As a person who has worked in both the manfacturing of tools and as a Tech in both the Body and Mechanical repair side of this issue, I can provide a unique persceptive on this subject. It doesn't mean my opinion is any better than someone elses, but it is a view most people haven't experienced.
An automobile has a parts country of origin percentage listed on its build sheet. We are talking about a product that has thousands of parts and the manufacturer has a liablility to disclose that information to the public via a mandate by the D.O.T.
On the other hand, a tool manufacturer has no liability for such a disclosure on the tool itself. If you check closely somewhere on the packaging, you will find the C.O.O. I have had tools that have a disclosure like the following: Forged and assembled in USA with globally sourced parts.
In most cases a manufacturer may not exclusively produce a tool in one facility to supply said tool world wide. Therefor the same exact tool may be produced in various locations throughout the world and may be shipped to wherever the tool is needed at a given time. That doesn't mean that a tool is not produced in the USA, it may just mean that 100% of the tool may not be of USA origin.
I have Snap-on sockets made in the USA, Brazil and Sweden. These tools were obtained from an individual who was stationed in multiple countries across the world during his tenure in the Armed Forces. I also have Matco tools with the same situation.
Lets face it, as one who left the Tool & Die profession 20 years ago after 15 years of being in the field, I saw the writing on the wall in the late 80's. As a whole, the USA and Japan in particular, have priced themselves from a labor stand point to a situation that these companies must pick and choose what tools they will produce exclusively in the USA and what tools they will have manufactured elsewhere.
If you look at Snap-on, Matco and Cornwell, you'll notice that the majority of their hardline tools are of USA origin. Those are the tools that the average Tech uses on a daily basis. Sure, Matco has Witte screwdrivers from Germany and Snap-on has several Spanish made tools today and most people do not have a problem with that. It only seems to be tools that come from an Asian source other than Japan, that some people have the objection to.
Truth is, the Taiwanese tool industry has become a formidable producer of quality tools. That's just the facts. I will not say the same for mainland Chinese tools.
We all want the USA to prosper, but at the end of that pay period, we the Techs want our paychecks to reflect that same prosperous look. When I can, I do purchase made in the USA tools and this comes from a guy who makes 90% of his earnings from German, Japanese and other imported vehicles.
If I said I was only open to working on USA built cars with USA built tools, I'm afraid I would be on the NON prosperous side of the story, due to what my shop happens to specialize in.
Buy the best tools you can reguardless of its origin. Your job may depend on it.
. They're a complete oddball in being ashamed of the USA stamp, hence why i mentioned it.
