Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

On 2009-09-25, Randy wrote:
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

I saw that auction too.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Maybe they wil be made in India. I think that Harbor Freight
vise-grips will now be better value for the money.

i

"Ignoramus24590" wrote in message
...
On 2009-09-25, Randy wrote:
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

I saw that auction too.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Maybe they wil be made in India. I think that Harbor Freight
vise-grips will now be better value for the money.

I have seen a private label with plastic coated handles and a square(er)
looking frame that looks interesting. Can't recall if it was Sears or HF.

On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:12:38 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus24590
scrawled the following:

On 2009-09-25, Randy wrote:
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

I saw that auction too.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Maybe they wil be made in India. I think that Harbor Freight
vise-grips will now be better value for the money.

Have they fixed the quality problem with the adjuster screw stop yet?
I kept having the stops go away with early vice grips from HF, where
the actuator rod bypassed the stop and stuck itself between the rolled
housing and the adj screw.

--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

On Sep 25, 5:19*pm, Larry Jaques
wrote:

. I think that Harbor Freight
vise-grips will now be better value for the money.

Have they fixed the quality problem with the adjuster screw stop yet?
I kept having the stops go away with early vice grips from HF, where
the actuator rod bypassed the stop and stuck itself between the rolled
housing and the adj screw.


Almost everything I have bought from Harbor Freight has been worth at
least as much as I paid. One of the exceptions was a pair of vise
grips that I bought many years ago. The only purchase from Harbor
Freight that was not useable.

But the vise grips from Harbor Freight that I acquired more recently
are good and have no problem with the adjusted screw jamming.

The only recent purchase from Harbor Freight that was a bit
disappointing was a 4.5 inch angle grinder. The actual grinder is
good, but the included abrasive wheel glazed over immediately. So if
you get a small angle grinder , buy some replacement wheels. The
replacement wheel from Harbor Freight are good.

Also the 7 inch by 1/16th aluminum abrasive cut off discs from Russia
are excellent. The 7 inch by 1/8 inch are not bad, but cut a wider
slot so do not cut as fast.


Dan

a lot of their tools are CHINA

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Good grief!

Will nothing be manufactured in the US anymore?

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

Roger Shoaf wrote:

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Good grief!

Will nothing be manufactured in the US anymore?

"Social workers" (an oxymoron), the US is very good at producing "Social
workers"...

"Pete C." wrote in message
ster.com...

Roger Shoaf wrote:

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Good grief!

Will nothing be manufactured in the US anymore?

"Social workers" (an oxymoron), the US is very good at producing "Social
workers"...

I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g, but, in
case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done badly. Except
for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share of GDP hasn't declined
much. Our total manufacturing output continues to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product manufacturing has
been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More of our output has
switched to industrial products. (You can get details on government
websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are based on 80-year-old
manufacturing technology, are a natural for low-wage countries to
manufacture.

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing output
lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

--
Ed Huntress

On 2009-09-25, Ed Huntress wrote:
I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g, but, in
case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done badly. Except
for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share of GDP hasn't declined
much. Our total manufacturing output continues to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product manufacturing has
been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More of our output has
switched to industrial products. (You can get details on government
websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are based on 80-year-old
manufacturing technology, are a natural for low-wage countries to
manufacture.

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing output
lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

All of the above was a revelation to me.

i

"Ignoramus24590" wrote in message
...
On 2009-09-25, Ed Huntress wrote:
I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g, but,
in
case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done badly.
Except
for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share of GDP hasn't
declined
much. Our total manufacturing output continues to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product manufacturing
has
been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More of our output has
switched to industrial products. (You can get details on government
websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are based on 80-year-old
manufacturing technology, are a natural for low-wage countries to
manufacture.

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing output
lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

All of the above was a revelation to me.

i

It is to many people. FWIW, the range of US vs. China manufacturing depends
on how you count processed commodities, like basic steel. The most
pessimistic ratio is 1.7:1 for the US v. China. If you use the more common
definitions, it ran around 2.4:1 before the economic downturn. It's probably
in the same range or a little lower now, as China's exports have been
suffering along with the rest of the world's, and their domestic consumption
was a pretty low percentage of total output, compared to that of the US.
Japan's output has fallen below that of China, but they're number 3.

But the impression that we don't manufacture anything anymore is dead wrong.
We produce about twice as much as China. As you can see from the output
graph I linked to above, the total output numbers for the US keep climbing.
You can see what segments are doing what from the Census Bureau's Economic
Census. And really fine product detail is available if you want to work a
little harder.

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:
"Pete C." wrote in message
ster.com...

Roger Shoaf wrote:

"Randy" wrote in message
news Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete
factory is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they
say. Let's see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Good grief!

Will nothing be manufactured in the US anymore?

"Social workers" (an oxymoron), the US is very good at producing
"Social workers"...

I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g,
but, in case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done
badly. Except for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share
of GDP hasn't declined much. Our total manufacturing output continues
to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product
manufacturing has been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More
of our output has switched to industrial products. (You can get
details on government websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are
based on 80-year-old manufacturing technology, are a natural for
low-wage countries to manufacture.

