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Just in wal mart looking at tools...

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hairtrigger

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Haven't been in wal mart for a while, especially looking at tools. I noticed they've improved a lot on their stanley tools. They actually look worth using. I picked up a half inch breaker bar. Much beefier than my craftsman and it's got a nice chrome finish. The combo wrenches were also nicely chromed. Even the sockets looked better than what craftsman has. Kinda pissed me off I already have so much invested in craftsman, but then again they do have a better warranty.
 
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sberry

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I bought some metric hex bits there thinking maybe I would need to change them out at some point, never have, very good set for 12 or 14$. Hard to beat a full polish wrench set that with blindfold on a guy would have trouble telling from snappies for 25$.
 
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BHH

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Unfortunately shopping at Wal Mart means supporting the weekly china run from this bad boy...

emma+m%C3%A6rsk.jpg
 
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BHH

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Outlander said:
It's worth shopping at Walmart just to see that puppy float!
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no no it's not. This thing is basically the visual representation of why america is losing jobs. Not to mention it burns 317,000 gallons of diesel a year.
 
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hairtrigger

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USA made tools are too expensive. More people would buy them if they were affordable.
 
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Jim85IROC

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hairtrigger said:
Haven't been in wal mart for a while, especially looking at tools. I noticed they've improved a lot on their stanley tools. They actually look worth using. I picked up a half inch breaker bar. Much beefier than my craftsman and it's got a nice chrome finish. The combo wrenches were also nicely chromed. Even the sockets looked better than what craftsman has. Kinda pissed me off I already have so much invested in craftsman, but then again they do have a better warranty.
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I bought some of their wrenches for my "2nd tool set" that's in my workshop. I'm quite happy with them. Full polish, nice chrome, and I have yet to have any kind of slippage or damage occur to anything I've used them on.

Yesterday I was looking at the extendable flex ratchet that they had as part of a ratchet/socket set. It looked pretty nice. It's probably a good thing that the ratchet wasn't available separately or I probably would have bought it.
 
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hairtrigger

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Not really. Craftsman and Kobalt prices are almost borderline being too expensive for hobbyists. American made tools are typically four to ten times as expensive.
 
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sberry

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I think the Craftsman are generally fine and the Kobalt and Allen all affordable. Some of those Sears socket sets are a real bargain. Really hard to beat the pricing. I am all for that.
 
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oldtools

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The Maersk is a European shipping company. Those could be European goods. They don't support American workers either.
 
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archirelic

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I just absolutely love how every thread which pertains to a foreign-produced tool turns into drivel.
 
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kippieland

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hairtrigger said:
Not really. Craftsman and Kobalt prices are almost borderline being too expensive for hobbyists. American made tools are typically four to ten times as expensive.
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Don't forget that there is a great used market for tools (ie GJ cls.) There nothing wrong with reusing. I can't afford a lot of things (hobbyists as well), but I am finding away to get quality used USA tools that will last me. I just got a Wright 1/2 ratchet for $16 and its in perfect shape! There are ways.

Kobalts prices are way to high for what they are. In my Lowes they wanted $29 for a 3/8 drive when I can get a Wright, Proto, SK, and Armstrong for $25on Amazon. I understand the global economy. I have a lot of different COO tools (Germany, Canada, etc) and actually don't have a problem with Taiwan (as long as its quality) tools, but I do not like to buy things from China. Ever try to buy a belt in JC Penny's that wasn't Chinese? Everything is made there. I am glad to hear that small companies are pulling work back for that place. Thats why I would rather buy used then give my money to support something that is so unhealthy to our country.
 
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kippieland

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For sets right now, Craftsman is the only US (for right now) or any COO sockets that are a REALLY good deal. I don't know how Lowes can charge so much for quality that is the same as Craftsman.
 
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mmack66

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kippieland said:
Kobalts prices are way to high for what they are. In my Lowes they wanted $29 for a 3/8 drive when I can get a Wright, Proto, SK, and Armstrong for $25on Amazon. I understand the global economy. I have a lot of different COO tools (Germany, Canada, etc) and actually don't have a problem with Taiwan (as long as its quality) tools, but I do not like to buy things from China. Ever try to buy a belt in JC Penny's that wasn't Chinese? Everything is made there. I am glad to hear that small companies are pulling work back for that place. Thats why I would rather buy used then give my money to support something that is so unhealthy to our country.
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Years ago, I worked as a stock picker during the holidays at a JCPenney catalog distribution center, and 99% of the items I pulled off the shelves were made in China.
 
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KevinCT

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thesilverone said:
a new walmart near me carries vaughan made in usa hammers
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funny, I noticed that myself last night when I was picking up some coolant. Wallys has chinese made irwins, us made Channels, Vaughan framing hammer, overall decent selection that them seem to beef up in the past couple of months. I like their 99 cent hex sets on a key ring.

Another classic u.s. made tool I noticed gone chinese is cooper/apex crescent wrench with a new logo now made in china.
 
