Anyone else bothered by the new Irwin Commercials?

[Skyline]

The new Irwin Tools commercials are really annoying to me. And they've put a whole lot of money into this ad campaign; I see this commercial almost daily. Saluting the "American Worker" rings pretty hollow for a company that's sending all its manufacturing to China. Bugs the hell out of me.

Makes me wonder if some focus group is telling them that the American worker really wants American Made tools, so this is their way of hoodwinking the American Public into thinking they are a patriotic American company. What BS!

 

[ChevyEFI]

The thread re: the free plier-turn-in program really left me with a bad taste of their company.

It's just such a huge push to know that your China-made tools will go over like a fart in church that you have to give them away to get market share.

Lots of valid business reasons to do it. I just don't like it.

 

[upgrading]

Haven't seen the ad, but have been to their website where they are saluting tradesmen for their day.

Yes it is phony, but they can get away with calling their Vise Grips "original" so whatever.

 

[rusty65]

I hate the ad as well smells of **** that the uninformed buyer will believe.

 

[trout]

Haven't seen the new commercials but the campaign is old. I avoid Irwin products as much as I can because of them.

 

[cburnscrx]

Doesn't bother me at all. In the end it's just a way to make more money...that is the goal of a business, right? My buddy's a contractor originally from Michigan and he couldn't give two rips where the tool was made as long as it works.

 

[trebomb]

Completely agree. They have no skin in the game of American workers.

 

[Fordman7795]

Ok i remember seeing the commercial once and i said to myself "thanks for closing your manufacturing doors in the USA.....". I use vise grips daily and have not and will never buy a china made vise grip. Unknowingly the foreman bought some for the shop and I kept having one bend and not hold well. Lapping a 10' seam with vise grips every 6-12" and only one of them bending, and that one was china made. I buy pretty much every one i can find at a garage sale for a couple bucks. Im up to around 150 now.

 

[justanengineer]

This one bothered me a bit. Apparently theyve gotten a bit of **** about them tho bc of the rather inappropriate use of tools they depict. In this one, a vise-grip must be a "precision" tool.

 

[APEowner]

This one bothered me a bit. Apparently theyve gotten a bit of **** about them tho bc of the rather inappropriate use of tools they depict. In this one, a vise-grip must be a "precision" tool.

I have to admit I never thought about the COO part and I generally watch TV that's been DVRd so I'm not sure what the point of the ad even is but It bugs the heck out of me that they're using vice grips for that. If I ever saw one of my guys using vice-grips on our Bridgeport like that I'd can them on the spot!

 

[arnwoodwheels]

Yes I am bothered. Very much so.
Everyone should be pissed about it. Nothing but a bunch of actors playing Tradesmen selling **** with a ripped off brand image.
If things dont start changing none of our children will have a future.

 

[jd_1138]

Makes me wonder if some focus group is telling them that the American worker really wants American Made tools, so this is their way of hoodwinking the American Public into thinking they are a patriotic American company. What BS!

They only care about the American worker in so far as wanting the American worker (industry, construction, technician, etc.) to BUY their Chinese made products. They ****.

 

[bwringer]

The one where some doof is yoinking on a Bridgeport with a Vice-Grip caused physical pain in many living rooms.

Sad, just sad. Hard to believe that absolutely no one, out of the hundreds of people involved in production of this dipshit commercial, had ever had a high school shop class or mechanical job of some sort where you could get fired for using vice-grips or pliers on expensive equipment.


The Chinese Vice-Grips are indeed absolute ****. You can tell how much cheesier they are from ten feet away.


However, Irwin's self-adjusting wire strippers are fantastic. No idea where they're made.

 

[nine4gmc]

Saw it the other day, all I could think of was false advertising but it may just be false perception advertising.

 

[lbgradwell]

Nothing new here...

I see Vise Grip is running some commercials

Irwin Creates "Tradesman Day"

 

[metaldad]

Yep, seen it, it's kinda insulting, isn't it?

