Searz strikes again....
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dsmnickk90
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This might actually be a good thing. Its putting a spotlight on sears importing most of its tools. Hopefully no that everyone has that information they will start looking at the package and sales will suffer and force them to bring their line back to the US. If only Sears put the money in their real hand tools that they dd their gimmicky hand and power tools they could still be providing quality US made tools at a affordable price.
dsmnickk90
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Think about it how many ppl that don't know much about tools walked threw sears and bout that instead of buying it off the TV ad. Small companies can't compete with sears.
4x4gearhead
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When you think about how many do it yourselfers would look at that tool and say "hey I could use that!" then look at the price difference and the similarity of the two tools and their price and sport for the cheaper of the two.
vssjim
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The lawyers will stall him off in an attempt to make him go belly up. Apex tool group only made what the customer wanted. Don't see the Bain capital conection to the story as that sounds too much like an axe to grind for the story writer insted of keeping the story line on track please. Most of these multi national companies are taking order based on price not quality and it is up to customes to make choices on what they should really care about. Most of the time I but American and really like seeing people like the Loggerhead guy invent and sell things made here based on his beliefs but when you go to these big retailers you got to know they are sharks at best.
I wish more people would fight the cases. The big Companies know that they can keep it ******* in court and the little guy cant afford that. More lawyers have started working these cases on contengency just for this reason.
We had to sue Challenger a couple of years ago because they copied one of our patents and started producing it in China. We at SVI try to keep everything local and made in the USA.
We had to sue Challenger a couple of years ago because they copied one of our patents and started producing it in China. We at SVI try to keep everything local and made in the USA.
Here's a link to the company that actually makes them: Penn United Technologies
A 550+ employee company. Nowhere near the size of Apex and Sears, but certainly not a mom and pop operation. I think they have a case, the Cman is an obvious copy, but I think they're flat out lying about the jobs to bolster their case and attempt to rally people against the Evil Big Corporationy Corporations™
dsmnickk90
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I'd still say 550 employees is small for a manufacturing company. If sears really wanted to sell it I dont under stand why they just didnt try buying the rights to it or making some kind of partnership.
JASTECH
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SVI, Glad you sued, did you win? Didn't know you existed so I bookmarked you.
kngelv
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You have absolutely no justification to accuse them of lying. 31 people could easily be one shift on the assembly line that makes the tool. If orders are down, layoffs usually follow.
James
JASTECH
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Just thinking, with Bain behind all that mess along with many other USA patent infringments that we may not be privy too, Mitt Romney owning the company, if he would have been elected to run our country ? ouch!
bcradio
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Bain Capital is not mentioned in this article at all... stop bringing that **** up!
dsmnickk90
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It did mention Bain Capital buying apex the supplier of the tool for 1.6 billion
bcradio
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Ah my mistake... thanks for pointing that out... Ha ha please disavow all knowledge of my previous comment.
Dieselbutterfly
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Thats enough,**** sears.THEY WILL NOT GET A PENNY MORE OF MY MONEY,EVER.
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Dieselbutterfly
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I understand the great dumbed down masses not caring,but we need to add a petition form to this site,or something.If the people who use tools for work everyday dont stand together we are done anyway.If you or I invented that tool we would hope that ALL the people who post with so much emotion about coo would at least stand with US.I know we are going down the toilet but I dont want to be one of the people who has his hand on the flush lever!
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Yeap, the last time I walked into a Sears was to get to the movie theater on the other side of the mall!
LB-1911
ALLIANCE MEMBER
"The project manager at the company that manufacturers Bionic Wrenches said that the company had to lay off 31 employees because Sears has not placed any new orders for them."
Source @
http://www.humanresourcesjournal.co...factured-in-china-and-sold-cheaply-back-home/
Super Scout
Well-known member
Just read the article, when I get home I am ordering a Bionic Wrench simply because.
klean63
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Mr. Brown and Sears do have an agreement that the Bionic Wrench be sold exclusivley at Sears. Thats a big part if the issue here, Sears saw how good the wrench was selling then had it knocked off in China to increase profits.
Since Sears is having them produced off shore now they've reduced orders to the US manufacturer thus the loss of 31 US jobs for a little extra profit.
Copied from this article http://www.humanresourcesjournal.co...factured-in-china-and-sold-cheaply-back-home/
When Sears placed an order for the wrenches and found that they sold well, they placed an order for an additional 75,000 along with the condition that Dan Brown, the wrench’s inventor and promoter, agreed to give them a monopoly and not to sell them to Sears’s competitors, including Home Depot and Lowe’s.
However, much to the manufacturer’s astonishment, Sears shifted from selling the American model to one manufactured in China, with flouting of patent regulations and loss of American jobs, a distinct possibility, and Sears changed stance raises many questions.
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RCStocker
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31 people is a supper small work force. I can see it happening if the company sales drop 20%. That is a no brainer.
Small machine shops can have 60 people if they are running 3 shifts. That is only 20 people for a shift.
