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Matco Tools "Taiwan" sockets

otis66

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I bought a Matco 1/4 inch drive socket set today and got a free Matco ratchet, wow what a deal but wait a min. I get home and I see that only one socket is marked USA so I called Matco Tools and talked to customer service and I was told that the sockets are made in Tiawan.
I'm taking these sockets back to my dealer ASAP. $154.00 for a set of non USA sockets......No way. I will keep the ratchet though.
 
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737mechanic

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Unbelievable, What is sad is when they start outsourcing stuff like that and they don't even drop the price. $154.00 for Tiawan tools is ****. Nobody should buy tools off the trucks that are made in other countries. I have been buying most of my stuff from ebay and craiglslist so I can get older American made stuff.

Another example is when Visegrip layed off all its American workers and started having there stuff made in china the price didn't even come down to refect the much cheaper labor.

BTW No wonder they threw in a free ratchet
 

FNFS2000

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

vote with your wallets, they will sell what is acceptable to their buyers.
 
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otis66

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

The socket set is not the silver eagle brand It is Matco. Matco number SAM146TB. Only one socket from the whole set is marked USA the rest are unmarked. When I called Matco customer service I was told that his computer said the set was made in Tiawan. The socket rail is marked "Made In USA.
 

Stogies

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

I just saw an ad on craigslist tools here for a tool truck franchise. I clicked on it and it was for a MATCO truck. HMMMM
 
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otis66

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Yeah your right. I'm returning the socket set ASAP. And I will not buy any Vise Grips that are not made in the USA. I'm always on the look out for Vise Grips new old stock that are made in the USA.
 
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otis66

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

The ratchet must be new old stock because it has the Matco comfort grip handle but is marked USA
 
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otis66

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Mac tools wanted to replace my USA wire cutters wiht china wire cutters. I returned the pliers to the dealer and got credit. I called the Mac tools customer service and told them if I wanted tools made in china I would buy from wal-mart.
 

autoace

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

:headscrat Must be the Silver Eagle line; because just a rail of Matco USA sockets with the colored laser etch would be twice that or more, soo..............................Are you gonna spring for the big buck Matco USA ones????????????????????????

If the price you paid is what you could afford, keep them, they are fine quality sockets, really FINE! Alot of people complain about non-USA, but loved the price of a quality Taiwan tool....................for the money, I don't see the gripe.

I suppose you could buy Stanley or Harbor Freight cheaper, and I see the point of getting Taiwan sockets for less, but if money is an object I'm sure the ones you bought would be fine, they are probably comparable to GearWrench/Danaher sockets, and those are great.

Pay big for USA truck tools or pay alot less for good Taiwan truck tools,I'M SURE , the Matco Taiwan sockets are better than USA Craftsman.
 

autoace

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

The socket set is not the silver eagle brand It is Matco. Matco number SAM146TB. Only one socket from the whole set is marked USA the rest are unmarked. When I called Matco customer service I was told that his computer said the set was made in Tiawan. The socket rail is marked "Made In USA.

WOW! paging Dave Blank.............the matco hardline went to Taiwan...............HELL YEAH!, If they are not Silver Eagle and made in Taiwan...............give them back and go buy GearWrench..........

lets face it. If Matco goes all Taiwan/China on the hardline, they are GearWrench not Matco........GearWrench is great, I love it, but I won't pay that money for a matco stamp over the GW stamp absurd.

Give them back, go buy GW for 30.00 bucks..........same thing LOL:thumbup:
 

TheGrooveking

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

If Matco goes Tiawan, they are off of my list of potential tool vendors. Hopefully Dave Blank can clarify this, hopefully this is an error or some special case. I checked this set out on Matco's website, but since Matco doesn't list COO it's a mute point.

TheGrooveking
 

supertooljunkie

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

I realize you thought you were buying US made tools and received Taiwan for US pricing. That *****!! I would be pissed off also.
As autoace said, Gearwrench are cheaper and Taiwan made. They are also made in mainland China also. Call Mike Wren at Toptul and get quality tools at a very good price and 20% to Forum members. That is, if quality for the money is your objective.
Buying US made for decent money is the ultimate goal.
 

Fedwrench

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

I'm curious, did the sockets in question have the blue high visibilty markings on them?
I have that set but, each of my sockets have USA on them.
 

GTO

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Yeah your right. I'm returning the socket set ASAP. And I will not buy any Vise Grips that are not made in the USA. I'm always on the look out for Vise Grips new old stock that are made in the USA.

