Sockets not made in China?

[RAS61]

I'm looking for some good but inexpensive 3/8 sockets to keep on my boat, don't want anything from China, Taiwan or anyplace else is OK, are there any options? Thanks

 

[Fly YX]

SK at http://www.circlecsupply.com

 

[crf450x]

http://bfy.tw/FjHf

 

[californiaHank]

'Inexpensive' US made socket lines are pretty much gone ...

Blackhawk sockets are still US made, although the associated ratchets are now Asian.
Proto sockets are US made, but more expensive.
There are two lines of Williams sockets, one US made, one Asian. The US made sets are more expensive, but still 'moderately priced'.
Wright is US made, but more expensive.
SK is good, but premium priced.

 

[davethorik]

If you have a Menards nearby, see if they have any more Masterforce USA made sockets on the shelf...however, it seems like they are being phased out for import Crescent tools, so it could be a **** shoot.

 

[dawg69]

Did I read correctly that Taiwan made is okay for you? If so, there are many options. Kobalt, Gearwrench (maybe), Tekton, etc. I'm not 100% positive, but some of the better Harbor Freight sockets might even be Taiwan made.

 

[American Locomotive]

'Inexpensive' US made socket lines are pretty much gone ...

Blackhawk sockets are still US made, although the associated ratchets are now Asian.
Proto sockets are US made, but more expensive.
There are two lines of Williams sockets, one US made, one Asian. The US made sets are more expensive, but still 'moderately priced'.
Wright is US made, but more expensive.
SK is good, but premium priced.

I really wouldn't call SK "premium priced". It's more expensive than the Asian stuff but really not bad at all. $180 will get you the 49 piece 3/8' kit, with ratchet, extensions, universal, and palm ratchet.

$180 will only get you an 11 piece socket rail from snap-on...

 

[bob15]

Besides the newer stuff from SK & Wright, have you considered used?

You can get used US-made sockets much cheaper and better than any new import stuff out there. Look for older (70-80's vintage) Bonney, NAPA, KD, Easco, Craftsman, Wright, SK, Snap On, etc. Both my snowmobile & snowmobile trailer and my truck all have older used USA-made socket sets.

 

[shawhite]

What do you consider inexpensive?

Wright, sk, proto, Williams, all us made. Koken, Japan. Hazat or gedore German

What you are looking for does not exist. Even if you find a made in USA set for cheap the quality is going to lack due to the price point. If you want cheap and good quality you will have to look used or old stock.

 

[d.mcfarland]

Williams USA would be one of the better USA made. Honestly, I don't know what you're working on, but the Taiwan sockets aren't any worse than Craftsman USA ... and I use and abuse Craftsman USA.

 

[RAS61]

Did I read correctly that Taiwan made is okay for you? If so, there are many options. Kobalt, Gearwrench (maybe), Tekton, etc. I'm not 100% positive, but some of the better Harbor Freight sockets might even be Taiwan made.

I'd prefer made in USA, but Taiwan would be OK. Kobalt and Gearwrench are now made in China from my research, so they're out.

Since this is not my main go to set and will be in a marine environment I didn't want to spend for SK, Proto, and other quality brands. I was hoping for the old Craftsman quality and price.

 

[American Locomotive]

The better brands have better chrome that will stand up better in marine environments.

 

[shawhite]

I wonder what the price of the USA craftsman would be today accounting for inflation.

 

[jsmeece]

Carlyle I think are made in Taiwan, good sockets and good warranty. Just wait until they are on-sale, otherwise, I think they are too pricey if not on sale.

Toptul sockets are also made in Taiwan, I have several of their wrench sets, which are wonderful, but I do not have any of their sockets, so I cannot comment on the sockets. A member on here sells them, he also has an ebay store, but you can get cheaper (10% discount) straight from him. A few months ago he had a pretty good set of socket for like $100.

 

[bcradio]

Most sockets are not from China, so you should be good.

 

[RAS61]

Looking myself I found Tekton are Taiwan and get good reviews. I also came across a Williams set made in Taiwan that are pretty reasonable, may be the same as Snap On Blue Point

 

[ChrisLS8]

The better brands have better chrome that will stand up better in marine environments.

I would hazard to say that some imports have better chrome due to the lax regulations of chemicals and plating compared to the EPA in the US.

Not all but some

 

[four.cycle]

Besides the newer stuff from SK & Wright, have you considered used?

