Taiwan-made tools

[ReggieR]

I really like the Western Forge adjustable wrenches, but I will say the Irega (Spain) made adjustable are every bit as good and depending on your handle preference may be better.

The Spaniards are fantastic tool makers and overall craftsmen.. Grip-On pliers are another crown jewel.
Snap-On actually is a major holder in a tool company over there called Palmera. Fine boxes and fair price.A 26 inch 5 drawer is maybe $200-225 over in Seville.

 

[ReggieR]

All the Carlyle pliers I've purchased at NAPA are made in Taiwan.

Hey Mark. I lost my bookmarks. What is your youtube channel handle ?

 

[1foxracing]

Hey Mark. I lost my bookmarks. What is your youtube channel handle ?

 

[Dakkyz]

KT PRO or King tony tools are rather good as well The ratchets are mainly 32 tooth but that doesn't mean they're poor quality in anyway.

The impact sockets claim to be above normal DIN standards by 50% and the normal chrome sockets by 30%

If this is true I dont know but I have been using them with a impact gun for a while daily and not one has broke nor has one shown major signs of wear like a different brand of impact sockets as for chrome only had them a short period.
Ratchets seem solid, breaker bar seems solid not bendy.

They were rather cheap on amazon guess amazon was clearing stock but manged to get a decent socket set for £25 and impact sockets really cheap.

If you view they're range of tools you can see identical tools from them been sold as a different brand and normal a little more due to a name or something.

 

[48548]

Taiwan actually makes decent ratchets and extensions, and breaker bars. I will actually buy Taiwan, but not China. Most air tools are Taiwan these days. I love my nitro cat 1200k. My passion is for tools with USA stamped on them. There will never be an adjustable wrench as good as Western Forge. I ream on Taiwan tools in the shop at work, while saving back my good stuff.

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Not to disagree on the adjustable wrench, but I think Irega and Bahco made in spain are much better the WF. I have a WF proto and I think the proto made ones were better. I could be wrong, but I love the bahco design with the knob on the end to adjust the wrench. Just throwing this out there, maybe this should be a new thread....

 

[ChrisLS8]

Taiwan actually makes decent ratchets and extensions, and breaker bars. I will actually buy Taiwan, but not China. Most air tools are Taiwan these days. I love my nitro cat 1200k. My passion is for tools with USA stamped on them. There will never be an adjustable wrench as good as Western Forge. I ream on Taiwan tools in the shop at work, while saving back my good stuff.

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I won't agree on wrenches, Irega is much nicer imo

 

[Professional Tool User]

To answer the OP's question, the topic of how Taiwan's too industry works needs to be addressed. Taiwanese tool makers the to maximise their economies of scale by tools in huge quantities and then selling the tools to others who rebrand the tools. Literally for every Made in Taiwan item that isn't custom ordered, there's at least 2-3 rebranded versions of the same tool on Amazon. I highly doubt there is that much of a quality difference between Blue point and Tekton unless Snap on decided to spend the extra money on higher specs

 

[bwringer]

I bet some of you are old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" was a horrible thing to see, only found on the cheapest, lowest-quality dreck. Now it means you're getting incredible quality, along with high prices (for example, Ko-Ken tools).

To me, "Made in Taiwan" has come to mean high quality at very reasonable prices. A very nice place to be.

 

[Sliding T-Handle]

Not to disagree on the adjustable wrench, but I think Irega and Bahco made in spain are much better the WF. I have a WF proto and I think the proto made ones were better. I could be wrong, but I love the bahco design with the knob on the end to adjust the wrench. Just throwing this out there, maybe this should be a new thread....

Well, you may have just cause me to spend some money because I've never tried a Bahco or Irega. I do know that I dislike the other company in the United States that have made some Armstrong wrenches that is not Western Forge I don't know anything about the company, just that I dislike the quality versus Western Forge. now Armstrong has had some wrenches made by Western Forge but their 24-inch adjustable was made somewhere else in the USA. the design is different if you pay attention to detail and it does not have the WF stamp. I highly doubt I've ever had anything made by Bahco in my hands. But I do own SK, wright, proto, Blackhawk and Armstrong wrenches by Western Forge. It is very possible that Western Forge puts their Proto wrenches through a more stringent quality control. Proto always gets a nod from me as does SK. I've come to appreciate Wright tools recently, and Snap-on, well, that goes without saying. I believe Mac Tools could be right up there with Snap-On but I'm not sure because I haven't went chasing them as it takes a deep wallet to get started on that.

