We would like to show our support and give the first 10 Tradesmen, a FREE Irwin Vise Grip and Tradesmen Day tee shirt (shown above on the beautiful Ashley). For tradesman, simply say thanks to a fellow tradesman who mentored you early in your career with a short thank you post on our Facebook page. First 10 who post (that live in continental US) will get a free Irwin prize pack sent to them.

We couldn’t be happier to show our support to the cause! Below are some other National Tradesmen Day messages from Ross Porter, Irwin Tool president along with the one and only Mike Rowe. For more information about National Tradesmen Day, visit: www.nationaltradesmenday.com.

Continue reading "Friday 9/16 is National Tradesmen Day, Coptool Says Thanks!" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday Irwin Tools and the 2010 North American Ultimate Tradesman champ, Delwyn Thornton were in New York to ring the opening bell on the NYSE. This is a pretty big event and nice to see a little recognition for a tool brand. It looks like Irwin is planning events all month long leading up to Friday, September 16, 2011 which will mark the first ever celebration of “National Tradesman Day”.

Typically we would not be in favor of made-up holidays but in this case we are happy to be supportive as Tradesman in general certainly deserve much more honor and recognition than they get.  Check out the Irwin press release below for more info and check back with us soon, as we do have a few things planned to show our support for Tradesman everywhere.

Continue reading "Irwin Tools at NYSE Opening Bell to Celebrate Tradesman Day" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well several months back we took a modest selection of 5 utility knives and compared a few common features in the original Utility Knife Showdown. However just after that launch Irwin launched several new knives that brought some interesting new features to the table as well as some very trade specific knives so we did the follow up Showdown 2 – Irwin Strikes Back. Not wanting to be left out of the party the Stanley Group sent over 3 additional knives from Stanley, DeWalt & Bostitch. At this point we feel it is safe to say we can do a pretty robust comparison with a good majority of the utility knives you will find in the market, in all we narrowed it down to 8 finalists with a good mix of unique features.

Continue reading "Return of the Utility Knife… The Final Showdown" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

IRWIN Tools has been a long-time sponsor of the SkillsUSA National Championship held last week in Kansas City. To celebrate the success of 2011 SkillsUSA Automotive Service Technology competition high school and college winners, IRWIN HANSON has awarded Michael Mullin of San Luis Obispo, Calif. and Adam Minihan of Laconia, N.H. with the Ultimate NASCAR Race Experience. Both students will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with legendary NASCAR crew chief, Jeff Hammond, as well as a NASCAR pit crew August 25-28 during the 2011 IRWIN Tools Night Race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

To hear Jeff Hammond discuss the SkillsUSA success in Kansas City check out the YouTube video below.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From time to time here at Coptool World Headquarter we receive some interesting marketing for new power tools, accessories and hand tools. From miniature “Heavy Metal” guitars to Sawzall blades with our name on them we do enjoy a little flair when launching a new product. CH Hanson sent us a nice simple package which we thought was very well put together, it included their 10” Automatic 10CJ pliers as well as “The Original” 10” Irwin 10WR in addition to a stopwatch and steel plate with 2 nuts welded to it. The message was 7x faster, 2x stronger and 100% easier. We also threw another horse in the race with the latest vise-grip from Irwin 10CR which has slightly different grip geometry but for the most part very similar, here are our thoughts.    

Continue reading "Irwin Vise-Grip vs CH Hanson Automatic 10” Locking Pliers" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last weekend was the Irwin Ultimate Tradesman World Finals at Bristol in Tennessee. According to our fellow industry reporters in the media it was a fantastic event. If you are interested in getting the full play by play check out these two terrific reviews of the event below. If you feel like you missed out not to worry, Irwin is planning another exciting event “Thank A Tradesman” for the Bristol Night Race in August where one lucky Tradesman could win a cool million, as well as spend the weekend in a luxury RV at the track with VIP passes. It might be worth taking a few minutes to enter that one.

HomeFixated.com – Ultimate Tradesman Finals Review

ProToolReviews.com – Ultimate Tradesman Finals Review
    

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend will be the most exciting battles of athleticism all year long, nope we are not talking about the start of the NCAA tournament, we are talking about the World Finals of the Ultimate Tradesman Challenge from Irwin Tools. They have flown in the worlds 6 top winners, from litterally thousands of contestants, to the Bristol Motor Speedway for the final showdown this Sunday, March 20, 2011. Irwin has really been innovative in the hand tool category and 2011 looks to be very promising for them, with new products in Utility Knives, Vise-Grips, Drill Bits and much more. Check out the video below.

