Tools and other things made in U.S.A.

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8literbeater

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
849
Location
Chandler, AZ
I wanted to buy a couple pairs of pliers a few days ago. I wanted a needle nose, and a slip joint. At Home Depot, I found good needle nose pliers by Channellock, but no slip joint.
They had the Husky brand in a package of four, that had needle nose, slip joint, an adjustable wrench, and water pump pliers. So, I put the Channellocks back and picked up the four-pack of Huskys. Then I turned them over. They're made in China. I put them back, and picked up the made in USA Channellocks, and went to check out, without slip joint pliers.

The guy at the register asked if I found everything. Of course I said no, I wanted some slip joint pliers, but they're all made in China, and I don't buy anything that's made in China if I can help it. He said, "Really? That's weird. Where do you buy shirts?" :mad: I spared him a speech, and just told him "I'm wearing Red Wing shoes, and they're made in the US."

So I decided to track down some US made tools. So far I've found a good site that lists a bunch of different manufacturers, and their websites. They not only have tools, but everything else from sporting goods to microwaves.

www.stillmadeinusa.com

I plan to update this thread as I find more good US made products, but that website has a lot of them.

If anyone else has any good sites for US made merchandise, feel free to add on.

I just can't stand it anymore, that when you go to the store to buy a US flag, it's made in China.

www.stillmadeinusa.com
 
I just can't stand it anymore, that when you go to the store to buy a US flag, it's made in China.

They passed a law that was supposed to stop that, I thought.
 
Maybe a local law somewhere, but not here. Where I work, we just bought 20 US flags a couple weeks ago, and they all say "Made in China" on the package. We bought them over the counter from a retail store.
 
I won't buy stuff made in China & actually prefer stuff made in Mexico if I can't find something made in the USofA. Went to the lumber store today & was looking for some work gloves & 99% were made in China... not gonna happen! They had some other gloves but they were made in... India & of all places... Bangladesh! NOTHING made in the US. Went home empty handed... haha! [ddd

BoB
 
That site lists some US glove manufacturers. The job I used to work at would go through a pair of work gloves every week. I spent a twice the money, and got some good leather gloves from Red Wing, and they lasted about four months. That's 16 times as long, for only twice the price.
Not all Red Wing products are made in USA, and I think those gloves were US leather, and stitched somewhere else. I'll be buying pure US made gloves from now on. They cost a little more in dollars, but the value is huge.

I was just looking around on there, and found a US watchmaker, if you can believe it. They're in Detroit, of all places. Prices are about typical of quality watches.

Check out this Henry Ford pocket watch: http://www.shinola.com/shop/henry-ford.html
 
30sx it all about the $$$$ Thats why the dollar tree is so popular around my place ...a bag of tater chips $1 same bag at walmart $299 ???? I can buy three at dollar tree for that .. I know this isnt USA verses China , but you know what I mean,,,, If its cheaper and you dont have the money , your gonna get the cheap .. it may not last , but your going to do what you have to at the time ..
 
Geier glove company in Chehallis Wa. makes great gloves, another glove maker in Centrailia Wa. "Churchhill" that I haven't tried. Geier sells in a lot of western tack shops.
 
I found some good quality electrical connectors.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271550185774?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Not everything they sell is made in USA, but a lot of it is.
Some things just aren't made here anymore. Here's the feebay store:
http://stores.ebay.com/factorydirectcaraudioandvideo/

That is awesome. I was paying about $.50 - $.62 each for these connectors at my cost form the parts store where I have an account. These were $16/100 [cl
 
30sx it all about the $$$$ Thats why the dollar tree is so popular around my place ...a bag of tater chips $1 same bag at walmart $299 ???? I can buy three at dollar tree for that .. I know this isnt USA verses China , but you know what I mean,,,, If its cheaper and you dont have the money , your gonna get the cheap .. it may not last , but your going to do what you have to at the time ..

i buy what i can with what i have
if that means chinese
so be it.
boots for instance
$300 for some redwings?
nope
i will go with $100 ones and eat for 2 weeks with the difference
 
boot story

i buy what i can with what i have
if that means chinese
so be it.
boots for instance
$300 for some redwings?
nope
i will go with $100 ones and eat for 2 weeks with the difference
Well, I think we all do. I didn't have $900+ to spend on a turbo for my build, so I got a Chinese one for $250. I won't do it again though. Will I pay $5 more for US made pliers? You bet I will.

