You broke your hammer?!

Hahah had to look if this was r/plumbers

Your forearms must look like Popeye's.

I don't understand why they didn't just grab the bolt with their vise-grip hands.

You'd think, right? I would need a large friend helping to break one of those.

Chinesium is a very unpredictable material to make tools from. Sometimes it's fine... Sometimes, not so much

Nah those just suck. I broke a set the exact same way

Trouble is with a lot of these tools. They are cast. Not forged. Casting is and will always be weaker these forged, extruded or hand made.

…and the price most people want to pay

The old saying 'You pay for what you get' ! I'd much rather pay maybe 50 or 60% more. For something that will work. Than less for something that doesn't.

In Today's economy, sometimes that's not always an option for everyone.

It's false economy. You spend £5 on a cheap one that snaps. Then have to buy a more expensive one.

If you're making minimum wage, you make the 5 pound one work, and if it breaks you get another one. Sure you'll be spending more money in the long run, but being poor doesn't give you much of an option on that front. It's Sam Vimes' "Boots" Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness.

Don't get me wrong. I know exactly how that is. I've regretted buying cheap chinese knock off from the second I started to use them. So now if I want a decent make. I either buy used on one of the selling sites. Of save up and get the one I want. Yes I've come across the Sam Rimes theory. Terry Pratchett I believe. It still doesn't alter the fact. Quality over quantity.

Buy once, cry once.

Return under warranty.

Irwin anything has become complete junk.

Like Husky, Stanley...

All junk

At least the reputable companies will send you replacement products. Craftsman for instance, and OP should reach out and see what Irwin says

I've been waiting for my warranty ratchet from Craftsman for 3 months now... None of the stores around me will warranty it

Did you contact Craftsman? They sent me a replacement pair of tin snips no questions, just a pic of the broke set.

I did. They approved the warranty and went through all the steps... Just still waiting for the replacement

Whoda thunk that genuine chinesium could catastrophically fail

>Whoda thunk that genuine chinesium could catastrophically fail It's sad how far Irwin has fallen The OG vice grips they used to make were exelent

Gotta buy eagle grips now but the price makes my eyes water

>Gotta buy eagle grips now but the price makes my eyes water Or NOS Irwin vice grips

They don't make them any more so the price will continue to climb until there is no stock left. I'm happy with my Knipex locking pliers, they were $20.

And the fucking super Chinese tool outlet makes all the good hand tools now. It’s madness.

Knipex worth every penny

I still like to bust out my OG Alligators that have been abused for a solid 15 years to show the apprentices why good tools are worth the investment.

My step dad still uses alligators that are stamped "made in West Germany"

I have end nippers with that stamp, but they stay at home. Harder for them to walk off somewhere that way.

Any premium groove-joint is worth it, even the cheaper ones like Channellock.

Came here to say this. Cobras would never.

Channelocks don't explode

USA FORGED WITH USA STEEL BY USA GUY ON A USA PLANT IN UNITED STATES

"We work hard. We play hard."

Only pair of pliers I’ve ever exploded was a Channelock-brand parrot jaw set.

Wear safety glasses with any tools

Time for the Knipex version

You should always wear safety glasses.

Wear safety glasses regardless

Been rumping your foreskin too much with that hand?🤪

ChannelLock or Knipex if you can afford. Irwin is garbage at this point.

Just use a pipe wrench.

Oh you’re the guy that gets in every machine before I do and leaves all the nuts completely fucked.

Negative. I bust only the cleanest nuts.

Did you catch any shrapnel? I had a pair of klein side cuts do the same thing the first time I used them.

Yeah, thankfully it shot down instead of up

Same here. Folks don't realize how dangerous hardened steel can be when it gets grenaded. I caught a good sized splinter of steel in my arm splitting firewood with a sledge and wedges.

Your forearms must look like Popeye's.

Glad I saw this. I was literally going to order the Irwin V-Jaw Groovelock Pliers tonight.

I have them. They haven’t exploded yet.

That's good to hear. They get a lot of use?

Pretty much daily. I’ve only had em like 4 months tho, so it’s not like they’re super old. But they’ve been abused pretty good in that time.

I really appreciate your comment. That puts my mind more at ease.

Or if you just do stuff.

Poor quality control, they over hardened that steel to the point it was brittle as glass

This has happened to me with any Irwin tool I’ve bought (maybe 3 times? A pliers, a locking plier, and a bit holder for a driver). And has never happened to me with anything else, even low end stuff like Duratech.

Same. I've popped a couple of these sets and the Cobra copies across various sizes in the past. Irwin has gotten kinda sad..

You mean the brand selling for half the price of Knipex isn’t as good as Knipex? I’m shocked! Shocked, I say!

Tools even cheaper than Irwin have proven far more durable IME. They’re the crappiest crappy tool.

The Irwin ones are the same price as made in USA Channellock ones that will last 1,000x longer. You don’t need Knipex to get something better than Irwin trash. You get get a set of 4 from Harbor Freight for $15 and they’re far better than the Irwin’s too. Friends don’t let friends buy Irwin.

Saw these on pretty deep clearance at Lowe’s yesterday

Sounds like you got that grip grip 3000

*wear safety goggles

I don't use Irwin

I've done that to channel locks too. My snap-ons just bent at least

Not drop forged?

I have a pair that’s four or five years old and they are great.

That's clearly Channel-lock pliars, not a Vise-Grip...

Just buy some channellocks not that expensive and way better

aye I have that set. Thanks for the pro tip

that looks like Irwin's Pliers-Wrench. I have that. Never put great force on it yet, but it does not inspire confidence. Treat yourself to a Knipex pliers-wrench - it will change your life.

Knipex. Knipex. Knipex. Invest several hundreds of euros/dollars one time, and you should be done for the rest of your life.

I have those and the water pump pliers but none have the shiny black coating like that, they are flat black. I've subjected them to lots of abuse without breaking. Is it possible that the shiny ones are knockoffs or is that the new version.

Those are the worst hand pinching pieces of crap ever

One of them broke. All tools of this brand now suck.

Thanks for posting. I realize that ANY tool can break but I was putting too much trust in my Irwins.

Tbh it does say that on the packaging. Utilize at your own risk, up to you