They say that one picture is worth a thousand words.
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Just to be sure, here are two.
Thoughts?
Teaser: New Made-in-USA Tools are Coming Soon
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They say that one picture is worth a thousand words.
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Just to be sure, here are two.
Thoughts?
A W
Craftsman?
Ben
Malco Eagle Grips. It’s about time.
Jesse M
Yep
A W
Of course! I feel silly.
mizzourob
Spot on, @Ben, you’re the next contestant on the [Tool] Price is Right!
Chuck Reynolds
Yup good call. Quick google found it… Cheers
Wes
I have been waiting for so long. There is no better tool then a vise grip. USA made in Nebraska. Can’t wait
Jerry
Malco Eagle Grips. Hoping they’ll be as good of quality as the ones made by people I know right here in Nebraska!
Nathan
interesting – looking forward to seeing a set and a price. Going to buy at least one just to support it.
rob
I’m looking forward to this. The best locking pliers I own are the discontinued Facom T5.L and I find their successor, the 501amp, to be quite inferior. The German and Spanish competition aren’t too impressive and I won’t even look at a modern Irwin. Maybe, ala Lie Nielsen, Malco has more up their sleeves than just a repro? I won’t know until I try.
Lance
I have a set of Knipex locking pliers and they’re absolutely fantastic. It’s the only set I’ve owned where you push to release the locking mechanism instead of having to pinch it, and it’s got a plastic dipped lever – brilliant. The kind of thing that just makes sense and has you thinking why they aren’t all like that?
They’re heavy, lock well and inspire great confidence, though they are pricey.
rob
The T5.L grips tighter and unlocks just as easily. Trust me. I have no idea why they replaced it with something inferior.
Dt
It’s been almost 3 years since they started talking about these. I wonder what the hold up has been.
https://toolguyd.com/malco-reopens-former-vise-grip-factory-in-dewitt-nebraska/
skfarmer
i have my money waiting!
Matt Miller
I worked on a China-Nebraska project for the Omaha newspaper about ten years ago. One of the key components was Irwin moving manufacturing from Dewitt to Shenzhen. We spent time in both areas. It was sad to see both areas around the factories. I’m no longer in journalism and have been kicking myself for not getting an old pair while I was there. I look forward to this.
Will
Former reporter here, too! I’m in plumbing now. What do you do?
Jay Dee
I hope they offer the BN (bent nose) Vise Grips
New-Old-Stock specimens on eBay are getting hella-expensive
fred
If it is indeed a new Malco offering that would be good news. Most Malco tools still seem to be USA-made – with only a few items creeping into their lineup from Taiwan and France (their partnering with Edma).
The last Malco items I bought were their Connext bit holder handles – I like them but they are made in Taiwan – and I was getting worried that it signaled a move on Malco’s part to start moving production offshore
https://www.amazon.com/Malco-CONNEXT3-Ratcheting-Handle-Clear/dp/B005NO2JDO
Mike (the other one)
If SBD were smart, they would contact Malco to make the “Original” Vise-Grips there again.
Dt
They couldn’t make enough profit if they were made domesically.
Jared
Why do locking-pliers often have that rough surface finish?
Maybe “rough” isn’t the right term, but if you look at the first picture in this post you can see the surface imperfections I’m talking about.
I’m not complaining about it, just curious. Makes no real difference to me. Grip-on locking pliers look smooth, so I presume it’s not something necessary in the manufacturing process.
Eric
I’d guess they are rough because of the casting process. Smoothing that would would take either a higher-quality casting process or a finishing step to remove the roughness.
Stuart
Cost.
Different techniques are used here for a satin-polish surface finish on most of the handled parts of the tool.
Jared
Good point. I see now the top photo is the jaws and the smoother surface on the bottom picture is the handle. Some of my cheap locking pliers are rough all over, but these should look a lot nicer.
My question was prompted because I thought it odd that no one seems to have locking pliers with the mirror-like chrome finish found on ratchets and sockets.
Nathan
most of the time locking pliers are used on things that are not going to keep their finish. When you vise grip a nut you sort of expect it to be torn up after.
Or you are vice gripping something that you are striking, or welding on. etc.
vs with your sockets you are into an area with painted parts, or bits you don’t want to damage. etc etc
Hardie
Knipex 8603250.
Deceptively strong grip, jaws always stay parallel unlike any normal pliers, smooth jaw. If I could only take ONE tool, that would be the one.
Mike Foley
Bring it, they look like they’ll be great! Go NEBRASKA. The folks in DeWitt are tremendous people.
