As Rico so well put it - YES!
There are a load of European and British tool makers out there, many producing some nice stuff (a few producing some right old tat) but much of it never reaching the U.S.A.
I used to love visiting the U.S.A, mainly because I could pick up decent tools at reasonable prices! I'm quite surprised how quickly the mid priced decent stuff (such as Craftsman) has vanished and been replaced by cheap Chinese and mid price Taiwanese, so I can well understand your frustration!
Firstly, I'd try to track down the decent U.S.A. made stuff that's still out there! I'm thinking of makers such as Wright, S.K, Wilde and suchlike, all producing decent stuff, but requiring a bit more effort to source than wondering into Sears!
If you still fancy some European stuff, here's some that I use! (When I'm not using U.S.A. made tools) Some of it (such as PB Swiss or Maun) is a notch above anything else. Other stuff is simply better value here in the U.K. (It may not be in the U.S.A.) All is of good quality
Screwdrivers - PB Swiss (only for metric size drivers)
Pliers - Elliott Lucas (British), Knipex (German), Maun (British)
Punches - Eclipse (British) or Priory (British)
Allen Keys - PB Swiss
Hammers - Footprint (British)
Soft Hammers - Thorex (British, Huge range of sizes and materials)
Wrenches - Stahlwille (German), Hazet (German), King **** (British) or Saltus (German)
Socket Wrenches and handles - Stahlwille or Hazet again, both highly recommended)
Finally, I've attached some pictures that I took for another thread about British tools showing Elliott Lucas Pliers, Maun Pliers, Eclipse and Priory Punches (with a Footprint hammer) and King **** wrenches!
Don't forget that there are some very good tools coming out of Japan too! Tools from makers such as Ko Ken and KTC are very usable!
There is in fact some recognisability....
