You guys sure are right about declining US tools!

[iroc409]

When I was about 14-15, I started building my tool collection. By the time I was 18, I had a decent basic set. I got a lot for Christmas, and that sort of thing. All Craftsmans--a good socket & ratchet set, nut drivers, I think I had the inch Pro flare nut set, a couple of nice hammers, etc. I had a really nice impact gun of theirs, air ratchet, etc. I did a lot more wrenching back then, had project cars, and did most of my own mechanic work. Unfortunately, I was starting a shop with a friend (we mostly did custom stuff), and ended up moving my tools there. They ended up basically disappering. Argh!

So, the last couple of years I have been rebuilding. I had several years where I really couldn't do any work on anything, so I didn't really bother to rebuild much. I have a pretty good setup, again mostly Craftsman (but not all). I'm still picking up a few things, but have most of the basics covered (for a DIYer).

I have absolutely noticed the decline. Sears' current quiet replace-with-China stuff is pretty unnerving. Right now on the shelves I've noticed a lot of stuff, same part numbers and price, but half of the stuff on the hook is US-made, and half China. Very frustrating!

I heard about the decline of Kobalt, so I went rummaging around their hand tools to see. I was very disappointed to see that some of their ratchets and stuff looks worse than the latest Harbor Freight stuff! I was in need of a longer 1/4" extension, and just happened to see a couple loose US-made Kobalts on the shelf, so I snatched one up. It looked pretty nice, but the Chinese or Taiwanese replacements looked terrible.

I just bought a set of flare nut wrenches from Sears online, included both inch and metric. I got a good price, and I figured since they are going to Chinese versions, I might not be able to get them again. They are the raised panel variety, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. Other than all of the newer RP wrenches looking not quite as good as they used to (just in the metal appearance--which is probably no judge of their metallurgy), there are at least 3 of the set that look terrible. Heads are not well-shaped, grinding marks on the wrench under the finish, etc.

I was in Sears the other day to see if they would have any sales on the Plierswrench (they did --$2 off!), and on the shelf they had a set of the metric Pro flare nut wrenches someone must have found fallen behind a shelf because the package was covered in an inch of dust. They looked perfect, and I almost bought them--right in the middle of all the new Chinese versions.

I used to have a nice 2lb engineer's hammer from Craftsman, that was a great tool for beating on stuff. I wanted another one, haven't bought it yet but looked at Craftsman's latest. It is the same thing, but it is definitely made a lot cheaper than the one I had.

The real kicker is one of the claw hammers they sell now. I bought one of the cheap yellow $2 HF hammers on coupon for hanging pictures. Actually, I have two of them. I noticed Craftsman has the exact same hammer in red... for $17.99. What's even more sad, of the $2 hammers I have from HF, the newer of the two is noticably cheaper made. Argh!!

My combo inch wrenches only go up to 3/4", and sometimes a larger one would be nice. I was going to buy up the rest of the open stock up to 1" of the Cman Pro, but couldn't bring myself to it. I think at this point I'd rather just use the Knipex. I don't use combos a ton, anyway.

Anyway, preaching to the choir and all that. I'm just ranting a bit. Thanks to GJ, I have a Snap-On F80 in my tool box now, am probably going to get a set of Knipex Plierswrenches, and will probably not buy much more from Sears. I've never broken a good socket/ratchet/wrench, so hopefully my luck continues. I'm sure most of the foreign-made stuff will work fine for most home users, it's just frustrating.

 

[Thumper]

We all feel your pain and dismay........yard sales, flea markets and swap meets are your best bet for good 'ole USA made tools now...

 

[powertrip]

Everyday or so there is this type of craftsman bashing thread. I understand your frustration, but what other retailer can you walk into and still buy as many USA made tools as they still carry with such an easy warranty policy? Just seems so redundant.

