Where the heck are the American made tools?

Lion's Roar

Lion's Roar

Joined
Apr 11, 2004
Messages
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I looked all over today for a new drill. I wanted one that was Made in the USA. I bought one, returned it, and bought another. I finally thought that I had a US made drill with a Black & Decker that I bought from Ace Hardware. Come to find out, it was made in China.

Are there any American made tools left out there? Is it too much to ask?
 
Good luck on american made power tools. The best power tools out there are Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, and Rigid.
 
check ryobi-a few years ago they made some us power tools- i had a cordless drill that wouldnt die-buy one and put in one of those contraptions that make a regular drill a drill press-lol
 
ashtxsniper said:
Good luck on american made power tools. The best power tools out there are Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, and Rigid.
Click to expand...

and Bosch.

Just returned a 24v Rigid drill that failed in two weeks, but have a lot of Rigid shop tools, table saw, drill press, band saw, etc and never had a problem. I think that Rigid is Home Depot. (???)

For battery operated tools I Like DeWalt the best. Just got a 36v kit and really like it. Powerful, light, sturdy.

Don't know where they are made, however. I would like to "Buy American," but are we making anything?
 
Well, one down...

from a Porter Cable review on Amazon: "This is the first sawzall I have owned so I really can't make a comparison with any of the others. This Porter Cable saw gets the job done in a flash. It is a very powerful saw and will tear through anything. The only downside that I have that I didn't know about when I bought it was that it's NOT Made in the USA, it's actually Made in Mexico. I thought Porter Cable was known for Made in USA tools but I guess they moved shop just like the rest except Milwaukee, which I found out afterwards. It appears Milwaukee is one of the only manufactures of tools that makes tools in the USA anymore. Either way, the Porter Cable saw is hands down a great saw."

So, maybe try Milwaukee? Or Makita? I did type "Makita made in USA" in Google and got some confirmation that at least some of their stuff is American made.

I've had good luck with Makita, Porter Cable, DeWalt, Bosch, Milwaukee. I'm Hitachi curious.
 
dont knock ryobi-my cordless went for quite a few years till the batteries died- it was cheaper to buy a new one-bought a crapsman,pos-

guys at work still use ryobi hand grinders because they last the longest under the extreme conditions we use them for,we cut tile marble and granite with them and use water to keep the dust down,milwakee and dewalts just dont last as long under this type of abuse and cost 4 times more-
 
Craftsman...Pfft. My old(10 years) milwaukee 12 volt ou-tourqed a new Craftsman 19 volt. However, we probably shouldn't have been driving tap-cons with either of them.
 
When it comes to power tools there are several price points.
Garbage
Home Handy Man
Semi pro tradesman
Top of the line stuff, if you can afford it.
Some companies have a reputation for certain powertools of a sort, e.g Makita grinders others being stronger on Jigsaws, Hammer drills etc.
The problem you have is many brands that are/were quality are sourcing from factories that make the crap to stay competative, just like everything else including Knives.
 
Stanley used to make tools in Ct. Now they make tools in China, England and anywhere but here.
Look carefully at lables when you buy.

I used to think that Asian tools were not good, but that has all changed. Stuff from Japan or Taiwan can be very good or not so good.

Porter-Cable still makes some of the tools in the U.S. They are quality stuff.

It is getting hard to find much of anything that is made in the U.S. - too much of it is going overseas.

The CEO of Haliburton is going to Dubai. That tells you something!
 
I love my Makita cordless. Used them to build a log cabin drilling 10" screws and they are still going strong. Love Rigid as well. The best circular saw I have ever used is a Rigid. Have a Rigid portable table saw and portable 12" miter saw and love them. Rigid is Home Depot brand, but not sure where they are made.Have afew Hitachi and have had no problems. Great warranty.
 
China owns America through economics.
Because America consumes so many resources, all China needs to do is feed it. This way it will gain a momentum based on power that isn’t even theirs. China could 'un-plug' America (or almost any other first world country). They even make bullets for the US army in Iraq, because American factories couldn’t keep up and would probably run short. Think about it. They don’t just manufacture toys and Nikes - they make electrical wires, silicon chips, piping, springs, plastics, textiles, fabrics, lights, tires etc. These things can be seen all around you... Made in China...
 
It's just like the made in America assembled in Mexico labels that I've seen on some of the products.

I guess I could let it slid it did't say the Made in the U.S.A. and technically Mexico is in N. America.
 
Carolina 6" boots on my feet, made in the USA.
That is a great list, thanks. When I get back, I will rebuild my entire toolbox with stuff from the USA. I intend to do that all the way down the line:Clothing, electronics, everything made in the USA.
I dont mean it as an insult to any other country, I only want to keep my country strong.
 
You can't generalize I don't think on one specific brand. IMO different companies have different strengths. Like Bill, I bought a great table saw and drill press from Ridgid, and they are outstanding. HD doesn't sell them anymore I don't think. At least I haven't seem them on display for a couple of years.

I have a 15 YO B&D Router that is almost as good as a newer Porter Cable plunge router, and easier to use. Excellent top of the line tool with great ergonomics.

At the same time I have a 10 year old B&D skill saw that is too heavy and has really poor adjustments. Purely a beater. Skil worm drive is the way to go. B&D makes the best cordless screwdriver though, better than Skil.

Bosch makes the best jigsaw (the 1587 orbital), and Craftsman sells the same unit under their name. I use Craftsman for bench grinders and sander, a metal chop saw and scrollsaw.

I almost went with the Dewalt 12" Miter a few years ago because it is so nice and just 37 lbs., but at the time went with the lifetime guaranteed Ridgid w/ 15 amp motor and haven't regretted it once. 8 pounds heavier, but I don't move it around job to job like a tradesman would. It can also cut deeper stock and has a wider fence than the Dewalt.

I think Dewalt makes the best angle grinder, but the Craftsman is very good. I'm sure the Milwaukee is as well.

Porter Cable for palm sanders and biscuit jointers. The Craftsman biscuit jointer is also highly rated.

I like PC for air staplers and brad and finishing nailers, but I know contractors like Senco, especially for the bigger framing and roofing nailers. I've never had a PC fail on me though, and a guy told me once that they were made on the same line. Don't know if that's true. Air hand tools are either Craftsman or Ingersoll-Rand.

Milwaukee for hammer drills and Sawzalls hands down. Their stuff is great.

My old Makita cordless drill is still going after 12 years, and it gets used a ton. Finally had to buy new batteries for it last year. I hear the new ones don't hold up as well though.

All my hand tools are Craftsman, because that's what I was raised with, with a few Snap-On and Mac, some new Husky from HD, and then Klein for all the elec. tools. Estwing for hammers. Stanley for planes and rasps. The Japanese Sharks for hand saws. Bessey for clamps, and Wilton for vices, esp. wood working ones.

Ryobi is OK, but strictly for ocassional use IMNSHO.

All this is just my opinion based on lots of trial and error and comparison shopping and buying. YMMV.

The Chinese are in the process of burying us economically. Go to Sears and price a single 14" Craftsman pipe wrench. Great quality, high price. Then go to Harbor Freight and price their set of _4_ decent quality Pittsburgh pipe wrenches; 8" 10" 12" and 14". Not quite the same fit and finish, but nine friggin' dollars. 10-12 pounds of iron, shipped 12 thousand miles, for NINE dollars. That is ******* scary.


Norm
 
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