The Lisle factory

[Coloshaver]

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Lisle factory in Clarinda, Iowa. The Lisle Corporation is 121 years old this year. It has been a privately held family owned business the entire time. They just elected the sixth generation of the Lisle family to the Board of Directors. They started the company making horse powered well drilling machines and diversified into hog oilers and washing machines before finding their niche in magnetic drain plugs and specialty automotive tools.



They employ about 350 people at their factory in Clarinda. Like most companies, they have been forced to use foreign sources for some of the lower valued items, but they are really proud of their employees and their factory and focus their expertise on the products that require machining, turning on a lathe and complex assembly processes. They also attempt to send their business to local, in-state and regional suppliers. For example they use local plastic molding companies for their Jeepers Creeper bodies and molded cases.



Their cylinder hone is one of their oldest products and is still manufactured totally in-house.


The Swivel Grip filter wrench series is another tool they build entirely in Clarinda. They ship over 250,000 of those per year.


Over the years, Lisle has added other businesses to their portfolio. They do not acquire and gut a company. They make very strategic decisions on adding businesses that they can move to their campus in Clarinda and continue to add value. Examples include Dunham Tool, Parts Brush and Radiator Genie.



They also have an interesting Inventor Program. Folks that have had their ideas turned into tools get regular royalties based on sales of the tool.

If you are ever passing through Clarinda, IA, let them know so they can arrange a tour for you.

 

[dchawk81]

I have this company saved in my Google Maps.

Thanks for this post.

 

[Steve_P]

Nice. I know Lisle gets some flak here because most of their new products are manufactured overseas, but they also have hundreds of products in their catalog, add products all of the time, and can't make them all in their tiny 100 year old factory.

They could send all of it overseas and make more $, but keep the older core products here. I'm a fan.

 

[BrandonV]

Very cool. I always appreciated the fact their tools were fairly priced and designed pretty no nonsense.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Lyle make one of the best drill bit sharpeners. Part number 91000. Watch for it.

 

[micromind]

Lisle has always been known for speciality tools that are top notch.....now I know why!

 

[Theronswanson]

Lisle has always been in my toolbox. And always will. They don't make the best tools, but they are economical and you know they will be quality for the price point .

 

[boom10ful]

Their oil filter wrenches have quite the grip and I love using them so much! They may not be flashy or even well finished at times, but their tools are quality and work well for the task at hand.

 

[oldschoolcraft]

They employ about 350 people at their factory in Clarinda. Like most companies, they have been forced to use foreign sources for some of the lower valued items, but they are really proud of their employees and their factory and focus their expertise on the products that require machining, turning on a lathe and complex assembly processes.

All due respect, to you (for taking the time to write this great post with pictures) and to Lisle (for running a US-based manufacturing business in these tough times), if they were really proud, they'd proudly post on their website which of their products are made in the USA and which are not.

As of now you have to play order roulette or call/email them to ask if a certain item is made in the US or not.

While I am thrilled there's still some companies that are willing to overcome the hurdles to make products in the US, it rubs me the wrong way when they dont list the country of origin on their website.

All of that said, I've been buying up every US-made Lisle product I find out about that I might ever be remotely interested in, both to support them currently and to ensure I have a quality US-made tool as they gradually outsource more of their product line.

As far as price of tools, I've seen $8 Lisle tools that are still made in the US and $50+ tools that are made in China so that's not a clear differentiator.

I hope I dont upset people with this post, I have seen others get upset about obfuscated country of origin. Lisle isn't that bad about it, they'll tell you if you ask them, but they refuse to put it on their website which is where I believe it belongs.

 

[captain14]

Good story and write up.

Did they mention how many shifts they run during production?

 

[zendriver]

All due respect, to you (for taking the time to write this great post with pictures) and to Lisle (for running a US-based manufacturing business in these tough times), if they were really proud, they'd proudly post on their website which of their products are made in the USA and which are not.

As of now you have to play order roulette or call/email them to ask if a certain item is made in the US or not.

While I am thrilled there's still some companies that are willing to overcome the hurdles to make products in the US, it rubs me the wrong way when they dont list the country of origin on their website.

All of that said, I've been buying up every US-made Lisle product I find out about that I might ever be remotely interested in, both to support them currently and to ensure I have a quality US-made tool as they gradually outsource more of their product line.

As far as price of tools, I've seen $8 Lisle tools that are still made in the US and $50+ tools that are made in China so that's not a clear differentiator.