I would definitely like to pick up a Bahco or Irega and check it out. I really like Western Forge wrenches, but I don't really have enough information to say with confidence they are the best because I have not spent bigger money than Western Forge and I'm assuming better quality is more money. Let's just say they're the best I've ever tried. But I love adjustable wrenches and you've got me wanting to try a Bahco or Irega, whichever one is made in the USA. I believe Bahco probably is USA. Some are Sweden I see. Well I do know the people of Sweden make nice fishing reels and the people of Finland make nice bolt-action rifles.

I'm not a know-it-all with tools; I was just saying what I like the best up to this point in my life. I do have strong feelings for Western Forge adjustables though. I'm just a working class man. I don't have many Snap-on or Mac Tools. I have put together a nice Armstrong collection all in brand new condition just because they quit production. I have an appreciation for SK for some reason. I just like their stuff, their recent stuff anyway.

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[turnthewrench 2.0]

Taiwan tools are here to stay, and they get better day by day.

I still prefer to buy American, Japanese or German Made tools.

 

[Olafur]

I bet some of you are old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" was a horrible thing to see, only found on the cheapest, lowest-quality dreck. Now it means you're getting incredible quality, along with high prices (for example, Ko-Ken tools).

To me, "Made in Taiwan" has come to mean high quality at very reasonable prices. A very nice place to be.

Agreed.
My current work place is a shop with 15 guys turning wrenches. We repair all; farm, construction, earth moving equipment and the biggest trucks and trailers on and off our roads. Almost all hand tools are Taiwan, (Toptul and Sonic, some Förch) and they hold up just fine overall. This is a fact based on years of experience in very demanding environment.

 

[Sliding T-Handle]

I think Taiwan has got the ratchet thing down pretty well and their extensions fit to their drives with decent tight tolerance. But Snap-on is the tightest tolerance I've ever seen but they also vary over the years. The tightest tolerance extensions I have are vintage Snap-on with a brushed stainless appearance. May or may not be stainless but they have that appearance of brushed. I have a 3 in a 5 inch and I would love to find a 10 inch of the same vintage because I spent 35 bucks on a 1992 in brand new condition and its tolerance is nowhere near the same. I'm speaking of how the extensions fit onto the Drive, and I'm speaking of half-inch drive. I believe the brushed ones could be late 70s or early 80s.

When I go to the flea market and look at all the cheap tools I look at the back if it says China I don't buy it if it says Taiwan I buy it. It is indeed true that Taiwan has built a reputation for quality recently.

I have a set of Buffalo tools ratchets I bought from The Sportsman's Guide about 12 years ago. Taiwan made ratchets and they are my absolute favorite. They're the same design as Wilmar with a long raised ridge finger tip handle to change directions and just push down on the entire thing for quick release. I've got a lot of compliments on them from the guys at work. Two of the guys said they wanted a set just like them. the half-inch drive one has had a lot of torque applied to it and it's still going strong I use them in combination with an extension and Lisle tap socket for Taps and screw extractors. sometimes you have to apply more torque than you would normally want to on a ratchet. This makes life so much easier when you have a broken bolt down in a recessed hole.

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[Sliding T-Handle]

My yorky admiring my SK 24-inch adjustable, a modern art masterpiece.

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[Tallpilot]

Taiwan tools are here to stay, and they get better day by day.

I still prefer to buy American, Japanese or German Made tools.

Which is a perfectly reasonable position to take and one I agree with. The ones who conflate China and Taiwan aren't properly parsing reality.

 

[Vvmvbb]

I’d just like to point out that Taiwan is a country, not a manufacturer. Now, as a general rule the stuff manufacturered in that country can be to a level of quality that is acceptable to a large percentage of people, but that is based on the companies that are there not by coo. There’s good and bad stuff manufacturered everywhere, even in the US.

Infar makes the Channellock wrenches which are exactly the same as Carlyle. Difference? Stamping.

Taiwan is a country and a culture. When I was manufacturing medical diagnostic instruments over there the culture of quality was evident top to bottom of the organization. Assembly line workers seemed to compete with themselves to beat what they did the day before in output and quality. To dominate the semiconductor industry the way they do you pretty much have to be quality maniacs.

 

[Mr_B]

Yeh taiwan and chinese culture and work ethics differ greatly as does the bulk of goods that they make .
Be hard to be much of a tech these days without some tools from taiwan and china .
Some things best avoided but be silly miss out on what they do real well, some of the socketry wrenches pliers screwdrivers and air tools are at top in quality and spec . chinese scan tools are pretty useful.
for second or third tool sets taiwan makes a lot of affordable quality and ideal in scenarios of high theft/loss or rough use by staff etc .
Is a lot of taiwan hand tools I like as much or more than euopean japanese or usa .

