https://a1make.com/tags/classic-vs-modern/Recent content in Classic-vs-Modern on A1MakeHugoen-USSun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400https://a1make.com/tools/irwin-vise-grip-10wr/Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400https://a1make.com/tools/irwin-vise-grip-10wr/<h2 id="why-its-here">Why it&rsquo;s here</h2> <p>The locking plier was invented in 1924 by <a href="https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farming-in-the-1940s/machines/vise-grip/">William Petersen, a Danish blacksmith in DeWitt, Nebraska</a>, and for the better part of a century Vise-Grips were forged in that one small town. The design is a genuine piece of American tool canon: an over-center toggle that clamps with tons of force and releases with a lever. In 2008, new owner Irwin closed DeWitt and moved production to China — which makes the 10WR this site&rsquo;s cleanest natural experiment in what happens to a classic when the factory changes and the blueprint doesn&rsquo;t.</p>