Utility knives are the workhorse of the toolbox — we use ‘em for slicing, opening, and trimming anything that comes to the shop or worksite. Few tools are as heavily abused and frequently discarded as the utility blade. This was our mentality when the first Irwin ProTouch arrived in the shop.

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Cheap-ass Dealmongers, start your engines! Our friend Mike from ReadyMade sent in this “Bargin of the Month” promotion from True Value Hardware. If you’re willing to suffer through a mail-in rebate — and they don’t run out of stock — you can snag the following tools for free:

• a 25-foot Stanley LeverLock Tape measure ($5)
• an Irwin ProTouch retractable Utility knife ($7)
• and a 77-piece Black & Decker drill and screwdriver accessory set ($3)

These promotions are available in-store only so the cost to you is your time and a stamp — and some serious patience.

Bargin of the Month [True Value]
25-Foot LeverLock Tape Measure [Stanley]
ProTouch Utility Knife [Irwin]
77-Piece Drill and Screwdriver Accessory set [Black & Decker]

Lowes is prolonging their Black Friday promotion of $10 for an Irwin 63 piece bit set. For this ridiculously low price you get 43 screwdriver bits, and 20 drill bits – 15 black oxide split points along with five spade bits.

From the looks of the above photo-chopped image taken from its product page, this may be a special Lowes-only bundle. Several Lowes stores in my area still have several dozen sets each, so there’s no need to rush to the store just yet.

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Want to try the new Irwin Straight Line chalks you’ve seen us write about? Visit the link below to get free samples of Irwin’s Dust-Off Marking Chalk or their Permanent Staining Marking Chalk. (Just don’t let your kid get at it.)

There’s no expiration date, but if you read the fine print the offer is only available while supplies last. Who knows how much chalk Irwin set aside for sampling, so if you want a free sample better fill out their form now.

Free Chalk [Manfacturer]

Related Posts:

• Preview: Irwin’s New Marking Chalk
• Now Available: Irwin Dust-Off Chalk

Remember Irwin’s new marking chalk we previewed a while back? At least one of the four variants is now on shelves: the “dust-off” variety. Irwin claims that this chalk, intended for short-term indoor use, easily wipes away with a rag.

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The ultimate clamp for cabinetmakers is the parallel jaw clamp. They clamp down tight, they evenly distribute force, and they have resin coated jaws that won’t mar or damage your project. Check out Irwin’s entry in the parallel jaw clamp game: 24” and 48” models.

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Last year we covered Irwin’s release of their (then-)new spade bit, the SPEEDBOR Blue-Groove, which claimed to drill four times faster than a standard spade bit. But it looked pretty much like a regular spade bit. Now Irwin’s bringing a new design to the game — something that looks more revolutionary: basically, Irwin took the best elements of the spade bit, brad point bit, forstner bit, and auger bit slammed them all together to create the new SpeedBor Max.

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Guess what?  Harbor Freight actually sells name-brand tools, too, and right now they’re offering a three-piece set of no-kidding Vise-Grips set for $20.  You get 5″ curved jaw, 6″ long-nose, and 10″ curved-jaw locking pliers, and the set also comes with a pouch that you can stash in a drawer or mount to some pegboard.  

We see an average street price of about $30 for the set — and over $34 for the individual pieces — so this is a tough deal to pass up.

3-Piece Vise-Grip Tool Set [Harbor Freight]
Vise-Grip Model 321GS Three-Piece Set [Irwin]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

Irwin’s InnerGrip work gloves are a bit different.  They look cool, but any Toolmonger will tell you that looking good and being good are two separate things entirely.  So we inagurated glove week by putting ‘em to the test, Toolmonger style.  Read on past the jump for our detailed hands-in experiences and lots of pictures.

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The Irwin Ultimate Tradesman Challenge is in California next week. We normally don’t go for these kinds of things but this is a shop-style contest, and we can’t resist. Here’s how it works.

All you do is measure, mark, and drill a piece of wood as quickly and accurately as possible, using Irwin tools. Of course there are a few other people (read: untamed masses) competing against you, so you’ll have to be dead-on and wicked fast.

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When it comes to circ saws, one blade is as good as another, right?  Not according to Irwin. They recently announced a new Marathon WeldTec blade series which includes improved carbide teeth and welded — instead of brazed — teeth.  The bottom line: Irwin claims the new WeldTecs are 70% tougher and last 50% longer than their old ones.

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You need to know up front that the Irwin Quick Adjust ratcheting wrench isn’t a standard adjustable.  It’s a totally different tool intended for different use.  

Almost everyone who picked it up in the shop made fun of the fact that our test model is marked specifically for SAE.  ”Why mark it for SAE if it’s adjustable?” they ask, then laugh.  Why, indeed.  Read past the jump to find out, and to see why you might want one of these in your kit. 

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Think of this as a no-battery version of Black & Decker’s AutoWrench.  Here’s how it works: the jaw is spring-loaded towards the “open” position, so when you pull down on the lever located where the knurled part usually is, the wrench springs open.  You then release the lever and push the jaw closed around the fastener head with your fingers.  It’s ratcheted, so it stays in that position until you pull the lever again.  Irwin claims this action is two times faster than a standard adjustible wrench.

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I stumbled upon this interesting utility tote on Irwin’s website while I was looking for utility knives.  I like the unusual combination of bag and fixed handle; it looks very sturdy, and I imagine that the solid handle wouldn’t bunch up around your hand when you load the bag heavily like a standard soft handle would.

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Today Irwin announced a few additions to their marking chalk line, including chalk that wipes off easily, chalk that stays on in wet weather, and chalk that’s easy to see.  In other words, you can now choose the chalk that best fits your specific application.

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Eschoendorff writes: “These are the perfect answer for when you don’t have a line wrench or when the line is an odd size.  That, or when you really want to grip a fastener without any chance of slippage.  I just used one today, and it totally saved my ass on a fuel line I was struggling with.  I have them in all three sizes: 4″, 7″ and 10″.”

Note: If you’d like to tell us about some of your favorite tools, drop us a line via our contact form and be sure to include a link to photo(s) of your actual tool.  We’re not just looking for a recommendation — we want to see the one you’ve used and abused.

Vise-Grip Locking Wrenches [Irwin]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

Measure, mark, and drill a piece of wood faster than anyone else in the US, and you might take home $1.26 million — or at least $10k, a Roush Racing customized F-150 pickup, and a BBQ party at your house with NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray.  (That’s him in the picture above doing his best with a drill.)

Here’s the skinny: You’ve got to visit a “local retailer or industrial distributor” on one of these scheduled dates to participate.  Once there, Irwin will time you as you measure, mark and drill.  The 45 fastest “tradesmen” overall will pick up two NASCAR race tickets and an Irwin pit crew shirt.  The top 30 will also receive airfare and accommodations to one of the three regional challenges to be held in Dallas, L.A., and Charlotte, NC.

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