The compan can run 24/7 to fill orders but a decline in orders or not have one come through can cause any small business to laying of 10 people per shift. That is not very many.
It is really a very small business.
Sears has pulled this kid of **** for years. I personlay have all thier old tools form 40 years ago. They are great.
Back in 1973 I ordered 2 pair of wing tip shoes form thier catalog. They were a good price and a very good looking shoe. One brown and one black pair. I wore them to Church only and after 6 months they fell apart. Mind you a half day once a week for 6 months.
The damn ****** shoes fell apart and there was newspanper cut out in the form of the foot and it was used for padding between the soul and the inner pad. There was nothing to hold the shoes together but a little edge stitching.
This is a true story. I did not set foot in a Sears store for 30 years other than to replace a tool that I got for next to nothing. Once in a while thay have a sale on cloths before Christmas.
You can get get some good items for $3 or less. Now K mart is running those sales.
With the last batch of **** coming out of China I will never buy another Craftsman/Sears anything. They made good tools for years but I will no longer buy ones to exchange. It is not worth the money even if i pay a quarter for a socket.
There are 101 one stories about Sears like this. They have screwed over the little guy for years.
They little guy want to make money and things doing business with Sears is going to put them on the map. How many tools has Sears come out with through the years that have turned out to be pure ****. Sears is the king of odd usless ****!
To me Sears is the **** store. They charge 5 times more for tractor filters than anyone else.
They are nuts. Their Kitchen items are so over price. They play sales games and nothing is a bargan anymore at Sears
They sold the Sears Tower. The company is a mess.
POX on SEARS
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DARKSCOPE001
Well-known member
I never really liked or wanted the bionic wrench but i might have to get one just because of this. I saw it yesterday on my trip into sears. I thought surely it was made by the same company. but i did notice it was china. and the handles arent offset like the loggerhead. shame to see them do that. is there some kind of copyright infringement? if i was loggerhead i would be taking them to court
dsmnickk90
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Gotcha.
I'm aware of smaller.
For example, Ideal-Tek has a whopping 43. Yet they manufacture some of the best tweezers available, as well as small cutters (electronics, jewelry, laboratory, watchmaking, and beauty fields). Yet they compete with Erem (Apex).
superleggera
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Hopefully Lowe's, Home Depot or Menard's go do a deal with them -- and then publish that fact.
Sometimes I wish a person would create a FB page or standalone website that was dedicated to "Bring back USA-manufactured Craftsman products" (like my father and grandfather have).
I no longer buy Craftsman tools. So much disappointing China made Craftsman cr*p today and the quality isn't there. Cheaper to spend a few dollars more and get a quality product elsewhere.
Sometimes I wish a person would create a FB page or standalone website that was dedicated to "Bring back USA-manufactured Craftsman products" (like my father and grandfather have).
I no longer buy Craftsman tools. So much disappointing China made Craftsman cr*p today and the quality isn't there. Cheaper to spend a few dollars more and get a quality product elsewhere.
5mall5nail5
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That's all I have to add
jeffmoss26
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That just made my day. I have a red swingline stapler sitting next to me.
patent pending
Well-known member
Definitely makes me rethink ever going to Sears again. I hope this guy and his company gets paid... too bad an infringement suit is probably gonna cost $500K at a minimum.
It was a stupid tool. Surprised they're saying it sold so well. A few of my local hardware stores got some when they first came out and they ended up on the 50% off table a few years later.
As far as whats going on, its certainly a low move. But wow there are some hypocrites here. Chinese knock-offs are okay as long as its not an American based company who orders them made i guess.
As far as whats going on, its certainly a low move. But wow there are some hypocrites here. Chinese knock-offs are okay as long as its not an American based company who orders them made i guess.
Dieselbutterfly
Well-known member
I think the problem is stealing,not coo.If you invented something and sears copied and stole it I dont think you would care where sears was having it made.
Chinese companies steal ideas and designs all the time, people still buy the knock-offs and dont give it a second thought. Honestly this is just another reason for people to hate on sears, garagejournals #1 favorite pastime. Not saying sears shouldnt be held accountable but acting all shocked like this is the first time a company has sold a copy of a product is just being incredibly nieve.
zakmartin
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Wow. Just wow. Sears has officially lost me as a 30+ year customer.
RivennHewn
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Another reason to not set foot in a Sears.
Times could be tough at PUT, and contracts could be down across the board? I just have a hard time believing this one wrench was the direct cause of 31 people being laid off...
PUT was contracted to make these wrenches... They make other products too. Lying may be a bit harsh of an accusation, embellishing the truth maybe?
kiatech
Well-known member
I really want to see someone use one of those damn things.
Tanshanomi
Well-known member
My employer lost a spot on Wal-Mart shelves to a Chinese knock-off and did indeed have to lay off employees. (We also discovered that in the long term we were better off without Wal-Mart's BS.)
Over 1.5 million sold...to women who think its a great Father's Day gift. I would respond to that gift with something along the lines of "dammit"