Another easy way to identify them is that all of them I've seen that say "global components" are made to put an allen wrench in the end of the adjustment knob. If you should look at them and they have that and no USA marking on the tool then they are most likely the newer ones with the foreign parts.
Disgusting final chapter to a great American tool.
- Thread starter IMCA38
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Brandon_Lutz
Well-known member
Got lucky this evening while at my local sears. They had a couple of pairs of Vise Grips still made in USA before the Irwin bastardization. Snatched em up and brought them home just now.
Right next to them were several packages of the "new" vise grip with globally sourced components.
Right next to them were several packages of the "new" vise grip with globally sourced components.
eschoendorff
Well-known member
lbgradwell
Well-known member
Earlier this evening I had occasion to stop at a Canadian chain called Home Hardware. I was there to buy a pole sander, but that's another story...
While perusing the aisles, I stopped by the Vise-Grip section to see if they had any NOS Petersen items, as I always do. They did, but only those 10LW Locking Wrenches, and I've never seen the point of those.
However, they did have - among the piles of new "global" pliers - a pair in packaging marked as "Made in USA" that featured that 4mm hex key.
Maybe mis-packaged somehow, or maybe the hex key was also a domestic feature for a short time..?
eschoendorff
Well-known member
I love those locking wrenches! Saved my *** a few times when working with flare fittings...
lbgradwell
Well-known member
No kidding? Who woulda guessed?!
Maybe I need a pair after all!
Maybe I need a pair after all!
Frank Elson
Well-known member
I just got back.
First off I spotted the allen key hole... then I spotted "global components"... then I bought some Sykes Pikavant spanners and left.
Now on UK Ebay I have just seen some "Mole" grips, "Made in England" so I guess I will be bidding.
First off I spotted the allen key hole... then I spotted "global components"... then I bought some Sykes Pikavant spanners and left.
Now on UK Ebay I have just seen some "Mole" grips, "Made in England" so I guess I will be bidding.
lbgradwell
Well-known member
I thought those old Moles were famous finger-pinchers, Frank. I have a pair in my collection, but I've never actually used them as I've never heard a good review.
You consider them users, do you?
You consider them users, do you?
Frank Elson
Well-known member
Yep, Mole Grips are the UK generic name now, like Hoover, for what you guys call Vise Grips. They're a trade name like yours.
Never had a problem using them myself. I'd really like to compare them with Vise Grips.
Never had a problem using them myself. I'd really like to compare them with Vise Grips.
I was in a store today that had some Vise-Grips with the Petersen name on them. They've been on the shelf for ever because they were too expensive. Now they've put a sign but them that says "These are no longer made in the USA, buy while you can" and they jacked the price up higher. For example for the 10CR they are asking $39.00, way too much now.
lbgradwell
Well-known member
Shite!
Does anyone see the irony here? At $39 for those $13 pliers, Vise-Grips truly wouldn't be competitive globally...
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Excuse me?
I don't think they will ever sell them for that much. This hardware store is in a small town in Kentucky. From what I've seen most people here don't care where their tools are made, and buy whatever is cheapest. One of the pairs I saw had been in their inventory for over 10 years, you can tell buy the code on their price tag. I doubt marking it up higher is going to make it sell in the near future.
Along the same lines as this thread...I was at Menard's recently and looking at Superior Tool smooth jaw pipe wrench pliers. Two of the three pliers said Made in China. The last one said Made in USA. Just weeks before I had seen the whole display with all Made in USA pliers. Seems ironic to me because the Superior Tool website touts their made in usa philosophy.
http://www.superiortool.com/Made_in_USA.htm
Makes me mad, and makes me feel like I need to buy as many tools as possible before everything is made in China or Taiwan.
http://www.superiortool.com/Made_in_USA.htm
Makes me mad, and makes me feel like I need to buy as many tools as possible before everything is made in China or Taiwan.
lbgradwell
Well-known member
I have always thought those pliers were actually manufactured for Superior by Wilde. But Wilde also has the "Buy American By Americans" thing, so..?
stroked93
Well-known member
ovilla
Well-known member
This reminds me of when I was shopping for a rider mower and looking at John Deere's at Home Depot. Did you know that all of the models they sell come with a Brigs and Straton motor, which is no longer made in the USA? What's the big deal then in buying a John Deere rider (especially since I see them all over my neighborhood)? What is actually a Deere anymore, just the big farming tractors? Anyway, I'm going to be on the lookout for some of the old vice grips now too.
