It appears that Home Depot has stopped carrying certain Irwin and Vise Grip tools. They still seem to carry Irwin power tool accessories, but a lot of hand tool offerings have been discontinued both online and in stores.
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how Dewalt and Milwaukee seemed to be in competition for shelf space at Home Depot. It’s possible that Home Depot opted to give some of Irwin’s hand tools shelf space to Milwaukee.
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It is unclear as to whether Irwin hand tools were given the boot, or if the changes are due to a strengthening relationship between Irwin and Lowes. A recent Lowes weekly flyer had a full spread promoting their Irwin and Vise Grip offerings.
In other words, it’s impossible to know if this move was initiated by Home Depot or Irwin, or if it was a mutual decision. Of course, there are probably only a handful of people that know the answer to this, and they won’t be at the liberty to discuss these matters.
Lowes and Irwin have been strong partnered in the past, such as with last year’s free Vise Grip adjustable pliers promo.
Regardless as to why, there are certain Irwin tools you just won’t be able to buy at Home Depot anymore.
There is also a rumor that Home Depot and Bosch have changed their arrangement, but I haven’t yet seen evidence of this at my local store.
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Matt Steele
It seems like some stores had bosch yet others didn’t, however over the past couple months bosch has been pushed out of the store near me.
Sam
Where I live I have 5 Home Depots withing a 25 mile radius of me, and 1 of those stores are selling Bosch tools. 3 years ago that store was promoting Hilti, then it went to Milwaukee for a short period, now about 6 months ago they hit it heavy with Bosch tools. Big displays and usually a rep on site.
Destry
Not a single Bosch power tool at my local HD’s. I asked the guy in orange if he’d order me a Pocket Driver and he advised me that only the website, and not his store, dealt in Bosch.
Kevin
HD never stocked much Bosch,Lowes has a lot of Bosch stuff, Hitachi as well. As far as Irwin goes, I stopped buying their products after they closed the Dewitt plant, I either go high end or lowbrow for pliers these days. Pony and HF for clamps.
Dennis
Well I have noticed that Bessey clamps have left Lowes and showed up at Home Depot. Then I noticed that Irwin clamps left Home Depot and Showed up at Lowes. Perhaps their hand tools are making the same transition.
Lenny
I noticed that my Depot no longer has Irwin quick grip clamps and replaced them with Dewalt. The Dewalt versions seem nice but I had no reason to buy at the moment. Anyone tried these?
Jason
Yea, Bessy and Irwin switched brick and mortar stores. People were picking up clearance deals a few months ago. I got a big bessy vice out of the deal.
Toolfreak
Personally I’d rather as many stores as possible carry the full Bosch and Irwin line, but it seems that politics and social issues have more to do with what Home Depot carries these days than what the customer wants or what people are buying.
You would think that profit and the bottom line mattered more than political party positions, but apparently not.
I’m sure that Lowe’s apparently having a better business relationship and better product offerings with both companies didn’t help either.
Once HD no longer sells any Bosch tools, it’ll be interesting to see what’s what as HD will be mostly Milwaukee/Ryobi and Lowe’s will still have Bosch/Skil and Irwin.
Of course, they also sell Irwin tools at Wallyworld, Sears,and a lot of other hardware stores, so it’s not like Irwin stuff not being at HD is going to hurt availability anywhere else. If anything this will just drive customers to those other stores when they are looking for Irwin Vise-Grips or pliers and are told HD doesn’t sell them anymore.
Just another reason not to shop at Home Depot.
monomach
Irwin’s vise grips are cheap Chinese garbage, anyway. The Milwaukee ones are quite a bit nicer and made in Taiwan. They grip better and have the proper release handle rather than the back-assward one on the Irwins. Give the Milwaukees a try. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Bosch, though…that is a problem. Not carrying Bosch is a stupid move.
monomach
Whoops! Correction: the Milwaukees also have the stupid American-style release lever. They’re still a lot better quality than Irwin, though. My dad’s got a couple of the sizes.
Toolfreak
I don’t bother with China- or Taiwan-made locking pliers unless they are super inexpensive or free.
Irwin’s adjustable pliers are pretty good though. Not as good as Knipex Cobras, but for the price and warranty, they are good.
Irwin also makes a looooot of other tools too, so either Milwaukee is going to be expanding the hand tool line to cover most of what HD loses out on by not having Irwin, or there are going to be some new brands showing up to fill the gap.
Toolguyhasfun
Yes those Milwaukee Locking pliers are real good Monomach…… Better stick to rating donuts…….
Real pliers don’t fall apart…..I’m hearing this around the field so I tried that new handle feature !!!!!!!!**+$@#
https://youtu.be/M6GJ6_1R4VY
Mike
Lots of Milwaukee hand tools at my local HD. They have a huge section.
