an improved jaw for a rod gripping device is provided including a front , rod engaging face with a plurality of teeth or studs made of a material harder than the jaw body , such as tungsten carbide , with the studs positioned to engage an outer rounded rod surface . in one embodiment , the studs are oriented radially inward toward a longitudinal axis defined by the rod engaging surface . the rod engaging face of the jaw may have a concave shape in its lengthwise direction , thus being adapted to grasp a cylindrical member such as a rod or pipe section . a tool for gripping a rod including a pair of jaws is also provided .