I hope I dont upset people with this post, I have seen others get upset about obfuscated country of origin. Lisle isn't that bad about it, they'll tell you if you ask them, but they refuse to put it on their website which is where I believe it belongs.

Maybe the Company is more focused on real-world business decisions, than pacifying folks looking for a reason to not like their products.

Personally, I'm thrilled this Company even still exists in the capacity that it does. Good for them.

Apparently not good enough for others.

 

[Rusted Nut]

Great post. I’ve always likes Lisle products. Awesome to see old family businesses still going.

 

[dukefx]

I have 0 experience with Lisle tools but I often see @MrSubaru1387 praising them in his vids. They have quite a few semi-unique tools that few others manufacture.

 

[loganb]

Nice writeup! I had a chance to tour that facility as well as I used to work in that area and several colleagues had worked there. A generally well run operation who takes care of their people and hkep keep small town America strong.

Good story and write up.

Did they mention how many shifts they run during production?

As I recall, they did run a 2nd shift in some parts of the business but the bulk of the production was on 1st. Production staffing is dynamic though as volume requires it, so staffing up or down a 2nd shift to meet needs based on orders and equipment is common.

 

[nadogail]

Some of the Blue Point tools sold from the Snap On truck are made by Lisle.

 

[Coloshaver]

Some of the Blue Point tools sold from the Snap On truck are made by Lisle.

I didn't mention it in my original post, but I saw Snap-On, MAC, Matco and Craftsman packaged tools in their shipping area.

 

[WWheeler]

I enjoyed the OP quite a bit. I own quite a few Lisle products and have not yet been disappointed by any of them.
Heck, here's just the ones I've ordered from Amazon, which is nowhere near all of the Lisle tools I have ....

 

[AL`]

All due respect, to you (for taking the time to write this great post with pictures) and to Lisle (for running a US-based manufacturing business in these tough times), if they were really proud, they'd proudly post on their website which of their products are made in the USA and which are not.

As of now you have to play order roulette or call/email them to ask if a certain item is made in the US or not.

While I am thrilled there's still some companies that are willing to overcome the hurdles to make products in the US, it rubs me the wrong way when they dont list the country of origin on their website.

All of that said, I've been buying up every US-made Lisle product I find out about that I might ever be remotely interested in, both to support them currently and to ensure I have a quality US-made tool as they gradually outsource more of their product line.

As far as price of tools, I've seen $8 Lisle tools that are still made in the US and $50+ tools that are made in China so that's not a clear differentiator.

I hope I dont upset people with this post, I have seen others get upset about obfuscated country of origin. Lisle isn't that bad about it, they'll tell you if you ask them, but they refuse to put it on their website which is where I believe it belongs.

I share your frustration. It's not enough to turn me off buying Lisle Tools, but it is annoying. I have a spreadsheet from Lisle from an email exchange with them that details which tools are made overseas by part number. It probably needs updating since the file is dated 2011.

Maybe the Company is more focused on real-world business decisions, than pacifying folks looking for a reason to not like their products.

Personally, I'm thrilled this Company even still exists in the capacity that it does. Good for them.

Apparently not good enough for others.

It's almost as if you didn't read his entire post and chose to be triggered by the parts you didn't like while ignoring the rest of his post quoted above in bold. Your response is immature and falsely represents his statement implying he's looking for a reason to not like their products which says far more about you than him (insert shrugging emoji gif here ).

 

[AL`]

See attached text file of Lisle foreign products by part number and note that it is somewhat dated info.

 

[zendriver]

It's almost as if you didn't read his entire post and chose to be triggered by the parts you didn't like while ignoring the rest of his post quoted above in bold. Your response is immature and falsely represents his statement implying he's looking for a reason to not like their products which says far more about you than him (insert shrugging emoji gif here ).

Indeed.

Same old story.

We're purportedly happy Lisle is still in business, but instead of just supporting them, buying whatever product they sell to stay in business, we just have to scrutinize what the COO is and fuss according.

No wonder companies are going out of business.

 

[Steve_P]

All due respect, to you (for taking the time to write this great post with pictures) and to Lisle (for running a US-based manufacturing business in these tough times), if they were really proud, they'd proudly post on their website which of their products are made in the USA and which are not.

As of now you have to play order roulette or call/email them to ask if a certain item is made in the US or not.