Check Epstein's, I think he still has some for sale.
 

doctorschmullus

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Unfortuanately we all have to get used to taiwanese and chinese tools! In australia only snap on is American and not all of it either, Then Sathlwille, Gedore and Knipex are german. Most of the rest is asian gear. Its not all bad but $154 us dollars is expensive, i think cheap ones go for 75 bucks here
 
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otis66

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

This socket set had the high visiblity markings on from 15mm to 7mm from 6mm to 4mm the sockets do not have the blue high visibility markings. The 5.5mm socket is the only socket stamped USA under Matco. The socket rail that the sockets came with says "Made In USA". I called Matco tools customer service again today just to make sure. The person looked up the part number and he said that his computer screen was saying the sockets were made in Tiawan, he then said that that could not be correct because he thought the sockets were made in OHIO. The guy put me on hold for 15 min so he could go and talk to someone to see why the computer was telling him that the sockets were made in Taiwan. When he got back to me he said that the steel that the sockets were made from came from Taiwan and that was the reason the sockets were not marked USA. So the steel is from Taiwan but the sockets are made in USA. I was also told that they could not mark USA on the sockets because the steel is not from the USA.
 

Teken

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

This socket set had the high visiblity markings on from 15mm to 7mm from 6mm to 4mm the sockets do not have the blue high visibility markings. The 5.5mm socket is the only socket stamped USA under Matco. The socket rail that the sockets came with says "Made In USA". I called Matco tools customer service again today just to make sure. The person looked up the part number and he said that his computer screen was saying the sockets were made in Tiawan, he then said that that could not be correct because he thought the sockets were made in OHIO. The guy put me on hold for 15 min so he could go and talk to someone to see why the computer was telling him that the sockets were made in Taiwan. When he got back to me he said that the steel that the sockets were made from came from Taiwan and that was the reason the sockets were not marked USA. So the steel is from Taiwan but the sockets are made in USA. I was also told that they could not mark USA on the sockets because the steel is not from the USA.

So the question begs to be answered . . . Does it matter to you at all that the final product is USA? The raw materials used should not make hell of difference, so long as its processed the same way and in the manner that meets the OEM's specifications.

Case in point half your tree's come from Canada, to build what ever you guys use them for. Does this make the final product inferior?

You all consume more Canadian electricity from the north to power everything you own. Does this make what you're using less desirable, usable, or reliable?

Even your national bird is from Canada because all the morons were using DDT and pretty much killed the Bald Eagle off . . . Are you guys going to capture and send back all the eagles to us, because really they aren't Americans, and we can't have that can we . . .

Jesus . . .
 
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JustAHedge

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

I bought both these Matco 1/4 14pc sets awhile back SAM146TB and SAMD146TA and I think the only socket with USA on it is the deep 10mm. I have been wondering why they didn't have the COO on them. Guess I know now. They are good sockets, but I understand what the OP is talking about. Kinda frustrating paying top dollar for truck brand tools that you believe are made in the USA but possibly aren't.

Whats the point of the Silver Eagle line then? Besides being cheaper, are the materials lower quality?
 

autoace

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

I bought both these Matco 1/4 14pc sets awhile back SAM146TB and SAMD146TA and I think the only socket with USA on it is the deep 10mm. I have been wondering why they didn't have the COO on them. Guess I know now. They are good sockets, but I understand what the OP is talking about. Kinda frustrating paying top dollar for truck brand tools that you believe are made in the USA but possibly aren't.

Whats the point of the Silver Eagle line then? Besides being cheaper, are the materials lower quality?

here is what the company will say, Cman and old USA Matco, were both made in the USA, and everyone knows the Matco USA stuff demands more money, and is higher quality...............................Silver Eagle and Matco are now both Taiwan made, soooooooooooooooooooo they are different grades from the same country right?....................I don't buy it either, screw the Matco stamp and just buy GearWrench if they are playing shell games.
 

tonydanzah

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Even your national bird is from Canada because all the morons were using DDT and pretty much killed the Bald Eagle off

Good news the bald eagle is off the endangered species list, has been for a few years. Its still protected though and will most likely forever be. I saw one recently when I was back on the east side of michigan.
 
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Fedwrench

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

So the question begs to be answered . . . Does it matter to you at all that the final product is USA? The raw materials used should not make hell of difference, so long as its processed the same way and in the manner that meets the OEM's specifications.

That's a strange question coming from someone who seeks out and amasses US made Armstrong tools.:headscrat If that's the case, why don't you buy those Gearwrench flex x beam wrenches and quit wanting the US made Armstrong line expanded?
It goes back to the heart of the issue, are weekly payments and truck to shop service worth the $154 the Matco set costs over a similiar Gearwrench model set for $25? Tool truck prices include these services. Then's the conspiracy theory view that all Danaher made tools are the same (they're not) so, why spend more money for just a name change? Your argument is probably the foundation on which most current MAC tools are made, meets OEM specs from taiwan. Buy what you like...:wtf:
 

Teken

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Simple it doesn't look the same . . . If they made ratchet(s) handle exactly like the Armstrong one for half the price with the same level of quality I would have no problem buying it at all . . .

