Irwin has updated the vernerable Vise-Grip locking jaw pliers.  Originally designed in 1924 by William Petersen, the Vise-Grips haven’t changed much in almost a century.  Of course there have been a plethora of supposedly improved versions, but few of them worked better than the original.    Irwin (who through the wonders of corporate mergers is now the same company as the  Petersen Manufacturing) however has tried their hand at improving the design.  They seem to have gone the smart route though, and kept the improvements simple, added a cushioned grip, and a new one-handed trigger-less release.  They claim the new design provides 3x the locking power of the traditional too.

Source: Irwin

Irwin’s Groovelock line of pliers, a variation on the familiar ChannelLocks  used to only have one type of jaw, a V shaped all purpose jaw.  This type of jaw is great when the the object you’re trying to grab fits in the V well, but sometimes its not ideal and a straight jaw would grip better.   As anyone who’s ever used this type of pliers like has found out the hard way, the teeth in the jaw do a great job gripping onto the object, but can frequently dig in and mar the surface.  In these situations a smooth jaw might be a better fit.  Irwin has realized this and now offers three different types, their original all-purpose v-jaw, the straight jaw, and the smooth jaw.  All three come in a variety of  sizes, and they all feature Irwins ‘Magic Button’ which allows you to quickly and easily adjust the size.

Source: Irwin