Lynyrd
It’s great that the TRUE Vise Grip is back! Too many uninformed people think “Irwin” was the original manufacturer, see YT “Koon Trucking.”
Before SB&D bought Irwin, Irwin Rubbermaid Newell destroyed USA Made Brands, Petersen DeWitt Vise Grips, Quick Grips, and a couple others.
Yes Irwin kept the Petersen design and continued to procure Vise Grips from DeWitt Nebraska for a couple more years, but eventually they put the venerable Vise Grip brand on Made In China POS. Long before SB&D, I’ve hated anything Irwin for that reason alone.
When needed, I have purchase new Petersen DeWitt Vise Grips from eBay, so good to know we’ll have a new source.
Wayne R.
Flea markets are where I’ve gotten all of my originals.
fred
The Newell-Rubbermaid thing may be more complex than just blaming one company. Rubbermaid – once a proud USA company was the major competitor for Newell. Then after getting reliant on Wal-Mart as their biggest customer – Rubbermaid ended up going under – bought up by Newell. The Rubbermaid-Wal-Mart story and others like it – with companies all along the supply chain – striving for ever lower prices, bigger market shares higher profit margins etc. certainly aided and abetted the rise of Asian manufacturing. What role Wal-mart had to play make interesting reading:
https://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/IRJCI/reports/reportswalmart.htm
Clay
OK, I am excited about this.
Bob
Very interested. Knew something was up, when i received an email with a contest, from Malco last week
Dont know how to link that email to here, especially on a phone
Dave the tool
Before January 2021 this would have been great news! Now, “made in USA” is nothing more than a “Pipe Dream.” We are back to OPECs shakedown oil pricing and China is back in business huge with no “Green Regulations” to stifle manufacturing! Couple that with cheap or even free labor and lopsided export costs will result in any manufacturers that thought about bringing production here a fairytale.
Stuart
Seeing as how these are my photos of a real product I held in my hand, it’s not a pipe dream.
Dave the tool
But, when we’re they made? The US has changed 180 degrees towards business regulations and “green” costs in just over a month. Everything changed. I honor your optimism but higher minimum wages coming, fossil fuel is the enemy (except in China) and oil/gas is heading up to prices we haven’t seen in decades if ever. Nothing changes company plans and goals in a heartbeat like profit. We “made in USA” are a older dying breed and companies realize that.
Jim Felt
The future, to paraphrase, waits for no man.
Nor does science, climatology and easily proven facts.
I’ve been in many an old tech industrial plant over the decades and except for fork lift drivers et al no one would wish those work experiences on the next generation.
fred
Amen to that. Lead pipe and asbestos lagging were commonplace in the plumbing business when I started working – and many a plumber (and their wives too) may have had shortened lives as a result. The good old days had both good and not so good. No one would say that mesothelioma was a positive aspect of of a working man’s retirement years.
Kizzle
You do realize that low wages contribute to people seeking ever cheaper products i.e. made in China? Sorry that better wages and the future of the human race are going to shrink ceo bonuses. I do hope that they’ll be ok.
Dave the tool
“I would agree with you but then we would both be wrong.” I would suggest the books and writings of Economist Thomas Sowell who has written extensively on the minimum wage myth.
Yadda
Looking forward to the announcement! Good news for those that like to buy domestically manufactured tools and good news for Nebraska.
Tony
China is far more reliant on energy imports as well as raw materials , technology and expertise than the US. By an order of magnitude. Together with their unprecedented terminal demographic collapse is causing the biggest reshoring of industry in US history. The Chinese boogeyman is going to implode this decade and it won’t be back.
DC
I have been collecting old Petersen Vise Grips via garage sales, Ebay and the Garage Journal classifieds. I’m just looking for a pair or a couple pairs of bent long nose locking pliers. The Peterson’s on Ebay are going for over $100 for used.
Yadda
I check every yard sale and estate sale for Vise-Grips. They are on my always buy list if the price is right.
SpainUser
Wera tools, made in USA
Mike (the other one)
Malco should have called these “Nice Grips” as opposed to the original Vise Grips. 😉
Chris
Snap on. They have pictures of them on the new products page. From the USA embossing to the “genuine made in USA “ stamping on the handle.
Sure, might be malco made but snap on branded.
Brad Justinen
Vise Grips
Matt
Picked up a 7” pair from my snap on dealer last week! They are fully chromed and gorgeous!
rob
This just in: Snap-On has them in stock.