Before Imported Tools.....

[freudianfloyd]

Before importing of goods became so regular, and poor quality couldn't be associated with Chinese or Indian made tools, there had to be some low quality American made tool brands, not everything made in the U.S.A. could be as good as the next guy. So what American made tool brands were/are considered junk?

 

[Lesserstore]

Meteor, Oxwall, GM Co. were sort of the "big three", I guess you could say of low end US made tools. Although they also imported from Japan and West Germany. Great Neck could also be considered one, although they did make some tools that could be considered borderline high end.
Here's an 1/4 oxwall ratchet. It has 16 teeth although it feels more like 1.

 

[four.cycle]

"...what American made tool brands were/are considered junk?"

(* emphasis added *)

^ I do not think you can honestly include Great Neck in that mix, as the majority of their product line originally was manufactured in country and was of reasonably good quality. Only much later in the game did they start outsourcing lower-quality products offshore.
They are currently the manufacturers of the "OEM" line of automotive hand tools sold in auto parts stores.

Prior to the flood of the Asian imports coming into the U.S., which really began in the 1950s and 1960s (prior to our starting to doing business with China in the early 1970s), there were boatloads of low-end tools being imported from Japan, Hong Kong, and West Germany.
Some were marketed under brand names still recognized, like Steelcraft or Century (aka "Cen-Tech"). Others were more "generic".
While some of these were sold by American companies, they were not always manufactured here in the U.S.

There were only a few U.S. based manufacturers of what can really be classified as "low end" product: Meteor Manufacturing (Buffalo, NY), G.M. Mfg. Co. (Long Island City, NY), and Oxwall Tool Co. Ltd. (Flushing, NY).
Of those three, Oxwall was a bit different in that they offered a good number of good quality items which were imported. I own a nice brad pusher manufactured for Oxwall in England.

But the Blue Ribbon award for the true "bottom of the barrel" U.S. tool companies (neither of which were manufacturers), has to be awarded to Globemaster (Houston, TX) and Zomax Industries Ltd. (Long Island City, NY).
Both of these companies were importers and repackagers of all things cheap. Older members will remember the large 8-foot-long "Any Tool 99 cents!" display tables at discount stores in the 1960s.
Again, neither Globemaster or Zomax were manufacturers, although a good many of their products had their names stamped on them, as was the case with Steelcraft.

 

[JEFinCLE]

Before I read the first few responses to the thread, my mind immediately went to one name from my youth and young adulthood. American Machine and Tool (AMT) made some of the crappiest woodworking machinery ever devised by man. I don't know if the O.P. was aiming this thread specifically at hand tools or all things cheap and tinny made in the U.S.A., but AMT certainly fit the bill. I had an uncle that was a loyal customer of AMT. Dad and I would try and use his stuff when we would visit on holidays and just roll our eyes at each other.

 

[1982fxr]

Before importing of goods became so regular, and poor quality couldn't be associated with Chinese or Indian made tools, there had to be some low quality American made tool brands, not everything made in the U.S.A. could be as good as the next guy. So what American made tool brands were/are considered junk?

Of course there was always junk, but depending how far back in history you want to go, you have to remember that people just didn't necessarily have stuff like we do today.

Go back far enough and a hammer, screwdriver and shovel were considered well outfitted. Along with one saw.

 

[nadogail]

Before I read the first few responses to the thread, my mind immediately went to one name from my youth and young adulthood. American Machine and Tool (AMT) made some of the crappiest woodworking machinery ever devised by man. I don't know if the O.P. was aiming this thread specifically at hand tools or all things cheap and tinny made in the U.S.A., but AMT certainly fit the bill. I had an uncle that was a loyal customer of AMT. Dad and I would try and use his stuff when we would visit on holidays and just roll our eyes at each other.

My first shop power tool was an AMT Belt and Disk Sander, yes it was very low priced; but IMHO it did what it was supposed to do and if it had not fallen over and broke, I would probably still use it.

 

[RoninB4]

I bought a cheap set of Cen-Tech wrenches back in the 70's because I couldn't afford a better set. I fully expected them to bend/break sometime under hard use. I still have one of the DOE wrenches 3/4-13/16 and it has surprised me.

Usually a crappy tool can be easily identified if it was made before the 80's, it will look/feel cheap. Some tools I always considered to be **** were most/all electric motor driven tools from Sears. Same goes for cutting tools (drills, files, etc.) from Sears due to improperly spec'd heat treating. I liked Craftsman wrenches but nothing with an electric motor from Sears.

