but it isn’t easy. Craftsman, Toro, green works, Black n Decker ... Leaf blowers, weed whackers, edgers, etc, all “made in China.” Had to search a number of different stores to find “Worx” (at Menards). Would be good to bring these companies back.
OT - Trying to “buy American”
- Thread starter Lincoln100
- Start date
Do they make them in the USA?
I, recently, decided to change out my struts. I'm doing the research to make sure I have the tools needed to do the job. I needed a 22mm deep well socket and a 22mm wrench. I went to Harbor Freight. Why not? It's a one time repair. Nope. HF only sells in sets. I don't need all that.
So, I head over to Sears (and the mall) for the first time in years. It's half empty. But some friendly young man works there and helps me find the sockets and wrenches. I'm looking at these when I got home and all I can see are lots of imperfections. It bugs me. I pull out my 25 year old wrenches and see straight lines, deburred and polished. Today's stuff with the Craftsman name is garbage. I also bought a $60 tool set for the road. Really disappointed with the quality.
I will gladly pay more if they were made here. Just like when vice grips were made in DeWitt. They will outlast the cheap ones being put out by the same name in China.
So, I head over to Sears (and the mall) for the first time in years. It's half empty. But some friendly young man works there and helps me find the sockets and wrenches. I'm looking at these when I got home and all I can see are lots of imperfections. It bugs me. I pull out my 25 year old wrenches and see straight lines, deburred and polished. Today's stuff with the Craftsman name is garbage. I also bought a $60 tool set for the road. Really disappointed with the quality.
I will gladly pay more if they were made here. Just like when vice grips were made in DeWitt. They will outlast the cheap ones being put out by the same name in China.
About 20 years ago I thought it would be a great idea if Sears stopped trying to get people to come to their antiquated stores and started selling their trusted brands - like Craftsman tools and mowers, and Kenmore appliances - in places where people actually shopped. Sears had also just acquired Lands' End at that time, and could have pitched that clothing line to other retailers. I still think that could have worked, but instead they just watched the whole company circle the toilet. Now Sears doesn't even own what's left of Craftsman or Lands' End.
The companies largely aren't coming back. They might leave China but most aren't coming here. There are American made options but people don't want to pay the prices. You could buy American made Wright or Williams or whatever (I own both brands), but those tools are going to cost you double, triple, or more, what a Chinese Craftsman tool might cost you.
When people say the would "pay more" they generally qualify it as well, if its within 10 or 15% or maybe even 30%. But most things US made, aren't within that particular range. So then people go back to realizing they can have more stuff in their life, if they buy foreign made and the cycle continues.
Edit: And arguably the distribution of American made products into consumer market is somewhat upside down. I work in front of a computer for a living. I am not very handy compared to a dude who works with his hands for a living. But I can afford to go out and spend a couple hundreds bucks on a socket set that will get used once in a blue moon, but the dude who needs them day in day out on the shop floor is making a living using Chinese Craftsman or maybe working off a huge debt to the tool truck. Its hard to argue that US value is there when a mechanic can buy every socket he'd need from Chinese made Craftsman for the same price I paid for a ratchet and a small selection of shallow metric sockets.
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Whatever holding group that purchased them back in the day is doing exactly what they always wanted to do. Milk. It. Dry. Just a carcass to work over. It was always about customer service and their parts that kept me going back. Very sad.
Yah I remember going to home depot with my dad and I picked up a nice Estwing hammer for what $25 and he looked at me like I was crazy. That hammer will survive forever, but then again most $4 chinese hammer's he's had the last 40 years have too. So what if he replaces one or two, he's still $12 ahead.
I always viewed my tools as an investment. I don't want to have to buy them again if I can help it. Nothing like being under your car and having your sockets flower and your extensions shear. I'll pay for quality and reliability any day.
Craftsman=garbage
Black n Decker = hot garbage
I don't buy Menard's brand tools. I dont like that. They are trying to cut out another business. Their tools are not as good as Dewalt or Milwaukee however, and the quality of their tools isn't great.
I get it, but for us occasional weekend
warriors, we don’t need the best. Nonetheless, I am making more of an effort now to put my money where my mouth is, and buy local. My occasional power tool purchase isn’t going to move the needle, but if most of the millions out there like me would do it, well then we’re talking. It’s definitely a mindset that may be too big get around - most wont spend $150 on something similar that costs $80, even if they can afford to and even if it’s purchase of an item that will last them several years.
warriors, we don’t need the best. Nonetheless, I am making more of an effort now to put my money where my mouth is, and buy local. My occasional power tool purchase isn’t going to move the needle, but if most of the millions out there like me would do it, well then we’re talking. It’s definitely a mindset that may be too big get around - most wont spend $150 on something similar that costs $80, even if they can afford to and even if it’s purchase of an item that will last them several years.
While it's nice to buy American, it's about impossible. The entire world economy is intertwined. You may buy a Nissan, made in Mexico, with steel from the US, paint from Canada and parts from who knows where. We want good US jobs from American companies. But, most huge corporations are global in nature. For example, 3M manufactures in the US, Europe, South American, Asia, etc. They started as a US company, but they are really international.
We're happy when foreign companies provide jobs in the US, ie Bayer, Mercedes, Nestle, and so on. I think the bigger issue is that countries like China do not trade fairly, and it would be good if the US, European Union, Australia and some others took a hard line with them where possible. They manipulate their currency, steal intellectual property, counterfeit products, disallow outside investment and abuse human rights. I am disgusted by companies like Apple and Nike that grind labor down to peanuts in Asian countries while profiting wildly on overpriced products. You can blame the investor class for their lust for returns with little regard for human costs. Apple would still be very profitable operating and manufacturing in the US.
