US made vicegrip score today

[Hoss356]

Had a couple minutes to kill today went I saw a tool store next to where I was going in south seattle. It turned out to be mostly machinist tooling but I saw this little guy sittin on a peg board and according to the guy behind the counter, he been there over 10 years and this has sitting in the same spot it was when he started.

I know it's not worth more than a new pair but it was still to cool to pass up.

 

[american lockpicker]

Very nice.

 

[Krawlin98ZJ]

...I know it's not worth more than a new pair but it was still to cool to pass up.

That depends on how you calculate worth. To me they most certainly are worth more than a new chinese pair.

 

[thesilverone]

I picked up some NOS Made in USA Vice Grips last week. The yellow in the packaging was faded.

 

[lipadj46]

what is a vice grip, something that holds on to your weed and hookers?

 

[hammlm]

Last night I was at Home Depot to get some appliance bulbs and I made my usual stroll through the tool aisle. Still have a few USA made vice grips in the 7" curved jaw and straight jaw, and also the swivel pad welding clamps. They are on the back of the pegs. I've made myself buy some other trips, and there are only 1 or 2 left of each.

I'm fasting financially right now, trying to get everything paid off, but man, did I have to use all of my restraint to not pull the trigger.

They just keep putting the new ChiCom stuff in front of the old. Suits me fine, next time I find a 20 in my pocket and I'm there, I'm gonna get another.

I did walk out with a nice large, made in the US, Vaughn Hickory Handle Ball Peen hammer for $11 that they are clearancing. Looks like they are going to carry estwing ball-peen going forward ($26)

 

[littlekillertoad]

Nice. I always look through the irwin stock to see if there's any old USA stuff. Good find!

 

[Brandon_Lutz]

Sweet. I managed to snag 2 of the USA made ones from my local Sears a few months after the China one's showed up.

I searched the back end of the display rack and lo and behold I found 2 of em with the big ole made in USA labels on them and they were made before the Irwin takeover.

I find that in a lot of places, including some big box stores that have been around for a while, if you just search to the back of the product rack, you can find those hidden gems amongst the chineseum.

 

[Jeeper]

i have found some USA (from globally sourced components) around me. I purchased them and they will be awaiting unwrapping on Dec 25. Merry to me from my kids.

 

[HandyManny]

What are they worth? They are worth using, that's for sure.

 

[patrickw10]

im glad about 4 or 5 years ago i made a pretty big investment in buying visegrips while they were still us made. for some reason it realy burned me when i found out they moved production overseas even more than other companies.

 

[T56 Impala]

I went to Lowes and HD a few months back and snagged all of the MADE IN USA ones they both had. Not the Assembled in USA ****, but the MADE IN stuff. In 3 stores I managed to pick up 6 of them. One guy at the counter even asked why I had them. When I told him the difference, he was shocked.

 

[PaulR]

Y.S.

I bought some from Harry Epstien last week, labeled usa. When I got them they were "made in USA from global components"

This padawan is still learning.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Ah Yes, Vice Grips. My mother was born in Hardy Nebraska near where Peterson invented the Vice Grip. According to Mom, they all went to the Danish Lutheran Church.
I have still have my first pair of VG, Mom bought them for me when is started trade school in the early 60's. I now have about 145 pair of Vise Grips, and collecting some of the unusual configurations has become an obsession/hobby. The local second-hand stores and pawn shops have my number. Maybe I should take a few pictures today and post them later.
I cant bring myself to cut up or modify a real VG. Isn't this why we have those other posers? I cut them to fit special circumstances, without any guilt and maybe some wicked enjoyment.
I always buy made in North America first, anything else is bordering on treason.
If all of the jobs have gone overseas who will buy the import stuff and pay the taxes that support services??

 

[Underdog]

Y.S.

I bought some from Harry Epstien last week, labeled usa. When I got them they were "made in USA from global components"

This padawan is still learning.

Look around flea mkt's,specifically you want 'Peterson' stamped on the handle. They are the real deal (pre Irwin). I've got a ton of used ones, usually paid between $3 and $5 a piece in like new condition.

 

[cronic]

Ah Yes, Vice Grips. My mother was born in Hardy Nebraska near where Peterson invented the Vice Grip. According to Mom, they all went to the Danish Lutheran Church.
I have still have my first pair of VG, Mom bought them for me when is started trade school in the early 60's. I now have about 145 pair of Vise Grips, and collecting some of the unusual configurations has become an obsession/hobby. The local second-hand stores and pawn shops have my number. Maybe I should take a few pictures today and post them later.
I cant bring myself to cut up or modify a real VG. Isn't this why we have those other posers? I cut them to fit special circumstances, without any guilt and maybe some wicked enjoyment.
I always buy made in North America first, anything else is bordering on treason.
If all of the jobs have gone overseas who will buy the import stuff and pay the taxes that support services??