P.S. I did go to an actual John Deere dealership and found out that the better rider mowers, which are not offered at Home Depot, actually come with a Kohler motor. Once again, I always thought these things were like Harley's in which almost everything (sans tires) was made by the same one company.
P.S. I did go to an actual John Deere dealership and found out that the better rider mowers, which are not offered at Home Depot, actually come with a Kohler motor. Once again, I always thought these things were like Harley's in which almost everything (sans tires) was made by the same one company.
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ovilla,
I think many Harley parts are coming from foreign sources and being assembled here. Maybe someone more familiar with Harley's can chime in.
I heard about the Deere deal through a friend, he told me to avoid the Briggs Deere's.
I think many Harley parts are coming from foreign sources and being assembled here. Maybe someone more familiar with Harley's can chime in.
I heard about the Deere deal through a friend, he told me to avoid the Briggs Deere's.
hamburglar
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2008
- Messages
- 523
In a country that only makes 1% of the shoes that it consumes, I suppose that it's too much to expect pliers manufacturing.
As long as we can get cheap Salad Shooters(tm), my guess is that we're all pretty cool with having jobs as government workers, retirees, and mortgage brokers.
As long as we can get cheap Salad Shooters(tm), my guess is that we're all pretty cool with having jobs as government workers, retirees, and mortgage brokers.
SpiderGearsMan
Banned
can't farm out chrysler repair
Ovilla, I'm not sure if those John Deere mowers you saw at Home Depot are even made by John Deere. Their smaller mowers might be made by MTD, a huge company that has bought up lots of big name outdoor power equipment products. Here's a link to their site and I think it shows most of the companies they own. http://www.mtdproducts.com/corporate/index.jsp
A few years ago I moved from Calif to Kentucky and needed to purchase a weed eater, had no need for one in Calif since I lived in the desert there so I hadn't kept up with equipment like that. I went to Lowes and they had a few brands. I looked at one that was Troy-bilt and ended up buying it. I remembered as a kid seeing Troy-bilt tillers, etc. and they were top of the line. Turns out now Troy-bilt is just a name (owned by MTD), and that weed eater was the biggest piece of junk I've ever seen. Getting back to your story about the mower, it's common practice in the tractor / mower industry to have products built by another company and then put your name on it. I don't think John Deere actually builds the majority of their products. I have a Massey Ferguson 1533 compact tractor, it's a small tractor but much larger than a garden tractor (33hp diesel and about 5500 lbs, just to give you an idea). It's actually made in Japan by a company called Iseki, basically the tractor is then painted red and the Massey Ferguson decals are stuck on it. You can buy a nearly identical tractor from another manufacturer, only it's painted a different color with a different name. John Deere if I'm not mistaken gets their compact tractors from a company called Yanmar. The Japanese are pretty much the masters at building these small tractors and they may also build some of the mowers I'm not sure.
My last Briggs and Stratton experience was not good. We bought a pressure washer at Home Depot, I had used it for about 3 hours and it was great. I was cleaning our porch and the pressure washer was behind me. My wife was inside looking out, all of the sudden she started screaming and pointing behind me. I look back and large flames are coming out of the Briggs and Stratton, it was still running so I turned and was able to get most of the fire out with the water from the pressure washer. Maybe it was just the same bad luck like I've had on my 4 post Bendpak but after that I bought a pressure washer with a Honde, as well as a couple of other outdoor tools powered by Honda and they've been perfect.