 

[48548]

Well, you may have just cause me to spend some money because I've never tried a Bahco or Irega. I do know that I dislike the other company in the United States that have made some Armstrong wrenches that is not Western Forge I don't know anything about the company, just that I dislike the quality versus Western Forge. now Armstrong has had some wrenches made by Western Forge but their 24-inch adjustable was made somewhere else in the USA. the design is different if you pay attention to detail and it does not have the WF stamp. I highly doubt I've ever had anything made by Bahco in my hands. But I do own SK, wright, proto, Blackhawk and Armstrong wrenches by Western Forge. It is very possible that Western Forge puts their Proto wrenches through a more stringent quality control. Proto always gets a nod from me as does SK. I've come to appreciate Wright tools recently, and Snap-on, well, that goes without saying. I believe Mac Tools could be right up there with Snap-On but I'm not sure because I haven't went chasing them as it takes a deep wallet to get started on that.

I would definitely like to pick up a Bahco or Irega and check it out. I really like Western Forge wrenches, but I don't really have enough information to say with confidence they are the best because I have not spent bigger money than Western Forge and I'm assuming better quality is more money. Let's just say they're the best I've ever tried. But I love adjustable wrenches and you've got me wanting to try a Bahco or Irega, whichever one is made in the USA. I believe Bahco probably is USA. Some are Sweden I see. Well I do know the people of Sweden make nice fishing reels and the people of Finland make nice bolt-action rifles.

I'm not a know-it-all with tools; I was just saying what I like the best up to this point in my life. I do have strong feelings for Western Forge adjustables though. I'm just a working class man. I don't have many Snap-on or Mac Tools. I have put together a nice Armstrong collection all in brand new condition just because they quit production. I have an appreciation for SK for some reason. I just like their stuff, their recent stuff anyway.

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Here are some. Top is also great.



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[Sliding T-Handle]

Here are some. Top is also great.



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I take it that an adjustable wrench is your favorite tool?
I like them a lot too. Here are my 10 and 12 inch Proto and an Armstrong half-inch drive ratchet snuck its way into this photo which I took a while back. I also have a 6 in, 10in and 15in Wright, 8 inch in Blackhawk and Armstrong, and of course I have that 24-inch SK. I use cheap Chinese wrenches for bending damaged metal at work. I don't purchase them I just acquire them through Trading with my cousin who is also obsessed with tools. A 10 or a 12 are always my bending sizes. I use a 10in more than anything it is my go-to. But the 12-inch comes in handy when I am turning a number 5 or 6 screw extractor while extracting a bolt that is not being very friendly


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[48548]

Those look good. I have quite a few protos as well... i grew up with them.

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[Gmonkee]

Golly, that is a heap of adjustables.

I started selling off at a dozen after a favorite was found. Holding at 3.

 

[48548]

Golly, that is a heap of adjustables.

I started selling off at a dozen after a favorite was found. Holding at 3.

I would have bought them

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[Sliding T-Handle]

People at work think I'm crazy about tools. But I got nothing on you guys.

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[Ign]

I bet some of you are old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" was a horrible thing to see, only found on the cheapest, lowest-quality dreck. Now it means you're getting incredible quality, along with high prices (for example, Ko-Ken tools).

To me, "Made in Taiwan" has come to mean high quality at very reasonable prices. A very nice place to be.

Yep, in school circa '07 I had some Kanon 6" dial calipers, made in Japan. Really nice as analog calipers go.

 

[Gmonkee]

Lol! Never a challenge to sell even cheap import adjustables. Currently holding two B@D electrics and one Truper 10".

Only antiques and electrics on the radar now. The rest can be yours.

 

[Kasal]

KT PRO or King tony tools are rather good as well The ratchets are mainly 32 tooth but that doesn't mean they're poor quality in anyway.

The impact sockets claim to be above normal DIN standards by 50% and the normal chrome sockets by 30%

If this is true I dont know but I have been using them with a impact gun for a while daily and not one has broke nor has one shown major signs of wear like a different brand of impact sockets as for chrome only had them a short period.
Ratchets seem solid, breaker bar seems solid not bendy.

They were rather cheap on amazon guess amazon was clearing stock but manged to get a decent socket set for £25 and impact sockets really cheap.

If you view they're range of tools you can see identical tools from them been sold as a different brand and normal a little more due to a name or something.

I have some King Tony tools and they have a good finish, I have it for a serious brand and that bet on the quality of its products.

 

[mowkep]

Yep, in school circa '07 I had some Kanon 6" dial calipers, made in Japan. Really nice as analog calipers go.

