On Nov 22, 11:50 pm, John Horner wrote:
Over the years I have sometimes been a Buy US only tool buyer and
sometimes a whatever is cheapest that I think will do the job buyer and
just about everything in-between. Many years ago I was ashamed that I
had bought some no name Japanese combination wrenches, but guess what,
they are still good wrenches 30+ years after they were a guilty bargain.

Presently I'm avoiding anything Made in China as much for geo-political
reasons as anything else. That and it saves me time not even having to
look at the Harbor Freight or Grizzly catalogs .

Where to the rest of you sit with this question?

That is both a simple and a very complex question. Loyalties to
certain manufacturers/countries(of origin) only go so far. Sometimes
adequate is good enough and it doesn't always have to be the 'best'.
In my line of work, certain equipment MUST give me consistent results
and be absolutely reliable.
In my shop, you'll find a Milwaukee jigsaw made in Germany. A Ridgid
sander made in Germany. A German Fein vacuum made in Italy...and then
there is stuff 'assembled' in the USA.
My questions are usually the same: will it do the job? Is there a
warranty? Can I fix this myself, assuming I can get parts?

If everything else is close to equal, I will try to buy North American/
European in that order.
The exceptions are many as there are 'niche' tools that certain
manufacturers seem to do 'just better'.

r