Adjustable locking pliers

A locking pliers, comprising:

• a stationary assembly having a rear end forming a stationary handle and a front end forming a stationary jaw;
• a movable assembly having a movable jaw that is incrementally movable relative to the stationary jaw and pivotally coupled to the stationary assembly by a dowel that serves as a jaw axis which enables clamping of an object between the movable jaw and stationary jaw, the movable assembly having a latch lock mechanism including:
• an operating lever having a front end that is pivotally coupled to the movable jaw at a first pivot, and a rear end that forms a movable handle,
• an actuation rod pivotally coupled to the operating lever and the stationary handle at a second pivot, the actuation rod having a front end defining an arc, a first series of teeth formed on the arc terminating with and a first stop face, the front end also defines a lower arc positioned adjacent the first stop face, and
• a catch arranged on and directly coupled to the operating lever, the catch including an outer side and an inner side, the outer side defining a trigger surface configured for user-engagement to selectively allow pivoting of the catch, the inner side having a second series of teeth formed on a distal end of the inner side, a second stop face formed on a proximal end of the inner side, and a recess positioned between the second series of teeth and the second stop face, the second series of teeth being configured to engage the first series of teeth to place the latch lock mechanism between one of a plurality of incremental locked positions, and allow rotation of the actuation rod which incrementally moves the movable jaw towards the stationary jaw in a manner that holds the movable jaw and the stationary jaw in a fixed, clamped position;
• and
• wherein in an open, unclamped position, the first series of teeth and the second series of teeth are completely disengaged and the recess provides clearance to allow the first series of teeth to avoid contact with the catch, while simultaneously permitting the first stop face to be in the direct engagement with the second stop face to thereby prevents the stationary handle and the movable handle from moving further apart.