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hairtrigger

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Even American motor companies like Ford are going foreign. ****, the Taurus is almost exclusively designed by Mazda. I always wondered why I was using my metric tools so much on an American made car. Lots of cars are heading in that direction. Not to say that Japan aren't good engineers, they're great. But don't call it USA made if it's a Japanese car built in the US. Same deal with the tools. I'm not sure what to make of half these companies. If it's cheap it's probably foreign.
 
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hairtrigger

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trboxman said:
16 piece Kobalt deep socket set shows online at $59.97
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Still less than the almost $250 for the other set. I can't believe Kobalt is asking as much as they are, either. I've never paid more than $40 for a 1/2'' deep set.

That extra $20 is a lot to some people. Could be investing it somewhere else.
 
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fivespdcat

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hairtrigger said:
Even American motor companies like Ford are going foreign. ****, the Taurus is almost exclusively designed by Mazda. I always wondered why I was using my metric tools so much on an American made car. Lots of cars are heading in that direction. Not to say that Japan aren't good engineers, they're great. But don't call it USA made if it's a Japanese car built in the US. Same deal with the tools. I'm not sure what to make of half these companies. If it's cheap it's probably foreign.
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All US design for cars is done in metric. You can't tell where a part is designed based on the screw type. Ford leverages its global engineering team, which included Mazda, the UK and US. GM does pretty much the same.
 
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otis66

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hairtrigger said:
Even American motor companies like Ford are going foreign. ****, the Taurus is almost exclusively designed by Mazda. I always wondered why I was using my metric tools so much on an American made car. Lots of cars are heading in that direction. Not to say that Japan aren't good engineers, they're great. But don't call it USA made if it's a Japanese car built in the US. Same deal with the tools. I'm not sure what to make of half these companies. If it's cheap it's probably foreign.
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It is USA Built when USA citizens build it. The Chevy Camaro is not USA built, it is Canadain built. The Ford Fusion is not USA buillt, it is made in Mexico. Dodge Ram Truck Made in Mexico. Subaru Made in USA. Toyota Made in USA. My Honda Accord built in USA in Ohio. I support the US worker not the Global Corporation. A Global Corporation has allegiance to no country. Note The USA car compaies COO is the United States, And the Japanese COO is Japan. Even though the are not made in the USA or Japan.
 
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mechanical

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hairtrigger said:
Still less than the almost $250 for the other set. I can't believe Kobalt is asking as much as they are, either. I've never paid more than $40 for a 1/2'' deep set.

That extra $20 is a lot to some people. Could be investing it somewhere else.
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is the quality worth the price?
 
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oldtools

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Not only American cars are assembled abroad, alot of them are engineered abroad like the Camero, Focus, Malibu, Cruze, etc..

80% of the Honda Accord is assembled and engineered abroad (USA) including engine and transmission.
 
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fivespdcat

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oldtools said:
Not only American cars are assembled abroad, alot of them are engineered abroad like the Camero, Focus, Malibu, Cruze, etc..

80% of the Honda Accord is assembled and engineered abroad (USA) including engine and transmission.
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It's hard to say what was done where just based on the chassis. Most of those cars have roots in Europe, but in fact have quite a bit of design and manufacturing in the USA. It's difficult to say how much, but I can name hundreds of US engineers that worked on those cars, just as you could probably find plenty of Europeans that had a hand in them. Car companies are global and they leverage their different operations to make the best product they can. Validation is also a global affair just as prototyping is. However, one thing is constant. The US engineers have the final say on design and specifications for said vehicles that are from GM and Ford.

Also, you can get Ram pick ups from good old Warren Michigan. Still built there! :thumbup:
 
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spity

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oldtools said:
The Maersk is a European shipping company. Those could be European goods. They don't support American workers either.
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I sailed on a Maersk cargo ship to Iraq from Seattle for uncle sam, its crew was all American.

Maersk Line, Limited

Maersk Line, Limited, is a US-based subsidiary of A.P. Moller – Maersk Group which manages a fleet of US-flag vessels and provides U.S. government agencies and their contractors with transportation and logistics services. Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia,[18] it manages the world's largest fleet of US-flag vessels. Beginning with a relatively small number of vessels focused on handling commercial and US Government-subsidised cargoes, MLL's fleet of vessels engaged in commercial liner services.
 
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Butters

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BHH said:
http://consumerist.com/2007/07/walm...on-employees-collected-after-their-death.html
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Let me apologize for further derailing this thread . . .

But there is nothing creepy or unusual about that practice. An employer, which is providing health insurance, takes out term life policies on employees it covers. So if some of those employees have long term, terminal (aka expensive) health issues, that employer can recoup some of its expenses it paid out through the health costs.

Not creepy - sound business, IMHO. Of course it looks bad when a one sided "news" article tries to sensationalize a story rather than reporting objectively.

Oh wait, Walmart doesn't give its employees health insurance. Or maybe that's just more one-sided BS.

I'm neither Pro nor Anti Walmart. Like most things, the issues are far more complicated than they appear on the surface. The fact is, a business such as Walmart also creates jobs beyond low wage sales jobs.

It's probably better discussed in its own thread.
 
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