[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by dinger

There are a few quality items coming out of China but the reason they are quality is the buyer is insisting on quality and will have a quality control program in place. Shoddy tools from sears is 90% Sears fault, they are buying and selling crap. I am done with ANYTHING from Sears, google Sears consumer complaints and there are thousands of them, I am one of the complainers. Now do a test on Lowe's, for example, there are few. Sears is headed to the same place as Monkey Wards. EVERYTHING that I could buy from Sears, I did so at one time, personal experience, friends and family, no more.

Yep Dan, I remember going to the near by mall (we are talking one of the first every in the SF bay area) to Sears with my parents to get just about every single thing we needed. From clothes to my first TV that my dad bought me and my new wife when I was 20. Our mower, camping stuff, EVERYTHING was bought at Sears. I guess I am to blame for some of their lost sales because I don't do that anymore. Maybe if I did they wouldn't have to go to China?

Brian

[Prof. T. Soggmeyer]

My uncle was western sales manager for Sears, he retired in 1987, had a great career. His son who was following in his footsteps left them when they made "changes". He hates them now. Most employees are not full time there and get no benefits and the pay is crap. The store is a joke now!
Brad...

[kc0kfg]

Originally Posted by fwinter01

When you break the bones in your hands from there JUNK sears will not pay your mortgage either. Snap on still states they are made here not overseas. Thats is why they are spendy.

Not all of Snap on tools are made here most of the "blue-point" are made over seas look at the Country Of Origin Snap on page

[Old Fool]

Sears is a division of K-Mart. You know what the canary says as it flys over - cheap cheap cheap.

I look to see many if not all Sears stores closed or renamed in the not so distant future.


Ace hardware is selling Craftsman tools now, right along their own chinese made line.

[MrJones]

IMO Craftsman tools have been junk for at least the last 8-10 years.
I am a mechanic by trade and have tried them all.

And NO, not everything SnapOn sells is American.
Basiaclly anything electrical, or with electronic parts is made over seas.
The SnapOn 14v impact I bought has Made in Japan on the bottom....but you have to have a keen eye to see it.

Americans have done it to ourselves, no one wants to work for a living, everyone thinks a college education entitles them to earn 100K+ a year, and if they can not find a job that pays what they think they deserve....they will sit on unemployment.

Having said that, the quality of a lot of American made stuff has gone to heck as well. If I were to go and buy a brand new car, it would be Japanese, it would not be "American made".

[1ownerT]

Originally Posted by eloc431962

Are you serious wow when did this happen ? i have a boat load of their tools haven't bought any new ratchets for a long time though.


Cole

I do not know when, was in the store yesterday and all were Made in China.

[DanielC]

About 2 months ago, my Skil 952 9"angle grinder died. Parts are lo no longer available, so I was in the market for a new one.
I started a quest for an American made angler grinder. No luck. Almost everything is made in China. And about $200 for a grinder I was looking for.

After a lot of searching, I found one brand of angle grinder not made in China, Metabo. The grinder I got was made in Germany. The price was about two times the price at the local Home depot, but I was able to do some more searching. I found a shop in Portland, Or selling the grinder I was looking for about $240.

[timothale]

as the companies lay off workers and move over seas the laid off employies even won't be able to buy their imported stuff. they are slowly eliminating their customers. I was in the barber shop the other day and picked up an automotive magazine, I don't remember which one, but It had a story about a Floor mat company that moved it's production to the US, new CNC equipment, production cost decreased, less inventory needed as they no longer had ocean containers with 2 months inventory on the seas.

[1ownerT]

Originally Posted by timothale

as the companies lay off workers and move over seas the laid off employies even won't be able to buy their imported stuff. they are slowly eliminating their customers. I was in the barber shop the other day and picked up an automotive magazine, I don't remember which one, but It had a story about a Floor mat company that moved it's production to the US, new CNC equipment, production cost decreased, less inventory needed as they no longer had ocean containers with 2 months inventory on the seas.