I would love to see pictures of your collection.

 

[NOTABLAZER]

Thanks for the heads up,I grabbed the last two U.S. made ones that were in stock at work,in the cardboard packaging (one 7WR and the other was a needle nose style). The rest were chinese made.

 

[willy3486]

I am trying to help a lady get rid of some old stuff her dad had that she wound up with after he died. I bought a tub of old hand tools from her. Most were rusted up and not worth much. but there were about 3 or 4 pairs in there. I use the electrolytic method to clean stuff. I was able to get all of them loose. They may have the dark spots but all look to be older USA made stuff. There were also some adjustable wrenches that were completely rusted up. These were so rusted up I thought I would never be able to get them loose. Not only did the rust come off but they all were useable. You can't beat the USA made stuff. I try to find old tools over new. I have found out noot only is the old stuff cheaper but its better.

 

[zer0cell]

Nice pliers. I'd almost have a hard time taking them out of the box. Seriously though after vise-grips moved to china I only buy the used or new but older USA models. Not to start up the whole china vise grip debate again but I second that it pissed me off more than many other companies moving to china. The vise grips are not any cheaper now that they have moved to china, they are actually more expensive from what I can remember. You can honestly, often buy a brand new USA made one cheaper than the china ones... go figure. I've already got a few USA vise grips but if I need more I just go on ebay. If for some reason I can't find any I'd rather just buy some from HF or the Husky brand etc.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...langId=-1&searchRedirect=husky+locking+pliers

Yes, they are also made in china... hell they might even be made in the same plant as the irwin ones... I don't really know. What I do know is that if I am going to buy China ones I'm not paying what they want for the irwin china vise-grips anymore. Rubbermaid may have bought the vise grips for the name... but that name won't be beside china on any locking pliers I buy. So if I gotta buy china... at least its going to be cheap and it's not going to use the vise-grip name...one of the whole reasons they even bought them out. Besides, husky and HF have easy warranties anyway, and are half the price or less...

The only thing worse than buying 'China' is paying 'Made in the USA' prices for them. That's how I see it.

 

[NOTABLAZER]

These are the ones I got today,they're still irwin (box is dated 2003) but they're U.S. made.

Should be a good replacement for the husky ones I have.

 

[zer0cell]

Those were the ones I had my eye on while looking at ebay...

 

[NOTABLAZER]

Stopped into a pep boys today,and ended up getting these three to add to the collection.

 

[Amitygravel]

Well, my most recent brand new , didn't come with a box. In case you can't tell because of the poor photo , the mark says PETERSON DEWITT NEBR. U.S.A. Got them a couple of weeks ago. 6 bucks.

 

[Sterff]

Stopped into a pep boys today,and ended up getting these three to add to the collection.

What is the one on the far right for?

 

[blue dog]

Nutbuster!

 

[Rivethead]

well if you feel that way about noodle-made then don't buy craftsman, torin, waterloo, stack on, montazuma, or any other weird name as far as tool boxes are concerned. most, if not all of them are made at the same plant over there. for simple recognition, just look at them all side-by-side. i was just about to buy a bunch of irwin vise-grip pliers but now im thinking about changing my mind. I grew up with associating irwin vise-grips to Made in USA and now that it's not anymore its like the country lost another piece of americana. I probably got the noodle-made ones and when i got mine because i didn't know this was going on and ASSUMED the origin and quality because of the name. Looks like if you want "American Made", you're only choices will be big names like snapon and matco.

 

[KEH]

Second what zer0cell said. I've stocked up on used vise grips and don't get any more unless they are unusual.

KEH

 

[Boost Creep]

Looks like if you want "American Made", you're only choices will be big names like snapon and matco.

you checked their websites for coo lately?
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp?tool=all&Group_ID=20219&store=snapon-store
and matco carries vice grips and you'll probably get foreign ones
http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2299

 

[Ritter4.0]

My local welding supply has mostly NOS Vise Grips, a few NOS Peterson ones, and only a few new China made ones. Thats the only place I go when I want to get another pair.

 

[Rivethead]

you checked their websites for coo lately?
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/tools.asp?tool=all&Group_ID=20219&store=snapon-store
and matco carries vice grips and you'll probably get foreign ones
http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2299

oo well i guess i take that back then lol. usually the tool trucks that come by the shop only have irwin vice-grip ones from what i can tell just glancing around. i'd like to find out who, if anyone, still makes american made vice grips