 

[Skyline]

Glad I'm not alone. My wife and kids think I've gone nuts when I start cursing at the TV when the Irwin commercial comes on.

I understand when companies are faced with no choice but to go overseas for production; stiff price competition sometimes forces this upon them. But Vise Grip was a product with such dominant market share that they made the move overseas by choice, not because they had no alternative. Corporate greed was the reason. While I'm sure the short term results are great for their bottom line, in the long haul, I hope this bites them in the ***...it's what they deserve.

 

[bwringer]

What does that bolt even do on a Bridgeport mill? Is it an adjustment or does it hold something together?

Either way, you're never going to just stand there and yoink on it with pliers at arm's length. If it's an adjustment, you're going to be in there watching a gauge or your work closely.

 

[Givl Reggin]

I have never seen this - during what programs are they running these commercials?

 

[Skyline]

I have never seen this - during what programs are they running these commercials?

Pretty much all the car shows.

 

[nine4gmc]

This one bothered me a bit. Apparently theyve gotten a bit of **** about them tho bc of the rather inappropriate use of tools they depict. In this one, a vise-grip must be a "precision" tool.

 

[wafrederick]

I call their groovelock pliers and waterpump pliers Knipex knock offs.I have a couple pair of their groovelock pliers,I hate them.

 

[ganymede]

Nobody worry about that mill. It was being dis-assembled for scrap.
It'll return as the 'throw away culture' **** this country loves and consumes by the millions of tons per year.

 

[Brownsfan]

I find it pretty insulting to the tradesman that used to make their tools and had their jobs shipped off to China. I made the mistake of buying the knipex knock offs. Thankfully all my vice grips(locking pliers) are USA made. Won't be buying any new ones any time soon.

 

[oilslick]

Irwin can lick my salty nutz, I too think the commercial is ****.

 

[GTA Matt]

The vice grips on the bridgeport is bad, apparently they got a lot of complaints. I noticed they have a new one that took that out and replaced it with clamping 2 sheets of steel together. But they didn't do anything about the guy twisting something? using vice grips on that flathead motor

 

[comedyman809]

chinese or american, the vice grips put all the fancy branded european grips to shame including the snap on and the proto grip on ones. i put them toe to toe, the irwin wins every time. and i will beat them with a hammer to removes a stubborn fastener without worrying about the tool breaking!

 

[helterskelter]

Guys... it's a ******* bridgeport, its job is to make parts. Those bolts are big, cheap and easy to replace. If all I had was a vise grip, then that's what I'm going to use. I wouldn't think twice about it and I certainly wouldn't waste 5 minutes walking across the shop to find a wrench. If it was my home, personal bridgeport, yeah I'd open one of my nicely organized drawers on my toolbox and pull out the right wrench, but that's not a reality in many production environments.

 

[brickG-man]

Some people have posted that they don't care if tools are made in China and that is their right. I for one never buy inferior Chinese tools and only buy US, Canadian or if I have no other choice, tools made in Germany. At least Canada and Germany have a high standard of living and the chances are that goods manufactured there are not made with slave, or near slave labor. I will still buy US made Vice Grips off of eBay because an American got paid to manufacture them at some point. I also only buy American made cars. I've been driving American cars for almost 48 years and they have served me well, and so have American tools. I also only buy American made shoes. Allen Edmond's, Alden's, Red Wings or New Balance. Although with the latter two you have to watch what you are buying because they have budget Asian lines.
Buy American, the job you save may be your own.

 

[Stephenw]

I remember they had an American worker video on YouTube a couple years ago. There were a lot of comments griping about their Chinese tools. They ended up turning off comments.

Here is this their current campaign...

