Tongue-and-groove pliers

An advantage of this design is that the pliers can adjust to a number of sizes without the distance in the handle growing wider.

These pliers often have long handles—commonly 240 to 300 mm (9.5 to 12 inches) long—for increased leverage.

Tongue-and-groove pliers are commonly used for turning and holding nuts and bolts, gripping irregularly shaped objects, and clamping materials.

Originally developed as a blacksmiths tool, patented in 1899 Canada under CA64246A [4] by Vernon Graham Higgins and sold out of Fortuna, California by the patentee.

Advertised in the November 1899 issue of "The Blacksmith and Wheelwright",[5] an American periodical; the original variants had longer reins than the modern equivalent, and may not have had the groves in the jaws.