Brand loyalty, you know what that is? :wtf: Because there are times when I read your replies and I have to shake my head.

Because you come off like you're trying to get a rise out of me. :spit:
 
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Randy_che

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Even your national bird is from Canada because all the morons were using DDT and pretty much killed the Bald Eagle off . . . Are you guys going to capture and send back all the eagles to us, because really they aren't Americans, and we can't have that can we . . .

Jesus . . .

Actually, DDT egg thinning is not true. It was junk science and has been disproven (or not proven to be the cause) in many studies. See reference list below.


Many experiments on caged-birds demonstrate that DDT and its metabolites (DDD and DDE) do not cause serious egg shell thinning, even at levels many hundreds of times greater than wild birds would ever accumulate.

[Cecil, HC et al. 1971. Poultry Science 50: 656-659 (No effects of DDT or DDE, if adequate calcium is in diet); Chang, ES & ELR Stokstad. 1975. Poultry Science 54: 3-10 1975. (No effects of DDT on shells); Edwards, JG. 1971. Chem Eng News p. 6 & 59 (August 16, 1971) (Summary of egg shell- thinning and refutations presented revealing all data); Hazeltine, WE. 1974. Statement and affidavit, EPA Hearings on Tussock Moth Control, Portland Oregon, p. 9 (January 14, 1974); Jeffries, DJ. 1969. J Wildlife Management 32: 441-456 (Shells 7 percent thicker after two years on DDT diet); Robson, WA et al. 1976. Poultry Science 55:2222- 2227; Scott, ML et al. 1975. Poultry Science 54: 350-368 (Egg production, hatchability and shell quality depend on calcium, and are not effected by DDT and its metabolites); Spears, G & P. Waibel. 1972. Minn. Science 28(3):4-5; Tucker, RK & HA Haegele. 1970. Bull Environ Contam. Toxicol 5:191-194 (Neither egg weight nor shell thickness affected by 300 parts per million DDT in daily diet);Edwards, JG. 1973. Statement and affidavit, U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, 24 pages, October 24, 1973; Poult Sci 1979 Nov;58(6):1432-49 ("There was no correlation between concentrations of pesticides and egg shell thinning] .") ]
Experiments associating DDT with egg shell thinning involve doses much higher than would ever be encountered in the wild.

[J Toxicol Environ Health 1977 Nov;3(4):699-704 (50 ppm for 6 months); Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 1978;7(3):359-67 ("acute" doses); Acta Pharmacol Toxicol (Copenh) 1982 Feb;50(2):121-9 (40 mg/kg/day for 45 days); Fed Proc 1977 May;36(6):1888-93 ("In well-controlled experiments using white leghorn chickens and Japanese quail, dietary PCBs, DDT and related compounds produced no detrimental effects on eggshell quality. ... no detrimental effects on eggshell quality, egg production or hatchability were found with ... DDT up to 100 ppm)]
Laboratory egg shell thinning required massive doses of DDE far in excess of anything expected in nature, and massive laboratory doses produce much less thinning than is seen in many of the thin-shelled eggs collected in the wild.

[Hazeltine, WE. 1974. Statement and affidavit, EPA Hearings on Tussock Moth Control, Portland Oregon, p. 9 (January 14, 1974)]
Years of carefully controlled feeding experiments involving levels of DDT as high as present in most wild birds resulted in no tremors, mortality, thinning of egg shells nor reproductive interference.

[Scott, ML et al. 1975. Poultry Science 54: 350-368 (Egg production, hatch ability and shell quality depend on calcium, and are not effected by DDT and its metabolites)]
Egg shell thinning is not correlated with pesticide residues.

[Krantz WC. 1970 (No correlation between shell-thinning and pesticide residues in eggs) Pesticide Monitoring J 4(3): 136-141; Postupalsky, S. 1971. Canadian Wildlife Service manuscript, April 8, 1971 (No correlation between shell-thinning and DDE in eggs of bald eagles and cormorants); Anon. 1970. Oregon State University Health Sciences Conference, Annual report, p. 94. (Lowest DDT residues associated with thinnest shells in Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk and goshawk); Claus G and K Bolander. 1977. Ecological Sanity, David McKay Co., N.Y., p. 461. (Feeding thyreprotein causes hens to lay lighter eggs, with heavier, thicker shells)]
Among brown pelican egg shells examined there was no correlation between DDT residue and shell thickness.

[Switzer, B. 1972. Consolidated EPA hearings, Transcript pp. 8212-8336; and Hazeltine, WE. 1972. Why pelican eggshells are thin. Nature 239: 410-412]
Egg shells of red-tailed hawks were reported to be six percent thicker during years of heavy DDT usage than just before DDT use began. Golden eagle egg shells were 5 percent thicker than those produced before DDT use.

