Master Force India

[bob from indiana]

At Menards today I picked up a 1/2 combination wrench for a just in case car kit. When I got home I noticed it was made in India. My other Masterforce wrenches were made in China.

I also picked up a 1/4 drive 10mm socket and it was made in Vietnam. These were just for car kits. I will look for higher quality at Harbor Freight next time. At least they were low cost and hopefully good enough for rare usage .

 

[zendriver]

Some of Harbor freight cheap wrenches are made in India as well

 

[four.cycle]

One out of five people on the planet lives on the Indian sub-continent.

(do the math)

It should be considered a given that at some point, India will become a major player in the tool industry.

 

[finn]

Interesting. Next time I’m at Menards, I think I’ll pick some up, just to try them.

I agree with FourCycle, that as wages rise in China, production will eventually shift to India and then, eventually Africa.

Look at Textiles. Production went from England to the Northeastern US, then the South, Then the Pacific Rim, and now India.

Steel did roughly the same thing. No reason to think tools and consumer goods won’t follow

 

[liliysdad]

That’s gonna be a hard hard pass for me.

 

[four.cycle]

as wages rise in China, production will eventually shift to India and then, eventually Africa.

exactly. just the way of it.
ain't no stoppin' this train.

 

[zendriver]

A combination wrench is such a difficult thing to make. It’s hard to imagine that they could do something like that in India

They might be using the exact same equipment snap on used to make combination wrenches 50 years ago

 

[four.cycle]

I think you would be very surprised to see what your browser shows when you type "wrench manufacturing in India" into a Google search window.

top wrench manufacturers in India

 

[finn]

The tools have the ANCI approval tag on them, so that’s a start. Chrome looks nice in the picture.

There is still a large group here that can’t accept the fact that China can make serviceable hand and power tools.

They’re going to go into cardiac arrest on this one.

 

[zendriver]

It’s not like India is one of the largest steel producers in the world, or anything

 

[Etchase]

India has the best iron ore. India has made export tools for over 50 years. Husky and other brand wrenches have been produced in India for several years. I bought a couple sets. I was very impressed with the polish and plating. Clearance on the open end was 0.006 inches max on both sets. I also have a Taparia adjustable that’s great. They have been making them for 50 years. I wouldn’t discount India as a premier manufacturer.

 

[Etchase]

A combination wrench is such a difficult thing to make. It’s hard to imagine that they could do something like that in India

They might be using the exact same equipment snap on used to make combination wrenches 50 years ago

Snap on is probably still using it!

 

[strength_and_power]

It’s not like India is one of the largest steel producers in the world, or anything

All the steel from the ships they break up on the beach has to go somewhere.

 

[four.cycle]

updated list just uploaded - includes new entries for "INDIA" - I doubt I got all of them, but I got a few.

 

[purplezr2]

Best things are made in India.... I'm was conceived there, raise in the US though. Made in the USA of global components then...?

 

[DAustin]

I've got some old Gedore made in India wrenches in my junkyard tool bag, and they seem to do the job. I've never broke one and they seem to fit well.

 

[CoThG]

Some John Deere tractors are made in India...

 

[milky2k]

That 1/2 wrench doesn't look bad. A while back O'reilly's PowerTorque wrenches also started to be made in India and they finish looks quite poor. I don't blame the Indian manufacturer. When a retailer wants a supplier to provide cheaper tools (for more profit) costs have to be cut somewhere so maybe the step that makes a wrench look nice gets cut, or maybe the country of manufacture changes because labor is cheaper there. If the retailer had some agreement that the quality and finish remains the same then they are not holding the manufacturer to the agreement. This is more of a management issue with the retailer, in my opinion. More manufacturing will eventually move to countries where labor is cheaper. One day we will look back and have fond memories of when our tools were made in China.

 

[Steve_P]

India produces some iPhones. If you can build a smart phone, you can certainly make a wrench or socket if whoever is buying it demands acceptable, or better, quality. China knows production of lower cost items will move to India, etc, so they are moving on to higher margin items like passenger planes, cars, humanoid robots....

Labor cost in China is something like $6/hr last I checked. This is why production for low margin items (wrenches, sockets....) is moving out of China and into lower cost producers like Vietnam, Cambodia, and India.

 

[Steve_P]

That 1/2 wrench doesn't look bad. A while back O'reilly's PowerTorque wrenches also started to be made in India and they finish looks quite poor. I don't blame the Indian manufacturer. When a retailer wants a supplier to provide cheaper tools (for more profit) costs have to be cut somewhere so maybe the step that makes a wrench look nice gets cut, or maybe the country of manufacture changes because labor is cheaper there. If the retailer had some agreement that the quality and finish remains the same then they are not holding the manufacturer to the agreement. This is more of a management issue with the retailer, in my opinion. More manufacturing will eventually move to countries where labor is cheaper. One day we will look back and have fond memories of when our tools were made in China.

