Made in India ?

[padronanniversary]

Are they outsourcing to even cheaper countries now for sockets ? I got a socket that has made in india OMG, in 10 years people will be wanting made in China

the chrome has pits in it, I'm gonna have to go back to the store asap and return this crappy set

 

[Jamez]

what brand is it?

 

[Fedwrench]

Yeah, the last time I strolled through a Harbor freight I noticed that India was starting to replace China as the source for wrenches and some sockets. Now longing for Chinese made tools is in deed a scary thought....

 

[jeffk14]

Yep, over the last 40 years: Japan > Taiwan > China > India.
Throw Pakistan in there somewhere too.

Each COO starts out as ****, gets better, gets pretty darned good, gets too expensive, then on to the next source of cheap manufacturing.

 

[Flange]

Yep, over the last 40 years: Japan > Taiwan > China > India.
Throw Pakistan in there somewhere too.

Each COO starts out as ****, gets better, gets pretty darned good, gets too expensive, then on to the next source of cheap manufacturing.

I beg to differ on Japan. Post WWII,Germany and Japan have both turned out pretty good stuff. The British saying "Jap ****" has never been true. Japanese stuff is good.

Controversial on here I know but just my opinion

 

[RAYJAY]

off topic but all the car ads you see in your newspaper ............ graphic's done in India ........soooo its not just tools getting outsourced

 

[sko]

I beg to differ on Japan. Post WWII,Germany and Japan have both turned out pretty good stuff. The British saying "Jap ****" has never been true. Japanese stuff is good.

Controversial on here I know but just my opinion

Japanese craftsmanship has always been very good.

India however, is a place with profoundly abject poverty and if anyone opened up a factory and offered a penny a day to workers, they would have a line around the block. also much like China, India does not have laws regarding work safety or pollution.

 

[jeffk14]

I beg to differ on Japan. Post WWII,Germany and Japan have both turned out pretty good stuff. The British saying "Jap ****" has never been true. Japanese stuff is good.

Controversial on here I know but just my opinion

Well, maybe I should have gone back a little over 40 years to include Japan. They did start out the same way though. As an example, the very first Japanese cars sold in the US were pretty pathetic. Check out the "Toyopet S30".

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Japanese tools are great. Always have been. I have some Koken and other Japanese tools and they're excellent.

Nothing made in India has ever been good. Not even close.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I beg to differ on Japan. Post WWII,Germany and Japan have both turned out pretty good stuff. The British saying "Jap ****" has never been true. Japanese stuff is good.

Controversial on here I know but just my opinion

I also beg to differ on EARLY Japan. When I was a child, I had toys stamped out of Japanese tin cans with the original artwork on the underside or inside. The one that stands out in my mind was a xylophone with multi color metal keys, with the underside still showing the metal can artwork. Quality? Later on.

 

[jeffk14]

I also beg to differ on EARLY Japan. When I was a child, I had toys stamped out of Japanese tin cans with the original artwork on the underside or inside. The one that stands out in my mind was a xylophone with multi color metal keys, with the underside still showing the metal can artwork. Quality? Later on.

Yep. China is today pretty much where Japan was in the 1960's. A Little History for those who are interested.

 

[Bolster]

I beg to differ on Japan. Post WWII,Germany and Japan have both turned out pretty good stuff. The British saying "Jap ****" has never been true. Japanese stuff is good.

Controversial on here I know but just my opinion

Agreed. Too many people don't know history and make the fallacy of reasoning by analogy.

They portray Japan as worse than it really was (well, after the war when they were broke they had some bad stuff, but national pride meant good stuff before the war, and as soon after the war as they could).

Everybody thinks that because Japan improved in quality, that China will inevitably follow suit. "They're both asian nations, they all look the same to me" sort of argument. Maybe, maybe not. Different country, different government, different national values, different time.

I think it's just as likely that we will continue to see low grade Chinese tools 20 years from now.

 

[wafrederick]

The Japanese have better handsaws although they cut in the opposite direction,on the pull stroke instead of the push stroke.Guns are one thing the Japanese do not make very well.I put in some tickets once on a Browning shotgun at a Friends of The NRA banquent and glad I did not win it.Said made in Japan on it.Some Ford and Chrysler cylinder heads were made India,came back with quality problems.I have a few German made tools that have held up very well,my Fein Multimaster and Steinel hot glue gun.

 

[randyny]

The first purchase my Dad bought from JC Whitney, maybe 25 years ago: Real US Vice-Grips, and a set of Gedore combo wrenches. Yep, made in India. Twenty---Five---years--ago. I still have them, though they are one of many in my box.

 

[american lockpicker]

Japanese tools are great. Always have been. I have some Koken and other Japanese tools and they're excellent.

