Matco=Craftsman.. WTF?

[wilbilt]

If you look at the Craftsman 8-piece reversible set, it says "Made in USA" at the bottom of the tray. No serious company can afford to play games with that- ask Stanley. They got a beatdown from the FTC back in the 90's for playing fast and loose with the 'Made in USA' requirements.

In order to make the "Made in USA" claim, the item can contain only "negligible" foreign components. I have heard (no facts to back it up) that the ratcheting mechanisms are made in Taiwan. The ratcheting mechanism can hardly be called "negligible", since it is the core component that makes a Gearwrench what it is.

I don't know. I would really like to believe it, but...?

Should I gather from your response that all tools purchased by the US military must be of domestic origin? That's great, but what about subcontractors? With more and more military operations being outsourced (i.e., the PAVE PAWS early warning radar arrays are operated by contractors) what is the actual effect of any such regulation?

Do military contractors such as E G & G have to comply with the "Made in USA" requirement?

 

[ColdDuckTime]

Should I gather from your response that all tools purchased by the US military must be of domestic origin? That's great, but what about subcontractors? ?

I'm still trying to figure out how they would buy a television or a PC.

 

[chad s]

I'm still trying to figure out how they would buy a television

They only but RCA-Victor consoles, and Philco Predictas, they are all USA made televisions. Who needs color?

 

[reversegear]

In order to make the "Made in USA" claim, the item can contain only "negligible" foreign components. I have heard (no facts to back it up) that the ratcheting mechanisms are made in Taiwan. The ratcheting mechanism can hardly be called "negligible", since it is the core component that makes a Gearwrench what it is.

You know, I've heard the exact same thing. The 'ratcheting mechanism' is the metal-injection pawl, and they allegedly import them from Taiwan and stick them in their US manufactured tools. If anybody ever comes across any documentation that supports this, send me a PM...

Should I gather from your response that all tools purchased by the US military must be of domestic origin? That's great, but what about subcontractors? With more and more military operations being outsourced (i.e., the PAVE PAWS early warning radar arrays are operated by contractors) what is the actual effect of any such regulation?

Do military contractors such as E G & G have to comply with the "Made in USA" requirement?

As I understand it, the military cannot buy an imported product if there is an equivalent Made in USA product available. I don't know how the military procurement guys define "Made in USA", or how that differs from federal regulations.

 

[TNToy]

Everything said is true except the part about warranty, if you do not wrench in a shop on the route, good luck getting that warranty, least that has been my experience. The only way I get great warranty service is to have my mechanic neighbor down the street turn mine in for repair/replacement! So sad when you consider the price originally paid for most of these tools. I love S/O tools but the warranty *****! (I put some popcorn on and have a cold one waiting for you, come on in and have a seat!)

You can put the popcorn away.

I love Snappy and Matco (I actually have more Matco than anything else)... But there's no way I'd be buying them if I wasn't a full-time tech they catered to.

Most of the reason we're willing to pay $$$ is because we can always warranty it, no matter HOW it was abused. And we don't have to use the whole lunch break to drive across town to a Sears store.

If I was still a recreational wrench turner, the only Snap-On you'd see would be the tools my Grandfather gave me when he retired. The rest would be Pittsburgh, Craftsman, and Craftsman Pro.

 

[wilbilt]

You know, I've heard the exact same thing. The 'ratcheting mechanism' is the metal-injection pawl, and they allegedly import them from Taiwan and stick them in their US manufactured tools. If anybody ever comes across any documentation that supports this, send me a PM...

I see the Armstrong versions also say "USA" on them. I agree, it would be interesting to know the rest of the story. I don't see how the ratchet could be considered "negligible".