Forged vs Milled Phillips Bits - Irwin Torsion Bits

Phillips bits are just a + shaped piece of metal, right? What's the big deal how they get that plus shape? After all, they all just wear out eventually.

Irwin didn't think that was the case. They thought the manufacturing process mattered, and they came out with new bits, named torsion bits, late last year that were designed to be different. They're forged instead of milled.

But what's the big deal?

When phillips bits are milled, they generally get produced with almost a "Scooping" motion. This leads to slightly rounded sides on the four pieces of metal, and the screws only touch at the tip of the bit. By forging the bits, they not only get a precise fit into the screws, but the bit lasts longer due to the decreased slipping and higher strength.

Irwin didn't shop there, though. They also tumble all of the bits to make them shiny, then paint a blue band around them to really make them stand out as being unique. In fact, more users liked the blue band than anything in field tests.

What makes them a real value though isn't just that they last longer, but they only have a marginal premium on the price. I'm using them right now at home and really like them, so I'll keep on buying them. Not that a bit wears out all that often for home use, but I can actually feel the difference in the fit inside the screw, and feel makes a difference to me. I'd recommend the Irwin Torsion Bits to anyone that's using phillips bits on a regular basis.

Hitachi Miter Saw - Perfect Holiday idea.

It's almost a crime that we're selling the Hitachi C10FSB for $399 when our competitors are at least $50 higher. What's even worse is that Hitachi is picking up ground shipping charges through the holidays, meaning $399.01 can get it delivered to your door. That's a great deal, since a 60 pound saw is pretty expensive to ship. The only thing we can't do is gift wrap it and put it under the tree for you.

This is a great miter saw with all the features you could want in a 10" dual compound sliding miter saw. Ok, so that's a big name for this tool. Basically, that says it has all the bells a whistles that you could possibly want except a laser, and you can always add a laser for $30 by buying the Irwin add-on miter saw laser, and then you'll get a free ($4 shipping) Irwin Marathon blade by mail for the saw to top it off.

Hitachi will even let you try this out risk free. If you don't like it, just send it back and they'll let us issue a full refund for the tool. What better way to do some great bargain shopping this holiday season? I may have to show my mother this saw. Oh, that reminds me, Dad - don't read this post.

Vise Grips - Making improvements to a classic

Vise Grips, which is an Irwin tradename, have been around for a very long time. In fact, they've been around since 1924. So what can be done to make them exciting again? Well, Irwin has made a few improvements that I learned about at product training that make sense to tell our customers about. Even if you're not a customer, I'll let you read about the changes. Just so long as you buy Irwin, mission accomplished, right?

First, they've changed up the adjusting screw just a bit. There is now a spot to use a hex key to either control the release or draw materials together. As you can see in the picture, drawing together these metal bars with springs was something they showed us, but you could be drawing together wood or metal which may not be perfectly straight, and then you'll understand the use. It's not an everyday use type of change, but it is certainly something worth noting.

They also got rid of the little flip handle on many of the new models, making them one handed quick release. The biggest hitter in this category is the 10WR, which is a 10" model. They also put overmolded cushion grips on one side to make it hurt less when you squeeze down hard. They're not dipped like some competing locking pliers - they're a true overmolded design to make sure it doesn't slip off as you're using them.

One of the more fun things they had us do with Vise Grips was to see how much closing pressure we could create with a pair. Our own Chris started out with 1 hand and got almost 1000 lbs of pressure. After trying with 2 hands, he got up as high as 1950 lbs of pressure from the jaws on the 10WR model. That seemed like a lot at the time (ok, so I should say ton since we're close to 2000 lbs of pressure), but we learned better when we got to the racetrack.


As you can see to the right, Chris got up to 1950 lbs of pressure. At the racetrack, they had rewards set up for certain levels of pressure. At one level, you'd get a Sharpie (owned by the same company), and setting a new record got you a multi-pack of Vise Grips. In the 12 and under category, the record was mid 1700's. The women's record was mid 2500's, and the overall record was over 3600. I think Chris needs to try hitting the gym before we go next time so he's not so embarrassed about his low numbers. Then again, I was smart enough to just not try it in the first place.

Overall, Vise Grips are really functional but not usually exciting. But the changes Irwin made to the Vise-Grips brand of locking pliers sure make them more interesting.

Get a grip

When I first saw the Irwin Quick-Grip clamps several years ago, I thought they looked interesting. I think I was working at Radio Shack at the time and we got some in that were the right size for electronics. Now, of course, I have access to many additional sizes.

Truly one-handed operation
When I try the standard clamps, I find that I can't really use them all that well while positioning large material. The Quick-Grip is very usable with one hand, so it's no problem holding some material in place while I tighten the clamp.

Doesn't mark up the material
What I really hate about standard C-clamps is that the metal surfaces can mark up what I'm working on. The Quick-Grip clamps have rubber coated clamping surfaces to prevent this from happening. That's a big improvement in my book.

Reasonable pressure
Sometimes a standard C-clamp will allow you to put so much pressure on the material that you can actually break it. I don't think that's the intention, but it can be pretty easy to do. The Quick-Grip clamps haven't ever done this for me.

I still have some C-clamps
I still have a few old-fashioned C-clamps around, but I don't use them much. The built-in clamp on my Miter saw is the older style, so I use them there quite often. If I really need to hold something tight and can't allow it to move, then I get out the C-clamp. For most jobs, I use the Quick-Grip. Nailing or screwing pieces together is handled just fine by this easier to use variety. Cutting is normally fine with the one-handed model as well. If I am trying to cut a couple layers of 2x4 or plywood at the same time, I'll get out the C-clamps, but I find myself holding them together with a Quick-Grip while I position the other.

Blue Blades - Unbreakable Utility for your Knife

A utility knife blade isn't exciting or newsworthy, is it? It is, after all, just a piece of metal with a razor sharp edge. Nothing complicated and not a real technically challenging tool, right? That's what I thought until recently.

Nearly unbreakable
What's the most dangerous part of a normal utility knife blade? Well, I've had a few of them break on me and it can be a bit scary. Chunks can fly at you, making for a very dangerous situation. It can also leave pieces that you'll need to extract in hard to see places. Iwrin has come out with a blade, known as the "Blue Blade", that doesn't break from normal use. In fact, abnormal use (such as in the picture) doesn't always break them either. They can break, but it takes a lot of effort.

Stays sharp longer
The patented bi-metal used in making these blades not only makes them tough to break, but also makes them stay sharp 3x longer. I consider that to be a good thing. Of course, the fine print says when cutting 20# recycled paper, so I don't know what that means when cutting drywall or plastic film, but it should still stay sharp longer. Paper is what makes scissors lose their edge the quickest, so that may be a very good test. The main factor for the reduced wear is that they use a treated steel edge instead of the standard carbon. I guess that's technology, although not all that geeky.

Try them for yourself - for free!
Don't take my word that these are better blades. Irwin has a program so you can get a free 5 pack to try yourself. They don't have an ending date, but as of now (1/30/2006) the program is still going. Let me know if the link doesn't work any more, but it's a great deal so you can see for yourself just how well they work. I've got my 5 pack on the way.