SwissTech at Advance Auto

[fishtale]

I stopped by the local Advance Auto for some window washer fluid and saw a bunch of Swiss Tech mini tools on sale. The Utili-key was $0.98! The small plier/screwdriver thing was less than $5. There were others but those were the only ones I was interested in.

It's funny how much work the little pliers based tool has gotten already. I dropped it in my pocket and have been using it ever since. The nice thing about it is you can open and close everything with one hand. I was replacing the flow valve in the toilet tank and needed to grab one of the small wet widgets to adjust it. One hand was holding the assembly and the other reached in the pocket and deployed the handy Swiss Tech gadget! Nice setup.

 

[Eyegor]

I have found Swiss+Tech tools at Advance Auto lately as well. At first the low price surprised me because I've been a fan of these tools for a while. I discovered they are no longer made in the USA. They are made in China now. That being said, quality seems about the same.

 

[bltjr1951]

Good luck with your pliers. The ones I had got so loose they would open by themselves off the key ring. And then, you couldn't hold them in your hands to use, they would fold close.

 

[mp510]

That being said, quality seems about the same.

When the American distributor/trademark holder wants a halfway decent product, China is more than willing to produce it. Unfortunately, most of the crap Chinese products are the result of the distributors not giving a rats ass about what they sell.

I have a Gerber AR 3.00 (partially serrated, black teflon coated blade). After losing my Gerber, I noticed a virtually identical knife in a Lowes store-brand package, for about half the price of the Gerber. I bought one, since it was cheap, and I could always return it if it was garbage. I carried it for seven days. The finish was slightly worse than the Gerber, no big deal- it was a user. By the end of that week, the pivot and lock both went- despite very light use. The original Gerber was also imported, I forget if from Taiwan or China. Regardless, it was much better quality.

Before Thanksgiving, I bought one of the 5 piece/ $10 Winchester multi-tool sets at Wal-Mart. Made in China. The blades were all razor sharp. The fit and finish was lacking, but everything was functional. For a stash too- just what I was loking for (it now gets thrown in a jacket or sack, JIC). Will it stand up to the test of time, I don't know. Has it stould up more than it's cost already, yup!