Stanley bought Mac tools as well. Raised the prices and the quality is shit. Not that I liked their tools much anyway.
Dewalt was also acquired by them.
Dewalt was also acquired by them.
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So much for made in USA quality...
- Thread starter KZP
- Start date
I'm no contractor but Dewalt tools have been holding up for me so far. Got a mix of recent and some older. Except their older battery packs were junk. Kept dying after a few charge cycles or would lose capacity after a dozen charges. Newer ones with the button to check charge rate have lasted much better.
“Fuck China and all those who gave our manufacturing capacity to those commies.
Sirhr”
This^^^^^^ covers it all!
Sirhr”
This^^^^^^ covers it all!
Consolidation of brands by hedge funds has destroyed the good name of many companies with tools not being an exception. Own quite a few Porter Cable hand tools that are 35+ years old and will outrun most of the crap that you find for sale today. A part would break or wear out and you could fix it. Today's power hand tools are just disposable pieces of crap for the most part with the current line of PC hand tools garbage.
The majority of the current problem can be laid at the feet of the financial engineers on Wall Street. I doubt the MF could even change a tire. They don't understand quality because they have most likely never picked up a tool or understand the intrinsic quality of one. A pox on all of them.
The majority of the current problem can be laid at the feet of the financial engineers on Wall Street. I doubt the MF could even change a tire. They don't understand quality because they have most likely never picked up a tool or understand the intrinsic quality of one. A pox on all of them.
Exactly, consolidation and hidden outsourcing wrecked these brands.
Not sure why the larger US brands aren’t getting clued into the fact that folks don’t want junk with their brand name on it but are actually trying to buy good quality.
The smaller brands seem well aware of this and generally stick to making high quality and having good customer service.
WRT tap and die, I have some from GWS Tool Group that are nice and cleanly made.
For vise grip style locking pliers I have a set from Knipex that are excellent, comparable or better than original vise-grips.
Not sure why the larger US brands aren’t getting clued into the fact that folks don’t want junk with their brand name on it but are actually trying to buy good quality.
The smaller brands seem well aware of this and generally stick to making high quality and having good customer service.
WRT tap and die, I have some from GWS Tool Group that are nice and cleanly made.
For vise grip style locking pliers I have a set from Knipex that are excellent, comparable or better than original vise-grips.
I have the original vice-grips from when I started buying tools back in the 80's and early 90's before and during my Apprenticeship days. I still have them, and they are WELL used.
I bought some more "Original Vice-Grips" about a dozen years ago, and they are CRAP in comparison. Very Much So. Point being, I know what a tool is, does, and its use. For those nowadays who're entering into the realm, they don't know from otherwise and think "this is the way it should be".
When it actually AIN'T.
I bought some more "Original Vice-Grips" about a dozen years ago, and they are CRAP in comparison. Very Much So. Point being, I know what a tool is, does, and its use. For those nowadays who're entering into the realm, they don't know from otherwise and think "this is the way it should be".
When it actually AIN'T.
What a vast majority of gerbils consider to be 'tools' these days.
That said, when people ask me what tools I carry on long-distance motorcycle rides... I have a full tools and spares kit. But my two most important tools... the ones that can get me out of almost anything... are a cell phone and a credit card.
But if you can use real tools.... and own good ones... you can get out of a lot without crying like a stranded Karen.
On point, as always, Sean.
Sirhr
Will you lay off people that use their feet as a vise. We make some amazing stuff! And, it always goes bang...one way or another.
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I am not going to say one word about your welds...Will you lay off people that use their feet as a vise. We make some amazing stuff! And, it always goes bang...one way or another.
But I will chip in to get you a TiG just because it pains me to look at some pictures.
Are you using your feet?
Cheers,
Sirhr
Oh FFS. Black and Decker bought Lenox ?This shows some poor reviews... https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-12-Piece-Metric-Tap-and-Die-Set/5013305505
Also, Black and Decker bought Irwin tools in 2018 - Is this typical buy and bleed a name out with cheap product substitutes?
Stanley Black & Decker Acquires IRWIN and LENOX Brands
Canadian Woodworking Newswww2.canadianwoodworking.com
You can see "Black and Decker" responding to a couple of the poor reviews on lowes site.
Check out this Amazon review of IRWIN Tap And Die Set, Metric, 41-Piece (26317)
Chinese quality for a USA pricewww.amazon.com
Shit
Now there there.... they don't suck. They are 'equipment appropriate.'
For the love of God, pry your wallet open, blow the moths out, and get a nice TiG so we don't have to refrain from making bead jokes.
If it makes you feel any better, I can't weld to save my life. Silver Solder, Soft Solder, Braze... I can do that with the Gods. But Welding... I have a guy.
Who uses a damn TiG!
Would you just go there?
;-)
Sirhr
PS. I can put up a fundraiser here to get you a nice Miller Econo-TiG in about 10 minutes. Your fans will consider it a tithe, your fab-Lordship!
FWIW, Milwaukee Tool just opened an new factory (in Wisconsin I believe) to produce hand tools. Hopefully that is just the start of a Made in the USA movement for them.
All the taps I've bought from MMC over the last 10-15yrs have been Widia brand. Made in USA and great quality. Never bought one of their full sets though. Wouldn't seem to be worth the trouble but almost looks like someone bought, replaced with crap, and returned.