Weathertech, a company proving it can be made here.
http://www.weathertech.com/assets/1/...oyou112SCR.pdf

[kc0kfg]

Originally Posted by 1ownerT

Weathertech, a company proving it can be made here.
http://www.weathertech.com/assets/1/...oyou112SCR.pdf

Very nice, now while I think I would pay the 100.00 for a set of four mats for a burban, how many other people would even care about the quality, its all about the price.

A set of four mats at Walmart is bound to cost less, and that's how the masses think and shop, price first.

I like having the option of spending more to get more product, but sadly most shoppers figure they will just replace when it fails, after all its cheap.

[timothale]

quote from the magazine." My philosophy is
that if my neighbor doesn’t have a job, sooner or
later I won’t have a job either". Every CEO, Every buyer should have this posted on the wall

[timothale]

" a country's wealth can only be ultimaly created from 3 sources, Agriculture, use of its resources ( mining, oil_gas, timber.) and manufacturing, We are out of retiremant, back running part of the Farm. The Government makes it harder each year. The department of interior ,BLM is taking more land out of productive use. 10 million acres of land in Utah closed down, companies have bought Oil leases in Utah and poured concrete and were ready to bring in drilling equipmen and found the only access road closed because the local BLM head didn' like oil drilling. Up here in this area over a hundred miles from Yellowstone the BLM's management plan is to not allow livestock. grazing Timber, exploration for oil, geo-thermal, restrict recreation activities. And WE all know what has happened to manufacturing.

[T-bucket23]

The big part of the issue is people don't want to pay for quality anymore. Price is the driving factor. This is why Harbor Freight and others like them survive. Most of the tool companies including Snap-on are not made in the us any more. Mexico and China own the manufacturing of the world now. It is sad but true.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by kc0kfg

Very nice, now while I think I would pay the 100.00 for a set of four mats for a burban, how many other people would even care about the quality, its all about the price.

A set of four mats at Walmart is bound to cost less, and that's how the masses think and shop, price first.

I like having the option of spending more to get more product, but sadly most shoppers figure they will just replace when it fails, after all its cheap.

What makes me sick is how the "Lifetime Warranty" is offered on the junk stuff too! That use to be offered on QUALITY items, you knew the difference between quality and so so from that lifetime warranty. Now, the big retailer sticks it to the manufacturer with it. They force the manufacturer to back it with a lifetime warranty or they won't sell it. The manufacturer bends over backwards and offers it so they have the big retailer filling their stores across America with their product. They figure they can take the loss as most people don't warranty it anyway in this throw away society.

If you heard what I have heard from a young lady in my family who works in the return dept at a local big retailer you could be outraged at what WE are paying for this warranty! You can not believe the FRAUD that goes on that they turn their back on because they are making money EVEN with the fraud and they don't care that the manufacturer gets SCREWED. I had two ladies in the family working there, one of them isn't anymore because she was reprimanded for refusing a fraudulent return!

This story of manufactures going to China runs a lot deeper than you can imagine.

Brian

[joe_padavano]

I've been a life-long Craftsman tool owner, but at this point it really doesn't matter where the tools are made, because the stores don't stock $**T anyway. I went to my local Sears store to get the ONE socket I didn't already own for a project (THAT'S a whole 'nuther story...) and about 50% of the racks for individual sockets were empty. I had to buy a complete set to get the one I needed (yeah, try finding someplace else open on a Sunday afternoon). Same thing this week when I needed a 3/8-16 tap. Sears no longer stocks individual taps, only sets. I asked the sales person what I was supposed to do when I broke one tap, and naturally got a blank stare. I doubt he knew what a tap was for, anyway. Yes I finally got the tap at NAPA, but all the local NAPA stores close at 2:00 or 3:00 on Sat and are closed on Sunday. Tractor Supply used to be a pretty good source, but the local Tractor Supply stores have pretty much become "Lawn-Tractor" Supply only. No real tools or parts. What a PITA.

Now I just try to plan ahead and order stuff from McMaster Carr or MSC.