danaher made in taiwan

[comedyman809]

i have a gearwrench ratcheting tap handle set, and as i was looking at the case it comes in, it says: made in taiwan to danahers specs


well is this for all the gearwrench stuff? because i have a full set of metric and sae ratcheting wrenches...5/16-1" and 8mm-25mm...

if this is true, i may be dissapointed, and then it may also explan why my 7/16 wrench slipped a little once when i was using it.

 

[mrshaun]

kd 9018 9/16 gearwrench
made in china for Danaher tool group.

 

[Stuey]

Very few Gearwrench products are not made in China or Taiwan.

 

[comedyman809]

ok, who makes there own american ratcheting wrenches, because i need some new wrenches now....

 

[Fedwrench]

ok, who makes there own american ratcheting wrenches, because i need some new wrenches now....

Armstrong and the fully polished Craftsman flat panel and reversible models have USA stamped on each wrench.

 

[Mike83]

I doubt the wrench slipped because it is made in Taiwan. My Matco ratcheting wrench, made in USA, actually BROKE (the box ring)! I think **** just happens.

 

[Monte]

Look at the adress...:

 

[Bobby B.]

I don't know why I assumed that all gearwrench was made in Taiwan, I checked the stubby wrenches I had and they were PRC. Have to check a little closer next time, I suppose.

 

[Fedwrench]

I don't know why I assumed that all gearwrench was made in Taiwan, I checked the stubby wrenches I had and they were PRC. Have to check a little closer next time, I suppose.

We have flogged this horse repeatedly before. (but, that's ok) Initially, most Gearwrench items were made in Taiwan. Gearwrench Torque wrenches are US made though. About a year or two ago, Gearwrench starting making many of their products in the PRC. They're still good but, there was a slight dip in fit, finish, and feel on some of the PRC made items but, that's just me.
I know most people strive to buy only US made tools but, that is becoming harder to do. Yes, I would prefer that Gearwrench was made in Taiwan over the PRC but, I doubt things will change. Gearwrench makes an excellent line of tools. There is no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.
The bottom line is that if you don't see my favorite three letters USA on the tool, then don't think the tool is made here.

 

[Bobby B.]

Don't get me wrong, I like the Gearwrench line and they have other items I'm looking at down the road. It's a bit irrational, I know, but seeing the China instead of Taiwan still made me think, "Aw man..."

I agree, there does seem to be a slight quality difference; my stubbys have some marks and one ding that were chromed over. Won't affect how these tools operate, but they are there nonetheless.

 

[ZRX61]

ok, who makes there own american ratcheting wrenches, because i need some new wrenches now....

Please explain how they ceased to function as wrenches because of what is printed on the box?

 

[Moose-LandTran]

ok, who makes there own american ratcheting wrenches, because i need some new wrenches now....

How much do you want for the two sets you want to replace?

 

[Costner]

ok, who makes there own american ratcheting wrenches, because i need some new wrenches now....

I think when most people say they want to "buy American" it is because they want their money to go to the American worker and keep it here - lining the pockets of our fellow taxpaying citizens rather than sending it overseas where it adds to our trade imbalance and has a negative impact upon the economy.

However in your case you already paid for the non-US made tools, so if you go out and buy US made tools at this time - the damage is done. Even if you re-sell what you have, there is someone out there that won't need to purchase a set of wrenches and therefore won't have the option to buy US made tools.

If you throw away what you have, they win again because not only did they earn the profit from the first sale, but nobody else will ever use that set and therefore they have a greater potential to sell another set to someone else.

Unless you keep what you have AND buy another complete set of US made wrenches, I don't see what difference it makes. Even then you still have already sent your money out of country with your first purchase.... so in economic terms it is a sunk cost.

I'd say if you like the tools keep using them. Unless there is a problem with them or if you would prefer to have a better set, there isn't much you can do...and frankly they won't be any better or any worse than they ever have been just because you now know where they came from.

 

[Rnz520]

Gearwrench ratchet wrenches are the best ratchet wrenches out there, for the price and overall honestly. They invented the modern ratchet wrench, and do a great job of making them. I understand you want USA, but the Snap-On ones that cost 5 times as much or more work the same as the Gearwrench with the same warranty.
They never pretended to be US made, I say you keep them and warranty the slipping wrench.

 

[TireTracks]

I played around with the USA Cmans, and the gearwreches, and the gearwrenches had a finer ratchet on the ones i was looking at.

 

[gofastman]

i have a gearwrench ratcheting tap handle set, and as i was looking at the case it comes in, it says: made in taiwan to danahers specs


well is this for all the gearwrench stuff? because i have a full set of metric and sae ratcheting wrenches...5/16-1" and 8mm-25mm...

if this is true, i may be dissapointed, and then it may also explan why my 7/16 wrench slipped a little once when i was using it.

are you serious? I hope that is a joke

 

[woody 73]

Hi,

I can understand that if you wrench all day long then you want a good warranty and a tool that will hold up under pressure. If on the other hand you are not under the gun then I think you bought a nice set of tools.