Bruce
Seriously? Why does anybody care?
Stuart
1. Because it means having to go to specific stores to get certain brands of tools.
2. Because it has the potential to affect the prices of tools.
3. Because it has the potential to affect in-store availability and selection of tools.
4. Because this is ToolGuyd. If it interests me, then chances are that it will interest at least some readers. I’m sorry that you’re not interested in the story.
Stan
Personally and again this is just me, given that Irwin offshored Vise Grip production overseas years ago, I’ve had no reason or interest in buying imported Vise Grips or any of their products if they aren’t American made.
However, my strong disliking for Irwin aside, I see where Stuart is coming from.
monomach
A few suckers still think Irwin makes good products. I don’t get it.
Stan
I’ve noticed some people don’t want to take the time or have the patience to seek out information these days. These same people probably still think Irwin Vise Grips are American made and the quality of their tools is the same as this was a decade or more ago.
Company reputation’s mean nothing anymore or at least not to me. What was a good company 20 or so years ago, might no longer have similar quality tools today.
Few people want to research and take the time to find out what quality tools are anymore.
There was once was a saying in business, that the rich become richer and everyone else stays about the same.
fred
I find it interesting because it gives a glimmer of insight into the tool marketing wrangling that goes on in the American marketplace. Irwin – part of the Newell-Rubbermaid family of companies (includes Lenox too) – was once a proud American-Made brand. They were initially synonymous with developing an auger bit alternative to the Russell-Jennings pattern – and manufacturing quality wood boring tools . Now for better or worse the Irwin name is affixed to a wide variety of tools – including Vise Grips (after the acquisition of Petersen) and Marples (a once venerable UK brand of chisels) . Like Rubbermaid (also acquired by Newell), Irwin now is more global – probably with most production now done in Asia.
Al
This may be part of why I got a bunch or Irvin high environment clamps at nearly 70% off at HhD, that was a good two months back.
Robert
Fred,
The interesting thing about Irwin products produced in Asia, is that it definitely wouldn’t have been a catalyst for Home Depot’s to remove them from the shelves. If anything, it would practically be the reverse.
There has been a huge trend in recent years with Home Depot and Lowe’s in the direction of cheaper Asian made consumer oriented tools. It’s easy to second guess those things, because the bottom line continues to be numbers. That said, quality is largely taking a back seat at places like Home Depot in favor of bottom line cheaper tools that appeal to their primary client base, every day consumers.
Aside from lumber and standard building supplies, professionals seem more drawn to other sources with regard to pro-grade tools.
Mahalo
I noticed this a few months ago when all of the Irwin bar clamps and vises went on sale at HD at prices that could only mean one thing. About a month later, the vise and clamp setup at the local competing Lowes had been fully stocked with Irwin merch.
Dave Klingler
I just came from my local Home Depot, where I noticed both Bosch and Hilti gone. Then I looked around and realized that many of the DeWalt tools were missing, and there was no Porter Cable whatsoever. Only Ridgid, Ryobi and Milwaukee had full displays, followed by Makita. There were no high-quality routers or jigsaws, a surprise, considering that Milwaukee and Makita both make good ones.
It may be that HD decided that they carried too many premium (decent) lines anyway, and Milwaukee won out. I own a few Ridgid tools, and I like what I have, but I haven’t quite decided what I think about the brand as a whole. Frankly, if I could have all Milwaukee and Porter Cable, that’s probably the way I’d go. But Bosch makes a good deal of the saw blades I’ve purchased over the years, and I went to HD today specifically to look at routers, jigsaws and multi-tools to replace some tools that were stolen.
Off to my favorite local tool shop I’ll go, and then to Lowes. I’m finding fewer and fewer reasons to go to HD these days, and Lowes seems to get more and more of my business. Eventually my longstanding Home Depot habit will disappear, I expect, and Lowes will become my big box construction store.
Nail N Hammer
I don’t know about anyone else, but when it comes to my favorite brand of tools that have earned my loyalty over the years, the nearly psychotic switching back and forth over which tool brand the big box purchasing agents like this month or next month have driven me to Amazon or other online sources… If its an instance in which I have time to wait or plan ahead, I just buy where I get the best price and delivery.
I know it’s a shame, and I would rather support the local merchant where I pick up other materials, but for me at least, they have done it to themselves.
Personally, I think they would be better off carrying the highest rated tools and passing their volume price savings on to the customer… They would eventually help to build brand and dealer loyalty, and stop driving us all nuts.
joe
The Dewalt quick grip clamps are not any good. If you squeeze too hard the clamp will pop or break. Anyone used to Irwins will be disappointed.