Back in the 70's if it was much cheaper than the recognized brands then it was usually junk. Back in the 50's the "Made In Japan" imported stuff was also considered junk as they rebuilt their industries, quality rapidly changed in 2 decades but it was junk at one time. The junk from China nowdays is not all they are capable of. The better quality stuff they are capable of just doesn't make it over here very often.

 

[MarkH]

Of course there was always junk, but depending how far back in history you want to go, you have to remember that people just didn't necessarily have stuff like we do today.

Go back far enough and a hammer, screwdriver and shovel were considered well outfitted. Along with one saw.

When my great grandfather bought a plow a wrench like the attached came with it. People did not have wrenches it was a new concept. This was an amazing thing for him and covered every adjustment an old Oliver plow needed. When I first saw one it was what is this junk.

 

[Roberts210]

When I was a lad on our farm we had a fair amount of old farm tools from the early part of the 1900's that bore no names. Wrenches had no size stampings, carpenter's nail pullers, breaker bar and sockets. None of these were plated, none had size markings, and all were rusty. I came to the conclusion that back then there were lots of little manufacturers who churned out "farm quality" tools, made for the rural market and made as cheaply as possible.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Meteor, Oxwall, GM Co. were sort of the "big three",

Agreed.

I do not think you can honestly include Great Neck in that mix, as the majority of their product line originally was manufactured in country and was of reasonably good quality

I think it's probably the definition of "reasonably good" that is at stake here, 4.c. I wouldn't disagree with you, but I tend to also agree at the same time with Lesserstore on Great Neck being exactly the kind of name that freudianfloyd seems to be asking about. Certainly not in the Big Three category of "junk", but clearly not in the highest quality category, either.

I tend to put Truecraft (was domestic first) and Old Forge in the same category. To be honest and sticking my great neck out further, I used to kinda sorta put Vanadium Tool Co. and even Lectrolite in the same grouping, postwar. Blueline, too. There was a whole bunch of these "affordable" (not great, not junk) American made lines that got squeezed out after the roof fell in and even the formerly high end names (NB, Triangle Bonney and Herbrand, anyone supplying NAPA, etc) starting moving into their space.

Prior to the flood of the Asian imports coming into the U.S., which really began in the 1950s and 1960s

I'd defer to you on this subject, but 50's seems early to me. The first time Congress took any action at all was 1973, I believe, and the first major anti-Dumping action was in the mid-1970's. See...

“Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, First Session, 95th Congress", April 26-28, 1977, available on-line and linked here (see pages 73-79, 85-90, 101, 510, 521, and 531 in particular).

…and…

“Trends in International Nonpowered Handtools”, Report to the Committee on Ways and Means by the US ITC, Investigation No. 332-163, 1984 (60 pages), available on-line and linked here.

Ironically, I think the US helping Germany and Japan recover by facilitating the establishment of cheap manufacturing in the postwar occupied zones (where, as you know, Steelcraft, among others, really burgeoned) laid the groundwork for the later import craze. Not enough has been written about that.

When my great grandfather bought a plow a wrench like the attached came with it. People did not have wrenches it was a new concept. This was an amazing thing for him and covered every adjustment an old Oliver plow needed. When I first saw one it was what is this junk.

I think cast iron farm implements are in a whole 'nother category, Mark. They were very early, before the automotive tool market became so big, and then overlapped with it somewhat, until IH and others started equipping their tractors with wrenches made by the same makers.

 

[four.cycle]

Man, I am really glad you responded on this one, because you've always got the dope on the angles that don't occur to me.

I excluded Great Neck because the OP's question was: "...what American made tool brands were/are considered junk?"

I have a mess of older (U.S. made) Great Neck product here, because one of my brothers-in-law was the North American Sales Manager (Western Region) for Great Neck - he covered most of the Continental U.S. (western side) and Mexico. When he left the company, he ended up with a load of "salesman samples", most of which he foisted off on me. It's definitely not all junk. The reason I gave Don that set of Dunlap chisels was because I have an unused set of "Great Neck" chisels that are comparable in quality. Honestly, I am puzzled by the collective dislike of Great Neck here, because my own experiences with the product have been much different. I'll concede that my own personal relationship with the brand may well be the cause of some bias on my part.

Steelcraft (and its later imported-from-Asia offshoot Century/Cen-Tech) was mostly imported product, so I think we can exclude those brands from the discussion, even if they were sold out of offices in Brooklyn.

