Wiha made in CHINA!??

[DOG1]

Wiha tools. LOL.

 

[Jure]

ask the dealer whats up with that....

he said "if on our declaration coo is china,then its made in china!"

 

[shoturtle]

wiha does not have factories in china. Just vietnam.

I think that the stuck on tab is incorrect.

 

[Jure]

btw. the "Made in Germany" label celebrate its 125th birthday today ! Congratulation

 

[Jure]

I think the handles are made in Germany and the shafts are all Chinese, where they come together, who knows

this!

 

[Jure]

I should add, this is all based on one sticker that very well could have been misplaced or have a typo.

nop..i used to work i a store,and i can say that sticker is right one.
dealer said that stickers "declarations" they get from main dealer who is importer for wiha in croatia. and all that stickers are in the same box with screwdrivers,ther's model # on the sticker which must match model # on screwdriver.

 

[richfinn]

All these COO threads should be banned.

 

[vatrogasac031]

I recently bought a couple of Wiha precision screwdrivers and ph1 does not fit on screw head. Sorry but I expected at least that it will be functional when I read "Made in Germany", and so I would not be surprised if the blade is manufactured outside of Germany.

 

[Jure]

I recently bought a couple of Wiha precision screwdrivers and ph1 does not fit on screw head. Sorry but I expected at least that it will be functional when I read "made in Germany", and so I would not be surprised If the blade is manufactured outside of Germany.

bauhaus or ćipoteka? at last at ćipoteka you can take a new one >˘˘

 

[Jure]

That response probably actually means "we don't know the answer to your question."

I just sent this email to Wiha's US branch with a link to this thread. We'll see what they say.

 

[Hetman]

LOOOOL, all this COO stuff is important for any government because of taxation&customs, not because they want you to know that you buy genuine German steel or Chinese plastic...

 

[CanUK]

nop..i used to work i a store,and i can say that sticker is right one.
dealer said that stickers "declarations" they get from main dealer who is importer for wiha in croatia. and all that stickers are in the same box with screwdrivers,ther's model # on the sticker which must match model # on screwdriver.

So the theory is that Wiha take great care to deceive us by carefully marking the products and packaging "Made in Germany", listing all of their factories except China (but listing Vietnam, which would be somehow more acceptable) on the website, presumably setting up a "bogus" plant in Germany that they specifically list as manufacturing blades and L-keys (this is a decoy as the real manufacturing is in China of course), and then blowing the whole operation by accidently releasing a sticker with the true COO to a dealer in Croatia.

This is of course much more plausible than the dealer in Croatia either being full of it, or having received bad information.

 

[lennoxlennox]

So the theory is that Wiha take great care to deceive us by carefully marking the products and packaging "Made in Germany"

you forgot... that's easy... that's the 10% part!


who knows if they are wholly made in germany or 10% made in germany but one thing is for certain

the "made in germany" stamp doesn't mean ****

 

[shoturtle]

You all know that the sticker is made by a third party. And you will know know why they printed it that way.

From dealing with wiha in the US and Germany. The drivers are all made in Germany. I have email them numerous times when every I get ready to buy something, and they always go back to me within a day in germany, and couple of days form the US importer.

PS,

I just recently brought a torx plus socket set form wiha. Before I ordered them, I contacted wiha USA. And they stated that both the bits and sockets were made in germany. The socket spells out Chrome Vanadium like most german made tools. The Asian tools normally have the cr-v stamped. And the sockets are made by heyco in germany according to wiha. Who makes their combo wrenches.

 

[shoturtle]

I think the screwdrivers are German and the canvas tool roll is made in China...

Yes the wiha canvas is made in china. I have brought wiha sets. And the US reg break down states where each part of the kit is made. The green roll is made by a chinese vendor for wiha.

 

[vatrogasac031]

bauhaus or ćipoteka? at last at ćipoteka you can take a new one >˘˘

I needed a few tx, ph, slot and some others so I ordered it from amazon. Ćipoteka ***** here in Osijek in terms of service
I sharpened tip a little and now it works somewhat.

 

[shoturtle]

Has anyone thought it may be counterfeit that was imported. You do fine fake hazet, and other brands in the eu

 

[DMAR]

Jesus, this could start a war!