When I was wearing work boots everyday, I went through a lot of different boots in the first few years. I bought the $20 boots that lasted 2 weeks before I had to start taping them up. Those boots cost $520 per year.

I bought the $150 boots that came with a bottle of neatsfoot oil, and they lasted about 4 years, but the tongue was so crooked on one of them that I had to cut a hole in it and lace it into place. Then they shrunk so much in the first year and a half, that I quit lacing them, and after 4 years, I couldn't get them on anymore. Those were about $37.50 per year. When I gave up on those boots, I was working out of town, and went to WalMart, which I hate, and bought a pair for $45. They had holes I could put my hand through, within 3 days. $15 per day, or $5,475 per year.

Then, I went to Red Wing. I paid $200 for boots, and within 2 days I was standing in 6 inches of water at work (which is not normal), and stepping on nails, and just doing work. These are the best boots I've ever owned. They didn't come with a bottle of oil, I just take them to the store and hand them over, they clean and oil them, and replace the laces, and hand them back. It's all free. If some stitching were to come out, which it hasn't, they'll fix it for free. I've had them 5 years, and they still clean and oil them for free, and always will, unless they go under to Chinese competition. They haven't shrunk at all, they are almost like the day I bought them. On top of all of that, these are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn, and they're steel toe boots.

So far, the Red Wings have cost me $40 per year, but if I have them one more year, it'll be $33 per year, and they'll be the cheapest boots I've ever owned, and getting cheaper every day. I do have to admit, that I don't wear work boots every day anymore though, but they were outlasting anything I'd ever had when I switched jobs. I found out after I bought them, that my brother had bought the exact same boots. He kept working the same job after I left. His boots are still going.

So I bought their expensive work gloves for $25, and they lasted 16 times longer than the $15 Chinese gloves I had been using. Those gloves cost me $1.56 per week, instead of $15.00 per week. That's a savings of $700 per year, just on gloves.

Not everyone can come up with even $100 for boots, but if a person can spend a little more for better quality, it ends up being cheaper, and you will have more money at the end.
In addition to the product lasting longer and paying for itself, the real benefit to buying US made products, is that Johnny down the road, is building that product, and if we buy his product, he has a job, and he can afford to buy better work boots.
He can live the American dream, provide for his family, and build a rat rod.
 
That is awesome. I was paying about $.50 - $.62 each for these connectors at my cost form the parts store where I have an account. These were $16/100 [cl

I wanted to buy a couple pairs of pliers a few days ago. I wanted a needle nose, and a slip joint. At Home Depot, I found good needle nose pliers by Channellock, but no slip joint.
They had the Husky brand in a package of four, that had needle nose, slip joint, an adjustable wrench, and water pump pliers. So, I put the Channellocks back and picked up the four-pack of Huskys. Then I turned them over. They're made in China. I put them back, and picked up the made in USA Channellocks, and went to check out, without slip joint pliers.

The guy at the register asked if I found everything. Of course I said no, I wanted some slip joint pliers, but they're all made in China, and I don't buy anything that's made in China if I can help it. He said, "Really? That's weird. Where do you buy shirts?" :mad: I spared him a speech, and just told him "I'm wearing Red Wing shoes, and they're made in the US."

So I decided to track down some US made tools. So far I've found a good site that lists a bunch of different manufacturers, and their websites. They not only have tools, but everything else from sporting goods to microwaves.

www.stillmadeinusa.com

I plan to update this thread as I find more good US made products, but that website has a lot of them.

If anyone else has any good sites for US made merchandise, feel free to add on.

I just can't stand it anymore, that when you go to the store to buy a US flag, it's made in China.

www.stillmadeinusa.com



Thanks for the site and links guys!
 
A former boss of mine had this taped on the wall above his desk:

THE BITTERNESS OF LOW QUALITY IS REMEMBERED LONG AFTER THE SWEETNESS OF LOW PRICE IS FORGOTTEN

I've thought about that many times before I made a purchase. If an item costs a bit more but is made in the US to a higher standard of quality, I'll pay the extra and expect the extra lifespan of the product. Sometimes though, you don't have a choice, either nobody makes it here anymore, or you can't afford it. Then you have to take the lesser choice.
 
