Mole grips, also known as ‘locking pliers’, are a hand tool with adjustable jaws which can be locked into place around an object to hold it firmly. It is the locking feature that makes Mole grips different from ordinary pliers, which have to be held closed by the user.
Mole grips/locking pliers can be used to remove screws, nuts and bolts.
They can also be used as a clamp to hold objects.
Mole grips/locking pliers provide the user with extra pulling power when they grip and firmly hold on to an object.
Mole grips/locking pliers are also known as ‘self-grip pliers’, ‘Mole wrenches’, ‘self-grip wrenches’, and ‘locking jaw pliers’ in the UK,In the USA, Mole grips/locking pliers are also known as ‘vise-grips’, and in Japan they are known as ‘vice pliers’.
There are several different types of Mole grips/locking pliers, but straight jaw and curved jaw Mole grips/locking pliers are two of the most common types available.For more information. see: What are the different types of Mole grips?
The various types of Mole grips/locking pliers all do the same thing – act as a “third hand” to securely hold an an object, and so are especially useful for anyone working on their own.
