I’m the first to admit that not every object in my garage was made in the U.S.A. And I’m not the kind of guy that has enough time to constantly find myself wrapped up in some silly internet war between “patriots” and some guy that just needs an affordable rock tumbler. I guess I’m a moderate… I buy what I need and what I can afford.
Most often, I’ve found that buying quality is my best bet. Sure, I spend more initially but that cost is almost always absorbed throughout the lifetime of the tool/product. You get what you pay for, right?
Of course, there are times when I need one-time or seldom used tool that can be most economically bought at Harbor Freight or some other cheap-sale outlet. I don’t have a problem with admitting that and don’t believe there is any shame at all in it. It’s just simple economics and common sense.
That doesn’t mean I’m un-American. Far from it in fact… I grew up without grandfathers due to the ultimate sacrifice they both made in WWII. The loss of these two fine gentlemen created an environment within my own immediate family that can only be described as pride. Pride in being an American. Pride for what this country stands for. Pride for the folks that built this country out of determination and plain old ingenuity.
In a lot of ways, this pride is what gave me an affinity for all things vintage… For all things that have stood the test of time.
Manufacturing has, in a large part, shifted to other parts of the world. Even so, I still strongly believe in the quality this country produces. Successful American manufacturers are still producing the quality we all grew up on. We have not ran out of determination or ingenuity. We still have pride… And I thought it would be cool to create a list of these companies that we have all dealt with and continue to purchase from.
What do you think?
I’ve set up a forum/list here. The idea is that we can all add to this list and, in time, create a library of companies that do things the right way… right here in the U.S.A.
