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Vise Grips...Made in China

DiStOrTiOn

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Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Messages
279
Location
Clifton/Centreville, Virginia (NoVA)
I bought some US made vice-grips last week actually. I was at HD and had a gift card, so I thought if I could find some, I'd get them. After pulling every single one of the 3-piece sets with the free knives off the rack, I found 2 that were made in USA, and stamped it. None of that BS global components ****, or the hex key slot either. Only U.S. made VG made with U.S. steel for me. You can find them, you will have to dig for them though.
 
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david71camaro

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Joined
Aug 12, 2008
Messages
12
Well, you'll start off with a 5000 square foot building or so. Then you'll add a customer entrance where the customer walks into a small show room of about 1200 square feet displaying a select assortment of products they have for you to pick up and examine closely.

Then you'll add a front counter. Behind that front counter will be some guys sitting behind desks that have their first name routered into a block of wood mounted on the front of the desk. Surrounding each desk will be couple of book cases lined up with catalogs in thick binders for the guys to have quick reference to. They'll each have their own telephone on the desk.

Behind those guys will be a hallway leading off to a large closed off office where the main boss will be with a great big padded swivel chair. In the rooms across the adjacent hallway will be the bookkeeper's office I suppose.

To the right of the front counter will be some double doors leading off into the warehouse where you will find row upon row of shelving with cardboard trays containing all kinds of sweet industrial tools and tooling parts for machinery.

Off to the right will be two large roll up doors where guys on fork lifts will be going in and out with pallets of good stuff from the smaller adjacent 3000 square foot building; which is the receiving area. :)

What would be the name of such place? My folks live up near bass lake. Next time i'm visiting them wouldnt mind stopping into this facility.
 

Shocker

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Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
2,015
Location
Olympia, WA
Well, you'll start off with a 5000 square foot building or so. Then you'll add a customer entrance where the customer walks into a small show room of about 1200 square feet displaying a select assortment of products they have for you to pick up and examine closely.

Then you'll add a front counter. Behind that front counter will be some guys sitting behind desks that have their first name routered into a block of wood mounted on the front of the desk. Surrounding each desk will be couple of book cases lined up with catalogs in thick binders for the guys to have quick reference to. They'll each have their own telephone on the desk.

Behind those guys will be a hallway leading off to a large closed off office where the main boss will be with a great big padded swivel chair. In the rooms across the adjacent hallway will be the bookkeeper's office I suppose.

To the right of the front counter will be some double doors leading off into the warehouse where you will find row upon row of shelving with cardboard trays containing all kinds of sweet industrial tools and tooling parts for machinery.

Off to the right will be two large roll up doors where guys on fork lifts will be going in and out with pallets of good stuff from the smaller adjacent 3000 square foot building; which is the receiving area. :)

Great! So everyone can see that Merkava recommends buying your stuff pretty much anywhere you want. :)

It doesn't matter who owns it or if it is a chain. Sweeeeet.
 

eschoendorff

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Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
8,991
Location
Michigan
Well, you'll start off with a 5000 square foot building or so. Then you'll add a customer entrance where the customer walks into a small show room of about 1200 square feet displaying a select assortment of products they have for you to pick up and examine closely.

Then you'll add a front counter. Behind that front counter will be some guys sitting behind desks that have their first name routered into a block of wood mounted on the front of the desk. Surrounding each desk will be couple of book cases lined up with catalogs in thick binders for the guys to have quick reference to. They'll each have their own telephone on the desk.

Behind those guys will be a hallway leading off to a large closed off office where the main boss will be with a great big padded swivel chair. In the rooms across the adjacent hallway will be the bookkeeper's office I suppose.

To the right of the front counter will be some double doors leading off into the warehouse where you will find row upon row of shelving with cardboard trays containing all kinds of sweet industrial tools and tooling parts for machinery.

Off to the right will be two large roll up doors where guys on fork lifts will be going in and out with pallets of good stuff from the smaller adjacent 3000 square foot building; which is the receiving area. :)

Was this a dream, or are you describing an actual store?

