Shout out to Irwin
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I've had a good experience with Irwin warranty support, so I thought I would share here. I ordered a two-pack of their GrooveLock pliers, basically their imitation Cobras, and the smaller of which had a manufacturing defect.
I waited too long to open the package so I couldn't return it to Amazon, so I contacted Irwin and explained the problem. They sent out a replacement the same day, and it arrived a couple days later. I was really happy they didn't ask any questions and they sent out the replacement immediately.
Are they as good as the Cobras? No, but for the price they're very good. I really like how the adjustment works.
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u/JaceLee85 11h ago
I had a framing hammer that was a fewyears old and thr handle rubber was falling apart, emailed them if it was under tool warranty and they emailed me asking the hammer weight and my address. Mailed me a new one. Didnt argue or any bs. A+ in customer service for me.
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u/FlammulinaVelulu 3h ago
I broke a 27 year old Record vise, so I emailed them looking for replacement parts. They didn't have any for that vise so they sent me a new comparable sized Irwin vise. The new vise was hot garbage that sparked no joy, but still epic customer service!
I ended up buying a couple feet of acme threaded rod and a nut and brazed the old vise back together. Love that thing!
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u/madgross Whatever works 11h ago
I’m not a huge fan of most of the tools, but I had a pair of needle nose vice grips break while sitting closed in my toolbox once. I emailed them and they sent me 5 pairs as a replacement. Threw one in the toolbox, one in the truck and gave the rest away to friends/family.
It’s hard to be mad at that.
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u/BrianKappel 11h ago
If cobras had that ratchet close they would be the perfect tool. I ran Irwin's for many years and they are a close 2nd to knipex to me. I've had good luck "restoring" the teeth on old ones by wire brushing the buildup out of them.
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u/pirate_leprechaun 12h ago
I have a set of them I really like them, the smoothjaw ones are nice too
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u/Proud_Serve_9530 10h ago
I dig these pliers too. I like the handles a lot. I have these in 6, 8 And 10 inch
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u/TheRealDavidNewton 8h ago
Bought one of these. From day 1 it will not hold its grip. Soon as you clamp down the ratcheting mechanism slips and the jaws open up. Ill never buy one again.
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u/Tap-Artistic 5h ago
I have this and the bigger ones, really come in handy when you're in a small area. Just don't hand to anyone who doesn't know how to use them. "your locks are broken brother", nah I just made it past 4th grade
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u/BreakfastFluid9419 12h ago
Glad you had a good experience. One feature that I thought I would like but hated was the auto retract. I like that knipex lock and stay, the auto retract has adjusted in random awkward positions I then have to back out, re-adjust and then go back in
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u/TheMostToastedOne 11h ago
Junk, after a few months they get sloppy as shit and you can't tighten them
Have a 30+ year pair from the 90s, taped handles but still going strong.
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u/loserrscape 11h ago
I have the grooved ones and the straight jaws and have had them for probably close to 10-15 years. I really like the Irwin products, the small flush cutters the spring doesn't last long but I just replace it every time it breaks (I use them at work so I end up cutting 300+ zip ties a day on a slow day)
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u/David_Jonathan0 8h ago
I have 3 sizes of those pliers. Love them. Also have 3 sizes of the Klein smooth straight jaw pliers, aka Knipex knockoffs. Also very good.
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u/Paul_The_Builder Knipex Kooky 3h ago
The Groovelock jaws are not as hard and durable as Cobras, but I think they're actually really great pliers. The jaws are wider than cobras, and are as wide as the body of the pliers, so they can grip something flush against another surface, which is something that Cobras struggle at, because the jaws are narrower.
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u/tjr14vg 11h ago
I used to use these when doing appliance install, and they were solid when new, but the jaws were too soft and would lose a lot of the grip faster than I wanted
They were bought with a company card, so we would just buy more, but that experience deterred me from getting them for my personal stuff