WARNING: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION
I'm 25, so I was not around in the 50's and 60's when the economy was booming, and tools were 'built to last'. I did, however, work on my uncle's farm for 5 years, where the large majority of hand and power tools and equipment were USA made from that era. They worked when he bought them and most are still functioning great to this day. I had many talks about the OP's dilemma with my uncle (He's ~70 years old at this point). What I concluded is that 'back in the day', people didn't buy USA tools
just because they were made in the USA. They bought USA tools because they were readily available at any hardware store, were the best tools for the money,
andwere made in the USA.
In the Norman Rockwell era, a pro or DIYer could walk into Joe's Hardware Store needing a socket set, pick from 3-4 different options, mostly USA made, make his/her decision, and walk out with it. This was because of the large number of manufacturers that were located in the USA and domestic distribution costs were minimal. Also, the US economy was much stronger, so USA tools could be had at a fraction of what they run today.
Also, let's face it, they were the
best tools available. A young person like myself is often taken aback by the overwhelming craftsmanship and reliable operation of older USA tools, although it doesn't really surprise me anymore. On the farm, if I had a choice of operating an older piece of equipment vs. a newer one, or using an older tool vs. a newer one, 9 times out of 10, I chose the older option because it worked better and was much easier to work on/with. Although great advances in technology and innovation have made their way into tool and equipment manufacturing (which is a good thing), and manufacturing processes have become extremely streamlined, an unfortunate consequence to the average Joe is the inherent complexity in design and construction of tools and equipment. This point of discussion is mainly related to equipment.
Third, they were made in the USA. What average blue-collar worker wouldn't want to support another?
These days, especially in this economy, price dictates the majority of a person's decision making, professional technicians notwithstanding. For American tool manufacturers to be competitive, their tools need to be offered at competitive prices and the quality of tools needs to exceed that of foreign offerings to an appreciable degree. In the case of Snap On (hand tools), the quality of tools far exceeds most foreign offerings (Some European brands notwithstanding), but so does the price. I think the high price difference of many USA tool truck brands, especially Snap On, vs. foreign offerings is not to the same degree of difference in quality. I.e. A $150 Snap On ratchet is (probably) going to be much higher in quality than a $30 foreign offering, but the observable difference in quality is not worth the $120 price difference to the average Joe, who makes up the overwhelming majority of the tool consumer base.
When shopping for a tool, I always look around and explore foreign and domestic offerings for the tool that meets my standard of quality. For me, the price difference is usually justifiable to buy the
better tool. I hope the better tool is USA made, and 9 times out of 10 it usually is, but many European companies make damn good tools at competitive prices to high end USA tools (Stahlwille, Hazet, Gedore, Facom, Rupes, Festool etc.).
I just bought a Lisle USA windshield wiper arm puller online, and when it arrived, I was extremely disappointed with the low quality of it. It was so bad that the claws on the bottom of the arms of the puller didn't even line up, so when pressure was applied, it was not in alignment with the stud (or battery terminal). What a piece of ****. I didn't buy that tool because it was made in the USA, I bought it because I had positive experiences with Lisle USA tools in the past, and thought this would be no different. I am likely going to return it and get a Facom (made in France) puller for more money, but will operate like it is designed to.
TLDR:
For me, "Made in USA" takes a backseat to quality. I would love it if all the best tools were still made here, but let's face it, they're not. If it's made in the USA but it's a piece of ****, I don't want it, and I'm slightly embarrassed that such an inferior product was made in the USA.
If you're still reading, you need to get back to work, or your wife and kids, or whatever else you should be spending time doing
.
Import brands are fine, it is just a matter of opinon. I grew up using USA made hand tools and that is what I want to use today. Depending on application it is comparing apples and oranges.
No joke, they are such a handy size by so danged fragile it seems. To bad they don't just produce replacement straps. Last one I warranted was around the new year IIRC and I had to really look for a England made one. Been trying to use more caution with this one. The China one is much different and actually won't work for a specific application I use the blue one for (no marr). 
What do you have to warranty by them?
I'm not familiar, do you have a picture? I use them to remove and install a specif part that cannot be marred. The newer china ones have a metal clasp in the mechanism where as the old ones were all plastic and rubber.