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing
output lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

And they have an order of magnitude or so more employed in that sector.


--
John R. Carroll

"John R. Carroll" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:
"Pete C." wrote in message
ster.com...

Roger Shoaf wrote:

"Randy" wrote in message
news Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete
factory is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they
say. Let's see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Good grief!

Will nothing be manufactured in the US anymore?

"Social workers" (an oxymoron), the US is very good at producing
"Social workers"...

I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g,
but, in case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done
badly. Except for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share
of GDP hasn't declined much. Our total manufacturing output continues
to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product
manufacturing has been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More
of our output has switched to industrial products. (You can get
details on government websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are
based on 80-year-old manufacturing technology, are a natural for
low-wage countries to manufacture.

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing
output lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

And they have an order of magnitude or so more employed in that sector.


--
John R. Carroll

Right. As our friend Hamei says, who has employed many Chinese manufacturing
workers in China, it takes about 10 Chinese to produce what one American
worker produces.

I think he's exaggerating because they exasperate him. But their
productivity does run between 5% and 10% that of the US.

--
Ed Huntress

Ed Huntress wrote:

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing output
lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

Is that measured in USD, or some other unit of measure?


Jon

"Jon Anderson" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:

Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing output
lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

Is that measured in USD, or some other unit of measure?


Jon

I believe it's dollars, Jon. I'd have to go look. But dollars are the basis
of trade, so it doesn't matter much.

--
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote:


I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g, but, in
case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done badly. Except
for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share of GDP hasn't declined
much. Our total manufacturing output continues to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product manufacturing has
been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More of our output has
switched to industrial products. (You can get details on government
websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are based on 80-year-old
manufacturing technology, are a natural for low-wage countries to
manufacture.

And damn hard to automate to the point we are price competitive.

I've never seen people fired due to automation in any plant I worked at but what has been
lost is slots in hiring. We bring in automation, typical attrition for various reasons
lowers the head count and we end up making more product with fewer people.

The US is getting less and less job friendly to people w/o skills. Just being a hard
worker gets you a long time as a temp, then a shot at being factory floor labor if it
works out and you don't **** someone off.

A good education is required to navigate the current job situation. Weak minds and a
strong back get you no where. Especially when poor border control undermines those with a
good work ethic, strong back, and willingness to do the dirty jobs. Not every child is a
College candidate.

Wes




Here's something that seems to surprise everyone: US manufacturing output
lies between 2.2 and 2.5 times that of China.

"Wes" wrote in message
...
"Ed Huntress" wrote:


I can't tell if you're being serious or just garnishing a gripe g, but,
in
case you *are* serious, US manufacturing actually hasn't done badly.
Except
for the blip caused by the rise in finance, its share of GDP hasn't
declined
much. Our total manufacturing output continues to grow:

http://www.aier.org/research/comment...-manufacturing

What's declined sharply is manufacturing employment -- a product of
continually improving productivity. And consumer product manufacturing has
been moving to low-wage countries for decades. More of our output has
switched to industrial products. (You can get details on government
websites.) Something like Vise-Grips, which are based on 80-year-old
manufacturing technology, are a natural for low-wage countries to
manufacture.

And damn hard to automate to the point we are price competitive.

I've never seen people fired due to automation in any plant I worked at
but what has been
lost is slots in hiring. We bring in automation, typical attrition for
various reasons
lowers the head count and we end up making more product with fewer people.

The US is getting less and less job friendly to people w/o skills. Just
being a hard
worker gets you a long time as a temp, then a shot at being factory floor
labor if it
works out and you don't **** someone off.

A good education is required to navigate the current job situation. Weak
minds and a
strong back get you no where. Especially when poor border control
undermines those with a
good work ethic, strong back, and willingness to do the dirty jobs. Not
every child is a
College candidate.

Wes

Right. But as always, I can't imagine where the good jobs are going to come
from. I think I've mentioned before that I tend to be overly pessimistic
about that, but the flat, or declining, real incomes of workers are starting
to show us where the limits are, I think. This whole capitalist program
depends on ever-increasing wages, as well as ever-increasing GDP.

It's a worry.

--
Ed Huntress

On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:28:50 -0400, Wes
wrote:

snip
A good education is required to navigate the current job situation. Weak minds and a
strong back get you no where. Especially when poor border control undermines those with a
good work ethic, strong back, and willingness to do the dirty jobs. Not every child is a
College candidate.

What I've seen is that a good education/resume gets you an
interview and possibly the job. What the business really
wants though is someone that doesn't call in sick, follows
instructions, can use a keyboard/computer and does little if
any problem solving on their own. Doesn't make any sense,
but that's the way it is...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:11:41 -0500, the infamous "Pete C."
scrawled the following:


Roger Shoaf wrote:

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

Good grief!

Will nothing be manufactured in the US anymore?

"Social workers" (an oxymoron), the US is very good at producing "Social
workers"...