In any case, Fastenal is a joke. It amazes me that contractors pay those prices! Around here we have a place called Alro Metals. That is my favorite.... and they usually have a clearance bin to boot! :thumbup:
 

Merkava_4

Banned
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
14,518
Location
Clovis, CA.
Was this a dream, or are you describing an actual store?

http://www.yellowpages.com/info-LMS53405054/Gordon-Industrial-Supply-Co

It's a fun place to go to. They let you browse around the show room and slide the Knipex pliers out of their cute little red boxes and play with them. Then there's also the great wall of Proto where all the Proto tools are hanging up on special display racks. They've got a great wall of Channellock too, which you might find interesting. :)
 

G1K

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Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
1,074
Location
Buffalo, NY
Well, you'll start off with a 5000 square foot building or so. Then you'll add a customer entrance where the customer walks into a small show room of about 1200 square feet displaying a select assortment of products they have for you to pick up and examine closely.

Then you'll add a front counter. Behind that front counter will be some guys sitting behind desks that have their first name routered into a block of wood mounted on the front of the desk. Surrounding each desk will be couple of book cases lined up with catalogs in thick binders for the guys to have quick reference to. They'll each have their own telephone on the desk.

Behind those guys will be a hallway leading off to a large closed off office where the main boss will be with a great big padded swivel chair. In the rooms across the adjacent hallway will be the bookkeeper's office I suppose.

To the right of the front counter will be some double doors leading off into the warehouse where you will find row upon row of shelving with cardboard trays containing all kinds of sweet industrial tools and tooling parts for machinery.

Off to the right will be two large roll up doors where guys on fork lifts will be going in and out with pallets of good stuff from the smaller adjacent 3000 square foot building; which is the receiving area. :)

This description matches my local bearing supplier almost to a T. Buffalo Bearings, they have found some obscure things for me when I was rebuilding the monarch. Greg Sr. sometimes just looks at a bearing, goes into the back, and comes back with exactly what I need.

If anyone needs bearings and don't have a good local supplier, I suggest you give Buffalo Bearings a call. They said they will take phone orders and will ship.

http://www.buffalobearings.com/bflobring_main.htm

Ryan
 

Merkava_4

Banned
Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
14,518
Location
Clovis, CA.
If anyone needs bearings and don't have a good local supplier, I suggest you give Buffalo Bearings a call.

Do they have chrome steel balls by themselves? I'm thinking of building up an arsenal because I'm always loosing them when I take my ratchets apart.
 

Flash21

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Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
2,173
Just picked up these at my local Ace Hardware - They had a whole peg hook of both PN stuffed with pre Irwin vise grips:

<a href="http://s361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/klars11/?action=view&current=10DSC_0010.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/klars11/10DSC_0010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 

FNFS2000

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Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
859
Best lockers I have found are Knipex, the Grip-On brand of spain is top notch also. They have no relation to Knipex at all(except they are imported to the US by the same private company, or were before Knipex opened an office in Chicago and took over US operations)
 

Stuey

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Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
11,034
Location
28m above sea level
Best lockers I have found are Knipex, the Grip-On brand of spain is top notch also. They have no relation to Knipex at all(except they are imported to the US by the same private company, or were before Knipex opened an office in Chicago and took over US operations)
Are you sure about that? I have seen a few designs that no doubtedly are patented by Grip-On. But then, durign a search, I see the same product but listed as a Kinpex product.
 
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Mike83

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Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
2,156
Location
Wisconsin
Just picked up these at my local Ace Hardware - They had a whole peg hook of both PN stuffed with pre Irwin vise grips:

<a href="http://s361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/klars11/?action=view&current=10DSC_0010.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo54/klars11/10DSC_0010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Hardware stores always have stuff that's like 17 years old on the shelf and sell it for twice the normal price. I saw one sawzall blade for $22. I bought a ten pack at HD for $25.
 

Flash21

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Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
2,173
The straight jaws were $14.99 and the curved jaws were $16.99...

Is that relatively expensive for vise grips?
 

Uncle Buck

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Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
9,120
Location
Kansas
The straight jaws were $14.99 and the curved jaws were $16.99...

