Good by Armstrong ☹️
- Thread starter plumber84
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Coopduc
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By, bye, or buy ???
californiaHank
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They seem to be already gone.
When I click on 'hot deals', I get "store.apextoolgroup.com’s server IP address could not be found".
When I click on 'hot deals', I get "store.apextoolgroup.com’s server IP address could not be found".
Same here, on two different platforms.
I'm tempted to drop a few bills on clamps and stuff, but it would be just for posterity, there's nothing there that I won't be happy getting from Proto or Wms in the future.
Looks like the consolidation of the ATG USA brands to their Sumter SC plant was the final nail in the coffin for Allen and Armstrong, do apex still manufacture anything in Sumter? Or the US for that matter? I really like the few Armstrong tools I have and really can't see why apex dropped the brand as abruptly as they did? I thought Armstrong had well established military and government contracts.
Any contracts Apex had with Uncle Sam that they had previously fulfilled with Armstrong spec'ed the tools with just that, specs, and not brand names. They'll meet those specs w GW probably, unless the spec includes made in USA.
I thought the berry amendment obliged the government to give preference to domestic made products over foreign made products? Surely GW doesn't fulfill this obligation? If apex turned their back on government contracts surely that's a big chunk of profits lost for them
tin medic
Well-known member
US Military specs call for "made in US".
Someone stated that Sumter is now just a storage and distribution warehouse.
Barnabas
Well-known member
For six months I have been buying up lots of new Armstrong and Allen tools at local Habitat ReStores.
gdocktor3
Well-known member
Three years ago when I first went on their website, the "hot deals" section was always empty. Same with Gearwrench.
Or judging by this Ideal press release SK and western forge origin tools, looks like Sears dropped Ideal and apex dropped the government stuff so ideal fills the government stuff and apex caters for Sears. Jeez I wonder what apex was thinking backing a sinking ship like sears?
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BDT/NWMN
Well-known member
The fully polished Armstrong and KD combination and flare nut wrenches I bought on clearance sales are highly prized, and I bought two extra sets for My Sons.
When Apex crashed the Armstrong brand, thus ending Apex USA tool production; My spelling of Apex changed to Ch-Ape-X or Ex-Lax.. Ya, the makers of Queer Stench Tools. On account of Bain the pain, any thoughts of the remnants of that company leave a ****** taste in My mouth.
When Apex crashed the Armstrong brand, thus ending Apex USA tool production; My spelling of Apex changed to Ch-Ape-X or Ex-Lax.. Ya, the makers of Queer Stench Tools. On account of Bain the pain, any thoughts of the remnants of that company leave a ****** taste in My mouth.
It's a shame apex didn't sell the Armstrong or Allen brands, or K-D for that matter, really sad that a bunch of white collar suites couldn't see the real value of these industrial brands for what they were instead of moth-balling them and trying to peddle cheaper items with once great names merely stamped on them, such as Crescent, Wiss, Nicholson and Diamond now reduced to nearly entry level tools made in third world countries, really sad
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Actually, it's a percentage of the kit which last time I checked was 52%. If you were to order tools from GSA Advantage, you're as likely to get some KT Pro from Taiwan as you are to get Proto.
On a side note, years ago before SK went bankrupt and before Ideal bought them, they sold quite a bit to the government. I'm not sure if that contributed to their bankruptcy or not.
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How do you know what thy tried???
I don't exactly but a successful and well respected brand like Armstrong would surely get some attention if it was offered up for sale wouldn't it? Why, do you know something we don't? You have inside information to say otherwise?
davethorik
Well-known member
I know I read on here that Cripe distributing got a bunch of Armstrong stock after they were shuttered. It makes me happy it went to them, and also that some were released in the wild down south. I could have seen Apex doing something monumentally stupid and melting everything left.
a52-830
Well-known member
i doubt it was offered for sale. why would apex want to compete against it for the short money they were likely to get from selling it? and it is likely whomever bought it would ship the tooling offshore for someone else to make tools with.
maybe apex did the right thing, rather than let the brand decline under someone else.
remember, the vast majority of people think that Craftsman (non-pro) and Snap-On (pro) are the only quality tools, and Stanley is OK for home use.
i have a bunch of Armstrong tools, and really like them, but sadly their days are over.
ihateminimumwage
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There was a short period where there were some really good "Hot Deals" on the Gearwrench site (4 or 5 years back, maybe?), the Armstrong deals were never great thanks to the extreme mark up buying direct from them.
I just moved 2 miles from Cripe, living in the danger zone now...
davethorik
Well-known member
I just moved 2 miles from Cripe, living in the danger zone now...