If anyone wants any genuine Petersen Vise Grips let me know, I'll pick these up in the little hardware store here and send them to you but as I posted a day or two ago they are way over priced.
A few years ago I moved from Calif to Kentucky and needed to purchase a weed eater, had no need for one in Calif since I lived in the desert there so I hadn't kept up with equipment like that. I went to Lowes and they had a few brands. I looked at one that was Troy-bilt and ended up buying it. I remembered as a kid seeing Troy-bilt tillers, etc. and they were top of the line. Turns out now Troy-bilt is just a name (owned by MTD), and that weed eater was the biggest piece of junk I've ever seen. Getting back to your story about the mower, it's common practice in the tractor / mower industry to have products built by another company and then put your name on it. I don't think John Deere actually builds the majority of their products. I have a Massey Ferguson 1533 compact tractor, it's a small tractor but much larger than a garden tractor (33hp diesel and about 5500 lbs, just to give you an idea). It's actually made in Japan by a company called Iseki, basically the tractor is then painted red and the Massey Ferguson decals are stuck on it. You can buy a nearly identical tractor from another manufacturer, only it's painted a different color with a different name. John Deere if I'm not mistaken gets their compact tractors from a company called Yanmar. The Japanese are pretty much the masters at building these small tractors and they may also build some of the mowers I'm not sure.
My last Briggs and Stratton experience was not good. We bought a pressure washer at Home Depot, I had used it for about 3 hours and it was great. I was cleaning our porch and the pressure washer was behind me. My wife was inside looking out, all of the sudden she started screaming and pointing behind me. I look back and large flames are coming out of the Briggs and Stratton, it was still running so I turned and was able to get most of the fire out with the water from the pressure washer. Maybe it was just the same bad luck like I've had on my 4 post Bendpak but after that I bought a pressure washer with a Honde, as well as a couple of other outdoor tools powered by Honda and they've been perfect.
If anyone wants any genuine Petersen Vise Grips let me know, I'll pick these up in the little hardware store here and send them to you but as I posted a day or two ago they are way over priced.
eschoendorff
Well-known member
Yeah... buying power equipment from a big box store is a no-no... especially since most people buy power equipment with the intent on keeping it for 10 years or more.
For weedwackers/trimmers/brushcutters, you'd be hard pressed to do better than Stihl. There is a reason that they're only available at Stihl dealerships. Oh, and the non-homeowner ones will last for years. Hell, even the homeowner machines have been known to last for years with minimal upkeep...
For weedwackers/trimmers/brushcutters, you'd be hard pressed to do better than Stihl. There is a reason that they're only available at Stihl dealerships. Oh, and the non-homeowner ones will last for years. Hell, even the homeowner machines have been known to last for years with minimal upkeep...
krusty the clown
Member Emeritus
the john deere tractors i looked at at the deere dealer had kawasaki motors....
Our school district bought one a few years ago from a Deere dealer with a Kawasaki engine. It's a major POS.
The Deeres, Cubs and others sold at HD are all rebadged versions of the same thing. I assume they are MTD.
If you look at them, they are nearly identical except for the paint jobs. One might have the cup holder in a different spot than another, but that's about it.
lbgradwell
Well-known member
Canadian Tire is currently offering 30% off on Vise-Grips as they do several times a year...
While visiting the local store near my Mom's place, I noticed they had several NOS Petersen models I don't already have, so they followed me home (for C$51.61 taxes in)!
Now I need to find a flare fitting...
HacksawsGarage
Well-known member
i have one old vicegrip that doesnt say irwin. i dont see were it says peterson either. i also gave another away before i read this thread!!
now i bought a smaller vice grip today, nos on a card exactly like the ones shown above. however, the tool has a small IRWIN stamped on it. for 5 bucks i cant complain. from a flea market vendor.
now i bought a smaller vice grip today, nos on a card exactly like the ones shown above. however, the tool has a small IRWIN stamped on it. for 5 bucks i cant complain. from a flea market vendor.
What has any of this got to do with this thread?