Truecraft is kind of an odd duck. Their original U.S. made product was of acceptable quality - definitely not top shelf, but not the sort of "as low as we can go" stuff cranked out by Oxwall or Meteor. (More on that below.)
My U.S. made Truecraft ratcheting screwdriver/bit driver is at least on a par level with the same tool that was marketed by Sears (which was imported, btw.) notwithstanding the rather bulky handle. (photo below)

I definitely agree with you that there were several companies that could reasonably be classified as "affordable" (not great, not junk) - to use your own terms - but in response to the OP's question, I honestly think that it comes down to those three.

Even then, there are exceptions - Meteor cranked out some respectable product for the military. (photos below)

==

"...50's seems early to me..."

You may well be correct there. I am pulling from memory, and thinking about the low-end **** my old man was selling when I was a small child. He was a master when it came to all things cheap: Rosco screwdrivers three for a buck, all day, every day.

Thanks for providing the links. I will have to look at them later.

 

[freudianfloyd]

It makes you wonder if these companies start up with the intention of making the cheapest tools they could get away with, or if they just didn't have the means to make higher quality. I used to work at Circuit City (if anybody remembers that place) and I always thought about the brand Audiovox. Audiovox made cheap electronics, and I just always wondered if the employees knew they were making garbage, or if they went to corporate meetings and got the same spiel about how they are "revolutionizing the industry" or "we have some great new products about to hit the market" and they actually think they are making the best out there.

Even to this day, I constantly think to myself "I wonder if the company I work for is the Audiovox of this industry".

 

[RTM]

In those "no longer quality" brands, I add General to the Great Neck pile. Both of them used to make decent stuff, but now anything with their name on it is pretty much ****, but it may be imported

Certain made in USA brands had their dogs, like Pexto planes, Shelton planes, and a few others.

But yeah, Oxwall and Meteor are in my GS giveaway pile.

Circuit City, I miss those guys. Much better, more knowledgeable staff than BestBuy at the time, and easy to get to, too. Usually had the decent quality brands in stock. Never bought Audiovox anything.

 

[1982fxr]

I bought a made in USA General brand protractor for sharpening lathe tooling two years ago. Seems real nice to me.

 

[Lesserstore]

I guess I should have been more specific when I mentioned Great Neck because I know they made good tools back in the day, but they had a lower brand called Peerless. I have a few Peerless screwdrivers and they weren't junk but they were low end. They also had Corsair which I think was like the "better" brand if you were to put their brands into a good, better, best scheme. Some of their modern US made offerings were discussed when I posted about them making some Hyper Tough tools for Walmart in the General Tool Discussion:

Made/Assembled in USA Hyper Tough Hand Tools at Walmart.

I was in Walmart earlier today and I went to the tools section to get some over the glasses safety goggles for a oxy-fuel class I'm taking, and I was surprised to notice that a set of Hyper Tough screwdriver set was "Made in the USA with 60% or More US Parts." I knew that they had made in USA...

www.garagejournal.com

Some other examples of US made tools that were low end but not junk would be some of Fuller's screwdrivers in a bucket offerings, Stanley's Thrifty line (they still offer a saw under that name), Challenger offered a pair of unbranded slip joint pliers that are basically any Pendleton brand pliers but without knurling, finish grinding, and Cadmium instead of chrome plated, and of course many, many others.
The amber screwdriver above the Stanley is a Fuller's Advance Brand.

 

[d42jeep]

A few years ago I was posting some finds on the garage sale thread. I had found a Craftsman 1/4” drive socket set that had a large batch of Oxwall stamped wrenches included in the box. I had just pitched all the Oxwall wrenches into the recycling bin when I saw another collector posting the beautiful Oxwall stamped steel wrench set he had found. I had to laugh. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure but any time an Oxwall tool appears at my house it goes straight into the bin.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...any time an Oxwall tool appears at my house it goes straight into the bin.

Usually the ignition wrenches and sockets don't make it even that far with me, disposing of stragglers before I leave the flea market.

But I do have an affinity for vintage era junk drawer tools as a class of tools unto themselves if they're a complete set in a pouch, case, or box.

This "foster" brand ignition wrench set, for example, from Clark Mfg. Co. in Buffalo, which I have posted before here, isn't one of the Big Three, as Lesserstore has dubbed them, but maybe even in a worse category of being a Big Three Copycat, showing perhaps just how big the market was.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

And these darlings would be upset if I didn't vouch for them!



