On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 07:21:24 -0400, "George" wrote:
I just re-read your subject line and am not sure if what I posted is what
you are looking for. I consider the best "bargain" in hand tools to be the
one that will always work for you and that you'll never want to replace. To
that end, after Sandvik Group tools, my next choice of superior tools are
those made by the Cooper Group.

While a number of the companies aquired by the Cooper Group
once made fine tools, not many seem to still do so after being
gobbled up by the conglomerate. The majority of their profits
seem to have been used by the conglomerate for further
acquisitions rather than being plowed back into the enterprises
to maintain quality standards.

Gary