On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:13:37 -0600, Ignoramus9551
wrote:

On 2007-12-23, Gunner wrote:
Seems to be working for Sears with hand tools. Look closely and
you'll see their Craftsman (but not necessarily Companion or
non-Sears-brand) wrenches, sockets, etc marked "made in USA" in the
metal. You can get what seems to be equal quality from Harbor Freight
for much less money but Sears seems to still do a good business in
them.

Been watching the threads on Sears bashing for selling ****ty tools?

I have not seen people bashing Harbor Freight wrenches. They seem to
work as advertised.

Aside from that...

With the falling dollar, I now find that a lot of US made stuff is
finally acceptably priced. For example, just 2 days ago I bought a USA
made convertible hand truck for $100 from McMaster.

A Harbor Freight hand truck of similar construction is $49. I went to
HF and compared them. There are many minor differences and the US
version of it is much stronger. (material thickness, casters etc)

i

Be a little careful when you are making your decision to buy the "Made
in the U.S.A." model. Do a bit of research on what work has to be
accomplished in the U.S. to justify the label. You will find that the
entire device does not have to be manufactured in the U.S. to qualify.
Just some of it.

For example: there is a banjo advertized as "Made in America" which
legally meets the requirements for that status. But all of the
components that make up the banjo are manufactured in Asia - it is
bolted together in the U.S.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(Note:remove underscores
from address for reply)