Hopefully you have stronger willpower than I do, lol.
I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of the Armstrong 1/2 index head ratchet I bought from Cripe when they were clearancing them. I'm still not 100% sure how Apex could take an Armstrong handle, then add the index joint and a SK Tuff1 ratchet head to arrive at that particular result, but they did. The design was funky too, chromed handle and black oxide head.
Armstrong might have been bought of apex and been kept going as going concern of US made tools, look what happened to S-K with Ideal industries, everyone must have thought that bankruptcy was the end of S-K but Ideal swept in and paid their debts and bought the company outright! Thank god for Ideal who had the foresight to invest so heavily in USA manufacturers and make them profitable again, the US tool industry is going through a renaissance at the moment with companies like ideal, Stanley, dewalt and Milwaukee all pledging to bringing important manufacturing jobs back to the US and many cases this has already happened , even channellock have done this by sourcing their CB handles from a US manufacturer and introducing a new line of US screwdrivers , good for them! Long may this trend last ,and long may companies like Bain-capital choke on their profits
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Wamsutta
Well-known member
I refuse to recognize Apex tool group. In my mind, Apex is a manufacturer of screwdriver bits and specialty adapters. Cooper Tools used to own Apex.
anndel
Well-known member
We have to abide by the "Buy America Act."
gdocktor3
Well-known member
I miss the Mac hot deals section or whatever it was called. They had some good stuff...
ihateminimumwage
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I'd like to think I do, but I just put in a $90 order "for a few things", so not sure if that's the case.
That was a good one for the short run it had.
The Armsrmtrong full polish wrenches were a work of art, equal to anything available. The Allen brand, aside from giving their name to hex wrenches, was a much lower end tool. KD was an auto specialty brand that was sort of in the Lisle, OTC market. Some of the Gearwrench stuff still has a KD prefix, as they have moved some stuff over to that brand. When I was a kid, Armstrong was an industrial brand and making them pretty was not a factor. In the end they were making beautiful stuff that I will miss. I would love to have a set of full chrome Armstrong combos.
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USSouthernman
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It's a total disgrace and slap in the face to the loyal American customers who purchased Armstrong/Allen tools and supported this "made in the USA" tool company. Armstrong Industrial Tools Company has been around over 100 years! I worked out of the Armstrong General Mechanics Tool Kit (GMTK) as a mechanic when I was in the military and during my four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, that's when I first discovered the tool brand "Armstrong" and I really liked it because its was a great tool product made in the USA. I don't know when or where the failure occurred with Armstrong tools, but joining GearWrench or made in Taiwan, basically the same as made in China is not a good answer the Armstrong tool company wants to take their company in this direction is the same exact course of direction the Ship the Titanic had taken before it ran into trouble and then sank into oblivion. I hope Armstrong Industrial Tools Company would reconsider moving their manufacturing to Taiwan. If they need help they should seek help from private investors, the government etc. I really hate to see another great, beautiful American tool company that has performed an exceptional job providing the American public and US Military with superior tool products for decades close its doors and lay off so many American workers.
jagwinn
Well-known member
Except for some Helicopters.....
Sloper0204
Well-known member
Confirmed on the Gearwrench site, came across the new GMTK (General Mechanics Tool Kit) the other night:
http://www.gearwrench.com/master-se...eneral-mechanics-tool-kit-in-pelican-box.html
It was formerly supplied by Armstrong....
anndel
Well-known member
When troops used to deploy, I had to go in and scope out repair/renovation projects and there were pile of stuff from tools to office furniture to be thrown away. I found everything from Snap-on, SK, Craftsman (USA-Made), Armstrong down to china-made (not Taiwan) Harbor Freight. They could buy non-USA made tools on their government purchase card.
Not quite accurate. Danaher owned many tool brands like KD, Jacobs, Armstrong, Allen plus other companoes that were not hand tool related. Cooper group is a German outfit that owned a ton of popular tool brands like Weller and Lufkin. The two corporations created a new corporation, that they co owned, called Apex. All of the Cooper tool brands and most of the Dahaher tool brands went into the new company. Later they sold Apex to Bain Capital.
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mikebaker1129
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. Apex bits Dayton,OHguy48065
Well-known member
Ouch! $4300 seems steep for a 220-pc set of import tools. How does that compare to last-known price of the Armstrong version? Street price--not what DOD pays!
Sloper0204
Well-known member
The Armstrong ones are still showing up on ebay "new" for around $2,500
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARMSTRONG-...746075?hash=item285e4c3b5b:g:71YAAOSw-VtbHwQu