 

[AL`]

When trying to buy quality and U.S. made, one certainly has to be diligent and strategic. Not all U.S. made is quality as pointed out, and finding sources takes a lot of effort. Still, I make the effort. I'm not giving up on Sears, but I refuse to buy the offshored tools, and cherry-pick from the U.S. made tools. This site is a great place for reviews and comparisons of these tools, and I wished I'd found it years ago. It would have saved me some money and pointed me in some better directions. Live and learn.

The quality aspect of Craftsman tools is a strange mix of good and bad. The RP ratchets I've not heard good things about. I have them, but haven't used them enough to make them fail yet. I'm sure they will in time. I have some older Craftsman ratchets that I like better. On the other hand, what about the Thin Profile 60 tooth Ratchets and the latest Premium 84 tooth Ratchets? These both appear to be a step up from the RP ratchets, and not just from a polished exterior standpoint. So I find those two exceptions to be a positive vs. the offshored tools and the crappier U.S. made ones. I don't know how these two ratchets hold up though. I have purchased one 1/2" drive Premium Ratchet, but it has no track record to speak of yet. My greatest concern with Craftsman going forward is the general fiscal health of Sears. If the company isn't viable, there's little hope for the Craftsman brand unless it were to be sold to a viable company. Not predicting doom for Sears, but they have had poor management and revenue losses in recent years. They definitely need to do some things differently. Of course, I think the average U.S. customer isn't very concerned about COO like some of us are. I won't buy U.S. made at any price, but I am willing to pay a reasonable premium for it. I don't believe the majority of consumers really care though. That's a tough tide to swim against for those manufacturers trying to maintain U.S. production.

 

[iroc409]

Well, I guess I'm not really trying to bash Sears, as they have had a good product for a long time and I've spent a lot of money with them. With any product, US-made or not, I really hate to see a decline in quality. It's not just Sears, it's everything. I don't think my American-manufactured Toyota is as nice as previous generations. However, my Japanese-built Mazda is probably better than anything in its class (that we looked at).

I'm sure I'll still buy from them, but I'm going to be a lot more picky about what I buy--from anyone. I used to be a lot more inclined to just buy Craftsman as it was a good name. Now my box has Channel Lock, Snap-on, Wera, and will have Knipex in it in the not-so-distant future.

I did just recently get a thin profile 1/2" drive wrench, and it looks very nice--my only complaint is I wish the release button was metal, but it looks plastic. It probably doesn't matter one bit though, and I love the shape of the handle.

If I am going to get something that is made elsewhere, I am going to scrutinize it a lot better and buy for my dollar--which is probably prudent to do in any case. HF has improved its quality, and I'm afraid is going to hurt Sears' business. Some of the new stuff I'm seeing on the shelves at Sears doesn't look any better than Pittsburgh, and it's priced higher.

 

[Wrenches of Death]

... and ended up moving my tools there. They ended up basically disappering. Argh!

NO ONE will treat YOUR tools the way that you do.

My father told me something many long years ago that has stuck with me. It went along the following lines, although the language was a little more colorfully descriptive.

An un-bathed person that was the offspring of an unmarried woman can see you drop a dollar out of your pocket. They'll say "Hey, you dropped a dollar!" That same un-bathed person that was the offspring of an unmarried woman can see you drop a four inch Cresent wrench out of your pocket. They will say nothing, and wait until you leave or turn away. And then they'll put it in THEIR procreating pocket.

WoD

 

[iroc409]

NO ONE will treat YOUR tools the way that you do.

Yeah, I learned a hard lesson. I still kick myself, as it was only my fault. My tools were stored away where I couldn't get to them or use them. I should have left them there, as they would have been safe to this day actually (they were stored on my grandparents' property).

 

[woody 73]

With me I started seeing the trend many years ago because I live at hardware stores, and I watched them doing away with the american hand tools and moving to overseas tools.

 

[butina_doc]

You know it kind of makes a guy angry. I shouldnt have to go out of my way in order to get a good quality tool that was made in country. Half the stuff in my box was made by a now defunct company. Pretty sad when you find a set of chinese vise grips in a package that says made in U.S.A.