^ used and slightly used socket sets listed every day on Ebay.

you didn't mention drive size or whether you're looking for SAE or metric, but there's all kinds of them that are listed daily. just have to keep your eye out for the deals. older US-made 1/2" drive SAE stuff can be had cheap.

keep your eye on this thread:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6913506#post6913506

 

[xin]

Craftsman was bought out by Stanley they going to be bringing the tool line back to USA.

 

[maydaymike]

I've got the Tekron 3/8 and 1/4 sets and are pretty happy with them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[ChrisLS8]

For US I would go with Williams for not too much skrilla

 

[CJ2A]

Craftsman was bought out by Stanley they going to be bringing the tool line back to USA.

I hope this is the case.

 

[RAS61]

Most sockets are not from China, so you should be good.

A Stanley set I just bought was Chinese (mistakenly thought all Stanley tools were made in the USA). Craftsman, Kobalt, Gearwrench, and Husky are all from China too, seems to be all the low priced sockets.

 

[bob15]

A Stanley set I just bought was Chinese (mistakenly thought all Stanley tools were made in the USA). Craftsman, Kobalt, Gearwrench, and Husky are all from China too, seems to be all the low priced sockets.

Like I said before, why not buy a quality US-made used set? Why new?

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Toolsdelivered.com


USA williams.

 

[RAS61]

Toolsdelivered.com


USA williams.

Wow, great prices here, thanks Scott!

 

[californiaHank]

Most sockets are not from China, so you should be good.

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.

 

[anndel]

what others said about USA made brands. For Taiwan, Tekton and Sunex are excellent choices. My Snap On driver carries both brands as a low cost alternative and sells them for less than Amazon.com.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

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.

If it's made in Tiawan, it should say so somewhere near the barcode.

 

[four.cycle]

Like I said before, why not buy a quality US-made used set? Why new?

So I went and did a little more digging:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6915570#post6915570

 

[smitty54017]

I've bought a lot of Gearwrench this year. All Taiwan made (haven't seen any China stuff yet). All top quality. All reasonably priced. I bought most via Advance Auto with 20-25% off. Great deal!

 

[Wamsutta]

If the OP goes with USA Williams, you can't get much better than that.

 

[Farmall450]

^ used and slightly used socket sets listed every day on Ebay.

you didn't mention drive size or whether you're looking for SAE or metric, but there's all kinds of them that are listed daily. just have to keep your eye out for the deals. older US-made 1/2" drive SAE stuff can be had cheap.

keep your eye on this thread:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6913506#post6913506

NOS Allen/Masterforce USA/NAPA is your best bet. Probably won't find deals on US Craftsman.

 

[four.cycle]

Probably won't find deals on US Craftsman.

I've been ignoring "Craftsman" for well over a year when running any searches on Ebay because the prices invariably exceed anything that would be considered "reasonable".
We had a discussion here in another thread somewhere about the selling prices of older US-made Craftsman in the second-hand market (Ebay and Craigslist primarily.)

 

[Fedwrench]

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.

The official government position has nothing to do with tools or reality.
I prefer the quality offered by those made on the island over the mainland.

Besides, there are tons of US made sockets widely available online. They might not be widely available in your local stores but, there are plenty to choose from online.

 

[visionguru]

I'm looking for some good but inexpensive 3/8 sockets to keep on my boat, don't want anything from China, Taiwan or anyplace else is OK, are there any options? Thanks

Yes, the option is going to an actual store that sells tools, any store. You need help with this?

 

[Estebanchee]

I really enjoy using my Taiwan made Williams! I have both 3/8 and 1/2 sets that I use on the regular for my cars and junkyard. They hold up to abuse and didn't break the bank. I'd feel comfortable getting the US made no problem.

 

[RAS61]

Yes, the option is going to an actual store that sells tools, any store. You need help with this?

I went to Lowes and Home Depot and everything there was made in China. So since that didn't work, and further roaming around would be a crapshoot that would take a lot of time, yes, I came here for help. :tard:

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, lots of good ideas and options. I think I'll probably go with Taiwan Williams for a combo of quality and price - I found a 15 piece set for $24. Thanks again everyone!

 

[Tallpilot]

Awesome! Don't forgot to post pictures after you get them.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I went to Lowes and Home Depot and everything there was made in China. So since that didn't work, and further roaming around would be a crapshoot that would take a lot of time, yes, I came here for help. :tard:

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions, lots of good ideas and options. I think I'll probably go with Taiwan Williams for a combo of quality and price - I found a 15 piece set for $24. Thanks again everyone!

You won't be disapointed.


For all of the **** imported tools catch here, every tool truck has an import line. Taiwan williams is "blue point" on the snap on truck. After 6 years with my 1/4 drive blue point set, zero failures, I'm quite pleased.