There are a couple of ongoing Irwin and Vise-Grip tool deals at Amazon right now, as part of their post-Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2022 “Epic” sales event.
I highlighted the deals that caught my attention, but maybe you’re more interested in the others.
There’s no mention as to when these promos will end.
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Irwin Vise-Grip 6″ Long Nose Pliers with Wire Cutter
I have had good experiences with Irwin hand tools and pliers. This looks to be a good deal on Irwin 6″ (almost-precision-sized) long nose pliers.
Irwin Automatic Wire Stripper
Automatic self-adjusting wire strippers are awesome. If you haven’t tried any yet, this one’s on sale and has tons of positive reviews.
Irwin 14pc Forstner Drill Bit Set with Case
Forstner drill bits are used for flat-bottomed holes in wood. Do you need a set? Yes. Should you buy this one, now? I’ll leave that to you. If I didn’t already have plenty of Forstner drill bits, I’d likely have already bought this one on sale.
Irwin 5pc Countersink Drill Bit Set with Case
I didn’t know Irwin made countersink drill bits like these. I already have a couple of smaller sizes from other brands, but am curious about the larger sizes included in this set.
I suppose that’s how these deals get you – discounts put tools like this on my radar, and now yours.
Irwin Marples 3/4 Fostner Drill Bit
I’ve purchased single Forstner drill bits before, either for specific project needs or to try out new brands. If you need a 3/4″ size or want to give Irwin’s line a try, this one’s on sale.
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Robert
Regarding those Irwin countersunk drills bits. Seems very specialized, particularly the 3/4 inch one. I can’t think of many times I would need a fastener head that big to be countersunk. Maybe fence post or deck construction, not my bag. But the 3/4 one
would be kind of cool to pull out at the local pub.
fred
My largest countersink is nominally 1-1/4 inch.
https://www.amazon.com/KEO-53526-Single-End-Countersink-Uncoated/dp/B00947CAP8
I find use for larger countersinks in easing the edges of drilled holes into which rods or dowels will be slipped in and out repeatedly for temporary or knockdown use. On larger holes – you might ease the edge with a router/bit combination – but a countersink with an easy touch does well on smaller holes.
MM
Countersinks are very commonly used for deburring holes, the cut ends of tubes or pipes, etc.
Though those Irwins are terrible though, I wouldn’t recommend them at all. They don’t keep their edge well, they don’t cut very efficiently, and the set is silly because there’s so much overlap between the sizes.
I agree with fred, the single-flute style is nicer, both the Weldon type with the hole through them and the more traditional style like:
https://www.amazon.com/Morse-Cutting-Tools-25661-Countersink/dp/B00PY3JRX4
MM
Oh, and if you do any machining you can never have too many Noga Rotodrive countersinks lying around:
https://www.amazon.com/Noga-NG1200-Ng1200-Rotodrive-Countersink/dp/B002K075GU
Those are great for holes too small for a swivel knife.
fred
Re Forstner bits – I’m quite partial to the Famag brand (made in Germany) and also have Fisch (made in Austria) ones that I like. My introduction to the style came with ones from the Connecticut Valley Tool Company – bought in the 1960’s and used in a hand brace. Poorly designed ones do not cut as quickly or as smoothly – sometimes not providing truly flat-bottom holes. I’ve never tries the Irwin-Marples ones – but Irwin was a company founded on the making of solid shaft hand brace bits to compete with open pattern ones from Russel Jennings. The Irwin patented bits were quite an innovation for their time. Both of these old-time USA companies ended up being bought out by Stanley – as was Marples – an English maker of fine woodworking tools.