Is that relatively expensive for vise grips?

I paid the same kind of money for a set of curved jaws here in Kansas at a local Contractor sales company. I think my curve jaws cost $14.99 a pair. I figure at this point I will not quibble a bout a buck or two if I find some of the old USA mades I am looking for. That was for the large pair BTW.
 
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Mike83

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Jan 24, 2008
Messages
2,156
Location
Wisconsin
The straight jaws were $14.99 and the curved jaws were $16.99...

Is that relatively expensive for vise grips?

Without doing research, I think the newer ones are more in the $10-$12 range. Nothing to lose sleep over...
 

Elroy

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Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
3,467
Location
kentucky
Elroy trusts that it is common knowledge that IRWIN has NOT been associated with Vise Grips for very long. With all the ******* and moaning about moving the manufacturing over seas and seeking domestically manufactured. Elroy would like to point out that Peterson was the original Vise Grip manufacturer and IF you're seeking REAL Vise Grips you seek out tools with this identification:

Picture003.jpg


Picture001.jpg


Piss on IRWIN :monkey_pi
and their back stabbin actions.:monkey_po
 
Last edited:

Uncle Buck

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Mar 7, 2005
Messages
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Location
Kansas
Well I just called Harry Epsteins in KC MO. and ordered the last of the Vise Grips I needed. I ordered 5 pair total, three of them packaged together, and two pair of those new type that have the big pipe looking jaws on the end of them. Not the type I would consider the welding clamp type. Yea, I ordered those for me, my son is just going to have to enjoy those as used hand me downs from me!

The lady that took my order confirmed that phone orders for their remaining stock of the USA VG pliers has been brisk. So if you need a few more, call Harry's; don't wait till they are gone!
 

krusty the clown

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Nov 18, 2007
Messages
7,535
Location
niangua, mo
in 1985 peterson changed it's name to american tool but i beleive they still had peterson mfg on the visegrips. irwin bought visegrip in 1993.
 

halfxspaid

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Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
75
Well I just called Harry Epsteins in KC MO. and ordered the last of the Vise Grips I needed. I ordered 5 pair total, three of them packaged together, and two pair of those new type that have the big pipe looking jaws on the end of them. Not the type I would consider the welding clamp type. Yea, I ordered those for me, my son is just going to have to enjoy those as used hand me downs from me!

The lady that took my order confirmed that phone orders for their remaining stock of the USA VG pliers has been brisk. So if you need a few more, call Harry's; don't wait till they are gone!

What was shipping on the 5?
 

Uncle Buck

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Mar 7, 2005
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Kansas
What was shipping on the 5?

You know, I must admit I don't know cause I didn't ask! I simply told the lady I was not in a hurry for them and to please ship them to me as cheaply as she could!

I figured it couldn't be very much, I only live 60 miles down the road!
 

halfxspaid

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Joined
Dec 21, 2008
Messages
75
Just went by my local Osh hardware store. They had a huge inventory of Irwin vise-grips, all were the new 'Made in USA with global components'. I did find 2 7Rs that were still genuine USA ones.

Thing that is weird is that the imports and the USA ones are the same price??
 

Uncle Buck

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Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
9,120
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Kansas
Just went by my local Osh hardware store. They had a huge inventory of Irwin vise-grips, all were the new 'Made in USA with global components'. I did find 2 7Rs that were still genuine USA ones.

Thing that is weird is that the imports and the USA ones are the same price??

You were expecting them to be priced differently? :headscrat
 

BigK600

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Joined
Oct 30, 2008
Messages
401
Location
North Dakota
I bought a 6" Irwin USA made one today at Menards. The rack was about half and half USA made and China made. I may go back to get a couple more.
 

Paladin

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Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
924
Location
Southern Utah
I bought a 6" Irwin USA made one today at Menards. The rack was about half and half USA made and China made. I may go back to get a couple more.

I went into a Lowe's in Las Vegas tonite and they still had USA Vise-Grips. I'm thinking I'm going to buy a couple more sets before I head back to Idaho...
 
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