A tool (for gripping an object (e.g., a cylindrical object)) includes: an outer handle; a tubular neck having a proximal end connected to the outer handle; a linkage assembly having first and second ends connected to a distal end of the neck; an inner handle; a connecting rod having a proximal end connected to the inner handle and a distal end connected to a middle portion of the linkage assembly, partially disposed substantially coaxially within the neck thereby nesting the inner handle within the outer handle; and first and second claws attached to the linkage assembly, each claw having a compression surface (e.g., a concave cylindrical surface) configured to conform as a substantial complement to a portion of an outer surface of the to-be-gripped object (e.g., the to-be-gripped cylindrical object).