Re countersink bits – the Irwin set seems like it is well priced. But the novice should be aware that rose-patter countersinks do not always produce the best results. They are generally configured at 82 degrees – a good compromise bore. but there are times when 60, 90 or 100 degrees would be better suited for you work. What I don’t like about them is their tendency to chatter – producing a rough cut in many materials. I find that I prefer the single cutter (Weldon) style countersinks for what I do. they come in piloted style as well.
https://www.travers.com/product/weldon-wcgm-set-countersink-set-07-056-106
My preference is by no means an absolute recommendation. I can say that most of our carpenters preferred drill/countersink combination bits – using ones with integral depth stops for decking and other jobs. Smart Bit and Amana/Timberline are 2 brands that come to mind for these.
https://www.amazon.com/Starborn-BDA141-Smart-Bit-Pre-drilling-Countersinking/dp/B0052FSLO0/
fred
I just looked at a Famag set of Forstner bits – and sort of choked on the price (5.6 times the cost of the Irwin set):
https://www.amazon.com/FAMAG-Forstner-Classic-15-Piece-Features/dp/B00FF578P0/
Some Fisch sets are even pricier
https://www.amazon.com/Fisch-Imperial-Forstner-Wooden-FSA-367208/dp/B086PGT174/
Chris
Another random price drop:
Wiha 79491 Ratchet XLSelector Bit Set 17 Pc.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HFRHXVZ
For 30 bucks, not for me but maybe someone here is really into Wiha? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
MM
Speaking of Wiha, the best #2 Philips screwdriver on the planet is on sale, though it’s not a huge discount:
https://www.amazon.com/Wiha-53410-Phillips-Screwdriver-MicroFinish/dp/B002DUMNN2/
I seriously cannot praise this series of Microfinish heavy duty tools enough. They have super precise tips, the shaft goes full through the handle with a large cap at the back for striking purposes, there is a hex bolster so you can use a wrench for extra torque, and most important the handles. They have the classic Wiha shape but the finish is a super-grippy micro texture that works great even if your hands are wet or oily.
Stuart, if you see this, please get your hands on some of these and share your thoughts, I know you’ve looked at other Wiha drivers before but these are a different beast.
S
I like the Eastwood version a lot better. More bits, less ‘german’ over engineered packaging, and the ratchet is thinner profile, and it’s cheaper at $26.
Got me out of a lot of odd situations
https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-29-piece-ratchet-and-bit-set.html
KokoTheTalkingApe
Re those Forstner bits: they’re made of carbon steel (it took some looking to find that fact) not high speed steel like most drill bits. So you’ll have to go slow with them or they’ll overheat and lose hardness.
Julian Tracy
No reason to believe anything Irwin is any good these days really, especially anything with a cutting edge. They’re pimping out the Marples name and really it has absolutely no bearing or relavance to any product they slap it on except maybe any Irwin/Marples chisel sets from about 6-8 years ago that were still made in Sheffield England.
These days – all made in China basic, no frills crap.
Might as well be buying HDX or Kobalt or Ryobi or Hickory woodworking….
Stuart
Irwin has some good tools and accessories, although it does take some sorting through.
Ryan
I bought that same Irwin set and wasn’t expecting much. I wanted to use them on metal and plastic but I can’t do either with ruining the material. It takes too much pressure to cut and ends up cutting too far. Plus it leaves a rough finish. On par or a little worse than harbor freight ones.
I had one from McMaster Carr that worked well but I somehow dulled it quickly. Countersinks don’t like me
Stuart
It’s not just you, that type of countersink always seem to chatter with me, no matter the brand.
MM
Stuart is right, those countersinks are bad about chattering. It’s due to the geometry as there is very little relief behind the cutting edge.
There is a slightly different style of multi-flute countersink which is better about chatter. You can tell them apart by looking carefully at the cutting edges. It’s hard to see in the pic Stuart posted, but if you look at the point of those Irwin countersinks the cutting edges are triangular. They’re narrow near the tip of the countersink and they get wider as they reach the full diameter of the tool. Compare to this design:
https://www.amazon.com/KEO-55531-Single-End-Countersink-Uncoated/dp/B00947MJ9K
…note how the cutting edges on this one are narrow rectangles of consistent width. These are much better, they don’t chatter near as bad and you can also resharpen them much more easily. I still prefer single-flutes for nearly all applications but if you want a multi-flute get that style.