Sockets not made in China?

[kythri]

The official position of the US government for many years has been that the People's Republic of China (PRC, mainland China) and the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) are one and the same country. (Google 'one China policy'.) I think it's a safe bet that most sockets sold in the US are made on the Chinese mainland or on the island of Taiwan.

Digressing a bit, but, it's not as concrete as you suggest.

The only "official" position that the US holds in regards to "One-China" is that it's has acknowledged either sides claims to the other (and their own "One-China" positions), but it has not recognized either side's claims.

Certainly not an official policy that considers them the same nation. The US hasn't recognized Taiwan as a sovereign nation, but hasn't officially disputed them, either.

As it relates to tools, however, "Made in China" and "Made in Taiwan" are two totally different things. Tools made in Taiwan are most certainly not made in China.

 

[VH5150]

For what it's worth, I don't think most of the Taiwan sockets are any worse than USA stuff. Notice I said "most." I get it that there will be outliers in what I just said, but for most of us weekend warriors / shade-tree mechanics, the Taiwan stuff works great. Here are my recommendations (stuff that I use and have never had problems with: Pittsburgh Pro (ratchets/sockets), Tekton (stubby wrenches), GearWrench combo wrenches, Carlyle ratcheting wrenches, Kobalt sockets/ratchets.
Having said all of that, here's a confession: I do prefer the USA stuff because I'm in my 40's and for nastalgia's sake, I just like the USA tools. I see it as Patriotic to source USA manufactured stuff. So, I also have USA socket sets, combo wrench sets, and ratchets from Wright, SK, Snap-on, Craftsman, Easco, Proto, Blackhawk, and Armstrong. I'd have a hard time using them for a road kit on a trailer or boat though, simply because of the extra exposure to corrosion and loss/theft. That's just me though. I use my other stuff for that. I have a nice Pittsburgh Pro set in a blow-molded case for my wife's Kia that we take on trips or when we're using it to pull something, and a Duralast set for my Jeep which absolutely no security at all with the soft top on. Those are my 2-cents.