 

[comedyman809]

Some people have posted that they don't care if tools are made in China and that is their right. I for one never buy inferior Chinese tools and only buy US, Canadian or if I have no other choice, tools made in Germany. At least Canada and Germany have a high standard of living and the chances are that goods manufactured there are not made with slave, or near slave labor. I will still buy US made Vice Grips off of eBay because an American got paid to manufacture them at some point. I also only buy American made cars. I've been driving American cars for almost 48 years and they have served me well, and so have American tools. I also only buy American made shoes. Allen Edmond's, Alden's, Red Wings or New Balance. Although with the latter two you have to watch what you are buying because they have budget Asian lines.
Buy American, the job you save may be your own.

so your proud to be an american, so you only use american products, which basically means you walk around naked, have no electronics in your home, no toys for the kids, no computers to type on garage journal with, no bed spread, or silverware to eat with, no lawn and garden equipment, and the insides of you american cars are empty cause, who do you think makes all of those components for your car. radio? little electric motors, or you must be a billionaire to afford nothing but american made products.

 

[Stephenw]

Here is their 2011 video where they turned off comments...

Again in 2012...

 

[silentpoet]

Copy the video and make a satire showing factories in China and Chinese workers with the Irwin commercial soundtrack.

 

[comedyman809]

Here is their 2011 video where they turned off comments...

Again in 2012...

yes, but if you look in any tradesmans tool pouch/bag/box/case or whatever, youll see plenty of chinese tools, plus a bunch of kliens, rigid stuff,and a lot of home depot/lowes branded items(chinese of course).

most people have a job to do and couldnt care less about the country where the tool was made, they have one thing in mind, go to work on time, get the job done right(or half ***-as some are lazy), with the tools that they have, get paid and go home. to them, the tool is only a tool, and means nothing more to them. its just the medium to get to the pay check. so spending a lot of money on there tools means less money in their pocket which means they cant pay rent, mortgage, etc... etc...etc....

you can compare this to cops, most can give a **** less about the pistol they shoot, or shooting as a whole, its just there defense tool and nothing more.

 

[metaldad]

yes, but if you look in any tradesmans tool pouch/bag/box/case or whatever, youll see plenty of chinese tools, plus a bunch of kliens, rigid stuff,and a lot of home depot/lowes branded items(chinese of course).

most people have a job to do and couldnt care less about the country where the tool was made, they have one thing in mind, go to work on time, get the job done right(or half ***-as some are lazy), with the tools that they have, get paid and go home. to them, the tool is only a tool, and means nothing more to them. its just the medium to get to the pay check. so spending a lot of money on there tools means less money in their pocket which means they cant pay rent, mortgage, etc... etc...etc....

you can compare this to cops, most can give a **** less about the pistol they shoot, or shooting as a whole, its just there defense tool and nothing more.

ahem. I'm a tradesman. and do not have any chinese anything in my tool pouch.
and as for weapons, jah, my sks can be dropped in the mud and still shoot.
HOWEVER, since some American gun manufacturers have off shored some or all of their tooling, SOME of that product is pure junk.
(I have had the joyful experience of owning such a pos.)
As has been stated by others, buy American, the job you save may be your own.

 

[3xpendable]

so your proud to be an american, so you only use american products, which basically means you walk around naked, have no electronics in your home, no toys for the kids, no computers to type on garage journal with, no bed spread, or silverware to eat with, no lawn and garden equipment, and the insides of you american cars are empty cause, who do you think makes all of those components for your car. radio? little electric motors, or you must be a billionaire to afford nothing but american made products.

One in every crowd. The man likes to buy American any time he can why does that bother you so much. Do you hate America ?

 

[MN4x4]

My brother-in-law got laid off from his job driving a delivery truck. I told my sister that's what she gets for driving a Toyota. She doesn't see any connection at all.

Silly Sister.

 

[balane]

You'd think that if they loved the American worker so much that they'd give them jobs.

 

[stonesfan68]

I understand when companies are faced with no choice but to go overseas for production; stiff price competition sometimes forces this upon them. But Vise Grip was a product with such dominant market share that they made the move overseas by choice, not because they had no alternative. Corporate greed was the reason. While I'm sure the short term results are great for their bottom line, in the long haul, I hope this bites them in the ***...it's what they deserve.

Amen, brother!

 

[compyello]

It bothers me, I pointed it out to my wife the first time I saw the commercial