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All-American Tool Manufacturers
Following up on my recently-posted list of field gear makers that have all American-made products, I’ve compiled a comparable list of American tool makers.
The Sell-Outs
Some companies that have long been thought of as “American” companies now produce most or all of their tools overseas. For example, Craftsman (the Sears house brand) now produces many of their tools in Asia. Others include: Cooper, Disston, Eastwood, Greenlee, Lufkin, Milwaukee, Peerless, Porter Cable, Shurlite, Snap-On, Thorsen, Vise-Grip, Vermont American, Weller, Williams, and Winchester. The many, many others are almost too numerous to list.
Some of the “good guy” companies that I will list here sell a few imported tools, but to qualify for inclusion, they must sell mostly American-made tools (and component parts.) Also, beware even “All American” tool companies source their plastic storage boxes, their belt pouches, and their tool bags overseas.
What to Buy?
When I was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, I would simply look at my father’s collection of tools to get an idea of the good brands to buy. My kids can’t safely do that today. Quite sadly, the majority of those tool companies have now moved their production offshore.
Do your homework before you buy! With the exception of high speed cutting tools, the vast majority of American tool manufacturing has moved offshore to mainland China. (The home of laogai “Reform Through Labor” prison factories.) Rather than just be depressed about this situation, I have resolved to do something to counter this trend. I urge all of my readers to do the following:
1.) Don’t just blithely purchase merchandise without first checking on its country of origin. Take the time to LOOK at labels! When buying from mailorder catalogs or online, take a minute to call and ask, before you order if the country of origin is uncertain.
2.) If a product listing says “imported”, then the odds are now better than 80% that it is made in mainland China. So skip it.
3.) Be sure to thank the management of these companies for keeping their production in the States, and tell them that they earned your business because of it.
Companies that proudly still offer “Made in USA” tools:
Measurement, Squaring, and Leveling Tools
- Chappell Universal Square and Rule – Framing squares and other carpentry measuring/layout tools. Made in Maine.
- Crick Tool – Traditional wood frame spirit levels. (Made in Ben Wheeler, Texas.)
- Fischer Machine – Edge Finders, Vee Blocks and Clamps, and PeeDee thread measuring wires.
- Port Austin Level and Tool – Wood and aluminum spirit levels. (Made in Michigan.)
- Kraft Tool Company – Spirit levels as well as concrete and masonry tools.
- L.S. Starrett Co. – Calipers, levels, tape measures, micrometers, dial indicators, and gage blocks. Most are still made in USA at their plants in Ohio, Massachusetts, Minnesota and North Carolina. (Some imported products, so see their catalog or web site, to be sure.)
- U.S. Tape Company – The only domestic tape measure manufacturing company that makes a full line of tapes.
Source: http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/08/all-american-tool-manufacturers.html
