I asked for a pair of Channel Locks and you brought me a pair of Vise Grips!

So did you grab the wrong tool?  Well….yes and no. Vise Grips (owned by Irwin Tools) makes a Groove Joint Pliers that look and function like the Channel Lock tongue & groove pliers. Switch the question around and ask for a pair of Vise Grips and get a pair of channel locks. What if you wanted a pair of locking pliers???

 My department is currently cycling thru the annual extrication drills. The first extrication drill is geared toward the rooks, but it still can throw off a seasoned guy once in a while. The drill starts with an extrication PowerPoint and ends with everyone going out to the heavy rescue and grabbing a non-powered hand tool.

First off, I grabbed the diagonal pliers, no wait, the diagonal wire cutters, nope, the cutting pliers, sorry I meant the Diags. Nope, I grabbed the Dikes! Five different names for a simple pair of pliers! What would you call this tool???

Next another firefighter was asked what tool he was holding.  The firefighter answered a “cut off saw”.  What is the first image that comes to mind?

   Or

Chances are the K12 did I mean the Partner Saw……or was it a cut off saw???  Now what about a reciprocating saw? 

Or

The list can go on and on.  Channel Locks, Vise Grips, so many tools are known by trade names, manufacturer names, and commonly used names.  So if you are ever looking for a fun and easy drill to make sure everyone calls the tools by the same name give this drill a try!