And they (mostly Democrats), in turn, produce tons of "victims".

--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

I have gotten a large number of vise grips through ebay. One or two here
and there, some larger numbers than that. Except one, all of them were in
good to excellent shape. Use the term "vice" grip, also, as there will be
some listed that way. C clamps, also. I have gotten the 11r's for $6.
They last, so the current US produced tools will be available for a long
time. I would never ever go to a store and pay what they want for a new
pair.

Steve

"SteveB" wrote in message
...

I would never ever go to a store and pay what they want for a new pair.

That is an interesting economic statement.

A lot of people are that way about spending money (not me).
I even hear guys bitching about very reasonable prices at garage sales.. I
don't know what they think a quarter is worth, I don't think I can even
imagine what they must think a dollar is worth.

Knowing what value is, is valuable knowlege.

I end up losing Vise-Grip tools before they break or wear out, maybe because
they're not my favorite tool, as they seem to be for many users.
In most cases, another tool will do a better job than a Vise-Grip plier, but
when they're needed, they're handy to have. For fasteners and fittings, they
cause too much damage, so they're used as a last resort. My main use for
them is they're handy as quick clamps for welding.

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
"SteveB" wrote in message
...

I would never ever go to a store and pay what they want for a new pair.

That is an interesting economic statement.

Wild_Bill wrote:


Knowing what value is, is valuable knowledge.


That is a mighty powerful thought...

Deep Thoughts.. (SNL), Heh

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"cavelamb" wrote in message
m...
Wild_Bill wrote:


Knowing what value is, is valuable knowledge.


That is a mighty powerful thought...

On Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:37:15 -0400, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

snip
I end up losing Vise-Grip tools before they break or wear out, maybe because
they're not my favorite tool, as they seem to be for many users.
In most cases, another tool will do a better job than a Vise-Grip plier, but
when they're needed, they're handy to have. For fasteners and fittings, they
cause too much damage, so they're used as a last resort. My main use for
them is they're handy as quick clamps for welding.

I've worked with several people that didn't have any
Vise-Grip style tools. When they need to be in two places at
once they go find another person to help. I figure out how
to do things by myself, because there isn't anyone else
around and even it there was they have their own job to do.
Vise-Grip style tools allow you to be in two or more places
at the same time, allowing you to complete the job by
yourself.

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

Leon Fisk wrote:

I've worked with several people that didn't have any
Vise-Grip style tools. When they need to be in two places at
once they go find another person to help. I figure out how
to do things by myself, because there isn't anyone else
around and even it there was they have their own job to do.
Vise-Grip style tools allow you to be in two or more places
at the same time, allowing you to complete the job by
yourself.


Last week, I had a way lube system designed for a different machine in the plant held in
place with a pair of vise grips. Worked pretty fine for the two days it took to get the
repair parts to fix the OEM lube system.

Today I needed to draw an arc with a radius of about 12' centered on a square post with 4
tapered reinforcement ribs. I started thinking I could just loop some THHN wire around it
and stretch out the wire and put a pencil through a loop at the far end and draw the arc
on the floor so we could tape and paint. That didn't work, the wire rode up the taper and
changed the radius. So I grabbed 4 vise grips, 1 from Sears, 2 from Irwin, and 1 stamped
Petersen and clamped them to the ribs at the same height. I ran the wire above and below
alternating pliers so it would stay put and drew some nice arcs for the guy that had to
tape and paint.

Vise grips are an improvisational tool.

Wes

On Sep 25, 9:48*am, "SteveB" wrote:
"Randy" wrote in message

news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. * * I emailed Irwin to see what they say. *Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

I have gotten a large number of vise grips through ebay. *One or two here
and there, some larger numbers than that. *Except one, all of them were in
good to excellent shape. *Use the term "vice" grip, also, as there will be
some listed that way. *C clamps, also. *I have gotten the 11r's for $6.
They last, so the current US produced tools will be available for a long
time. *I would never ever go to a store and pay what they want for a new
pair.

Steve

And then you complain about manufacturing moving offshore.

TMT

Randy wrote:
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

They have been made in China for the past year.

Irwin is selling off the plant because it has sat idle for a while.

--
Steve W.

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.


speaking about vice grips...


http://thereifixedit.com/2009/08/30/...ge-1/#comments

(i'm guessing if the (chinese knock off) vice grips fell off the trailer
would come loose?)


further stuff...

http://thereifixedit.com/page/6/

(thought of iggy, the swingset 2/3rd's the way down the page.)



oh, and the rollercoaster... sheesh. (2/3rd's down)

http://thereifixedit.com/page/7/

Checked out a set of Vice-Grips at the store and the card on which the
vice=grips are mounted and on the back in very small printing "made in
China" I also noted that the price was the same as before.

"Randy" wrote in message
news
Looks like vise grips will be made in China now, the complete factory
is up for auction. I emailed Irwin to see what they say. Let's
see if they reply.

http://www.bidspotter.com/forms/event.php?event=8079

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.