Where to find USA made Power tools!

C

curtis K

Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
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I am looking for some 3/8” corded power drills for the shop and to my surprise (sarcasm) there doesn’t appear to be any of them made in the US anymore. I went to Lowes (hate that store) and every drill was made in china save one and that one was made in Malaysia. Even Dewalt has went offshore! I would be happy with a German or Japanese made drill, but elated with one made here. Does anyone know where to find one?
 
All american made? Flea market most likely... Sad to say...


Some of those Chinese machines are top notch though and run great... I understand the patriotic initiative... but tool for tool and $ for $, Chinese stuff is gonna win...

Look at a bench vise. All american = 4-5x the price of an equivalent foreign vise. But honestly, a blind man wouldn't know the difference. Overhead in this country kills anything made on an assembly line.

Cheers. Well... not really...

Eric
 
You aren't going to find any German ones made in Germany either, sadly.

Chinese gear is about QA. If the company has great QA then you can expect a quality tool.
 
Equipment auctions, flea markets, estate sales, and maybe garage sales will be your best bet. 90% of my tools were gathered this way. Mostly all over built American tools from days in the past. I think the only new quality American made tool is my kmg.
 
It's a very popular google search, and when I worked in a hardware store for a bit back in 2009, it was a common question there as well.

Maybe you are the one to do it! Make them yourself and take over this apparently ripe for the picking niche market.

Hell, I'd buy a drill from you. But you have to make all the sub-assemblies yourself...
 
Salem Straub said:
It's a very popular google search, and when I worked in a hardware store for a bit back in 2009, it was a common question there as well.

Maybe you are the one to do it! Make them yourself and take over this apparently ripe for the picking niche market.

Hell, I'd buy a drill from you. But you have to make all the sub-assemblies yourself...
Click to expand...

...and if it's well made I only will buy one in my lifetime



http://www.contractortalk.com/f40/high-end-power-tools-85875/

there seems to be more in Germany

they have that whole engineering and production mindset.




the pro welders on other forums I read seem to really like the Metabo tools
 
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Thanks gents! I have just about settled on the Dewalt. I reckon I can tell everyone that "China" is actually pronounced "Cheenuh" and is located just outside of Dallas. Makes me feel a little better anyway. Oh yeah, Salem you actually may be on to something. It is a great idea! Of course, I suspect after making the drills here for 5 years or so I would farm them out to the Chinese so I could get filthy rich. :) Thanks
again fellas!
 
I have three DeWalt's and I really like them. I also have some old American made tools, and they are really well built.
 
You're a knifemaker, make your own. Can't be much harder than a making a framelock. hehehe

I used to like dewalt, until they got bought out by B&D. Now my shop is full of Bosch.
 
A store bought knife made in some foreign sweat shop costs less than $50. A hand made special made by folks on this forum could cost WELL in excess of 4X that amount, and people buy them. Someone making specialty tools for "patriotic" Americans would probably do pretty well...until they got greedy and off-shored the work. Then they would be strung up on meat hooks, covered with honey and introduced to a serious mound of fire ants.
 
Check out Festool:
http://festoolusa.com

Designed and built in Germany. Their tools are expensive but very well built. The tools are also well integrated to work as a system with their other tools (sanders & vacuum cleaners, etc).

I only have a few of their tools but I would buy them again and will be buying more.

Chuck
 
i try really hard to make sure my tools are USA even if that means picking up 50+ year old tools and rehabbing them. only my mini mill and wood saw are inport (saw is a crapsman ) i have a bridgeport and a am looking for a southbend drill. once i have the drill press the mini mill will likly find a new home as for the wood saw i kind of think i want another roll in saw but have it set up to do wood
 
Thanks for the link Chuck! Well said "tryppyr"! Thanks for early morning laugh! I am still chuckling! Curtis
 
Honestly if I find nails that are made in USA I get excited,much less tools...
 
Seems like all the stuff like toilet paper and brooms and stuff is made in USA but the real tools and mechanical stuff is made elsewhere.
 
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