The Tool-Champ (top left) and the Globemaster All Purpose Camping Shovel (bottom left) and the Deluxe Tool Kit (far right) are classic imports, and as such, not really part of this discussion, but the Shelton Socketool midget bit set (red pop-up plastic case), and the even older G.M. Co. (blue steel with see-through sliding lid) and Oxwall (blue and yellow cardboard) midget socket sets, definitely are.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Upthread I mentioned how Oxwall had some interesting postwar roots in Occupied Germany and Japan, paving the way I think for this whole mass-marketed category. I've posted this on the Oxwall thread (see Sticky Index) before, but to exemplify my point here, these are serious pliers, and I wish more came with a knuckled grip then and now.

 

[RUSH55]

Ha! Globemaster. I acquired a Globemaster DOE in a wrench lot I picked up recently. I’d never heard of it, but it didn’t make it into my lineup of cool DOE’s (Fairmount, Billings, Armstrong) pulled out of the same lot. Probably because it says “Japan” on the back.

Very good thread topic @freudianfloyd
And some great feedback from @Private Lugnutz

 

[RoninB4]

I bought a made in USA General brand protractor for sharpening lathe tooling two years ago. Seems real nice to me.

General made tools intended for the machine shops since at least the 70's (that I can recall) and were considered a decidedly lower level than the names usually associated with machine tooling. They were often made from steel that wasn't heat treated and this was usually the dividing line between a better/lesser class of tooling. I have a few of their products like machinist jacks, protractor, and tap wrench I purchased when early in the trade and was struggling.

Nothing wrong with that protractor other than being a fixed beam type. If it works for your purposes then it works, General just wasn't what you showed up with if you wanted to continue in the trade long term.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Globemaster.

Hard for me to see the name and not think of the C-17 aircraft, which wears the moniker so much more aptly!

 

[four.cycle]

RE: Oxwall's post-war imported product from West Germany and England:

I think most of it was at least on a par level with the product that was being brought in from Europe by Steelcraft, some of it perhaps better.
Odd that they couldn't produce the same quality product domestically.

@Private Lugnutz -

Are you throwing the "Shelton Socketool" under the bus along with Oxwall, G.M., and Meteor?

I honestly know absolutely nothing about Shelton - I've never seen a piece of it other than in photos.

 

[Aaron_W]

Going way back Sears used to offer a sort of "good/better/best" branding system all US made, Companion, Dunlap, Craftsman. By the late 1940s they largely dropped all but the Craftsman brand, but still offered cheaper and better options. Compare the Double A company made 6" lathe sold as a Dunlap and later as the Craftsman 109.**, and the Atlas made Craftsman 101.** 6" lathe which is significantly better quality (and about 4x the price).

 

[d42jeep]

Dunlap may have been a price line sold by Sears (until 1960) at a lower price than comparable Craftsman tools but by and large they were quite good quality. If these crappy Meteor stamped wrenches hadn’t come complete with the box, they would already have been thrown into the recycling bin. Looks like they need to travel to New Jersey.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ That Meteor set, complete, in a good box, is $20 bucks on ebay right now.

 

[freudianfloyd]

I specifically remember looking at this set of mini pliers at a yard sale thinking these are made in the U.S. they may be worth the couple dollars they are asking.

Well I forgot about them until today when cleaning out my toolbox. Guess I should've started this thread a while back.

 

[four.cycle]

WOW! where'd you find those?

 

[d42jeep]

^ That Meteor set, complete, in a good box, is $20 bucks on ebay right now.

If anyone wants it, it’s up for grabs.
The sad thing is that Meteor could make decent tools when they wanted to, instead of making throw away ****.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Looks like they need to travel to New Jersey.

I don't like them THAT much! Finding is one thing, burning $ on shipping is another.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I own a set of those nice forged Meteor ignition wrenches too! They are top-notch. Puzzling.

I have a set of the stamped wrenches in the plastic box. Don't have those pliers though - those are way cool.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Are you throwing the "Shelton Socketool" under the bus along with Oxwall, G.M., and Meteor?

Maybe not the same bus. A slightly better bus. But yes, I am. I have a Versatool that they made for J.A. Sexauer, and those are legit, but this bit set is kind of junky. Pot metal, for one, and the craftsmanship is sloppy. I devoted a thread to it here, but only because it's complete with paperwork.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Shelton is one line I've never really paid much attention to. The sockets appear to be made of pot metal? Wow. I have to read through that other thread.

 

[d42jeep]

When Great Neck started their decent into making poor quality tools, these were made in Spain and still pretty decent. I would have left them behind on Thursday but I couldn’t tell who made them.
-Don