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Thread: Milwaukee Tool Begins Making Hand Tools in the U.S.

  1. #11
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    The problem with American made is it is hard to find the kind of people that will do the manufacturing jobs.

    I currently sell for a company that manufacturers high end precision electric motors. They have plants in several countries, including China and the US. They are having a really difficult time staffing the US plant right now and are moving a little bit of the US production to China. The hope is that it is a temporary situation.
    "The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental." John Steinbeck

  2. #12
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    Disregard
    Last edited by .45fan; 08-14-22 at 15:56.

  3. #13
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    Proto (owned by Stanley) are great tools and made in the USA. Unless someone takes exception to the “American owned, foreign made” lines of the cheaper Stanley and Black & Decker tools. For Chinese made tools, the regular Stanley line are better in my experience than most but do cost more. Every B&D tool I’ve made the mistake of buying has been disposable. I’d have been better off going to Harbor Freight for less.

    My big exceptions to the preference lists like above are Japanese, German, UK, and Scandi tools are usually better than any other foreign made tools.

    I’m sure the Milwaukee will sell well to most people regardless of price. My only question is will the price be worth it to me.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Waylander View Post
    Proto (owned by Stanley) are great tools and made in the USA. Unless someone takes exception to the “American owned, foreign made” lines of the cheaper Stanley and Black & Decker tools. For Chinese made tools, the regular Stanley line are better in my experience than most but do cost more. Every B&D tool I’ve made the mistake of buying has been disposable. I’d have been better off going to Harbor Freight for less.

    My big exceptions to the preference lists like above are Japanese, German, UK, and Scandi tools are usually better than any other foreign made tools.

    I’m sure the Milwaukee will sell well to most people regardless of price. My only question is will the price be worth it to me.
    I should have elaborated on the US foreign made thing a bit. Obviously most European, Japanese, Korean, and a few other foreign countries quality levels are on a whole different level compared to the what is typically coming out of China and other places that production usually gets farmed out to.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by jsbhike View Post
    I should have elaborated on the US foreign made thing a bit. Obviously most European, Japanese, Korean, and a few other foreign countries quality levels are on a whole different level compared to the what is typically coming out of China and other places that production usually gets farmed out to.
    I would give almost anything to get Japanese electronics of the quality that existed in the 80s. I can't even find head phones that aren't a gigantic pile of steaming shit. Even Koss made some of the best headphones in the world back then.
    It's hard to be a ACLU hating, philosophically Libertarian, socially liberal, fiscally conservative, scientifically grounded, agnostic, porn admiring gun owner who believes in self determination.

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  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinzgauer View Post
    I've been moving back to Klein tools because they just work better and happen to be made in US in most cases.

    There's some pretty good reviews on YouTube by a channel called "project farm" which tests various tools side by side in a objective fashion.

    I have long been grumbling that it seemed like adjustable / crescent wrenches just didn't work as good as my old craftsman ones did. He did a test and sure enough vintage Craftsman beat pretty much all the current ones. And the cheap Chinese ones were just as bad as I thought.

    I bought a set of Lowe's adjustable wrenches on one of their sales just to have some extra around. Was a three pack. Very nicely made, looks great.

    And they just don't work as good. They're constantly losing the adjustment either too tight or too loose.

    So I recently bought a vintage US made Craftsman adjustable wrench off ebay. Was less expensive than a new one and just works a lot better.

    Craftsman screwdrivers made in China are useless now, I've switched to Japanese (Vessel) screwdrivers. Although I still use some Klines.

    Even simple things like combination wrenches there is a difference, and project farm did a great video demonstrating that.

    Back when they were made in US Kobalt wrenches and sockets were pretty nice, but they are not now.

    I was surprised to see it, but for combination wrenches Matco came out on top, even though they were made in Taiwan. I've had good luck with other tools that were made in Taiwan, so I do differentiate between them and mainland China.

    Back on topic, if Milwaukee starts making more of their tools in the US I will certainly be giving them a try.
    I got rid of my crescent wrenches when I discovered the Knipex pliers wrench. Expensive but so much better than a crescent wrench.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by prepare View Post
    But Milwaukee Tool is owned by Hong-Kong based Techtronic Industries. So a Chinese company is going to make Chinese tools in America.
    The worst of all worlds. I'm so friggin frustrated with American Mediocrity in design and manufacturing. My lawn mower is shit, my Fridge is shit, my washing machine is shit, my dishwasher is shit. Most American workers are tattooed slobs that want a bunch of money and don't want to do much work.. or care about quality work.

    Those trolls at Maytag wanted to sell me a service plan/extended warranty after their shit product failed leaving me without a washer for weeks. Are you kidding me? You build garbage and want me to add additional money to cover your shit??? FUKK YOU!
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  8. #18
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    Channellock is still a great tool made in USA. We abused the hell out of those things in my old construction job and they kept on working. I've been using an old Sears Craftsman corded drill around here, one of my buddies was giving me shit for it but I said "Hey, it says 'made in USA' on the side, what does you Milwaukee say?" Besides, it was free, it was my grandpa's and it still works great. I still have a full Craftsman socket set I bought in the 90's. I'd like to see more tools made in USA, built to last like the old tools. The Chinese tools they sell at auto parts places and hardware stores are a joke, I've broken a bunch of them.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    The worst of all worlds. I'm so friggin frustrated with American Mediocrity in design and manufacturing. My lawn mower is shit, my Fridge is shit, my washing machine is shit, my dishwasher is shit. Most American workers are tattooed slobs that want a bunch of money and don't want to do much work.. or care about quality work.

    Those trolls at Maytag wanted to sell me a service plan/extended warranty after their shit product failed leaving me without a washer for weeks. Are you kidding me? You build garbage and want me to add additional money to cover your shit??? FUKK YOU!
    Don’t get me started on appliances and lawn equipment. From the low end crap to “top end” crap between most brands, a lot of the identical parts come from the same factories in China.

    A few years ago the wife and I got Whirlpool appliances around the same time my in-laws got Maytag to replace their old Maytag assuming the name still meant something. Don’t get me wrong, our Whirlpool are huge POS but a couple have lasted as long or longer than theirs before I had to work on them.

    The washer motor went out on our 5 year old Whirlpool dishwasher and I was watching a YouTube on how to replace it. The guy was unbolting a big weight off the back of his and I didn’t see one on mine. Then it hit me. They’re charging a big f***** up-charge just for a hunk of metal hanging off the back! All so they can sell the “quieter” model!

  10. #20
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    Snap-On for most hand tools (wrenches, screw drivers, sockets, ratchets, pry bars), Klein for screw drivers and electrical repair tools, Channel Lock for slip joint pliers, Eklind for hex keys, Estwing hammers, all quality tools made in the USA.

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