Great idea, we can straighten those Germans right out. Here's what we can do:
* We'll assemble an Allied force over in England
* Then we can bring the troops across the English Channel and land on the Southern coast of France (they won't do anything about it...)
* From there we'll work our way East, cross over the Rhine river and invade the Fatherland of Germany.
* The German forces will soon collapse, and we can then set up a puppet government of the US, rebuild their factories, and establish manufacturing, trade, and monetary policies consistent with the USA. They then can have a societal system that has unbridled corporate greed that funnels vast sums of money to a select few of the corporate inner circle, while lowering the standard of living of everyone else/working people and driving down quality of the goods that are produced. I think this is a good plan!

OK, I kid, I kid... . I think they are fine screwdrivers, and I'm pretty sure they are quality made in Germany. . That being said, I'll probably stick with SO drivers.

 

[RCStocker]

Question for you all; if the rules are very strict for the united States and where the tool is made does that rule apply to all the other Countries? or do they each make up their own rules?

Every country has its own laws. US improt has had changes. Made in Japan, Made in china, China and Japan befor that. Those countries don't need to mare make in if they are selling in thier own countries or selling to other countries. Every country has its own laws. We try to tell the years things were make buy these marks but it does not wrok because people bring things and ship used things her after the fact. Not is what it seems. Snap-on has had a lot of things stamped made in China come up at Costco. the Snap-on multi tools for one say Snap-on and they packaging says made in China. I have seen China on a lot of the company things.
I know for a Fact that Wiha tools are not all made in German. The quality does not look like German quality or the US Quality. The chrome is a different color and the weight of the metal on some things is very light. I just bought a set of Wiha metric nut drivers for a gift. I like the handles but I am not impress with the quailty. Time will tell how they hold up.

 

[zer0cell]

10%..... really?

I'll say this... I'd rather buy a tool stamped "Taiwan" for $10 than a tool stamped "Made in Germany" which actually has 90% of it made in China for $50. First because the quality is probably comparable and second - I don't like being deceived.

Its nice to see how the German goverment thinks its acceptable to trick others into spending more money - nice.

In light of this new information the ONLY german tools I will ever buy in the future will be from a company in which I have received a written statement confirming that their product lines are either made 100% in germany or otherwise labeled correctly.

I bought some Czech made screwdrivers (or at least I think they are??) under the Wera brand. If they really are made in Czech I don't have an issue with that as it was labeled right - if I find out I was tricked I will never buy a Wera product again - ever.

 

[shoturtle]

I can not find anything about 10% is all it needs on german google.

How ever, I did find that the germany fair trade commission does not allow for the uses of made in germany on products sold in germany if the majority of the craftsmanship and raw material were not worked in germany. This was a case that was rule on in 1995.

 

[William Payne]

Does anyone else find this kind of stuff giving them a headache I am not meaning the screwdrivers I am meaning the paranoia that seems to be rampent today over anything and everything and this weird thing where everyone thinks everyone else is trying to rip them off.

If I lived my life thinking that stuff I would go nuts.

I have high quality german tools and american tools and even japanese tools all with made in germany, made in usa, made in japan on them. Sure I have tools with made in china and made in taiwan on them aswell.

Honestly I am a sucker for name brands and I would be peaved if I found out my tools werent made where they claim but in saying that at the end of the day they are good tools that could be made in antartica by penguins but that doesnt change that they are still good tools.

I tell you with what I read on message boards these days some people must live some very very stressed lives.

 

[ash]

So buy PB Swiss, its really made in Switzerland, saw their plant

 

[CanUK]

So buy PB Swiss, its really made in Switzerland, saw their plant

They might be made in Switzerland, but there are probably Chinese people working in the plant and that means they're not really Swiss-made. Some of the chemical components of the plastic used to make the handles are sourced from overseas and the iron ore used to make the steel was mined in India and Chile!

We're being ripped off dammit! I'm never buying anything again!!! The Swiss are to blame - let's get 'em!!!

 

[Jure]

So buy PB Swiss, its really made in Switzerland, saw their plant

chinnese wiha is more then enought >˘˘or NOS cheap german SKG's made in W germany,i'm not rich enought to buy PB

 

[zer0cell]

Well, everyone can take off their tinfoil hats. Wiha responded to my email.

