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Snap On Stuff made in Korea?

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85camaro

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I'm sorry if this subject has been beaten to death, I've not noticed before where anything SO was made in Korea on this site or any other.

I guess I need to search better before posting.

Thanks

Don't apologize. If you have a question, then ask it. Who gives a flying fart if somebody else thinks it's been beaten to death or not.

That's what this forum is for.
 

Ed_EOD

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Its flatly idiotic to pay $65 for a foreign test light. If you don't see why it's crazy to pay a Snap-On price for $0.50 worth of material that *could* have been manufactured here, by all means, spend freely within the global economy.

I would venture to say the HF version is made right down the street.

I never said I would spend that on a test light. I also wouldn't spend that much on a US made one either. I try to buy made in USA as much as possible, but if I can't get that, Korea would still make me happy. Korea is NOT China, and if by "up the street" you mean the same continent, you would be correct.


I actually would like to have a test light, so if you know of one that is US made, I'm all ears. Otherwise it's going to be the a used SO when one comes along.
 

Ed_EOD

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The stuff found at Costco and other places is Snap-on's name whored out to an importer to make a few easy bucks. You can't even buy that junk from a SO dealer.

There was another thread recently where the downfalls of that were discussed.
 

diesel research

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Does Snap On have factories in the PROC? I'm guessing they're whores now!

I posted the list of global/stateside manufacturing plants. The countries of Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Mexico are not on that list.

What does this mean? They are either under 50,000ft (not so likely) or the parts are contracted out to 3rd party manufacturer (likely) China being the only plants listed in all of asia, having 2 plants.

Kunshan, China
Xiaoshan, China

The gloves you found are not affiliated as others mentioned. They are "officially licensed" products from other manufacturers. Alltrade makes most of the licensed stuff.

http://www.alltradetools.com/catalog/5_snap-on
 
OP
M

Mmfh

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I understand you guys saying that made in Korea isn't that bad and they would use the product with no worries.

That's fine and dandy, but I love Snap On tools and have since I was a little kid, we are not saying how long ago that was. I still see the high price you would expect to see from the tool truck, but people in this country are not getting any of it.

Actually I would never pay the $65 for it anyway, that just doesn't seem right. If SO is going to charge the big prices, and I'm going to pay them, I'd like to think that my money made in this country, is going to stay in this country.

South Korea maybe our friends, but I don't know anybody over there!

Mm
 

Elroy

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My Blue-Point multimeter is made in S.Korea.

Elroy will see your Korea and raise you a China

L1000870.jpg
 

tyndall

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That's fine and dandy, but I love Snap On tools and have since I was a little kid, we are not saying how long ago that was. I still see the high price you would expect to see from the tool truck, but people in this country are not getting any of it.

If SO is going to charge the big prices, and I'm going to pay them, I'd like to think that my money made in this country, is going to stay in this country.
Ugh. :wtf:

The factory in Asia probably got $2 for making it. The foreign owned shipping company might have made another $2 to get it here. Just where do you think the other $61 went? A lot of US workers got paid getting the tool to you.

Even companies that make all their tools in the US will be spending customer money on computers and pencils from china and using gas from the middle east to ship the products. Having every dollar of your money stay in the US is impossible.

The people on here waving the flag telling others to buy used US made if they can't afford new are hurting the economy they say they are trying to protect. Sure, buy used and americans from office workers to truck drivers get nothing. That is, until the person you bought from takes your money to Walmart and buys a toaster from china. People ignore the fact that even Harbor Freight is employing people and keeping the majority of the money here. But I guess these kind of people think that if we can't have manufacturing jobs then nobody should have a job.
 

billymade

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dsgbravesm you said: I have a snap-on test light and the cord on it has fallen apart. snap-on wont warranty it. id look elsewhere.
I have two old test lights that had problems and my dealer wouldn't warranty them; I sent them into snapon and they sent me brand new ones, free of charge. Email or call or send them into snapon corporate; they will warranty them for you. If you email them; they will most likely send you a prepaid label to send them in, for free; good luck! :)
 

mudflap

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Don't think that's a very fair statement to be honest, you're calling me a snob when you don't know me!

Snap on make some really good tools. They make some average ones too but there's some tools made by snap on without which my working life would be a misery! Having tried the rest when a specific tool works and doesn't break you start to understand.