Unfortunately it is getting harder and harder to find made in the USA. Do not give up, If you keep looking then other countries like France,Germany,Italy etc. will produce very nice tools.

All the best Woody.

 

[quattrojon]

Very few Gearwrench products are not made in China or Taiwan.

I have a Gearwrench branded 1/2 torque wrench on my van, and it has "Made in the USA" on it. I have not seen this on any of the other Gearwrench products.

 

[comedyman809]

here is my gear wrench experience, i bought the ratcheting tap handle set, awesome, until i used the small handle for the first time and on it's second hole, the jaw broke off on a 1/4-20 tap going through 1/4'' mild steel.

this was in 2006 or early 2007, they a wrench siezed completely..7/16, and now a second 7/16 is slipping, i called kd and they basically told me where to stick it...


maybe the warranty has changed since then??? they told me they dont replace broken tools. this was back then in 06 or 07.....

if i called now, would it be different?

 

[Fedwrench]

maybe the warranty has changed since then??? they told me they dont replace broken tools. this was back then in 06 or 07.....
if i called now, would it be different?

Don't call KD, call Gearwrench customer service at either 1-888-757-1812 or 1-800-688-9849. have the broken items in front of you or know their part number when calling. The cheerful woman at the other end of the phone will get a replacement to you in about 7-10 days. I've only replaced a couple of items but, Gearwrench has always been great about warranty service.

http://www.gearwrench.com/warranty.jsp

 

[Mike83]

How much do you want for the two sets you want to replace?

I want to sell my 7 piece Gearwrench Stubbies, 8mm to 18mm with some skips. Hardly use them myself. Let me know if you want them.

 

[comedyman809]

ok, that was east, new tap adapter and new 7/16 reverible wrench are on the way!!!!

now, with that being said, i think i may be keeping this set!!!

 

[FastKat]

I actually emailed Danaher regarding the differences between their GearWrench, Craftsman Pro and Matco non-racheting combination wrenches. I received an email back from the wrench product line manager for Danaher tool - who actually took the time to google my name and found my website. I was impressed with the customer service. He told me that the Matco and Craftsman Pro wrenches (discussed above) were made at the same plant in the US, however the Matco underwent a considerably more stringent hardening process, and was held to a considerably higher finishing spec. For that we shouldn't be surprised. He also told me that the Matco OptiTorque and the Surface Drive features were the same - I think I already read that on this board.

When it came to gear wrench, he said this:
"GearWrench is made in an entirely different plant, using different materials and a mix of similar and not similar processes. Because these wrenches are made overseas, we are able to deliver industry-leading quality for less than many other brands. These wrenches are made in a Danaher owned plant that is truly one of the industry's finest manufacturing facilities in Asia, and we have incorporated decades of experience into the design of the manufacturing facility and processes."

I wonder what "industry-leading" means? To draw some parallels here, companies like Hyundai Motors and Kia REALLY stepped up their game by bringing in some of the best technology available into Asia to design and build industry leading plants that produce exponentially better vehicles than their old plants did.

That being said, most of the opinions I have heard here on GearWrench non-racheting combos has been very good. This rep makes it sound like they have little in common with the Matco and Craftsman line. I wonder where they fall in quality of hardness, alloy, finish spec, etc?

I wonder if the Matco's are worth the extra money?

-Dave

We have flogged this horse repeatedly before. (but, that's ok) Initially, most Gearwrench items were made in Taiwan. Gearwrench Torque wrenches are US made though. About a year or two ago, Gearwrench starting making many of their products in the PRC. They're still good but, there was a slight dip in fit, finish, and feel on some of the PRC made items but, that's just me.
I know most people strive to buy only US made tools but, that is becoming harder to do. Yes, I would prefer that Gearwrench was made in Taiwan over the PRC but, I doubt things will change. Gearwrench makes an excellent line of tools. There is no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.
The bottom line is that if you don't see my favorite three letters USA on the tool, then don't think the tool is made here.

 

[autoace]

Very few Gearwrench products are not made in China or Taiwan.

What I want to know, is how GearWrench trumps QC of just about any other brand, in my observations. Not to say they don't have their duds, by I have noticed near perfection on all my GearWrench tools, I was surprised by the quality, I didn't expect it. Now I get frustrated with Cornwell, as well as other brands, for being inferior to what GearWrench offers me, for the money. If GW can do it that well in Taiwan and China, why the heck can't Cornwell do it here in the USA.

