Review on 🔧 US-Made CHANNELLOCK 430X 10-inch SPEEDGRIP Tongue & Groove Pliers: Straight Jaw, Forged with High Carbon Steel by Larry Simpson

Media failed to load. This is my third review of this new range of Channellock Speedgrip pliers. This is for the 430X or 10 inch props. I posted a picture of this 430x model alongside the 428x model, which is called the 8 inch version. As you can see the grips are almost the same size, the 430x grips can be half an inch longer. The big difference is that the jaws of the 430x open 2 inches. This is enough to clamp the large wedge nut for the sink drain pipe, which is great for those who work with sinks and other plumbing fixtures! I often had to use a very long duct lock or even a pipe wrench to do this. That makes it very easy. As I've said in my other reviews, it took me some time to get used to working with them after decades of using the old-style channel locks. However, it's become so common to use them now that my old channel blockers seem weird! I really like this new design at home and in my commercial work. It really requires less movement to adjust the jaw and is a lot easier when you're working in tight spaces. The new jaws are twice as wide as standard channel locks and have a great waffle design on the face of the jaws that really grips a lot better than the old type. They stick really well to things like galvanized pipe. Incidentally, they were well lubricated with a light oil and it would be wise to spray them with WD-40 from time to time, especially after working on plumbing that can get wet. I think as long as you keep the mechanism lubricated and rust free it will perform very well for many years. Another big improvement over the old style channellocks are the hand grips. Instead of the usual plasti-dip that always cracked and even slipped on my tools, they have nicely molded silicone grips that are very comfortable to use. So I'm 100% sure about this new design! They're all in my work tool box now and while they cost a little more than the old design, there's a lot more to this new design and I think they're well worth the asking price.