and Son, a hand tool manufacturing company, under the managing direction of Tom Coughtrie, began making nearly identical pliers. EtymologyIn the United States, the brand name "Vise-Grips" is close to a generic name for this type of pliers. The same is true in the United Kingdom of the brand name "Mole Wrench". The spelling "vise" is mentioned in Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary. This spelling is orthodox in the United States. The spelling "vice" can be traced back to 1584, for the clamping sense of the word. This is the current spelling in the English speaking world except for the United States. MechanismLocking pliers remain clamped to an object without req