While I am thrilled there's still some companies that are willing to overcome the hurdles to make products in the US, it rubs me the wrong way when they dont list the country of origin on their website.

All of that said, I've been buying up every US-made Lisle product I find out about that I might ever be remotely interested in, both to support them currently and to ensure I have a quality US-made tool as they gradually outsource more of their product line.

As far as price of tools, I've seen $8 Lisle tools that are still made in the US and $50+ tools that are made in China so that's not a clear differentiator.

I hope I dont upset people with this post, I have seen others get upset about obfuscated country of origin. Lisle isn't that bad about it, they'll tell you if you ask them, but they refuse to put it on their website which is where I believe it belongs.

As I said, they generally make only their older core tools in the US. The vast majority of their newer tools are made overseas. They have a tiny old factory in a tiny town, population ~5k, that's literally in the middle of nowhere in Iowa. You think they can just expand by even 2X and find a workforce there? C'mon. Look at the map.

Would you rather they abandon their roots and move to Alabama and abandon what I'm sure is already a dying IA town? These are the business decisions that the owners need to make.

If you can find an equivalent US made product for one of Lisle's imports, please start a thread on that. I imagine there will never be any thread, or if so, only a few items. And it will be a Lisle plier that's $18 vs an $80 Snap On that both do the same thing.

 

[Maxcustody]

Great post, thanks for sharing this....................

 

[finn]

All due respect, to you (for taking the time to write this great post with pictures) and to Lisle (for running a US-based manufacturing business in these tough times), if they were really proud, they'd proudly post on their website which of their products are made in the USA and which are not.

As of now you have to play order roulette or call/email them to ask if a certain item is made in the US or not.

While I am thrilled there's still some companies that are willing to overcome the hurdles to make products in the US, it rubs me the wrong way when they dont list the country of origin on their website.

All of that said, I've been buying up every US-made Lisle product I find out about that I might ever be remotely interested in, both to support them currently and to ensure I have a quality US-made tool as they gradually outsource more of their product line.

As far as price of tools, I've seen $8 Lisle tools that are still made in the US and $50+ tools that are made in China so that's not a clear differentiator.

I hope I dont upset people with this post, I have seen others get upset about obfuscated country of origin. Lisle isn't that bad about it, they'll tell you if you ask them, but they refuse to put it on their website which is where I believe it belongs.

Your tone sounds rather entitled.

Just remember that Lisle doesn’t really owe you anything. They have products to offer, many of which are made in the USA. I have had good experiences with their products, especially considering the reasonable price, and concur that a lot of their products are sold under multiple retailer’s branding.

If they chose to list what products in their catalog are imported, my opinion is that the list would simply be fodder for the coo Nazis who like to regularly attack SBD.

 

[four.cycle]

To be fair:
In the process of compiling a list of tool manufacturers, two things are clearly evident:

1. Virtually ALL American tool "manufacturers" were/are outsourcing something from somebody else. There are a small handful of exceptions who make all of their own products in house, but the overwhelming majority of them are doing tradesies with all manner of competitors.

2. As time goes on, more and more U.S. based tool "manufacturers" are finding themselves facing the inevitable: outsource offshore or stop trying to sell that particular product. That may or may not be a negative.

The information concerning the original source may be proprietary and confidential by contractual agreement - most of them are. That's why they don't tell you over the phone who is making what for them.

If you run a search here for "Lisle" (by title only), there are no fewer than nine pages of search results. A cursory view through them tells me most of the members here are pretty happy with the product line, although their Torx bits consistently get bad marks.

Lisle / Lisle Corp., 807 E. Main St., PO Box 89, Clarinda, IA 51632 / http://www.lislecorp.com/ est. 1903 / specialty automotive tools / patent 3681840 Aug 8 1972 & 6343529 Feb 5 2002 James L. Pool / http://alloy-artifacts.org/other-makers-p3.html#lisle / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-lisle-factory.534705/ /

 

[Rusted Nut]

In my experience, Lisle sells very well designed and very good quality products; no matter CoO. While I try to buy American made products, I also try to buy from companies that still have an employment pressence in the states, and more importantly buy from locally/family owned businesses.

 

[reader2580]

We're purportedly happy Lisle is still in business, but instead of just supporting them, buying whatever product they sell to stay in business, we just have to scrutinize what the COO is and fuss according.

No wonder companies are going out of business.

Sorry, but I chose to support products made in the USA. I try to avoid Chinese and other imported products when I can. This doesn’t mean I don’t buy imported stuff. It is often impossible to find USA made items, especially locally.