Right. In the early 70s, Made in Japan was a joke in the US. In the 80s, made in Taiwan was a joke. Now we worship both countries as quality manufacturing centers. Taiwan went from being a joke to manufacturing the most advanced semiconductors in the world. Same with South Korea being an advanced manufacturer of computer chips, cars, massive ships...

 

[Steve_P]

I've got some old Gedore made in India wrenches in my junkyard tool bag, and they seem to do the job. I've never broke one and they seem to fit well.

I have a set of those without the Gedore stamping. But they appear the same. I bought them in the early 1990s and while pretty crudely finished, they worked just fine for me for 10+ years when that's what I could afford.

 

[3baygarage]

It appears India tools are looking better while Masterforce tools are looking worse, all in one post!

just kidding just kidding. Enjoy your new wrenches. They used to be USA Craftsman, etc. clones

 

[neophyte]

It’s not like India is one of the largest steel producers in the world, or anything

One of the youtube tool testing channels tested wrenches, and one wrench that was made in India, if I recall correctly, had apparently never been put thru a hardening and tempering process, judging by a hardness test done on the wrench.
Gedore at one point tried making wrenches in India, and gave up, and the Indian manufacturer continued on as Everest Tools.
The Indian made Gedore wrenches sort of soured US buyers on the Gedore brand for decades.

Indian made files might be OK, but the major file manufacturers in the USA and France shut down, so there’s not much choice left in affordable quality files.

 

[finn]

One of the youtube tool testing channels tested wrenches, and one wrench that was made in India, if I recall correctly, had apparently never been put thru a hardening and tempering process, judging by a hardness test done on the wrench.
Gedore at one point tried making wrenches in India, and gave up, and the Indian manufacturer continued on as Everest Tools.
The Indian made Gedore wrenches sort of soured US buyers on the Gedore brand for decades.

Indian made files might be OK, but the major file manufacturers in the USA and France shut down, so there’s not much choice left in affordable quality files.

Based on the Japanese wrenches I had in the mid 1950s, one would have concluded that the Japanese were incapable of making wrenches.

Same for my friends early Subaru. They’re certainly incapable of making an automobile that doesn’t rust thr in two winters.

Things change.

 

[Jtels85]

You’d be surprised how many brick and mortar store brand wrenches are made in India. Power Torque at O’Reilly’s… even the Craftsman raised panel wrenches at Lowe’s.

 

[finn]

The ANCI certification is similar to the ALI stamp for vehicle lifts, I guess. As long as they have that cert, they meet some minimum standard and are probably ok for 99% of the things a wrench is suppose to do.

It’s not going to be best in class because it is certified, but serviceable at least.

Come to think of it, I think the 10mm combination wrench I picked up at Menards last fall to replace another mia 10 mm may have been from India.

 

[Snip's]

As far as I'm concerned they are a master force at making Chicken Tikka Masala with garlic Naan...

 

[four.cycle]

. Power Torque at O’Reilly’s…

Do you have examples of "Power Torque" products that are marked "Made in India"?
Thus far all the "Power Torque" that I've seen coming out of O'Reilly's is all from Taiwan.

Ozark / Ozark Automotive Distributors, 233 S. Patterson, PO Box 1156, Springfield, MO 65801 / O'Reilly Auto Parts / https://www.oreillyauto.com/ / est. 1957 / distributors of "Power Torque" tools manufactured in Taiwan (ROC) / TM 85981234 Apr 8 2014 first use Jun 17 2013 "Power Torque" / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...s-now-so-lets-talk-about-power-torque.287913/ /

I would not at all be surprised if they were outsourcing from India - there is certainly no shortage of manufacturers up to the task - but I haven't seen any yet marked "India".

 

[mngundog]

MasterForce made in Taiwan

 

[four.cycle]

"MasterForce" is clearly a house brand of Menards, Inc.
It should come as no surprise that their products would be outsourced from different countries - manufacturing and labor costs in Asia are changing rapidly - they're most likely outsourcing product from Taiwan (ROC), China (PRC), Vietnam, India, as well as other countries.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

I’d be surprised if manufacturing in India did not evolve from what it was years and years ago. And while there might still be a long road ahead, look where the Chinese are today vs. 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago - and what their plans are in regard to utilizing Africa for “cheap labor“/ kind of as their “dirty workbench” and how far that has already progressed. …

Additionally, as is always the case, there are different tiers of companies/manufacturers, you can bring in oversight/ QC/QA and if you’re not squeezing them out for the last penny you will receive a usable product.