Nothing made in India has ever been good. Not even close.

Hmm my curry mixes come from there and they are top quality. Also I'm on the fence about India on one had they have very poor quality but they don't have a government thats hostile to mine.

 

[Bolster]

I'm betting on India tools improving rapidly, once they get set up for production. I'll go on record they'll be putting out better quality tools than the Chinese in 10 years.

 

[supertooljunkie]

The Japanese have better handsaws although they cut in the opposite direction,on the pull stroke instead of the push stroke.Guns are one thing the Japanese do not make very well.I put in some tickets once on a Browning shotgun at a Friends of The NRA banquent and glad I did not win it.Said made in Japan on it.Some Ford and Chrysler cylinder heads were made India,came back with quality problems.I have a few German made tools that have held up very well,my Fein Multimaster and Steinel hot glue gun.

I had a friend with one of the Japanese Brownings. Beautiful shotgun. I tried to buy it for years. I have a war surplus 7.7mm Japanese military rifle. Chrome bore, very well made. Modified Mauser action. I reload for it much hotter than the factory specs. I has never missed a beat.

 

[wafrederick]

My father will not buy a Japanese made gun.Convinced one gun shop owner of this and found a gun made in USA.Most of my rifles and Colt .45 hand gun are made in the USA.

 

[Skin]

India has been used for awhile though i havent seen any recent stuff. I have some Gedore wrenches stamped India that must be at least 15 years old.

 

[Coach James]

I had a friend with one of the Japanese Brownings. Beautiful shotgun. I tried to buy it for years. I have a war surplus 7.7mm Japanese military rifle. Chrome bore, very well made. Modified Mauser action. I reload for it much hotter than the factory specs. I has never missed a beat.

An Arisaka Type 99?

Coach

 

[Autoguy]

Made in Japan from tools to electronics to cars are great.

If you buy any thing made in Japan you will not be disappointed. Just now they started to lower the quality of their product to be competitive. I think strong Yen forced them to do that.

I own Koken , Flag socket sets plus some pliers and screwdricrs made in Japan (Highly recomended and resonably priced.

 

[american lockpicker]

Can you even get made in Japan electronics anymore?

 

[JSBriggs]

Ive got a couple Gedore wrenches (10+ yrs old)from India. While not my favorites, i put them in a travel kit and they haven't been too bad when i needed them.

-Jeff

 

[KenS]

WWII reduced Japan to sub-third-world status. An interesting twist of history is that an American whose concepts were dismissed in the United States, W. Edwards Deming, helped lift Japanese manufacturing to world-class status. He has long been accepted as a hero in Japan, and ideas he introduced in Japan later became the roots of global manufacturing standards in areas as diverse as auto manufacturing and electronics.

W._Edwards_Deming biography...

 

[Freeborn John]

India just orbited the moon with a space probe yet has one third of all the malnourished children in the world.
Sticking your hand into a mixed up place like that and hoping to pull out a quality product has to be a real lottery...

 

[Lippyp]

The Indians are incredible engineers, there are workshops up in the hills producing hand made copies of WWII era SMLE Rifles that are so exact the parts are interchangeable with originals and these are made with basic hand tools. Once they get their stuff together they will be churning out goods that are way better than any made in china rubbish.

That said, it'll be a while, just google "India and commonwealth games" to see the total mess they've made of hosting a world class event, this is an event almost on the scale of the olympics and the athletes village is dreadful, half finished, filthy, workers have been crapping in the showers and sinks, they had a footbridge collapse injuring 27 people and part of the ceiling in the weightlifting hall fell down. Despite the outward appearance of wealth and success its still largely a third world country with the majority of the population living on less than $2 a day.

 

[wafrederick]

Japanese did make some crappy guns during WWII which were out dated.Most went in the ocean including the ammo after they surrendered.Japanese make crappy lawnmowers and Kubota is one.Know someone that has one and it has been worked on most of the time.

 

[RAYJAY]

Japanese did make some crappy guns during WWII which were out dated.Most went in the ocean including the ammo after they surrendered.Japanese make crappy lawnmowers and Kubota is one.Know someone that has one and it has been worked on most of the time.

I have a Kubota tractor for the last 15 years never did any thing to it but change the oil

jeff

 

[supertooljunkie]

An Arisaka Type 99?

Coach

Yes Coach,

It is a Type 99. I got it from my uncle 30 years or so ago. It has been sporterized and re-blued before it was given to me. The stock is kind of short for my six foot frame, but it is a nice shooting rifle. The rounds are much like the .303 British Enfield. They take the same .312-313 dia. bullet. The receiver hasn't been ground either. It still has the chrysanthemum on it.