Here's my email and their response:

And that could mean 10% of the content is made there. hahaha just kidding (kinda)

 

[RCStocker]

Did someone just put the chinese sticker on the German screwdrive to drive people nuts.
It would be something I would do. LOL
Eveyone is so worried about where the tools is made. That means nothing. The quality of the tool and steel is what matters.
Even if it is made in the US where does the steel come form. We have lost so many steel plants that I am sure that much of the steel comes from other counrties. Teh plastic and rubber are froma around the world.
One of my sons does plant maintenance. He had worked for differned companies that make the plastic bottle for Coke and other companies. All of the bottling machines he works on are made in France. He has a great job and bennies. They make the bottles here in the US but the machines are made else where. Amny of the thing things used in making tools here in the US come form around the world. Where it is made has nothing to do with quailty. Yes US, Swiss and German things are very good. So are many of the tools made in England, Canada and Australia.
We would be making more products here if we did not tax businesses out of existance. We have the highest business tax in the world and so many wacked out regulations it makes it impossible to compete and in many cases you can't make the product for a profit. Business is not the problem Government intervention is. You can figure out the rest. Eveything is made on a pin head in the universe. If I could buy it form Mars I would.

 

[Zrexxer]

Eveyone is so worried about where the tools is made. That means nothing.

Might mean nothing to you but it sure as hell means something to me.

 

[lennoxlennox]

Here is yet another example of how the "made in germany" stamp is such a farce and doesn't have the same stringent requirements that we have here to use the "made in USA" label.

This is a quote from the German Manufacturers site on what can be deemed to be "made in germany"


"A company produces tanks made of stainless steel. Because
of a special chemical and mechanical surface treatment they
are suitable for the storage of ultrapure gases.

The semi-finished
tanks are supplied from abroad; the surface treatment
is carried out in Germany.

The final product may be designated as “Made in Germany”
if it is the surface treatment that is crucial to the
quality of the product."


So in essence the whole damn stainless steel tank can be made abroad, but if you can demonstrate that you did something "crucial", even if it's only a "treatment" to a wholly manufactured product from another country, no worries mate... it's "made in germany"


What a joke!


So not that this is the case, but based on the above the "Wiha or even Wera" screwdrivers could be wholly made elsewhere, and a strengthening heating sequence could be applied in germany or the strengthened tip and ... voila... it's "made in germany"


Like I said it may or may not be the case, but until their manufacturing body put some real tough criteria into the "made in germany" designation, it doesn't represent anything but a marketing gimmick to be used as a justification to charge a premium for their products and they are doing a disservice to the german producers of quality product that make 100% of their product there.

But clearly those companies are the slim minority as the majority don't want to be required to have more than 10% content.

The good news, is that when I buy USA made products. I know what that means!

No hocus pocus here.

 

[CanUK]

Might mean nothing to you but it sure as hell means something to me.

So then providing the actual quality is equivalent, and the product being considered is non-US-made, you would naturally be rooting for China over Germany, as China is your second largest trading partner (after Canada), importing more than twice as much US product as Germany?

 

[shoturtle]

Here is yet another example of how the "made in germany" stamp is such a farce and doesn't have the same stringent requirements that we have here to use the "made in USA" label.

This is a quote from the German Manufacturers site on what can be deemed to be "made in germany"


"A company produces tanks made of stainless steel. Because
of a special chemical and mechanical surface treatment they
are suitable for the storage of ultrapure gases.

The semi-finished
tanks are supplied from abroad; the surface treatment
is carried out in Germany.

The final product may be designated as “Made in Germany”
if it is the surface treatment that is crucial to the
quality of the product."


So in essence the whole damn stainless steel tank can be made abroad, but if you can demonstrate that you did something "crucial", even if it's only a "treatment" to a wholly manufactured product from another country, no worries mate... it's "made in germany"


What a joke!


So not that this is the case, but based on the above the "Wiha or even Wera" screwdrivers could be wholly made elsewhere, and a strengthening heating sequence could be applied in germany or the strengthened tip and ... voila... it's "made in germany"


Like I said it may or may not be the case, but until their manufacturing body put some real tough criteria into the "made in germany" designation, it doesn't represent anything but a marketing gimmick to be used as a justification to charge a premium for their products and they are doing a disservice to the german producers of quality product that make 100% of their product there.

But clearly those companies are the slim minority as the majority don't want to be required to have more than 10% content.

The good news, is that when I buy USA made products. I know what that means!

No hocus pocus here.

No it does not, if the item is change in a noticeable way it can be a Chinese part, and get stamped made in the USA.

