That's exactly what i'm talking about. The older guys got an earfull when they were the FNG about buying American tools. If you had foreign produced (anything really) you attracted attention. Those guys did not pass along that sentiment and now we are where we are... a comsumer society that only cares about buying inexpensive things.
The unions have moral skin in this game and should be driving the domestic manufacturing support culture HARD! They have more influence and market share than common people. It's a damn shame to see our manufacturing capabilities starve, it's infurating to see American companies selling out those who work in domestic factories in favor of inexpensive foreign labor to increase profit margins!
Family owned businesses don't have to bend to share holders demands (Endless stream of increasing profits). I would choose to support a family run business over a large corporation.
Then you have brands (MATCO, VIM, Cornwell) where they don't have manufacturing capabilities but contract out their designs to whatever factory can meet the spec. That's great if they choose a factory that aligns with our interests, but what happens when they switch sources? You are getting the "same" product, but maybe it's now from a foreign factory that does it at less cost? Does the price of the product reflect the new savings? Would you pay $100 for a ratchet if you knew the manufacturer was also producing the same product for another brand which sells for $50?
I'm not saying all foreign made products are junk, or not worth buying. I'm just saying we as Americans need to do a better job of taking care of EACHOTHER! Be mindful of who you support.
Plenty of the readily available USA made tools used to have slippy fit and finishing.
If you are just starting out, the sloppy fit and finish just looks bad, and hives you a poor judgment on “Made in America” quality.
Also, if you are just starting out, you likely don’t have the extra tools or skills to fix done of the issues.
A number of foreign tools tended to focus on finish, and ergonomics, which helped sell the brands.
German screwdrivers tended to have CNC machined tips, possibly made to a newer pattern, that worked better on certain screws like Phillips.
German and European pliers actually list cutting capacity for wire cutters in their catalogs, where US companies would just list some US standard that didn’t contain specifics, that 99.9% of users would have no clue off, leaving the customer to guess whether the tools were being used properly, with the purchase store easily saying “sorry, you used the tool wrong”, if the cutting edges chipped and you tried to warrantee the tool.
The better USA made tools were also not something you could necessarily just buy at a local hardware store, although with certain exceptions.
It has also been a while since I’ve been in an “industrial” hardware store that actually has tool displays, like the old tool boards, who can then pull the bulk boxed or packed tool out of a drawer or cupboard for the purchaser.
Crescent pliers judging from older catalogs might have used induction hardened cutting jaws, but I don’t think they bothered mentioning that back in the 1990s when I started buying tools, whereas the German brands did mention it.
Even currently produced US tools aren’t easy to find, or find prices on in some cases.
Morgan still manufactures vises, and still has swivel jaw vises in their catalog, and the older Toles pattern vises, and some other items, but good luck finding prices on these even with the internet.
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