I prefer various tools in various makes, for example I like the fine facom ratchets, they have a smaller head size than snap on ones too. But there's a lot of stuff that just won't do in any other make.. Their gold finish hex and torx bits are a prime example. You see a pic and price for their pliers and convince yourself to buy another brand, when you finally try them you see world leading jaw grip and understand

It's usually DIY'ers that slate snap on. Anyone in the trade that relies on their tools for a living will generally tell a different story.
Its not going to be the diy,ers that "slate" snap on, its going to be the people who had cosidered their tools to be an investment, now they are watching their investment being dragged thru horse poop ,on the way to china. They should just call it quits, go out with the snap on name and reputation in tact.
 

diesel research

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Its not going to be the diy,ers that "slate" snap on, its going to be the people who had cosidered their tools to be an investment, now they are watching their investment being dragged thru horse poop ,on the way to china. They should just call it quits, go out with the snap on name and reputation in tact.

Which tool used to be made in north america and switched to china? Specific names please.
 
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diesel research

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Dont know, but thats not the point.

Its not going to be the diy,ers that "slate" snap on, its going to be the people who had cosidered their tools to be an investment, now they are watching their investment being dragged thru horse poop ,on the way to china. They should just call it quits, go out with the snap on name and reputation in tact.

It certainly is the point. Before you can make the claim "watched their investment be dragged through horse poop on the way to china" we need to establish if they are switching production on items, or is it just some new item that was never available in the united states in the first place? Or was it made by a 3rd party and that 3rd party moved overseas?

There are plenty of things made in the Kunshan and Xiaoshan plants, but are they "new" things or have they been off shored?

Take for instance, the 7.2V cordless stuff. Made in china and not very good at that. (I mean from a power/functionality standpoint, not quality) but then again, it was never made in the USA and none of it's competitors in that class were ever made in the USA, so it wouldn't be worth getting worked up over.
 

mudflap

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It certainly is the point. Before you can make the claim "watched their investment be dragged through horse poop on the way to china" we need to establish if they are switching production on items, or is it just some new item that was never available in the united states in the first place? Or was it made by a 3rd party and that 3rd party moved overseas?

There are plenty of things made in the Kunshan and Xiaoshan plants, but are they "new" things or have they been off shored?

Take for instance, the 7.2V cordless stuff. Made in china and not very good at that. (I mean from a power/functionality standpoint, not quality) but then again, it was never made in the USA and none of it's competitors in that class were ever made in the USA, so it wouldn't be worth getting worked up over.

The point is, used to be, if a tool was a snap-on, you could assume it was the best you could buy. One can no longer assume that. Thus reducing the the brands worth across the board. The same can be said for a lot of name brands in the last 10yrs, just hate to see snappy go down that road.
 

KraftwerkMk1Jetta

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The point is, used to be, if a tool was a snap-on, you could assume it was the best you could buy. One can no longer assume that. Thus reducing the the brands worth across the board. The same can be said for a lot of name brands in the last 10yrs, just hate to see snappy go down that road.

so you're saying having anything made in china taints the quality of the entire brands catalog, even if the majority of it is USA made? That's a stretch. I guess my Snap On wrenchs and sockets are garbage. Dumb dumb me for buying them :monkey_po
 

diesel research

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The point is, used to be, if a tool was a snap-on, you could assume it was the best you could buy. One can no longer assume that. Thus reducing the the brands worth across the board. The same can be said for a lot of name brands in the last 10yrs, just hate to see snappy go down that road.

I agree they are not all the best you can buy, but that has no bearing on COO in many cases. Especially with my specific mention of a chinese made snap on tool (the cordless 1/4 hex impact) The best you can buy (as far as I am aware) also comes from china, only because no one made one in the US.

You could have valid complaints about foreign COO tools, but so far they are for all the wrong reasons. Can't call foreign inferior quality simply due to COO if no onshore version exists, and can't call it if you don't know which tools are even offshored in the 1st place. Also can't claim they are "going down that road" or "dragging their name through the dirt" as far as COO goes, until the tools are identified. If the specific tool has always sucked since initial release, that's not the same....
 

Ed_EOD

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The point is, used to be, if a tool was a snap-on, you could assume it was the best you could buy. One can no longer assume that. Thus reducing the the brands worth across the board. The same can be said for a lot of name brands in the last 10yrs, just hate to see snappy go down that road.

Not saying it is, but why isn't this the best test light you can buy? I wish it was made in the USA, but no one makes them here anymore.
 

mudflap

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I guess we will just have to disagree on wether or not the outsourcing, and putting their name on foreign junk has hurt the brand, and the big shots at snap-on have chosen to take that gamble.
 
