Tired of cheaply made tools from China?

No, not really.
Some of my more recent acquisitions have in the main been OK.
But quality can vary greatly.
US Pro can be very good, but I accept they are DIY Mechanic Quality and wouldn't probably stand up to workshop abuse too well.
Sad part is with increased tariffs they're not going to be cheap to buy.
Upt.
 
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Cheap tools have their place or Harbor Freight would be closed. Sometimes you only need something to work ok once or twice. That socket with half the teeth gone is probably a no-go, though.)

My toolbox has a mix of brands. None have let me down. Started out with Craftsman as a kid and have mostly those. I have found Napa Carlisle tools to be very good, but tool preference is probably like motor oil preference.
 
I will spend my money for quality tools if i'm using them for work, But since I have retired from Professional mechanics I'm buying Jet, or Princess Auto's brand. Haven't come across any defective tools .
 
As a mech I would sometimes buy a set and replace the ones I break with quality from the tool truck, this saved some cash by not getting tools that I did not use. Some of the tools I have bought in sets from tool truck have a bunch of real shiny tools among the ones with brass showing
 
ST1100TX said:
Cheap tools have their place or Harbor Freight would be closed. Sometimes you only need something to work ok once or twice. That socket with half the teeth gone is probably a no-go, though.)

My toolbox has a mix of brands. None have let me down. Started out with Craftsman as a kid and have mostly those. I have found Napa Carlisle tools to be very good, but tool preference is probably like motor oil preference.
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FYI, there is nothing wrong with the way the socket was made, other than it was cut upside down.
On the older, stronger sockets, that depth was common, and the socket was much stronger than one that was cut the length of the body.
Carlisle stuff is ok compared to the stuff from China.
I refuse to purchase any tools from Snap Off tools (harbor freight)
It’s not worth damaging a customer’s bike using a cheap tool.
Nothing wrong with SK or the older craftsman.
And you can often find used Mac, Matco, Snap on, blue point etc.
From retired guys.
 
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ToddC said:
I have lots of inherited S&K stuff. Good stuff.
T
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I'd be interested in any SK stuff you don't want. ;)
I've been scrounging and collecting SK stuff to try and complete my father's old SK collection that I inherited.
 
China can produce complete junk, but they can also produce very high quality products as well. Remember, for years virtually all iPhones were manufactured in China with a significant percentage of subcomponents being produced in China as well. Apple demanded a certain quality standard and the Chinese met that expectation, and still do. Apple is diversifying iPhone production to other countries now, but that is due to geopolitical reasons, not quality issues.

Is you are purchasing a relatively well known brand name product that was built in China and you consider it to be cheaply made, China is not responsible for this, it is the brand that stipulates how the product is made and it is the brand that is responsible to inspect products to ensure that standard is met.

North of the border I was quite satisfied with Craftsman tools for decades and now purchase Canadian Tire's "Maximum" brand that I'm pretty happy with. I also buy HF tools as well.
 
ReSTored said:
China can produce complete junk, but they can also produce very high quality products as well. Remember, for years virtually all iPhones were manufactured in China with a significant percentage of subcomponents being produced in China as well. Apple demanded a certain quality standard and the Chinese met that expectation, and still do. Apple is diversifying iPhone production to other countries now, but that is due to geopolitical reasons, not quality issues.

Is you are purchasing a relatively well known brand name product that was built in China and you consider it to be cheaply made, China is not responsible for this, it is the brand that stipulates how the product is made and it is the brand that is responsible to inspect products to ensure that standard is met.

North of the border I was quite satisfied with Craftsman tools for decades and now purchase Canadian Tire's "Maximum" brand that I'm pretty happy with. I also buy HF tools as well.
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I was going to distribute solar panels from China here in the US and that's what the Chinese manufacturer said about quality. If you pay for quality, you get quality, but many US companies want cheap so cheap stuff is what they get.
 
I watched a Utube vid. the other day that said caterpillar tools are made by Snap-on and sold at a better price !
 
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