INTERNATIONAL VG7000BK The ViperGrip Needle Nose 2-in-1 Self-Adjusting & Locking Pliers

These pliers are great, however thats what they are. Pliers. They aren't needle nose like I expected. In fact I would say the the end comes to a point about 3/8" wide. That isn't needle-nose, thats a set of pliers. A darn nice set of pliers at that.Parallel motion is achieved by holding higher on the tool than one might be accommodated to. You simply adjust how tight you want them to grip by turning the nob on the grip. The only thing I don't care for is that the unlock lever pivots forward. Makes it sort of a hard task using the tool one handed to reposition the tool. You have to unlock it using your pinky and pushing forward at that.However they can very easily be used one handed. Which is very nice because you can use these as a auto locking clamp.Finally maybe its a design necessity but I don't like the fact that these are three layers of steel riveted together. It makes it feel kind of flimsy in terms of sheer strength. However don't get me wrong this is a very quality tool for $12. Rubble handle grips and a solid build feels great. There are a few pieces of plastic on this and through regular use I am certain they will wear out before you do. So I am not sure where this company will be in the next 5-20 years but I have a feeling I am going to keep this ones receipt.

I received the pliers to day and have no trouble with there use I find them easy to use one handed, and with lock in the off position were just as easy to use, all up I think they will be a welcome addition to my tackle box Thanks. AAA*****

This did not last long. Mechanism stopped working properly after not much use at all. I have it's bigger brother also, which is still working but has started showing similar signs of wear. Haven't used it that much either.

These broke the first time I used them. A small part came out, and I was unable to get it back in. I can still get them to function, but not the way they ought to; all in all basically useless.

The fist thing I noticed and appreciated, is the single-pivot jaw design. As opposed to the  LockJaw  and  Vise-Grip  counterparts, which both use a compound lower-jaw, the ViperGrip's lower jaw pivot is at the back of the handle, which allows the pliers's jaws to operate in a more parallel fashion.The locking mechanism will take some getting used to, but after a minute or two of observation to understand how it operates, it's easy to single-handedly apply varying degrees of clamping pressure. Basically, you'll first want to set the jaws with ONLY your index and middle fingers, then, use your ring and pinky fingers to apply the final clamping force and lock. Need more pressure? Flick open the locking mechanism with your pinky, and then use you index and thumb to turn the leverage adjuster knob. The locking mechanism slips sometimes if attempting to clamp oddly shaped bits together. Basically, these work great when the jaws are clamping against two flats, not so much if one of the surfaces is queer.The unlocking-lever is also used to disable the lock. It could probably be a touch more elegant in design, but it does it's job satisfactorily, and in most situations requiring a non-locking pliers, I prefer a pair of dedicated non-locking pliers. It was a nice idea to try to have these pliers work as non-locking needle-noses, but they're difficult to operate in this mode.The semi-ergo, rubberized grip is nice. Seems reasonably tough, I'm not 100% about longevity though, time will tell.One thing, if you get these, oil the joints and mechanisms immediately with  Triflow , 3-IN-1 , Boeshield  or the like. They come with grease on some of the bearing surfaces, but the operation is still a little rough straight off the card. The oil will make them butter.Pros:Closer to parallel jaw orientation throughout clamping rangeMostly single-handed operationComfortable gripCons:Not entirely intuitiveHas trouble clamping odd shapesNon-Locking mode is nearly uselessBottom line:While not necessarily a replacement for more traditional locking pliers, these are a certainly a welcome addition.

The mechanism in these pliers is almost mesmerizing - pull on the front to close the jaws and the back to clamp in place. No more adjusting and clamping and adjusting like others. Also, the jaws remain parallel which makes these both more useful and less likely to slip/strip.

Made nice and strong and has a nice feature to change from locking pliers to regular pliers.It takes a little time to get used to adjusting them but once you fool around with them for awhile you'll get used of them.

KOBALT MAGNUM LOCK PLIERS ARE 100% better.