They have the same sources of suppliers around the world as any other brand, but maybe they test more rigorously?

I really don't know that IBM labeled hardware is any better than any other brand nowadays. IBM used to design and manufacture things, but Herman Hollerith died a long time ago. Can you name the last chip or component they actually manufactured in U.S.A.? (I can't.)

Dell used to use some non-standard components, and maybe they still do AFAIK. That doesn't mean any of them are manufactured in U.S.A.. It would be extremely costly to do so, and Dell is more interested in profit than quality.

You can't find locking pliers made in USA because we enjoy 10% unemployment.

Steel is not made in USA because we need access to 1billion Chinese residents, and we need the Chinese to buy bonds to pay for our highways and schools.

Printed circuit boards are not made in the US either. Americans expect to be paid way too much to do such a task.

Michelin still makes tires here. I don't see how they can do it much longer. People want affordable stuff.

This whole trade dis-ass-ter is not fair competition. How can any US company expect to compete with the wages and lack of benefits in China and India. Even customer service phone reps who don't make a ton of money are losing their jobs to outsourcing.


I know, we're supposed to re-educate all the unemployed manufacturing workers. Send them all to college to become part of the new service based economy.

This is what I'm afraid of. The u.s. doesn't know how to survive on its own any more. We are too dependant on other countries. If we were to be disconnected from the rest of the world, we would hurt for skill and good labor. Not a good position to be in at all.

I don't milk cows. I go to the store to buy it. If I was suddenly unable to do so, i'd get me a cow and I'd try to learn. What percentage of the u.s. population would be willing to do that?

I'd bet few. Most would probably resort to theft or bribery to get what they want. We've been bred lazy, and all too many of us don't have skills to survive alone.

QFT

Getting back to OP's topic though, my Dad used to say that locking pliers are all junk. I couldn't even guess how many Vise-Grips he must have gone through over the years, but then he really is pretty hard on his tools.

You may have already seen this, but perhaps this might help?
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/tools.html

That's a really, really short list.

We've had the same decline in manufacturing in the UK.

Thanks. Yeah, it seems like I might have to contact Klein Tools to find out, because the information is proving to be quite difficult to find (although I'm still investigating). I've got a nice pair of Klein Tools 8-inch slip joint pliers manufactured in Japan, and I imagine it's quite possible that the same factory makes their locking pliers.

I can't find any locking pliers on their site, and I don't recall ever having seen a pair in stores.

LOL, that's not gonna happen any time soon.

Yeah, thanks, that was definitely one of the resources I ran into while on my quest. Perhaps I should run through the list again.

So far I've got two possible contenders: Proto (which I still haven't been able to confirm, unfortunately) and Klein Tools (which I'm only starting to investigate right now). The local store which I usually buy Klein Tools from (mainly pliers for electrical work and network cable crimpers) doesn't sell their locking pliers, so I can't read what's printed on the packaging to find out.

I'm sorry but I know nothing about tools.

I found these but again I'm sorry if they are irrelevant or something: just trying to help.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...T69KA7QXMGX93A

I know exactly how you feel. Even for good money you can't buy anything decent which doesn't bend or break.

However, this is people's own fault. If the majority of people buys a $3.49 locking plier at harborfreight.com, no company will stay alive manufacturing $23.50 locking pliers which look exactly the same.

I can't remember how often I bought "genuine" American tools, like Stanley (planes, chisels) which I could throw away right after I unpacked them.

Your only chance is to order from abroad, England still produces some good tools, but your only real hope is Germany. The price might be outrageous, but you get a good tool. I still have a cutting plier, which I already used 45 years ago as a kid to cut nails and it is still sharp enough to cut #24 wire... made in Germany. I own a Bosch 350W drill, which I have used (and abused) multiple times a week, since 1986, etc, etc. Try a Gedore ratchet set or wrench set, it will easily outlive you.

jlinkels

I've got several American-made hand tools which I consider to be of great quality. I'm also one hundred percent aware that there are great quality tools that are non-American. For example, I've seen some truly spectacular tools come out of Germany, which makes the experience you've shared come as no surprise to me. I've had experiences similar to yours with some American tools, which have been in my family for three generations.

I understand that there's great non-American locking pliers (the Knipex brand comes to mind), but I'm not interested in those in this case. I'm willing to pay top dollar for decent locking pliers made in my own country, and I'm having to jump through hoops – something I'm intrigued by. I understand that many American companies have moved production overseas in order to reduce costs, but the locking pliers market is starting to look kind of bizarre to me. With other types of pliers (slip joint, tongue-and-groove, linemen's, etc.) – it's quite common to have American-made products next to the Chinese-made (for example) ones at the store. For example, you can buy a pair of Stanley (Chinese) slip joint pliers for $4.99, or you can opt for some Channellock (American) ones for $8.99. The same applies to pretty much all the other types of pliers – except locking pliers AFAICT.

Thanks, it's the thought that counts.

Those are indeed American-made, but they are diagonal pliers (what I seek are locking pliers).

All this reminds me that my dad recently got a battery terminal spreader, and one of the handles handle snapped off the first time it was used!

I just glanced at this thread, but I would definitely suggest Craftsman.

Their locking pliers are made in China.