I have stuff from Lisle, but only the USA made stuff. A lot of their imported products are not unique to them and can be found for less momey.

 

[Madjik Man]

This is great. Thank you for sharing

 

[zendriver]

Sorry, but I chose to support products made in the USA. I try to avoid Chinese and other imported products when I can. This doesn’t mean I don’t buy imported stuff. It is often impossible to find USA made items, especially locally.

I have stuff from Lisle, but only the USA made stuff. A lot of their imported products are not unique to them and can be found for less momey.

No need to be sorry.

I've never run a business like Lisle, but i'd bet whatever money they make/save on their imported goods, might help offset the money they don't make or save, by having an American factory.

Would not be surprised to have a discussion here in the future, where they are in the toilet and we choose the reason as "bad management".

Not like we have not seen it before.

 

[richfinn]

Lisle stuff is readily available where I live in the UK (I've got quite a few tools from them), that's pretty good going for a smallish family owned US company, reasonable realistic pricing and the tools always perform the task they were designed to do.

 

[Fedwrench]

I miss the old KD tools. Back in the day, I usually bought KD over Lisle because, I liked their quality more. I have a lot of Lisle stuff and it gets the job done. Lisle continues to offer new products regularly. Cal-Van is another US based company that offers a limited line of specialty items along with S & G Toolaid.

 

[loganb]

They have a tiny old factory in a tiny town, population ~5k, that's literally in the middle of nowhere in Iowa. You think they can just expand by even 2X and find a workforce there? C'mon. Look at the map.

Would you rather they abandon their roots and move to Alabama and abandon what I'm sure is already a dying IA town? These are the business decisions that the owners need to make.

Having lived in that area for 7 or 8 years, I can assure you it's not the middle of nowhere Iowa. Many would also likely be surprised about life in Iowa outside of the major metro areas as there is a significant amount of economic activity going on, broadly supported by the high quality farm ground which provides a significant economic engine for the entire state. There are lots of places across the plains as you come down from the east side of the Rocky Mountains that may feel like middle of nowhere or as my Dad(and his Dad) would say "where the jackrabbit has to pack his lunch". Looking at you Eastern Colorado to Western KS and north to the Dakotas...that same "sparseness" does not exist in Iowa, the dirt is just too good and it rains too much.

As to their ability to expand 2x there and find a workforce, actually they could if they wanted to. I know that as my employer, who operates a facility in that area did just that and hired right around 250 net new employees over 2020 and 2021 to support the moving of some assembly lines and supporting partsmaking equipment. The direct hourly labor is actually easier to hire then the supporting staff (managers, maintenance, front office roles, engineering etc), but it is possible. Most employers in that area are pulling direct labor up to 45 miles away, so you cast a wide net but driving 30 or 45 miles isn't uncommon.

 

[zendriver]

As to their ability to expand 2x there and find a workforce, actually they could if they wanted to. I know that as my employer, who operates a facility in that area did just that and hired right around 250 net new employees over 2020 and 2021 to support the moving of some assembly lines and supporting partsmaking equipment. The direct hourly labor is actually easier to hire then the supporting staff (managers, maintenance, front office roles, engineering etc), but it is possible. Most employers in that area are pulling direct labor up to 45 miles away, so you cast a wide net but driving 30 or 45 miles isn't uncommon.

What kind of money/benefits to they pay, to make a 90 mile per day commute worth it?

Unless it's a ton, that sounds more like desperation than "opportunity"

 

[loganb]

What kind of money/benefits to they pay, to make a 90 mile per day commute worth it?

Unless it's a ton, that sounds more like desperation than "opportunity"

Fair question.

I don't know about Lisle, but generally starting wage for several of the employers in the area for factory labor without any special knowledge required is in the low 20's an hour. Show up reliably and on time, pass a drug screen and have an average attitude or better and they'll teach you the rest. Full benefits starting day 1 has moved to the norm, used to be (pre-Covid) that for many you'd have to work 60-90 days thru a temp/staffing agency to then go "full time", that's generally been eliminated...at least in that area.

Skilled roles such as CNC programmer, maintenance, welder, CNC machinist(not just button pusher) can quickly get over 30 an hour depending on skillset and company. Overtime is widely varied, some places will have almost unlimited, some may have it more seasonally. Another name that GJ'ers will be familiar with that operates in Clarinda is NSK(yes the bearing company) as they have a plant on the east side of town.

