Irwin Tools is going to be making Vice Grips in China

Yea but try to fit them into a tight spot like you can Craftsman or Snap-on,the sockets will hold up,I'll say that,but they're also twice as thick.
 
These aren't sockets, they're universal joints; and appear to have comparable dimensions to the US-made tools I've used.

You make a good point, though. With respect to mechanics tools I've found Chinese ratchets, breaker bars, u-joints, and socket extensions to be as good or better than US made products. Their actual drive tools (sockets and wrenches) are still inferior.

This is a good example of how you can get the best of both worlds. Cheap but high quality Chinese breaker bar + expensive but top quality US socket = affordable but highly effective system.
 
fishbulb said:
I disagree. The set of Chinese made ball-type impact swivels that I bought at Harbor Freight for less than ten bucks have performed flawlessly after more than two years of regular heavy usage.

This is a fraction of what they would cost from a US manufacturer, and the quality certainly appears to be equivalent. This is not an isolated case.

Do you not consider this to be a bargain?
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Well for that all I can say is that a set of those is probably a once or twice in a lifetime purchase. Would it rally have been a hardship to buy American?

This issue comes down to personal choices too. How you want to accumulate things, what quality level you can live with, and what you're willing to live without.

There is currently no shortage of general use tools available that are American made for reasonable prices. Craftsmen, Channel Lock, Klein, Johnson etc. all offer good products. Maybe when you get into the specialty stuff it gets harder to pay for, but those purchases don't come as often. Right now you get to choose, but in the future you may not because everything is going over seas.
 
I don't know,I've got a few Chinese made tools around,that I use occasionally for light duty work,but when I'm working on something old and rusty or something that I want to make sure,I don't round the nut,I reach for an American made Snap-on.The same ones that I've been using for the past 30 some years.The other day I was working on something,I don't remember what off hand,I needed vice grips and the closest pair was a China made wrench,after about 15 minutes of not making much headway:grumpy:,I heaved them across the driveway and went and found my Vice Grips,had it finished in a couple of minutes.:D
 
I was saddened to hear the plant was closing. I lived a few miles from DeWitt in the early 2000's and know a lot of good people who are going to lose their jobs. Unless a new manufacturer moves into town I imagine DeWitt will become just another Nebraska ghost town.
 
i am new here Born in cuba thus the name let me tell you when i came to this country in 1967 i saw 2 bumper stickers that where true then and are true now first on " AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT " Second " BUY AMERICAN THE JOB YOU SAVE MIGHT BE YOUR OWN" of course its getting harder to do the second as almost everything is made in china , where they work the never ending supply of sweat shop labor to death,China same as Cuba are totalitarian communist government and the people are NEVER going to get batter wages on benefits unless there is a revolution,that is unlikely to happen ,when you keep the people hungry and thinking about how to get the next piece of bread to survive the last thing on ther mind is revolution,not to mention the only ones with guns are the government (NOT A GOOD THING) in Cuba first they took the Guns then they gave everybody the Shaft,the only way we can beat the Chinese is not to buy there crap,one menber said we need to stop collecting ,i think we need to stop collecting imported crap,i try to buy all american, all my vehicles are american BTW,to fully understand why we can buy imports ,especially cars cheaper than USA made vehicles is because out tariff on imports are low,if compared to what that country charge us for imports .try buying a Harley Davidson ,or American cars in any of these countries Japan china ect. if you can even get one , if we had to pay 80,000.00 for a Toyota corolla , then that american P.O.S for 40,000.00 would start to look really good,there are those who say they will pay more because there better,i think that's because they don't have to pay ridiculous prices for imports,like foreign countries have pay for our stuff overseas, obviously not everything can be or will it be made here ,but fair trade practices will even the score,i also agree with the poster that said he can get a pair of grips at Harbor Freight that preform as good ,as USA made ,if American based companies goes o china and no one buys there stuff then they will get the message ,
Having said all this most people are going to buy cheap because of many reasons mostly finances and not think of the long term effects, it seems we are "Rolling down hill like a snow ball headed for hell "(Merle haggard song)
MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND PROTECT US FROM ALL FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC ENAMIES
 
It's sad to see many of the iconic "Made in USA" companies importing more and more of their products from other countries.

I've seen a few companies mentioned as an example of still being made in USA, but I'm not so sure how true that remains anymore. The last Klein tool I picked up was made in Mexico. I believe I recall seeing one before that made in China. Most of the Craftsman tools I've recently looked at (especially if it has a lifetime warranty) are made in China. DeWalt is now made in China. Milwaukee, despite their name, isn't made in USA anymore.

Sure, some of these companies still have products made in USA, but you have to search harder and harder for them anymore. That said, "made in USA" doesn't mean nearly what it used to years ago. It used to be a stamp of quality. Anymore, it's mostly just an indicator of where it was made.

Now, when your options are buying a Snap on socket set for $300, vs. a Craftsman set for $30, what is the average, hardworking American gonna do? I know Craftsman has a lifetime warranty.... does Snap On?
Is Snap On 10x better than Craftsman, or are we paying a hefty chunk for a name?

Don't get me wrong. I want to by an American made tool as much as anyone, but the American companies are making it awfully hard.
 
Is Snap On 10x better than Craftsman, or are we paying a hefty chunk for a name?
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The new Craftsman stuff is pretty junky. I'd pay the extra for SK or Snap-On. Maybe those higher-end tools aren't ten times better, but they're three times better, and there's additional value in not having busted knuckles and reliable tools. Fortunately I'm loaded with Craftsman stuff from years ago that's really good quality.

That being said, it's been several years since this topic started. Imported Vice-Grips in 2014, are they as good as Vice-Grips from 2008?
 
What's the difference between snap-on and craftsman?

Snap-on are professional tools for professional wrenches, craftsman are for home use. Snap-on will replace their hand tools under warranty regardless of what happened to them/how you used them/how clearly you abused them. Walk into a sears store wearing a mechanic's uniform and they won't replace the tool. (True story, I've had it happen to me on multiple occasions).

My snap-on 3/8 drive hex-head ratchet has only needed rebuilt one time in the 8 years of hard use (up to and including taking off lug-nuts), in that time (using the snap-on as much as possible) I've went threw close to a dozen craftsman ratchets. The quality isn't even close.

I have a 1/2" drive 20" snap-on ratchet that has never needed rebuilt and I have been harder on it than most people are on a breaker bar, I have no worry using a cheater pipe on it, no reason to stop what I'm doing and go get a breaker bar, that beast of a ratchet will get the job done without so much as a single tooth jump.
 
I am on a personal quest to buy only "American Made" when possible, believe it or not I find it hard to just buy "North American Made", I give the love to Mexico and Canada when I can't find US made.

I really want to say more, but I must refrain from further de-railing this thread.
 
I will have to get a couple new pair. I will not buy them with China stamped on them.
 
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