We were bantering back and forth on the Chinesium poost awhile back and the subject of Craftsman tools came up. Growing up in the 70s and 80s - for me the Craftsman line was much respected and known for quality. Later in my career I got involved in specialized high end bolting, piping, torquing and cutting tools and occasionally dabbling in the smaller stuff. I saw the off-shoring phenomenon up close and personal when one of our serious competitors decided on sourcing his bigger tools out of India. I started studying his tools and found out they weren’t CSA certified. But he was selling his stuff at about 1/3 the prices I was charging for my US made tools. We quietly let the customers know…and word spread like wildfire. Almost overnight - as a market threat…these guys went from being wolves at our throats to being dogs at our feet. The customers knew all about third world QA/QC and wanted nothing to do with it. The owner of the company later threatened to sue me in court and I just laughed and told him I’d see him there. He deserved the financial chit kicking he got, IMHO. Although, his people that worked for him paid for it too. That’s life I guess.
On the small stuff like ratchets, sockets and hand tools we saw it too. Snap On was the big offender, although they went at off shoring in a more intelligent way. They started slowly, off shoring some models but retaining others for domestic manufacturing. The tools looked exactly the same as the American made ones but were not nearly as reliable. Unlike homeowners - tradesmen are closely attuned to their tools and noticed the quality decline almost immediately. And they let the guys at Snap On know about it too. And everyone else too!
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Nothing really encapsulates the true state of America’s self induced economic retardation than its domestic tool market. America’s 35 year old kidults live in the basement because they can’t get jobs. Their parents worked in factories building the tools that would in turn build bigger, more complex tools to take the nation into the next century. If America (and Canada for that matter) ever want to be great again, we are going to need good people that know how to use good tools. They go hand in hand.
It may be too late…? This morning I watched a pregnant cunned stunt slamming a bottle of Tylenol because apparently Blumpf or one of his evil minions said that pregnant women shouldn’t take Tylenol because it could harm the baby. Can we expect people like that to wield serious tools while tackling serious jobs…?
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I never made money selling the small stuff - I mainly bought and resold as a convenience service to some of my larger customers. If they wanted small hand tools I offered the Gray Tools. They’re manufactured right here in Canada in Brampton, Morontario. Quality and warranties were good and I never heard any complaints from the customers… but who knows? That was seven years ago.
Buyer beware, I guess? If I were a kid outfitting a new tool box, I’d cruise the estate sales looking for old Mac, Snap On and Craftsman tools and avoid the new stuff whenever possible… but whadda I know?
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