 

[lennoxlennox]

No it does not, if the item is change in a noticeable way it can be a Chinese part, and get stamped made in the USA.

********

business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

1st paragraph

"the Commission has required that a product advertised as Made in USA be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. After a comprehensive review of Made in USA and other U.S. origin claims in product advertising and labeling, the Commission announced in December 1997 that it would retain the "all or virtually all" standard. The Commission also issued an Enforcement Policy Statement on U.S. Origin Claims to provide guidance to marketers who want to make an unqualified Made in USA claim under the "all or virtually all" standard and those who want to make a qualified Made in USA claim."


What does "all or virtually all" mean?

"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.
What substantiation is required for a Made in USA claim?

When a manufacturer or marketer makes an unqualified claim that a product is Made in USA, it should have — and rely on — a "reasonable basis" to support the claim at the time it is made. This means a manufacturer or marketer needs competent and reliable evidence to back up the claim that its product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.
What factors does the Commission consider to determine whether a product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.?

The product’s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S. The Commission then considers other factors, including how much of the product’s total manufacturing costs can be assigned to U.S. parts and processing, and how far removed any foreign content is from the finished product. In some instances, only a small portion of the total manufacturing costs are attributable to foreign processing, but that processing represents a significant amount of the product’s overall processing. The same could be true for some foreign parts. In these cases, the foreign content (processing or parts) is more than negligible, and, as a result, unqualified claims are inappropriate.

Example: A company produces propane barbecue grills at a plant in Nevada. The product’s major components include the gas valve, burner and aluminum housing, each of which is made in the U.S. The grill’s knobs and tubing are imported from Mexico. An unqualified Made in USA claim is not likely to be deceptive because the knobs and tubing make up a negligible portion of the product’s total manufacturing costs and are insignificant parts of the final product.

Example: A table lamp is assembled in the U.S. from American-made brass, an American-made Tiffany-style lampshade, and an imported base. The base accounts for a small percent of the total cost of making the lamp. An unqualified Made in USA claim is deceptive for two reasons: The base is not far enough removed in the manufacturing process from the finished product to be of little consequence and it is a significant part of the final product.

 

[shoturtle]

Here s a funny thing, Germany imports most o the raw material for their industries. So at the end the steel comes for all over te world. It is then forged and harden in Germany. This is like allot of European countries. They is why there is not a huge mining industry in Europe anymore.

So for all they nay sayiers out there. They us industries do the same thing buy raw materials overseas and import them to build their material. Steel city is not what it was.

 

[shoturtle]

********

business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

1st paragraph

"the Commission has required that a product advertised as Made in USA be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. After a comprehensive review of Made in USA and other U.S. origin claims in product advertising and labeling, the Commission announced in December 1997 that it would retain the "all or virtually all" standard. The Commission also issued an Enforcement Policy Statement on U.S. Origin Claims to provide guidance to marketers who want to make an unqualified Made in USA claim under the "all or virtually all" standard and those who want to make a qualified Made in USA claim."


What does "all or virtually all" mean?

"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.
What substantiation is required for a Made in USA claim?

When a manufacturer or marketer makes an unqualified claim that a product is Made in USA, it should have — and rely on — a "reasonable basis" to support the claim at the time it is made. This means a manufacturer or marketer needs competent and reliable evidence to back up the claim that its product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.
What factors does the Commission consider to determine whether a product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.?

The product’s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S. The Commission then considers other factors, including how much of the product’s total manufacturing costs can be assigned to U.S. parts and processing, and how far removed any foreign content is from the finished product. In some instances, only a small portion of the total manufacturing costs are attributable to foreign processing, but that processing represents a significant amount of the product’s overall processing. The same could be true for some foreign parts. In these cases, the foreign content (processing or parts) is more than negligible, and, as a result, unqualified claims are inappropriate.

Example: A company produces propane barbecue grills at a plant in Nevada. The product’s major components include the gas valve, burner and aluminum housing, each of which is made in the U.S. The grill’s knobs and tubing are imported from Mexico. An unqualified Made in USA claim is not likely to be deceptive because the knobs and tubing make up a negligible portion of the product’s total manufacturing costs and are insignificant parts of the final product.