I had the dial and digital Kanon calipers. The dial were good the digital were ok. I preferred the Mitutoyo digitals over them. I think it was a $30 difference.

I have a bunch of different socket sets, ratchets and accessories. DeWalt, Ace Hardware Pro, Craftsman and a Wright Cougar Pro with made in USA stamped on them. I really want to condense and just have the one set. What are the better Tawian made socket sets?

 

[Sliding T-Handle]

Mitutoyo was my first quality pair of calipers and I desire nothing more. I've been using my 6-inch ones at work and these 8-inch ones I have put back. I would like to have a four inch model for measuring depth on the mill when I don't have room to stand a 6-inch up vertical under the mill.

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[Lisamelting]

I use made in Taiwan Tekton metric wrenches hard every day and have never had an issue. I also use snap on flank drive plus standard wrenches regularly and when I think I may have misplaced one I start to freak out, knowing the cost to replace it.

 

[Ign]

I also ran a Mori-Seiki TL5 CNC lathe still used in heavy production around '08. This was a Japanese machine built in the late 70's. Damn thing was built like a TANK, you had to really REALLY crash the thing if you wanted to knock it out of alignment. We still loaded programs w a tape drive and toggled thru a SINGLE LINE LCD display to modify programs, but it's one of those machines that will FORCE you to give up on it out of sheer obsolescence because it'll never die on you.

Makes me chuckle 'cause this woulda been built around the time Honda was trying to break into the US auto market w the CVCC and such and our dads and granddads were cursing the "damn ****" and "Jap ****" but even back in the late '70s those damn **** were building world-class machine tools - hardly Jap ****

 

[Tallpilot]

I use made in Taiwan Tekton metric wrenches hard every day and have never had an issue. I also use snap on flank drive plus standard wrenches regularly and when I think I may have misplaced one I start to freak out, knowing the cost to replace it.

I agree. I think Tekton is the best value in plain open end combination wrenches at the moment. I use my Snappies when I need FD+ or when it is very tight clearance otherwise they stay safe locked up in the box.

 

[Mr_B]

I would say toptul was best value basic combo wrench .
tight sizing and very rigid wrench .

 

[Widgeon]

The Dewalt combo wrenches withe ASP grip, made in Taiwan are a pretty good value for the $, think I paid $30 bucks for a 10 piece set, not afraid to beat on them.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

The Dewalt combo wrenches withe ASP grip, made in Taiwan are a pretty good value for the $, think I paid $30 bucks for a 10 piece set, not afraid to beat on them.

As someone posted in another thread, they seem to be discontinued

 

[Tallpilot]

I would say toptul was best value basic combo wrench .
tight sizing and very rigid wrench .

WAS because they were only a good value at Dennis’ prices. Availability is probably better elsewhere but in North America Toptul is too difficult to obtain thus not worth discussing.

I do agree though their long pattern combos are fantastic.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

...Toptul is too difficult to obtain thus not worth discussing.

Whatcha think we're doing here, but discussing?

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

they are ok,

 

[Norcal]

I also ran a Mori-Seiki TL5 CNC lathe still used in heavy production around '08. This was a Japanese machine built in the late 70's. Damn thing was built like a TANK, you had to really REALLY crash the thing if you wanted to knock it out of alignment. We still loaded programs w a tape drive and toggled thru a SINGLE LINE LCD display to modify programs, but it's one of those machines that will FORCE you to give up on it out of sheer obsolescence because it'll never die on you.

Makes me chuckle 'cause this woulda been built around the time Honda was trying to break into the US auto market w the CVCC and such and our dads and granddads were cursing the "damn ****" and "Jap ****" but even back in the late '70s those damn **** were building world-class machine tools - hardly Jap ****

Read the book From "Industry To Alchemy: Burgmaster, A Machine Tool Company" by Max Holland. The book covers the history when American machine tool builders reigned supreme, & their decline, and how Japanese machine tool builders cleaned their clock building good tools, cheaper, & faster delivery times, as part of the history of Burgmaster.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/158798153X/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[6PTsocket]

Some sockets do not fit on some ratchets if the detent is not correct. Sometimes if you use quick release ratchets with sockets that have off detents then the button is always engaged that has been my experience. Others may be different.

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The MTS Lock-A-Socket rails, also sold as Craftsman and Torin, are also fussy about detent height. If it is too deep you cannot rotate and lock the post. It even says in their ad " Fits most sockets".

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[Dakkyz]

I have some King Tony tools and they have a good finish, I have it for a serious brand and that bet on the quality of its products.

I really like they're tools, with half the big brands been just re-branded Taiwan made stuff may as well go to the source and buy form them instead of paying 3X as much because it's has a blue point logo on it.