Continue reading "Irwin Tools: Ultimate Tradesman Challenge World Finals" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Somehow we missed this when it came out a few months ago in Fine Homebuilding Magazine. It is a very nice detail comparison of 15 major demo blades for wood. Looking at price, TPI, cut speed, cuts, flexibility, etc it really goes deep with each blade. It was pointed out to us while having a discussion about metal cutting blades in Garage Journal forum which is obviously a different kind of blade but though it was a good read anyway. For the full story check it out here at Torture Test – Demolition Blades

You can also purchase a wide variety of demolition and other Sawzall / Reciprocating Blades from the fine people at Ohio Power Tool.
    

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the recent STAFDA trade show we had a chance to test out the new Irwin Universal Handsaws. We all have/use traditional handsaws and our guess is yours might be older, dull, possibly rusty, etc. If that is the case you should definitely consider one of the new Irwin Handsaws as a good option. There are 2 standard sizes 15” 1773456 ($20, Amazon) and the 20” 1773466 ($23, Amazon) which are very competitive with other popular saws that are using 100+ year old designs.

Continue reading "Irwin Tools Univeral Handsaw with 15” & 20” Blades" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently we did a comparison of 5 Utility Knives in the first Utility Knife Showdown. We had several utility knives in our possession and wanted to highlight some of the newer features that were available on a few different knives. By no means did this cover all knives on the market just a sampling to highlight a few new features. It did however get some attention from the Irwin folks, who are one of the predominant players in the utility knife world. They made a special point to invite us to their booth at STAFDA to show us a “few new things” coming very soon. These will all be available under the Utility Knives page on OhioPowerTool.com once released.

So what is Irwin’s answer to combat some of the newer knives on the market? How about 4+ new knives specific to individual jobs of the utility knives. Obviously these knives have been in development for some time but seem to really hit one the high points of our first Utility Knife Showdown (where Irwin did not fare so well) including: On Board Blade Storage, Ease of Blade Change, Blade Play, Comfort and Grip Saftey.

Continue reading "Utility Knife Showdown 2 – Irwin Strikes Back" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently we have seen some new features in the different Utility Knives out there so we thought we would take a look at what style of knives are available with different features. We had these 5 models on hand which we felt did a good job of representing a good number of the options out there. The several year old bulky orange box cutter will act as the base line for our tests but has already proven itself.

Continue reading "Utility Knife Showdown - Irwin, CH Hanson & Milwaukee" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Delwyn Thornton received his new Mustang GT car for winning the Irwin Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge after beating 22 tradesmen from across the US. Attached are some photos of Delwyn celebrating in Brandon, MS yesterday with friends and family after he received his new Mustang GT from IRWIN Tools. Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant presented Delwyn with a state certificate recognizing his national championship title.

Delwyn will be competing for the world title of the Irwin Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge in March. more info - www.irwin.com/challenge
   

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes just one day away is the 2nd annual Ohio Tool Racing Championship (www.toolraces.com) and things are getting pretty exciting around the Columbus Idea Foundry this week. Lots of people are piling in this week to get their projects finish. It will probably be a very late night at the shop tonight for some but we’d expect nothing less.

Our Coptool racer is 95% complete and a fairly menacing looking creation; after all there are some pretty big expectations on us. "The Reaver" is welded out of 1” steel tubes, powered by a 9” Bosch grinder pushing a 10” Milwaukee saw blade. See more pics in this Facebook Album. We are pretty confident she will smoke down the track and take any hits that come her way (although pretty inexperienced welder so watch out).

Continue reading "Power Tool Drag Racing Tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year on August 21st Irwin Tools is sponsoring possibly the greatest event in the 2010 racing season  Ohio Tool Racing Championship … on that same day they are also sponsoring another great event in racing the Bristol Night Race. One event will probably have 160,000 people more than the other but very impressive to see Irwin Tools involved in two world class events on the same day.

As if that wasn’t enough, Irwin will be holding their annual Ultimate Tradesman Competition the day before, August 20th, at the Bristol Speedway. This year the event will be televised so if you are not going to be there you can still watch Live on Speed Channel’s NASCAR trackside starting at 7:00pm EST.

You can also vote right now for your favorite Tradesman and automatically enter to win a $250 irwin prize pack. It looks like we got 2 of the top 4 times from the Buckeye State: Jonathan Smith (Delaware, Ohio) & Mark Martin (Ostrander, Ohio) so our state is well represented. Maybe Ohio just makes a better tradesman?