This thread reminded me of buying nearly all of my hand tools in the 80s/90s at Sears or Craftsman stores when they were superb quality and US made. Still have and use them on a daily basis (two big ass wheeled mechanic's tool boxes worth). I can only recall a handful that I ever had to warranty. Sad to see what's become of the brand. Was in Lowes the other day and the cheap, China garbage sold under the Craftsman name nowadays made me want to cry
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BTW... I should also post the Angry Emohgee. However it's spelled.This thread reminded me of buying nearly all of my hand tools in the 80s/90s at Sears or Craftsman stores when they were superb quality and US made. Still have and use them on a daily basis (two big ass wheeled mechanic's tool boxes worth). I can only recall a handful that I ever had to warranty. Sad to see what's become of the brand. Was in Lowes the other day and the cheap, China garbage sold under the Craftsman name nowadays made me want to cry
Because, yeah. This.
Sirhr
No.Don't worry.. once the current generation dies, nobody is going to need tools at all.
That is when we'll need all the tools we can get, to build stuff for our selves.
There will be lots of scrap to work with I'm sure.
Once upon a time in the late 60's, my parents bought an upright freezer made by Norge. I inherited it then gave it to a friend who needed one and couldn't afford one. Still runs to this day and has never had a service call.
Dewalt was started by Black and Decker, not acquired. Back in the day, B&D started a new tool line called Black and Decker Professional. It didn't sell. Change color to yellow and rename to Dewalt and voila!
As any contractor will tell you, Dewalt makes a quality product that competes with any top brand. (Personally, I find overall quality from any mfgr to be less than once was, but there you have it)
I still have two Black and Decker drills (3/8 & 1/2") from the 60's that still run fine. I did have an old Skil made drill with metal housing that was older yet.
Dewalt is now owned by Stanley tool group. And Milwaukee power tools beat Dewalt every day of the week.
DeWalt - Wikipedia
DeWalt goes back a long way. We had a radial arm saw on the farm when I was a kid. Dated from 50’s.
They revived the name. But was not just a made up brand name.
Sirhr
Old fridges and freezers are excellent it’s usually the door seals finally giving up after decades that makes people get rid of em. That and stupid green energy incentives for replacement.
Throwing something in the dump that’s perfectly functional, they will try it with our vehicles.
Learned something new today.DeWalt - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
DeWalt goes back a long way. We had a radial arm saw on the farm when I was a kid. Dated from 50’s.
They revived the name. But was not just a made up brand name.
Sirhr
The history channel had a show telling the history of some of the major electric tool brands. Pretty good watch
A person could see the downfall of Sears from 10 miles away. Service went down. And down. And down.This thread reminded me of buying nearly all of my hand tools in the 80s/90s at Sears or Craftsman stores when they were superb quality and US made. Still have and use them on a daily basis (two big ass wheeled mechanic's tool boxes worth). I can only recall a handful that I ever had to warranty. Sad to see what's become of the brand. Was in Lowes the other day and the cheap, China garbage sold under the Craftsman name nowadays made me want to cry
To the point where I didn't even want to go in their stores anymore. Can't tell you the number of times I tried to deal with the completely clueless pothead "sales people" before I finally gave up. Not that I wanted to, I put ten years into trying to "give them another chance" before I had to say "no more, I'm done".
As a body tech with a ton of high end tools(matco, mac, snap on). When it was time to update to electric impacts drills and drivers i bought dewalt. That was 2015. Theyve been run very hard 5 days a week since and not treated well and still preform great with the same batteries. The big 1/2 impact has lost a little power but rarely wont do what i need it to.
Already did. Cash for Clunkers did exactly that, and is still impacting the cost of used cars today.
The gun industry, especially the small shops, figured out that they can automate and make excellent quality stuff and remain competitive. Other industries would be wise to see what good looks like and see that these guys are doing it right very often.
Unlike China the US does not fund the losses of business trying to enter a marketplace (we do fund poor management otherwise but that’s another topic). Pretty hard to compete against companies that can take unlimited loss. So, the high road of quality is still available and automation makes the US worker much more capable. A well trained cnc operator can make a business very competitive.
Every country that we restored the manufacturing base of, post wwii, all seem to have figured out that maintaining and improving their manufacturing is a good thing. Their consumers look at them specifically for quality first and cost second.
Unlike China the US does not fund the losses of business trying to enter a marketplace (we do fund poor management otherwise but that’s another topic). Pretty hard to compete against companies that can take unlimited loss. So, the high road of quality is still available and automation makes the US worker much more capable. A well trained cnc operator can make a business very competitive.
Every country that we restored the manufacturing base of, post wwii, all seem to have figured out that maintaining and improving their manufacturing is a good thing. Their consumers look at them specifically for quality first and cost second.
I bought a couple air guns from them and ended up putting them in a bottom shelf somewhere and replaced them with Cejn. For tire pressure I’ve been looking at the generic German stuff sold by Gedore and Hazet.
Most of the tools in my garage are older made in USA Craftsman. My trail tools in my Jeep and work tools are Harbor Freight. I've worn out more Lowe's ratchets than Harbor Freight working on ships. They are fairly dependable and inexpensive enough that you don't care when it gets dropped over the side from40 feet above deck.
ETA: started buying Ryobi Cordless tools this summer. Started with their hybrid soldering iron and went from their. Had B&D Firestorm before that. So it has been awhile for batteries.
ETA: started buying Ryobi Cordless tools this summer. Started with their hybrid soldering iron and went from their. Had B&D Firestorm before that. So it has been awhile for batteries.
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