We export meat to China? Yeah, Smithfield foods is owned by the Chinese. This is not easy.
We're happy when foreign companies provide jobs in the US, ie Bayer, Mercedes, Nestle, and so on. I think the bigger issue is that countries like China do not trade fairly, and it would be good if the US, European Union, Australia and some others took a hard line with them where possible. They manipulate their currency, steal intellectual property, counterfeit products, disallow outside investment and abuse human rights. I am disgusted by companies like Apple and Nike that grind labor down to peanuts in Asian countries while profiting wildly on overpriced products. You can blame the investor class for their lust for returns with little regard for human costs. Apple would still be very profitable operating and manufacturing in the US.
We export meat to China? Yeah, Smithfield foods is owned by the Chinese. This is not easy.
Makita is a Japanese brand. At one time made.their good stuff in Japan. Increasingly in China along with Milwaukee owned by TTi a I think Japanese company headquartered in Hong Kong that makes their stuff in China.
At least the batteries for most of those are made in Japan or Korea (usually Samsung or LG cells).
They had a big production plant in Georgia at one time, back when they were an industry leader. Even then though, their and most higher end cordless tools used batteries made by Panasonic. This goes back 7 or 8 years though, and I have no idea where they make stuff anymore.
And Americans buying American is just swapping money amongst ourselves, need to export more.
Stuff will leave China. It won't necessarily come here. Some will though, be interesting to see what does make it here. SE Asia in general, Mexico,etc are going to be the big winners.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrap...es-are-definitely-leaving-china/#3b6b850f40fe
IMO, it would be a great deal if Mexico could get their economy rolling with manufacturing jobs transferred from China. The one thing China has going for it is cheap labor with political stability. IF the U.S. would get the damned illegal drug trade under control so that we quite enriching the drug cartels it would be the best thing to happen to Mexico ever. That country has so much economic potential being wasted by crime and corruption.
We really don’t have anymore to blame but ourselves because we demanded cheaper products. Take the vise grip for example, they were made in Dewitt Nebraska for year’s then they get sold to Irwin tools who choose to move the manufacturing to China After staying a number of years in Dewitt. The consumer today normally chooses price over quality. They supposedly unable to compete unless they got the labor costs down. Hence the move to China
Maybe its just me, but I haven't noticed a bit of difference in the quality of Vise-Grips since they left DeWitt. The handle is a little bit loosey goosey now but it doesn't seem to have changed the utility of them.
China doesn't always equate to junk. A factory can build to whatever spec you give it. They saved money by manufacturing in China. The product is indistinguishable if they want it to be. I wonder if all Irwin is made in China. I like their stuff.
I still remember that...and it still makes me sad.....and love or hate the big guy I will give him credit for pointing out the sweetheart trade deals we gave them to help make things like that happen.
The only thing that will get the US off of Chinese goods is price. American stuff is too expensive for reasonably equivalent quality. The push to save blue collar jobs right now is backwards, we need to push technology to make sure we can dominate cheap, automated manufacturing... get people trained to work with technology and dominate manufacturing... won’t happen, as pushing that agenda will get you voted out of office.. manufacturing wants their handout... I want to be paid lots without changing what I do... standard American mentality, mine included..
Well, I just ordered a new toolbox. I paid a little more for an American built product. I'm going to be looking more closely on those details from now on before I buy.
Or........ instead of coming up with ways to compete with currency manipulation and slave labor, we hold countries that use those measures accountable. If we really care about human rights and economic freedom for ourselves we should distance ourselves from countries that don't.
there is a case to be made for next level automation and robotics manufacturing.. it would absolutely reduce the number of jobs made available for certain tasks today, but might increase jobs in other areas.
we are not only at the mercy of the Chinese when it comes to medical equipment and drugs, but also hi-tech chip manufacturing.. something I would like to see brought back to the US as well.
I can see certain industries, where it makes sense to automate at the highest level, and those jobs would be easy to bring back to the US.
Those that are still labor intensive, would likely head for Mexico. Due to the massive increase in shipping prices, many businesses are also looking to build closer to where the product is distributed.
If there is a ton of unskilled labor jobs south of the border, it's possible that could reduce the market here at home for illegal labor.
Legalization will fix that in 5 seconds. See : Capone, al.
Like it or not, and nobody with a brain does, prohibition never has or will work. Paying for treatment would cost way less and get better rresults.
Last I heard Malco Tools bought the plant in Dewitt and was making an Eagle Claw brand there
Oh yes they have, I have a bunch of older Vise-Grips that are considerably better that the Irwin made really no comparison
Ask auto mechanics and farm equipment mechanics and I will say 85% say things build by China is Inferior, especially bolts, China has added impurity’s to the iron and the bolts break easily
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The jaws are tighter actually the whole wrench is tighter the plastic around the handle is cumbersome on the new one , cut a piece of wire with a older one and then a new one, the old one cuts the wire like a knife through hot butter not so with the new ones, the old ones stay clamped on a bolt or nut, with the new one being loose it’s a struggle
It's not just cheaper labor. It's lessor quality. It's cutting cost. Planned obsolescence. You'll have to repurchase the new one at some point. The old ones will still be working for your grandchildren.
What is going to make them not last as long? Serious question. I use hand tools non-stop and honestly can't see that much difference in quality but I totally admit that I could be missing something.
If a vise grip is a tool that you use fairly frequently and you have both tools in your box, you'll quickly figure out the difference. You may not be old enough to have ever owned an old Vice Grip. I have some I inherited from my dad that were probably purchased in the 60s. The machining and tolerances on the old ones were much better than the new ones. Yes the new ones will work for most jobs but IME the older the Vise Grip, the better it functions.