Geier glove company in Chehallis Wa. makes great gloves, another glove maker in Centrailia Wa. "Churchhill" that I haven't tried. Geier sells in a lot of western tack shops.
Thanks Rust! Here are the links I found:
http://www.geierglove.com/
Churchill gloves at http://www.feeltheride.com/ and http://www.jrcglove.com/


A former boss of mine had this taped on the wall above his desk:

THE BITTERNESS OF LOW QUALITY IS REMEMBERED LONG AFTER THE SWEETNESS OF LOW PRICE IS FORGOTTEN

I've thought about that many times before I made a purchase. If an item costs a bit more but is made in the US to a higher standard of quality, I'll pay the extra and expect the extra lifespan of the product. Sometimes though, you don't have a choice, either nobody makes it here anymore, or you can't afford it. Then you have to take the lesser choice.

You got it Bama. I'm hoping that we can find more places to get US made products, that we thought we had to buy from overseas. I didn't even know where to buy a US made shirt, two weeks ago.

Now I can buy this... http://www.allamericanclothing.com/made-in-usa/NOTCHINA.html
[cl
 
Well, I think we all do. I didn't have $900+ to spend on a turbo for my build, so I got a Chinese one for $250. I won't do it again though. Will I pay $5 more for US made pliers? You bet I will.

When I was wearing work boots everyday, I went through a lot of different boots in the first few years. I bought the $20 boots that lasted 2 weeks before I had to start taping them up. Those boots cost $520 per year.

I bought the $150 boots that came with a bottle of neatsfoot oil, and they lasted about 4 years, but the tongue was so crooked on one of them that I had to cut a hole in it and lace it into place. Then they shrunk so much in the first year and a half, that I quit lacing them, and after 4 years, I couldn't get them on anymore. Those were about $37.50 per year. When I gave up on those boots, I was working out of town, and went to WalMart, which I hate, and bought a pair for $45. They had holes I could put my hand through, within 3 days. $15 per day, or $5,475 per year.

Then, I went to Red Wing. I paid $200 for boots, and within 2 days I was standing in 6 inches of water at work (which is not normal), and stepping on nails, and just doing work. These are the best boots I've ever owned. They didn't come with a bottle of oil, I just take them to the store and hand them over, they clean and oil them, and replace the laces, and hand them back. It's all free. If some stitching were to come out, which it hasn't, they'll fix it for free. I've had them 5 years, and they still clean and oil them for free, and always will, unless they go under to Chinese competition. They haven't shrunk at all, they are almost like the day I bought them. On top of all of that, these are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn, and they're steel toe boots.

So far, the Red Wings have cost me $40 per year, but if I have them one more year, it'll be $33 per year, and they'll be the cheapest boots I've ever owned, and getting cheaper every day. I do have to admit, that I don't wear work boots every day anymore though, but they were outlasting anything I'd ever had when I switched jobs. I found out after I bought them, that my brother had bought the exact same boots. He kept working the same job after I left. His boots are still going.

So I bought their expensive work gloves for $25, and they lasted 16 times longer than the $15 Chinese gloves I had been using. Those gloves cost me $1.56 per week, instead of $15.00 per week. That's a savings of $700 per year, just on gloves.

Not everyone can come up with even $100 for boots, but if a person can spend a little more for better quality, it ends up being cheaper, and you will have more money at the end.
In addition to the product lasting longer and paying for itself, the real benefit to buying US made products, is that Johnny down the road, is building that product, and if we buy his product, he has a job, and he can afford to buy better work boots.
He can live the American dream, provide for his family, and build a rat rod.

Without quality, there is no value.
 
bestboots ever...anythign that's built like the old K-mart texas steers not the foam soled ones but the semi clear urathane.
The old foam soles were good for inside drywall jobs
Tried red wings they were too heavy clunky and uncomfortable. they didn't hurt my feet but hurt me by tugging at my ankles and knees- ligamentitis, bursitis something like that.

I like something with the ankle support of an engineers boot but feels like a tennis shoe.
There are only so many steps in a day I like to not burn them all up before lunch

if it wasn;t for cheap imported tools, our domestic made tools would be astonomically more expensive.
I'm 46 I remember many tools I now have in my garage were unavailable to the hobbyist back when I was young, they were just too expensive.
I try to buy the best that I can afford because I can only afford to buy it once.
 

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