To put that pay in perspective, a fresh out of college graduate as a teacher coming into the public schools in Clarinda will be paid just under $40k for the year. Said differently the 18 or 19 yr old who is out of high school and not really knowing what they want to do next but college may not be the right option could get a job full time with benefits and make more money(without getting the summer off) then the teacher who just spent 4-5 years in college.

The housing costs are low, 3 bed, 2 bath house for 200k or less will be the norm. These aren't new homes, and probably need some updates to bring the bathroom or kitchen out of the 90's, but they're the typical starter house. Houses priced over 350 or 400k aren't common and generally are either a large new build or in the country with an acreage/outbuildings/shops etc

Commuting in that 30-45 miles each way range is less common but definitely a thing, 30 miles and under is very common. Most of those I personally knew doing a 30-45 mile commute worked out carpools with others, many of the employers will actually help organize/coordinate carpooling. Some employers have gone as far as setting up the routes, supplying the vans and fuel and it's a set $/week to ride with the riders rotating around the driving responsibility.

 

[Straightgrain]

I've had my eye on their Master Bearing Race and Seal Driver Set for some time. It's one of those things I don't really need but would like to have just in case.

 

[Bryan Burns]

I used their razor blade scraper with the plastic blade it came with about an hour ago to scrape some paint off a vintage plane tote and when it did just that, I marveled at what a great tool it is. Good to know they're family owned, that means there's a certain pride of ownership you won't get with a public owned company or god forbid, a private equity owned business.

 

[chilly13]

I've had my eye on their Master Bearing Race and Seal Driver Set for some time. It's one of those things I don't really need but would like to have just in case.

I've got it, it works great! Trust me, I use it for more than its intended purposes and have no problems at all!

 

[oldschoolcraft]

Sorry to the people I offended, I'll be a bit more clear, and if this is still offensive, it's not my intention to be inflammatory, it's just how I feel:

• Lisle is a private company, they can do whatever they want, operate however they want, and I agree they owe me nothing.
• I choose to support American manufacturing.
• Lisle used to be 100% American manufacturing.
• Gradually, Lisle has been offshoring a larger and larger percentage of their products.
• If the option to buy American exists and the quality is good, I buy American.
• If Lisle makes something in America, and it's something I need, I buy it without hesitation.
• If Lisle makes something offshore, and it's something I need, I research it, and look at my other options. It's not a blind buy anymore.
• If Lisle makes something in America, and it's something I dont need, but I might need in the future, and it's under $50, I buy it without hesitation. Because I want to support their American manufacturing now, based on their trajectory, nothing will be made in America at some point in the future, I want to have the American version in my tool collection for when I might need it.
• If everyone blindly supported Lisle regardless of COO of specific tools, just because they still make some tools in America, and no one ever questioned them as to where products were made, that would be a signal to management to offshore more.
• If everyone respectfully critiqued COO of specific tools, and asserted a reasonable desire to only buy their American tools, then that would be a signal to management to offshore less.

If we look at Tekton, they started out making only Chinese ****. Then they started making almost everything in Taiwan at a higher quality. Now they are gradually making more and more in the US. The opposite trajectory as Lisle. And on their site, they proudly display "These are our US Tools" and they are labeled as such.

Lisle is not forthcoming with COO on their site. There's no mention of which tools come from where. That's an indication to me that they are planning to offshore more and more because they dont want cached versions of their website to show all of the tools that used to be made in the US now being made offshore. And the reality is, they have been offshoring more and more, so my assessment aligns with the reality.

I want them to succeed. I am supporting them, I even buy some of their offshore tools, they are just not a blind buy. And if they were a blind buy, I think that would be worse, because then they might think "no one cares where our tools are made, might as well make them all offshore"

I have a whole box of Lisle US-made tools I've never used and may never use, that I bought because I wanted to support them. I also have a smaller box of Lisle Offshore tools, that I have used, which I got after researching alternatives and deciding their offshore version was as good as another offshore tool.

If Lisle had a filter on their site that showed which tools were MiUSA, I would filter it, compare to the tools I have already from them, and anything under $50 I'd put on my wish list to buy during a future tool haul from Amazon or HJE or something. But now, I have to look on the site, make a list of interesting looking things, and call them up, and they've been glad to answer my questions, but it's a lot more work than filtering on a website like I can do on Tekton.