Just today, I had a GearWrench X beam, flex head ratcheting wrench on some stubborn torque converter bolts. My buddy had a long 1/2 inch ratchet holding the crank at the balancer, and I had both hands on the GW and pulled with all I had, a little test, I would normally go get a long box wrench, but I decided to test them out a little. Took the over torque no problem.

 

[autoace]

I actually emailed Danaher regarding the differences between their GearWrench, Craftsman Pro and Matco non-racheting combination wrenches. I received an email back from the wrench product line manager for Danaher tool - who actually took the time to google my name and found my website. I was impressed with the customer service. He told me that the Matco and Craftsman Pro wrenches (discussed above) were made at the same plant in the US, however the Matco underwent a considerably more stringent hardening process, and was held to a considerably higher finishing spec. For that we shouldn't be surprised. He also told me that the Matco OptiTorque and the Surface Drive features were the same - I think I already read that on this board.

When it came to gear wrench, he said this:
"GearWrench is made in an entirely different plant, using different materials and a mix of similar and not similar processes. Because these wrenches are made overseas, we are able to deliver industry-leading quality for less than many other brands. These wrenches are made in a Danaher owned plant that is truly one of the industry's finest manufacturing facilities in Asia, and we have incorporated decades of experience into the design of the manufacturing facility and processes."

I wonder what "industry-leading" means? To draw some parallels here, companies like Hyundai Motors and Kia REALLY stepped up their game by bringing in some of the best technology available into Asia to design and build industry leading plants that produce exponentially better vehicles than their old plants did.

That being said, most of the opinions I have heard here on GearWrench non-racheting combos has been very good. This rep makes it sound like they have little in common with the Matco and Craftsman line. I wonder where they fall in quality of hardness, alloy, finish spec, etc?

I wonder if the Matco's are worth the extra money?

-Dave

See I think I got it. Did anyone look at the Genius tool video on another thread. Even the wrench polishing was done by machine and robot. In the Danaher/GW owned factory, I bet, human hands barely touch the product, high tech equipment and most human error removed increases QC.

They are tools made by robots in another country, at this point it does not matter where the heck the robots are, the tools are the same, provided the raw material quality stays up to snuff, and the machines and robots are maintained regularly.

With some of these new factories, I think they are right, it hardly matters where the heck the factory is, it works the same no matter where it is.

I have some new Cornwell wrenches, and each wrench was hand polished differently! One human thought super smooth and thin was good, another though almost raw forging looks were aok, it is sloppy and not acceptable, to me. If a machine does it all, a lazy human loses a job, and all the tools get polished and plated to the same specs., etc....

 

[Fedwrench]

I wonder if the Matco's are worth the extra money?
-Dave

That's a hard question to answer. A new Matco set off of the truck could run $300-$400. The same Gearwrench non ratcheting set around a $100 (or much less if you get a deal) Craftsman pro full polished runs $100.
I own all three types and others. There are differences in fit, finish, feel, weight, markings, etc. Are the differences worth the price spread? Not to me, although I personally feel the Matco wrench is the better of the three, all of them will turn fasteners day in and day out without any problems and serve you well. I'm cheap so. I would say shop around for the best deal and that there's nothing wrong with buying used wrenches.

 

[FastKat]

That's a hard question to answer. A new Matco set off of the truck could run $300-$400. The same Gearwrench non ratcheting set around a $100 (or much less if you get a deal) Craftsman pro full polished runs $100.
I own all three types and others. There are differences in fit, finish, feel, weight, markings, etc. Are the differences worth the price spread? Not to me, although I personally feel the Matco wrench is the better of the three, all of them will turn fasteners day in and day out without any problems and serve you well. I'm cheap so. I would say shop around for the best deal and that there's nothing wrong with buying used wrenches.

I rarely test the limits of the tools I am using, but when I need them to work, I really need them to work. My dad buys all Snap-On stuff, and I used his flank drive wrench to get some nasty seized bolts off an old parts car this weekend. (I had my back pinned in the wheel well, the open end on a bolt, and it took everything I had to break it loose. If it would have rounded the fastener or slipped off, not only would I have lost a day's worth of work but I probably would have lost a couple teeth to a brake caliper.) I really have a lot of confidence in Snap-On wrenches (and sockets for that matter) when it comes to breaking bolts loose, but I don't have the budget for them... even used on eBay.

On the other hand, Matco wrench sets appear frequently on eBay at affordable prices... and so do the GearWrench sets. I am just wondering if the GearWrench non-racheting combos are as good as or better than the Matco ones? I noticed in the email that the rep never drew any direct comparison between the two - only between the Matco and the Craftsman Pro.

On another note, if I am accustomed to using Snap-On wrenches, will I be disappointed with the Matco ones?

-Dave

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

ok, who makes there own american ratcheting wrenches, because i need some new wrenches now....

If you want to get rid of those terrible GearWrench wrenches, feel free to mail them to me!