Warning: That cheap knockoff pouring shank cost me a full shift

I grabbed a no-name pouring shank online for about $40 less than the usual brand. Figured it was just a simple piece of steel, right? The thing cracked right at the collar on our second pour of the day, dumped about 200 pounds of iron on the floor. We had to shut down, clean the spill, and wait for a replacement. Anyone else have a story about a tool that seemed like a deal but totally wasn't?

3 comments

3 Comments

evana711mo ago

My buddy's cheap socket wrench snapped in half last week.

bettyg931mo ago

Actually, socket wrenches don't really "snap" like that. They're made from tough steel. What usually happens is the ratcheting mechanism inside the head gives out. The teeth strip or a spring breaks, so it just spins freely. That might look like it snapped if you weren't holding it. Cheap ones fail there first because the parts are weaker.

paul_sanchez27d ago

Yeah, the "simple piece of steel" part gets you... it's not just the material, it's how it's treated. A bad heat treat on a cheap part makes it brittle as glass.