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COO warning: Wiha long bit sockets have USA bits

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Steve_P

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Joined
Sep 15, 2010
Messages
5,185
There is nothing Wiha about these. I bought metric hex and also torx in ~6" lg bits, 1/4 drive. I knew the sockets were taiwan or china, I have some standard length Wiha bit sockets, but the bits on these are stamped USA. I guess they're bondhus or apex. The box is marked "bits made in germany" Not. I contacted the seller who contacted Wiha USA and apparently they said, "so what"

Beware.
 
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Jure

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Jun 1, 2011
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Croatia
Steve_P said:
There is nothing Wiha about these. I bought metric hex and also torx in ~6" lg bits, 1/4 drive. I knew the sockets were taiwan or china, I have some standard length Wiha bit sockets, but the bits on these are stamped USA. I guess they're bondhus or apex. The box is marked "bits made in germany" Not. I contacted the seller who contacted Wiha USA and apparently they said, "so what"

Beware.
Click to expand...

wiha...i really like wiha screwdrivers,all of my wiha screwdrivers are marked "made in germany" on the handle except one,its stubby bit screwdriver,it has no coo on the handle,BUT the sticker of our wiha distributor marked it as "made in china" after that i believe that wiha moved overseas,shanks may be made in china out of chinese steel,same as handles and i think "made in germany" is earned only by inserting the shank into the handle and packing it in germany...if my memory serves me well,i think only 10% of product has to be made in germany to carry a "made in germany" stamp,but i may be wrong,ask Monte he will know it.
 
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wmartin

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Jun 16, 2011
Messages
1,645
Jure said:
the time has come few years ago...wiha's Proturn Pliers & Cutters Are Made In Taiwan.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3239342&postcount=16312

10% made in germany yep..

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2513214&postcount=11
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Their COO system kind of confuses me. Vietnam, Taiwan, Germany, Switzerland, for just pliers. I'm surprised that their volumes are high enough to bother with multiple sourcing like that. I suppose they are finding existing pliers manufacturers and having them built on spec.
 
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quattroJoe

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Jan 9, 2014
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FL
I'd bet the USA made bits are high quality, but I can understand being irritated that the packaging says something different. I KNOW if the box said made in Germany or made in USA and the bits inside said China most of you guys would be out for blood. It just sets a bad precedent if Wiha is doing this and thinks it's no big deal when they are called on it.
 
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wmartin

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Jun 16, 2011
Messages
1,645
quattroJoe said:
I'd bet the USA made bits are high quality, but I can understand being irritated that the packaging says something different. I KNOW if the box said made in Germany or made in USA and the bits inside said China most of you guys would be out for blood. It just sets a bad precedent if Wiha is doing this and thinks it's no big deal when they are called on it.
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It's a bummer that they are diluting the brand, but that's modern days I guess.

I like the Snap-on model of having a premium line (except for the brand identified junk you see at Costco) and a clearly marked discount line (with it's own brand) with just a handful of exceptions.
 
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nicksnothereman

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Oct 19, 2013
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In the Mojave
Steve_P said:
There is nothing Wiha about these. I bought metric hex and also torx in ~6" lg bits, 1/4 drive. I knew the sockets were taiwan or china, I have some standard length Wiha bit sockets, but the bits on these are stamped USA. I guess they're bondhus or apex. The box is marked "bits made in germany" Not. I contacted the seller who contacted Wiha USA and apparently they said, "so what"

Beware.
Click to expand...

Wow.

I think op is bashing because it's not as advertised. Are german bits better than us made bits? How the f do I know, probably better quality control, honestly.
 
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OP
S

Steve_P

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Sep 15, 2010
Messages
5,185
Sheesh, grow up guys. I'm not bashing US made stuff. The majority of my tools are USA: Williams, SK, etc. IMO Wiha makes the best bits which is why I bought them. If I wanted Bondhus I'd buy that. If I buy Channellock that's what I expect. Again, this is not saying USA mfg is no good.

So, let's try this again. there is nothing Wiha about these items except the sticker on the box which incorrectly states that the bits are made in Germany.
 
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SMKS

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Joined
Feb 14, 2010
Messages
5,832
Location
USA, planet Earth
Jure said:
wiha...i really like wiha screwdrivers,all of my wiha screwdrivers are marked "made in germany" on the handle except one,its stubby bit screwdriver,it has no coo on the handle,BUT the sticker of our wiha distributor marked it as "made in china" after that i believe that wiha moved overseas.
Click to expand...

I don't know why you didn't link to your thread on the topic.

It was made pretty clear in that thread (including in an email from Wiha) that the sticker was probably incorrect and applied sometime after the screwdriver left the Wiha factory in Germany. You yourself noted that the sticker was probably applied in Croatia.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162937


Steve_P said:
So, let's try this again. there is nothing Wiha about these items except the sticker on the box which incorrectly states that the bits are made in Germany.
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Not exactly accurate. It's possible that the box is labeled correctly.

Imported items sold in the U.S. have to be labeled with a country of origin. The COO is often determined by the final production location, sometimes referred to as the "last substantial transformation."

So, a bit socket assembled in Germany with a part that was made in the USA could probably still be accurately labeled "made in Germany."
 
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