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Klein is/was a legit electrician, linesman, millwright, ironworker, plumber, telecom, HVAC… tool manufacturer.
Kobalt was never that.
Klein may be ruining its reputation, but it is nothing like Kobalt.
Does Kobalt manufacture anything? How are Kobalt and Klein related, other than both being sold at Lowe’s?
Kobalt is a Lowes store brand, that has existed for decades.
Sort of like Craftsman for Sears.
A few decades ago, when Lowes was expanding across the country, some of the Kobalt tools, like dockets and wrenches, were actually made by JH Williams.
Other tools are sometimes made in the USA.
Taiwan seems to be more common a region of manufacture nowadays for Kobalt.
Klein is a legitimate professional tool manufacturer, with multiple manufacturing locations, making pliers, and other hand tools, and even tool bags.
Klein expanded their line up with some outsourced tools, some imported, adding tools they thought their customers would like.
Klein also knows a lot of professional customers buy tools at “Home Centers” and used to have an agreement with Home Depot, so Home Depot was the exclusive big box home center to have Klein tools.
Home Depot switched to Milwaukee hand tools, when Milwaukee came out with their hand yool line, do Klein moved over to Lowes, with a much wider selection of tools.
Some of those tools may be Klein branded tools that Lowes specifically wanted carried under the Klein brand.