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diesel research

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I guess we will just have to disagree on wether or not the outsourcing, and putting their name on forign junk has hurt the brand, and the big shots at snap-on have chosen to take that gamble.

We wouldn't have to if you could provide a source where something was "outsourced" that was originally made here. Of course, some quick sales numbers or stock quotes could confirm or deny that.

An example of "foreign junk" might be them moving their foreign KRA toolbox production back to the USA this year?
 

Ed_EOD

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With a signature like that, there isn't any reason to discuss this with Mudflap anymore. A rational conversation is out the window.
 

Elroy

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Elroy would point out that in the case of these "tap sockets" :


Elroy will see your Korea and raise you a China

That exact duplicates simply labeled as Irwin, were available at the time of purchase. Identical in every way only at higher cost and laser marked accordingly.

Tells Elroy that the true source of these specialized tools is striving to enter a lucrative US Market. Who better to represent you than long established names like Irwin and Slap-on with both of these distributors having little if any input on the manufacturing location as they are only acting as distributors of a patent protected item. Dare Elroy say, a case of US law protecting a foreign manufacturer.

The problem comes in when Chinese back rooms produce pirated US items
 

mudflap

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adjustable wrenches/locking pliers/ allen wrenches/ cylinder hones /tubing benders, and i dont know what all else, i bought most of my snap-on stuff back in the late 80's. But those items were all Made in USA, now made somewhere else.
 

V70R

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Recently purchased a Blue Point hone, clearly made in the USA. Stamped USA, stones are manufactured in the USA, and all replacement grit stones too. Good Lord these topics bring out some interesting people.
 

redwrench60

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I guess we will just have to disagree on wether or not the outsourcing, and putting their name on foreign junk has hurt the brand, and the big shots at snap-on have chosen to take that gamble.

I know you are just miffed at the company you feel is slipping, we all feel some frustration with this. All those Snap On tools in your box you've had for years, I know you have some, they're still good! Throw it in neutral and relax a little:beer:
 

mudflap

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I know you are just miffed at the company you feel is slipping, we all feel some frustration with this. All those Snap On tools in your box you've had for years, I know you have some, they're still good! Throw it in neutral and relax a little:beer:

LOL.... I think your right, i just need to get over it. It dosn,t seem to bother the younger guys at the shop, they dont care where anything is made.
 

impactims

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Sorry, but I'm not paying a premium U.S. price for Korean ****-On. Sure, they have fantastic facilities and modern industry, but sorry, I prefer to give my dollars stateside, especially when I'm paying a premium.

Uhhhh, how much of that "premium U.S. price" actually goes toward Korea? Very little.

That "premium U.S. price" get spread out to many different people that took part in getting the tool to you, many of which are in America.

Even if the $65 test light were made in America, a decent amount of the $65 ends up going towards other countries outside of the U.S.A. anyways for one reason or another.

Wake up........the economy is GLOBAL no matter what. There is no way to keep all the money in America.
 

mudflap

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Uhhhh, how much of that "premium U.S. price" actually goes toward Korea? Very little.

That "premium U.S. price" get spread out to many different people that took part in getting the tool to you, many of which are in America.

Even if the $65 test light were made in America, a decent amount of the $65 ends up going towards other countries outside of the U.S.A. anyways for one reason or another.

Wake up........the economy is GLOBAL no matter what. There is no way to keep all the money in America.

What u speak is true, and our snappy driver is preaching the same (its a global economy) and (you will see more and more china stuff on the truck, but it will be manufactured to SNAP-ON standards) Look at HONDA / TOYOTA / ETC , they provide hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs for Americans. And to be honest, the foreign tools are getting better, especially the stuff from taiwan. I guess made in USA hand tools, being one of the last things to go-- old farts like me are not dealing with it so well.
 

WHT

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We don't ***** about it because we all know it's not true.

A fleur de lis is not a French flag, nor does it appear on the French flag.

This is the Corvette emblem:

vette_logo.jpg

C5

I can see how one might be confused by the incredible similarities, but I assure you, they're quite different.

:thumbup:

And, the emblem changes depending on which Corvette you own:

gb155.jpg

C6 :beer:
 

redwrench60

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LOL.... I think your right, i just need to get over it. It dosn,t seem to bother the younger guys at the shop, they dont care where anything is made.

Well.....maybe not get over it, just slow burn or "condition orange" as I like to call it. Look at it this way, at least when you buy Snap on the majority of the profits stay in as George W. says "Amerrr-ica". I still think for my go to hand tools like wrenches, ratchets, sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, ect. Snap On is still among the best.
 
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