I have no doubt in 10 to 15 years from now “Made in India” will be as common as “Made in China” already is today. And looking even further down the road we’ll see that African countries/states will emerge on certain products.

No one is going to halt that.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[Jtels85]

Do you have examples of "Power Torque" products that are marked "Made in India"?
Thus far all the "Power Torque" that I've seen coming out of O'Reilly's is all from Taiwan.

Ozark / Ozark Automotive Distributors, 233 S. Patterson, PO Box 1156, Springfield, MO 65801 / O'Reilly Auto Parts / https://www.oreillyauto.com/ / est. 1957 / distributors of "Power Torque" tools manufactured in Taiwan (ROC) / TM 85981234 Apr 8 2014 first use Jun 17 2013 "Power Torque" / https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...s-now-so-lets-talk-about-power-torque.287913/ /

I would not at all be surprised if they were outsourcing from India - there is certainly no shortage of manufacturers up to the task - but I haven't seen any yet marked "India".

I do not have any examples, but if you go to the store… the wrenches have been Indian for several years. Even the ones for sale on eBay say India on the package.

 

[L.Cheapo]

India produces some iPhones. If you can build a smart phone, you can certainly make a wrench or socket if whoever is buying it demands acceptable, or better, quality. China knows production of lower cost items will move to India, etc, so they are moving on to higher margin items like passenger planes, cars, humanoid robots....

Labor cost in China is something like $6/hr last I checked. This is why production for low margin items (wrenches, sockets....) is moving out of China and into lower cost producers like Vietnam, Cambodia, and India.

I've never understood this line of thinking.

Just because one or two or even ten thousand companies in a given country are making quality products doesn't mean all companies in that country are making everything to that standard. Or any standard at all.

 

[zendriver]

One of the youtube tool testing channels tested wrenches, and one wrench that was made in India, if I recall correctly, had apparently never been put thru a hardening and tempering process, judging by a hardness test done on the wrench.
Gedore at one point tried making wrenches in India, and gave up, and the Indian manufacturer continued on as Everest Tools.
The Indian made Gedore wrenches sort of soured US buyers on the Gedore brand for decades.

Indian made files might be OK, but the major file manufacturers in the USA and France shut down, so there’s not much choice left in affordable quality files.

That was a while ago, right?

They have a space program and build their own nuclear weapons, so it should be safe to assume they are familiar with alloys, tolerances, heat treating and other aspects of working with metals.

Whether or not any of that translate to retail metal products, probably depends on whose paying and how much.

I purchased some India made HF sets of combo wrenches as stockings stuffers for the boys. Maybe they worked ok but they looked pretty cheezy, but then a set was $10 bucks.

 

[zendriver]

I've never understood this line of thinking.

Just because one or two or even ten thousand companies in a given country are making quality products doesn't mean all companies in that country are making everything to that standard. Or any standard at all.

No different that most other developed countries.

Money talks.

 

[dscheidt]

"MasterForce" is clearly a house brand of Menards, Inc.
It should come as no surprise that their products would be outsourced from different countries - manufacturing and labor costs in Asia are changing rapidly - they're most likely outsourcing product from Taiwan (ROC), China (PRC), Vietnam, India, as well as other countries.

Masterforce mechanics tools have been made by apex/gearwrench for a long time. Used to be USA made armstrong stuff, now it's imported from where ever Apex thinks is best. It's basically the same as all the other brands selling the exact same apex-sourced stuff. They're good about warranty replacements, but the tools are all same everywhere.

 

[rooster59]

You can’t see the heat treat, but that’s been where Made in India has been questionable.

 

[Beerhippie]

C'mon, folks! India was making steel while Europe was still casting bronze tools and weapons. Woot steel made some of the finest weapons in the world for a long, long time. It was the original Damascus Steel. India makes nuclear reactors and weapons. India has a successful space program.

You don't think they can make a decent end wrench?

When I turned 16 back in the dim ages of the world (color hadn't made it to TVs yet), my father bought me a tool set so I could wrench on my own rigs. Most of them were made in India. I still have a few and they've given good service for over fifty years of wrenching.

Of course, any country is still capable of producing cheap ****... including the US. Our junk tools are just more expensive.

 

[cody1325]

I'm pretty sure most store brand wrenches are India these days.

Back when Lowe's was blowing out the open stock Craftsman and Kobalt--I had a mix of Taiwan, India, and China between the standard and ratcheting wrenches of those two brands I got--with quite a few of the standard wrenches being India. I think most of the ones on the shelves are India now.

That being said, a lot of big names in heavy equipment tires are Indian companies--BKT and CEAT. ArcelorMittal is a pretty big employer in my neck of the woods.

 

[liliysdad]

I'm pretty sure most store brand wrenches are India these days.

If you don’t buy that stuff it’s not an issue.