A locking pliers comprising: a stationary assembly having an elongated overall shape, wherein a rear end of the stationary assembly forms a stationary handle and a front end of the stationary assembly forms a stationary jaw; a movable assembly having an operating lever and a movable jaw, wherein the movable jaw is pivotally coupled to the stationary assembly by a jaw axis to enable clamping of an object between the movable and stationary jaws and wherein the operating lever has a front end that is pivotally coupled to the movable jaw by a first pivot and the operating lever has a rear end that forms a movable handle; a spring for biasing rotation of the movable jaw about the jaw axis away from the stationary jaw; and an actuation rod having a front end pivotally coupled to the operating lever by a second pivot part way along the operating lever and a rear end pivotally coupled to the stationary handle by means of a third pivot and wherein the actuation rod and a portion of the operating lever that extends between the first and the second pivots defines a latch lock mechanism, wherein the actuation rod and the operating lever each have abutment means and wherein the abutment means are mutually aligned to stop the latch lock mechanism from passing beyond a point of alignment of the first, second and third pivots upon movement of the movable handle toward the stationary handle during clamping, wherein the actuation rod and the operating lever each have a respective clamping reliefs (166,152) and wherein the clamping reliefs are mutually aligned to engage before the abutment means of the actuation rod and the operating lever operates to stop the latch lock mechanism from moving beyond the point of alignment of the first, second and third pivots, wherein the clamping relief of the operating lever is coupled to a trigger for disengaging the clamping reliefs (152,166) and wherein the trigger is manually operable by an operator upon exerting a clamping force on the movable handle, characterized in that the jaw axis on one of the movable jaw and stationary assembly is selectively displaceable in relation to other of the movable jaw and stationary assembly for moving the stationary jaw and the movable jaw closer together or further apart. a stationary assembly having an elongated overall shape, wherein a rear end of the stationary assembly forms a stationary handle and a front end of the stationary assembly forms a stationary jaw; a movable assembly having an operating lever and a movable jaw, wherein the movable jaw is pivotally coupled to the stationary assembly by a jaw axis to enable clamping of an object between the movable and stationary jaws and wherein the operating lever has a front end that is pivotally coupled to the movable jaw by a first pivot and the operating lever has a rear end that forms a movable handle; a spring for biasing rotation of the movable jaw about the jaw axis away from the stationary jaw; and an actuation rod having a front end pivotally coupled to the operating lever by a second pivot part way along the operating lever and a rear end pivotally coupled to the stationary handle by means of a third pivot and wherein the actuation rod and a portion of the operating lever that extends between the first and the second pivots defines a latch lock mechanism, wherein the actuation rod and the operating lever each have abutment means and wherein the abutment means are mutually aligned to stop the latch lock mechanism from passing beyond a point of alignment of the first, second and third pivots upon movement of the movable handle toward the stationary handle during clamping, wherein the actuation rod and the operating lever each have a respective clamping reliefs (166,152) and wherein the clamping reliefs are mutually aligned to engage before the abutment means of the actuation rod and the operating lever operates to stop the latch lock mechanism from moving beyond the point of alignment of the first, second and third pivots, wherein the clamping relief of the operating lever is coupled to a trigger for disengaging the clamping reliefs (152,166) and wherein the trigger is manually operable by an operator upon exerting a clamping force on the movable handle, characterized in that the jaw axis on one of the movable jaw and stationary assembly is selectively displaceable in relation to other of the movable jaw and stationary assembly for moving the stationary jaw and the movable jaw closer together or further apart.