 

[Kev442]

My dad bought a cheap set of wrenches 35 years ago made in India, nothing new there.
Most of you need to to shift your "made in Japan is junk" thinking to 50 years ago. My wife and I both have clock radios made in Japan 30 years ago still going strong. My parents switched to Sylvania TV's in the 70's, time flies!

 

[supertooljunkie]

I think everyone here has a few "Made in India" wrenches, or has had some in the past. I have been putting together sets of Gedore, "European" style wrenches in SAE and mm. I have a few of the raised panel Gedores from India also. I bought a few Olympia brand wrenches when Northern Tool was closing them out. I have some "no name". They might be POS tools, they maybe only adequate, but I never paid more than 25 - 50 cents each for them. I have never broken one. True they are loaner and junkyard tools, but for the $$$, they have done what I asked of them.

These people might be third world, but years ago I saw a TV show where they took a standard Indian made taxicab, don't remember the brand, and took it apart to the last nut and bolt, and rebuilt it, using basic hand tools and a hand forge. They did this in a dirt yard, squatting with the parts between their feet. When they finished in something like a week and a half maybe two weeks, it looked like a totally new car. It was a ragged out, total POS before they started. don't underestimate them.

 

[supertooljunkie]

Indian pickups and SUVs coming to a dealer near you around the end of this year....The US importer's headquarters are about 5 miles from my house.

www.mahindrana.com

Don't forget the Indians, Tata Motors, owns Range Rover and Jaguar now.

 

[warmpancakes]

AFRICA will be the next cheap labor pool west africa mostly

 

[ImportTuner]

I beg to differ on Japan. Post WWII,Germany and Japan have both turned out pretty good stuff. The British saying "Jap ****" has never been true. Japanese stuff is good.

Controversial on here I know but just my opinion

You must not have been around in the late 50's, 60's and early 70's. Every Japanese tool I own broke doing light mechanic work. I was young and didn't learn about quality tools until later.

 

[Tlag]

Quality can happen anywhere, as can ****.

I've had some pretty crappy made in USA tools. I still have the first set of combo wrenches I ever bought, made in India, and they've served me well. I now have many wrenches made in the USA that are nicer and I like using them, but the India wrenches are still going strong too.

Sometimes stuff looks good but is junk. Sometimes its not pretty, but works and lasts.

Good design, materials and workmanship don't know one side of a boarder from another.

Price is no guarantee of quality, but in my experience it is usually a better starting point than COO in predicting quality.

I'm all for buying local, and supporting workers in my town and my country, but that isn't about quality, its about supporting my local businesses and economy.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

Can you even get made in Japan electronics anymore?

In Japan you can... I WISH we could get new Japan COO electronics... I've spent more time than I should tracking down vintage denon/nakamichi/Adcom/etc... w/ Japan COO - the new stuff made in China just isn't the same (not the fault of the poor line worker in China, just cheaper materials and lower grade engineering finish work)

Japan's biggest problem over the years was Steel quality, they figured it out though. Germany never had a problem other than having to rebuild their country.

Geodre has had manufacturing in India for decades, tools are ok, not as good as the German counterpart though. You will see India made Heyco and Geodre tools in MB, Volvo, VWAG and BMW tool kits, not intended for daily use.

 

[JohnFreeman]

Add Vietnam to the mix.

China is as expensive as Mexico is,and climbing fast. India is less than half the cost of labor than either of those

 

[JohnFreeman]

Japanese craftsmanship has always been very good.

As a kid growing up in the 60s and 70s, Made in Japan was a standard joke much like Harbor Freight is/was. In fact much of what was shipped here was ****. Substandard materials, lousy machining and fit and finish.

Obviously that began to change about the mid 70s thanks to Dr Deming and experience of hard knocks.

None of those countries (Mexico, China, India) have anything resembling the EPA , OSHA or the Labor Department to deal with . Mexico and China pay roughly 1/4th for labor costs, 1/10th US labor costs are the norm still in India.

Interestingly, China went from cheap (1/10th US) to moderate (1/4th US) in a relatively short period of time....~4-5 yrs. Capitalism works, even in a Commie country.

John

 

[jeffk14]

Indian pickups and SUVs coming to a dealer near you around the end of this year....The US importer's headquarters are about 5 miles from my house.

www.mahindrana.com

Haha, I've been on the contact list for over a year to test drive one of those smallish diesel pickups when (if) they ever get here.

 

[some zilch]

my kubota tractor would beg to differ on the notion that japanese stuff is junk. it has been an absolute bulletproof, dependable, well made machine. kubota equipment is top-of-the-line stuff, and kunota engines are used in everything these days.

indian mahindra is also good stuff, just very basic/utilitarian.