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Browsing at the hardware store yesterday I spotted a display of Vise Grip products, looking a little different, and looked closer to notice that Irwin Tools now has them made, not in Dewitt, Nebraska, but in my least favored nation for buying products from, China. "To Irwin standards," I believe the packaging says, and it claims "2X the Life."
Having never truly worn a pair of ViseGrips out I wonder what that's supposed to mean. The new ones, in the 7" size, looked beefier, jaws more the width of the 10" ones. That could be good, the 7" jaws have tended to get a little wobbly with long hard use, but it could be bad, because they won't fit down in some spaces where you could cram the old ones. Bigger and gormier, I'd say.
Through all my years of dubbing around with cars etc. these have been one of my favorite tools. They can help out in so many difficult situations. I DON'T chew things up with them, and there have been things I grabbed with them that I have hated myself for, but they're the universal tool, wrench, leverage extender clamped onto a screwdriver handle, pipe wrench, nail puller, hammer, lock em onto the head of a difficult screw and use as a screwdriver to remove the thing, backup battery clamp, wire cutter, sheet metal bender and even shear, vise for holding small parts still, bottle opener even. And of uniform quality through the years, with even a few minor improvements, like that quick release lever.
I hope this isn't the beginning of the end. Why not make them identical, if they were going to make the switch?
I own several pairs in various sizes and don't need any more right now, but I don't plan to be buying any of the Chinese ones even if I did. I should copy this rant and send it to Irwin.
Oh, they work as well on Saabs as on any other make of car. My universal junkyard trip companion. Guess I'll go pour myself some beer and shed a tear into it.
posted by 71.173.66...
, Fri, 7 Dec 2012 06:35:51
, Thu, 6 Dec 2012 19:46:23, Thu, 6 Dec 2012 21:01:44, Fri, 7 Dec 2012 04:13:31
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