Example: A table lamp is assembled in the U.S. from American-made brass, an American-made Tiffany-style lampshade, and an imported base. The base accounts for a small percent of the total cost of making the lamp. An unqualified Made in USA claim is deceptive for two reasons: The base is not far enough removed in the manufacturing process from the finished product to be of little consequence and it is a significant part of the final product.

Chevy is made in the us. But look at the content. Allot of overseas parts. But it is made in the USA.

Vw's in Germany is marked made in mexico when it is made in Mexico. Even though the power train and engines come form Germany and other parts of the world.

 

[lennoxlennox]

Here s a funny thing, Germany imports most o the raw material for their industries. So at the end the steel comes for all over te world. It is then forged and harden in Germany. This is like allot of European countries. They is why there is not a huge mining industry in Europe anymore.

So for all they nay sayiers out there. They us industries do the same thing buy raw materials overseas and import them to build their material. Steel city is not what it was.

The example above is not talking about "steel"


They german manufacturing body actually gave the example of a wholly manufactured item that was produced offshore.


Now I know you are always biased towards german products showturtle and may wish to perpetuate the myth of just "raw materials", but the german sites and bodies are FIGHTING the requirement to have more than 10% content.


So it doesn't matter what you think or say or how in love with german products you maybe... and you may not like the FACTS about what the german requirements are


but for you to equate the same bogus standard to the US is just laughable.

 

[shoturtle]

Look at cars.

BMW 3er are all make made in the USA in Germany, again the powers train are made in Europe and shipped to the. It is all how you play with the wording.

Snap on, matco and other tool makers buy both us and oversea steel. They change te material into a tool. But the steel is still from overseas.

Allot of superstructure steel are made in the us, but the raw material stock comes from overseas as well. But they are made in the USA, as the forge is in the us.

 

[zer0cell]

The question is this:

Should the product label not reflect accurate information? What country it is made in is actually a separate issue from where the product CLAIMS to be made. I don't know about you all but I tend to take 5 seconds to skim over the label (or more in the case of big purchases obviously) to familiarize myself with what I am buying. That goes for food, tools, clothing, medication, a new car, a house, etc. Yes, it takes a little more time than blindly throwing your money at things.

I want to be able to have the choice to purchase what I want based on accurate information - including, among other things, the country it was made in. Let me guess, you who claim labeling a product incorrectly is not important also don't care if your food products have the nutritional facts and content of your food all mixed up or if your child's baby food has a high lead content in it and the product is labeled as "all natural"! Hahaha well I guess lead is natural right?

The point is, sometimes you can buy things blindly and it not make a bit of difference to you, but there will be times that having accurate product information is vital, possibly even to your survival - as in the case of drugs for example. I think it would be in every consumers best interest to demand truth in labeling.

 

[lennoxlennox]

It's really simple.

This "beloved" "Made in Germany" stamp is a farce.

Worse it's a deception and theft on the American consumer.


Sure "made in germany" means something, some quality, some value.

But it doesn't have the value we think it has, because we expect when something is labelled "made in..." that's it's for the most part made there.

The sinister part is the german manufacturers KNOW this and trade on that name and repuation that's been built over the years but is really open to complete bastardization and means nothing

 

[shoturtle]

The example above is not talking about "steel"


They german manufacturing body actually gave the example of a wholly manufactured item that was produced offshore.


Now I know you are always biased towards german products showturtle and may wish to perpetuate the myth of just "raw materials", but the german sites and bodies are FIGHTING the requirement to have more than 10% content.


So it doesn't matter what you think or say or how in love with german products you maybe... and you may not like the FACTS about what the german requirements are


but for you to equate the same bogus standard to the US is just laughable.

And with you example, like the FTC in the us the German fair trade commission will sue for unfair trade practice. That happen in 1995.

Yes I like German tool, but also love proto tools and craftman.

 

[shoturtle]

No, that's wrong. Again, look at the "all or virtually all" rule I posted above. Tools sold as "made in the USA" using imported steel would violate that rule, because that's a significant part of the parts and processes. Again, in your example, the item would have to be labeled "made in the USA with global materials" or something like that.

Can you provide some links where you're getting your info about Snap-on and Matco using foreign steel?



If that steel superstructure was sold in a store to a consumer, it could not be marked "made in the USA." It could be marked "forged in USA with global materials" or something similar.

I would encourage you to read the FTC link that has been posted many times. It's easy to understand.
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

All mainfacuture by steel from all over the world. That is fact. That is what forges do.