When I was growing up, it was the norm that most things that were bought in this country happened to be made in this country. My grandfather, who was a machinist by trade before starting the carpet store, used Craftsman tools and a few other that were made in the USA. Those were passed down to my father. All he ever bought was Craftsman too. I own those tools now and they still work just as good as the day they were bought. Because of that I've always bought Craftsman tools. Now, however, I've been wandering through the tool sections and I come across a Craftsman wrench, which now says "China" on it. Oh, and the price is the same or more as the wrenches I bought that were "Made in the USA" a couple years ago. I've always been a tool fan and I've found that things that were made in the USA were made to a higher standard than those made overseas. Anything "Made in China" was expendable and cheap. In my opinion, that's still the case, however, they're going to fool everyone by putting a brand name on it and selling it for the same or more as what they were selling it for before.
Craftsman is getting the heat only because for years they were my tools of choice, however, as of late, their selling out makes me look elsewhere. I just hope these companies out there realize that I don't want cheap products when it comes to tools. I want tools that are made to be used. I'm sorry sell-out companies, but if I can find a product made in the USA, even for more money, they get my business. Being a local business owner, I understand the importance of keeping things local. My thoughts stay the same with products made and sold here. I figure if I can throw an American my money for him to respend in America, I'm sure it will make it's way back to me somehow. If I ship it off to China, then some other Chinese man is gonna respend my dollar in China never to be seen again. Just my humble opinion, but I think it's a huge problem right now with our down economy. Let's just hope other companies get the hint before it's too late!