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everyone needs a good driver bit set in the arsenal even if you aren’t a professional or serious DIYer it’s always a good idea to have a few extra bits handy. When you start looking at bits sets however you’ll realize pretty quick they all fairly different as far as what’s included. First you have several types of screwdriver bits Phillips, Slotted, Square & Torx. Then you have 1”, 2” & 2 sided 2”. There are also “Impact Bits” for all these options as well. In addition to just the screwdriver bits some kits include nutsetters, socket adaptors, hex drill bits and quick change adaptors.

Continue reading "Quick Guide to Selecting a Driver Bit Set" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Over the weekend in Las Vegas the winner of the Irwin “Tell Us Your VISE-GRIP Story” was announced. The winner was Dr. Bryan Fax a US Navy Surgeon. Read the full story below or visit the IRWIN Contest Site:

Continue reading "And We Have A Winner… Irwin Vise-Grip Contest" »

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

48-32-1500 Milwaukee 38 Piece Quik-Loc Kit - $30.94
This Milwaukee Bit Set is critical to get the most out of your hex shank driver. Many of the new 10.8V-12V compact tools use the hex bit system which can limit the tools use without the right accessories. This kit not only has a wide range of driver bits but also several sizes of drills and impact bits.   

For those of you that might be in or around Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, October 22^nd I would like to invite you to Ohio Power Tool for the Annual Tent Sale & Tool Expo. This year it’s a little later than usual so it would correspond with the launch of so many new lines of tools including: Milwaukee M12, Milwaukee M18, Bosch 12V Max, Bosch 18V Lithium, Ridgid Explorer & New Seesnakes, plus many other exciting product. All of these new tools will be at the show ready for you to demo, so if you want to try out the new Dremel Multi-Max or anything else come on down. Each vendor will be there in full force including the Bosch Big Blue Trailer. Milwaukee, Ingersoll Rand, Ridgid, Chicago Pneumatic, Hougen, Power Team and many others will have tents and tables set up as well. The event runs from 10:00am – 5:00pm or when people finally leave.

This is a great event for any one buying tools or just wanting to test out the new tools! Ohio Power Tool, already known for low internet competitive pricing, really blows it out for the tent sale. Lots of existing products are discounted for that day in addition to overall discounts given on all in-store orders. On top of the Ohio Power Tool discounts the vendors on hand have even more discounts in the form of promotions, instant rebates, free tools, tool trade-ins, etc. For instance, Bosch is offering $75 trade-in on any 18 volt, working or not, to upgrade to their new 18v lithium. That would put the new Bosch 18V compact drill at $129 and on top of that you would still get off an additional discount from Ohio Power Tool.

I’m sounding like a used car salesman now but it is definitely worth checking out if you want to get some really good deals on power tools or just get your hands on some of the new tools.      

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Irwin has been sponsoring a “Tell Us Your Story” Contest since July 1^st, if you were not aware. The contest itself will end at the end of this month (October 31^st) so there is still some time to enter if you haven’t had a chance yet. The stories are basically 100 words or less about how your Irwin Vise Grip tools have saved the day. Each story includes an image which you can upload your own image or use one of theirs. It’s really pretty simple and there are many great prizes including Irwin tools, trips to New York, Cabela’s gift cards and a grand prize of either a Custom Chopper or $25,000 cash.

If you are worried your vise grip stories are not that good don’t worry there are still two other chances to win through the sweepstake you can enter until November 15^th, the 5 winners are drawn at random. Also you can win instant prizes by voting for the stories from November 16^th – December 19^th.

See Full Details Here: http://irwin.eprize.net/visegripstory/index.tbapp      

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

 Irwin Industrial Tool is holding the Ultimate Tradesman Competition again for 2008. This is a skill competition which measures your speed and accuracy for measuring, marking and drilling. Irwin is well known for their high quality hand tools and power tool accessories so this competition is a great way to showcases several of their products. The competition is easy to enter, simply attend one of the upcoming events (View Schedules Here) and compete. For complete information, to see standing, see a video of the time trial, information on prizes and more; visit www.irwinchallenge.com.

Prizes include Cash, Irwin & Dickies clothing, Irwin Tools, race tickets & VIP packages, Ultimate Irwin garage, Roush Ford F150 and a chance to win $1.26 million. The top 20 regional winners get to attend the semi finals at the Texas Motor Speedway. The top 4 finalist will then attend the Phoenix International Raceway and compete for the Grand Prize and a chance to win $1.26 million. For more information on Jamie McMurray, Irwin Racing and the Number 26 Car you can visit www.irwinracing.com.

Ohio Power Tool is proud to offer a wide variety of Irwin Tools including their locking tool Vise-Grips, Marathon saw blades, Strait-Line chalk reels, tap & die sets and much more. For more information on Irwin Industrial Tools call 800-242-4424.