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From: Kruse on 22 May 2010 08:02
On May 21, 10:37 pm, jim beam <m...(a)privacy.net> wrote:
> i discovered today that the great american tool icon, occupant of
> practically every toolbox in the nation and many more globally, is now
> made in china.  i am completely disgusted.
>
The original Vise-Grip locking pliers was owned by the Petersen family
and they were built in DeWitt, Nebraska, a town of about 300 people.
In it's peak, the factory probably employed 500+ people. About 15
years ago, Petersen sold out to Irwin tools. At this time, Irwin
opened up a sister factory in Beatrice, Nebraska (just a few miles
down the road from DeWitt) and manufactured some other hand tools,
such as allen wrenches. About 8-10 years ago, they shut down the
Beatrice plant, and like a lot of other Irwin tools, moved the
manufacturing overseas. During this time, the employees (that still
had a job, that is) saw the writing on the wall, with the pieces to
the Vise-Grip locking pliers started to be manufactured globally,
instead of 100% manufacturing at DeWitt. About 3 years ago,
manufacturing at the DeWitt plant was closed and all manufacturing is
now in China. If you see a Vise-Grip product that says "Made in USA"
on it, snatch it up, because it is old stock.
It's funny that Irwin closed the American manufacturing, but yet you
want Americans to buy their products. I guess that rational is never
thought of when the brass is out on the golf course, is it? The
original Petersen inventor would be turning over in his grave if he
saw what has happened to his invention.
From: jim beam on 22 May 2010 10:01
On 05/22/2010 05:02 AM, Kruse wrote:
> On May 21, 10:37�pm, jim beam<m...(a)privacy.net> wrote:
>> i discovered today that the great american tool icon, occupant of
>> practically every toolbox in the nation and many more globally, is now
>> made in china. �i am completely disgusted.
>>
> The original Vise-Grip locking pliers was owned by the Petersen family
> and they were built in DeWitt, Nebraska, a town of about 300 people.
> In it's peak, the factory probably employed 500+ people. About 15
> years ago, Petersen sold out to Irwin tools. At this time, Irwin
> opened up a sister factory in Beatrice, Nebraska (just a few miles
> down the road from DeWitt) and manufactured some other hand tools,
> such as allen wrenches. About 8-10 years ago, they shut down the
> Beatrice plant, and like a lot of other Irwin tools, moved the
> manufacturing overseas. During this time, the employees (that still
> had a job, that is) saw the writing on the wall, with the pieces to
> the Vise-Grip locking pliers started to be manufactured globally,
> instead of 100% manufacturing at DeWitt. About 3 years ago,
> manufacturing at the DeWitt plant was closed and all manufacturing is
> now in China. If you see a Vise-Grip product that says "Made in USA"
> on it, snatch it up, because it is old stock.
> It's funny that Irwin closed the American manufacturing, but yet you
> want Americans to buy their products. I guess that rational is never
> thought of when the brass is out on the golf course, is it? The
> original Petersen inventor would be turning over in his grave if he
> saw what has happened to his invention.


sears is an interesting study on this point. on wall st, sears get a
lot of criticism for poor margins and poor growth. yet sears management
are smart enough to know that the one thing that keeps their tool
business alive is the fact that it's got "made in usa" stamped on each
and every item. seriously, i buy sears tools for that one reason, and
i'm far from being alone in that. not all their tools are that great,
but they're good enough, and i don't want my money going to a despotic
hostile foreign regime that's stealing our intellectual property,
bribing our politicians and hell-bent on sabotaging our economic [and
thus military] strength.

--
nomina rutrum rutrum

From: chuckcar on 22 May 2010 20:46
jim beam <me(a)privacy.net> wrote in
news:sP-dncbQU7HMcWrWnZ2dnUVZ_vqdnZ2d(a)speakeasy.net:

> you could say the same for snap-on, [/where/ did they lose the plot on
> getting rid of the magical quick release button on their
> ratchets????], but they're still made here, and buying them keeps your
> money here.
>
> besides, anyone who has wrenched for a living and who has experienced
> tool failures [and the injuries they can cause] knows that "saving"
> money on something like a $20 ratchet vs. a $30 one can be the most
> expensive $10 you ever bought.
>
Indeed. The injuries only start with cuts from peeling Crome plating. My
personal peeve.

My father has some Bluepoint wrenches. Works of art - all curves except for
the actual part the nut goes in.



--
(setq (chuck nil) car(chuck) )
From: Steve N. on 22 May 2010 23:43

"jim beam" <me(a)privacy.net> wrote in message
news:sP-dncbQU7HMcWrWnZ2dnUVZ_vqdnZ2d(a)speakeasy.net...
strength.
snip..................

> besides, anyone who has wrenched for a living and who has experienced tool
> failures [and the injuries they can cause] knows that "saving" money on
> something like a $20 ratchet vs. a $30 one can be the most expensive $10
> you ever bought.

You must be getting one helluva discount on Snap-On tools. I just looked at
1/2" ratchets. Sears wants $20 and the Snap-On is $141 (MSRP).


From: Steve N. on 23 May 2010 11:03

"jim beam" <me(a)privacy.net> wrote in message
news:L5adnfyd-4-Ko2TWnZ2dnUVZ_s6dnZ2d(a)speakeasy.net...
> On 05/22/2010 08:43 PM, Steve N. wrote:
>> "jim beam"<me(a)privacy.net> wrote in message
>> news:sP-dncbQU7HMcWrWnZ2dnUVZ_vqdnZ2d(a)speakeasy.net...
>> strength.
>> snip..................
>>
>>> besides, anyone who has wrenched for a living and who has experienced
>>> tool
>>> failures [and the injuries they can cause] knows that "saving" money on
>>> something like a $20 ratchet vs. a $30 one can be the most expensive $10
>>> you ever bought.
>>
>> You must be getting one helluva discount on Snap-On tools. I just looked
>> at
>> 1/2" ratchets. Sears wants $20 and the Snap-On is $141 (MSRP).
>>
>>
>
> i mentioned snap-on as an example of domestic manufacture. the pricing
> was for sears brand. but i think you knew that.
>
> i don't buy snap-on ratchets any more - no quick-release.
>

Actually, the $141 Snap-On ratchet IS a quick release:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=67488&group_ID=345&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


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