Tongue-and-groove pliers (Channellock)
Alicates de ranuras y lengüeta (Channellock)
- Date
- 1933 · confidence medium
- Place
- Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States
- Credited to
- Howard DeArment (Champion DeArment Tool Co.)
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Pliers with a multi-groove sliding pivot that changes the jaw opening while keeping the arms parallel. They were offered under the name Channellock from 1933 and are the model for plumbing pliers.
Groove-joint pliers are known in Germany as Wasserpumpenzange from earlier (1930s); the date and origin of the exact form remain to be pinned down.
What it led to
- plumbing and mechanics with one adjustable tool
- water-pump pliers
- multi-grip pliers for household use