I'm having a really tough time finding a pair of locking pliers that are Made in USA. So far I've looked at what Irwin, Craftsman, and Cooper Hand Tools offer, but their locking pliers product lines are all foreign-manufactured AFAICT. I'd be most grateful if someone could point me toward some American-made options (assuming some still exist).

BTW, I know that the Vise-Grip pliers used to be made in DeWitt, Nebraska (before Irwin moved production overseas), and I'd settle for one of those if they're still available new (I don't want second-hand ones). The type I need is 10-inch curved jaw (ideally with built-in wire cutter) – the traditional kind, not self-adjusting variants like the LockJaw.

Hi,

Just out of curiosity: Why American made? Don't you want the best (affordable) locking plier there is, be it american or not?

The fact that they're American-made won't by itself determine whether they are the pair I will purchase (I will obviously need to evaluate them first), but being Made in USA is a requirement in this case. Finding non-American locking pliers is easy, and I wouldn't need help with that.

Maybe Snap-on or Stanley proto tools?

Thanks for the suggestions! I checked the Snap-on site and their locking pliers all said either China or Spain. I'm looking at the Proto ones now, but haven't yet been able to confirm where they are manufactured.

Might I inquire the impetus of your requirement they be u.s. made? Is it a personal challenge, or something else?

Maybe you could forge your own tools. That way there'd be no doubt where they came from

This actually raises another question in my mind. Should we (u.s.) be disconnected from the rest of the world, are we capable of producing our own products any more? More of a question to myself, but you're welcome to comment.

I think Stanley became a Bermuda corporation to escape US taxes, if memory serves (no guarantees there). Don't know about where it actually makes things, though.

Klein's hand tools are made in the USA. Not sure about this exact model. I'd email the company for a direct answer.
http://www.service.kleintools.com/To...PLIERS-LOCKING

Channel Locks are made in America, not sure if they make locking pliers or not.

Nothing wrong with all/every foreign tool. It's just that the bulk majority is cheap imported crap made from sub standard materials, and below par workman ship. I'm honestly surprised that China allows their name to be printed on some of the stuff WE import. Gives their country and people a bad name. The Chinese can make high quality products, it's just the commonality of quantity before quality that too many American business owners and consumers live by.

Any country can make whatever one wants... with the highest standards of quality and

reliability.

USA, China, Japan...

in

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanes...%C5%8Dsh%C5%8D



Provided ther is a WILL to do such things... IMHO


You can design your own locking-pliers... make them to be reliable beyond expectation, robust and cost effective in materials and manufacturing process... many market niches begin like this...

You won't find very many high quality American made products any more because so few Americans have had experience in manufacturing anything.

Dell is American laptop brand right...?

IBM Thinkpad is also American... those are the best laptop brands out there... IMHO

What kill the quality of products is when profit greedy managers start bossing around...

HP used to be good material... till when some dumbass decided that using substandard components was " good for the business "


http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10241137-92.html

Excuse me for sounding harsh, but all those monkeys do is buy standardized parts manufactured outside the U.S.A. and glue or screw them together. As most here at LQ already know, you can easily manufacture your own PC without having a factory or any workers.

Sony is a Japanese brand right?
Just like Dell, and IBM, they take what ever cheap components and labor they can find, and slap their sticker on the case.
Remember when Sony was quality? How long has it been since Sony actually made something and not just slapped a sticker on it - 5-10 years?

There's a big difference between brand origin and manufactured origin. Levi Strauss - US owned, made in Mexico, Hondoras, somewhere in Central America. Honda - Japanese owned, American made
Harley Davidson - American owned, currently - some parts assembled in America from manufacturers all over the world.

Craftsmen, used to be the ONLY name in tools. Hand crafted in the USA. Currently, same brand name, same logo, sold at the same stores, for higher prices, made from lower quality materials over seas. It used to be unheard of to break a Craftsman hand tool. If you did break one, you walked into any Sears for a no questions asked exchange.

.... yep...

they call it "Globalization"... many ppl earn a lot with it... not the end consumers IMHO

Ok... bt how come Dell and IBM ( not talking about Hp ) can maintain quality and reliability specs above concurrence...?

There must be something different about their practises... is it the quality control...?

I thought that Dell and Lenovo/IBM were American manufactured... not outsourced like HP or Asus...