[Hickey, JJ and DW Anderson. 1968. Science 162: 271-273]
 

Teken

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

My point was that regardless of the bird and where it came from. Does the fact knowing this bird (percentage of) are not born and raised American Bald Eagles, really change the image, role, and the meaning of it?

No . . .

At the end of the day every business is trying to maximize profit thats the simple truth. How they do it is sometimes not to our liking, that is a simple truth.

Now back to the raw materials . . . Are people not aware that a percentage of nuclear raw ore is found and processed by Canada, and these same raw materials are used to make your bombs?

Does this make the missile less effective? Russia has the largest deposits of raw materials and the world buys it to use in their manufacure just like every other nation does.

Does this affect the final product?

No . . .

The part where it gets gray and heated as the OP has stated is now he has to think twice or even take a few minutes and waste his time asking something that should be clear . . .

He wants USA made products, period if he is paying a premium . . . Where it gets retarded is that the politics indicate that ALL parts must come from the home land start to finish to qualify for the USA made etc branding . . .

I can tell you all in the next 100 years you will be hard pressed to find all the raw materials just in the USA to make all the things you want.

At the end of the day I don't care where the raw materials come from so long as the final product is manufactured to the tolerances and specifications out lined by the OEM. and the said product is backed by the same level of service and warranty I have come to expect and rely upon over the years . . .

I won't even touch the cost part because that will never be in our control, all we can do is vent and let the powers that be know via our wallets . . .
 

Strouty

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Where it gets retarded is that the politics indicate that ALL parts must come from the home land start to finish to qualify for the USA made etc branding . . .

I can tell you all in the next 100 years you will be hard pressed to find all the raw materials just in the USA to make all the things you want.

At the end of the day I don't care where the raw materials come from so long as the final product is manufactured to the tolerances and specifications out lined by the OEM.

There will always be quality parts made in the USA start to finish. That being said, there can be quality products made elsewhere. Most hardworking people know the value of a dollar and try to get the most out of it. I have done it, usually you learn that buying cheap ****, means you spend more in the long run. If you really think that a product made from a crappy material can be just machined to a greater standard and all of a sudden it becomes a good product, you are kidding yourself.
 

weicm3

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

I bought a Matco 1/4 inch drive socket set today and got a free Matco ratchet, wow what a deal but wait a min. I get home and I see that only one socket is marked USA so I called Matco Tools and talked to customer service and I was told that the sockets are made in Tiawan.
I'm taking these sockets back to my dealer ASAP. $154.00 for a set of non USA sockets......No way. I will keep the ratchet though.

the silver eagle line is all tawain.

Tiawan? Tawain? or Taiwan? At least it's not China. LOL!
 

redLSJ

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Sorry to drum up old news, but, you can't be serious! I own Matco tools and was looking into picking up an entire 1/4 set (piecing together), but this completely flips the script. I'd rather buy new Craftsman if this is the case.. Very sad to see...
 

Jamez

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Actually, DDT egg thinning is not true. It was junk science and has been disproven (or not proven to be the cause) in many studies. See reference list below.

And global warming is not real, just fear mongering by Greenpeace....:rolleyes2


NOTHING is 100% north american made anymore, and if it is, probably assembled by an immigrant:lol_hitti

These COO arguments entertain me to no end:beer:





by the way, the best made Snap on wrenches were the Canadian made ones
 

fflintstone

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Re: Matco Tools "Tiawan" sockets

Good news the bald eagle is off the endangered species list, has been for a few years. Its still protected though and will most likely forever be. I saw one recently when I was back on the east side of michigan.

I see them frequintly here in Michgan.(one in my back yard) see quite a few golden eagles as well.

I try to always buy USA made hand tools.

I would not pay $150 for a 1/4 drive socket set regardless of COO. I dont care if Natalie Portman and Salma Hayek were selling them and giving away a free ******* with purchase.
I think a 1/4" 6pt deepwell Craftsman set is about $12.
 
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bargainzplus+

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I couldn't fathom purchasing a $150 socket set that you can purchase Advance Auto Parts for $30 under the Gearwrench name. People nowadays are getting greedy and are about the bottom dollar. This will ruin the MATCO name and people will stop purcahsing unless they offer these as a base-line alternative for like half the price. Either way, I will keep my older USA made tools and let the company attempt to pull as much profit as possible until the demand for their product diminishes!
 

bgott

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I would not pay $150 for a 1/4 drive socket set regardless of COO. I dont care if Natalie Portman and Salma Hayek were selling them and giving away a free ******* with purchase.

You're lying!:lol_hitti
 

Bruce4310TX

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Wow free BJ im in, while were at it Annex Canada and then the electric will be free and send all the immigrants back to England or is That France. !!!!
 
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