Where to Get....Hand Tools?

Here's a stupid question:  Where all can a body find reasonably-priced, good quality, American-made tools these days?  I was at Lowes and Home Depot recently, browsing the hand tool section, and everything is either made in China, or crappy-feeling, or (usually) both.  

As an example, I recently bought a tape measure.  It's a Stanley- chrome with the yellow center.  It says "MADE IN USA" (I think possibly with "globally-sourced components", which sounds like a cop out to me...but I digress...) and the thing just feels like....crap.  The retraction mechanism is somewhat lackadaisical and it does not exude "quality" to me.  Over at the Blue store, they now carry the full line of Crapsman tools, since Sears sold them down the E36 M3ter, and they're almost all labeled "Hecho en China".   :-(

I don't want to spend "tool truck" prices and while I am guilty of sending my money overseas (*cough* Horrible Freight *cough*) from time to time, I'd prefer (for various reasons of my own) to trend more towards buying stuff made between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  

I've pretty much given up on power tools; my stuff is all Milwaukee and while I wish the Red would make stuff here at least the stuff they are making overseas seems to be decently engineered.  But I feel like there are still hand tools made here in the U.S. of A. and I'm just not finding them.  I hope I'm not wrong.  

Cornwell and Matco can be bought through their websites.

Both of those brands have monthly sales flyers were you can pick up tools significantly cheaper. 
 

Ive used the sales to pick up impact sockets for about $15/socket average price. Chromes for under $5/socket. If you stay away from the individual impact swivels and just use the swivel adapter, you can save huge amounts of cash and have decent tools.

Depending on what you're looking for Tekton makes some of it's stuff in the US. I've been pretty pleased with the tools I own from them, even the Taiwanese ones.

For things like deadblow hammers Trusty-Cook is the provider to most of the tool trucks. You can get them way cheaper on their website and they're in Indiana.

Channellock for pliers.

If you're looking to for sockets and stuff at less than tool truck prices - SK tools has a pretty good lineup.

I'll add more as I think of them.

Any specific tape measures anyone likes?  I like a good 30-ish foot or so deal.  

I've got a lot of the tekton lately too and outside of their ratchets, I've been very happy. The ratchets aren't horrible, I've just used better. I may order some matco for those.

Stanley makes them in the US but the materials are internationally sourced.

Garage Journal says US Tape and their website says the short tapes are made here in Pennsylvania just outside of Quakertown.

I'm very biased in favor of the red tools.  The tape measures like all of the other red tools are designed, prototyped and tested in the US. They are really only made over seas because of the labor and tooling cost is pennies on the dollar.

In reply to The0retical :

Thanks!  Yeah, I found their MADE in USA section.  Think I might buy a couple and try them out.  Price seems decent.  

Do you have Menards? I feel like the tool aisle in the one by me is organized by made in the USA on the left and not on the right. And everything made in USA has a special sticker.

bmw88rider said:

I've got a lot of the tekton lately too and outside of their ratchets, I've been very happy. The ratchets aren't horrible, I've just used better. I may order some matco for those.

I have a couple sets of their impacts sockets which have been used pretty hard (and on one occasion used to knock out a CV joint.) They've held up pretty well so far.

I'm pretty impressed with their ratcheting wrenches. Tekton and SK X-Frames are the only wrenches I've seen that are 6pt. SK has a finer swing and that dual paw system is interesting, but Tekton seems pretty stout so far for half the price.

I'm also not impressed by Tektons ratchets, but I'm biased by my love of SK ratchets.

The0retical said:

bmw88rider said:

I've got a lot of the tekton lately too and outside of their ratchets, I've been very happy. The ratchets aren't horrible, I've just used better. I may order some matco for those.

I have a couple sets of their impacts sockets which have been used pretty hard (and on one occasion used to knock out a CV joint.) They've held up pretty well so far.

I'm pretty impressed with their ratcheting wrenches. Tekton and SK X-Frames are the only wrenches I've seen that are 6pt. SK has a finer swing and that dual paw system is interesting, but Tekton seems pretty stout so far for half the price.

I'm also not impressed by Tektons ratchets, but I'm biased by my love of SK ratchets.

Unfortunately, the Tekton ratcheting wrenches seem to be made in Taiwan.  

Wish we had a Menards here.  I've shopped at them in Ohio and loved them.  Maybe I need to wait and make a special visit next time we go out there to visit Mrs. VCH's family....

volvoclearinghouse said:

Any specific tape measures anyone likes?  I like a good 30-ish foot or so deal.  

I'm having good luck with a Milwaukee, rather than my formerly standard chrome Stanley.

volvoclearinghouse said:

Any specific tape measures anyone likes?  I like a good 30-ish foot or so deal.  

Ugh... No. I haven't found any worth their weight. I have paid a premium for US made Lufkin and Stanley and hated them. Bad locking systems and tapes that kink if you look at them wrong.

I have settled on these imports

10' with metric and 25'  

I can't work without a metric tape and the USA made stuff just doesn't offer it. The warranty has been fantastic and I am on my 3rd free 10' tape replacement in 5 years of daily use.

In this case the tool truck brand has been cheaper

Tekton has the best warranty out there. If you break a tool, submit a picture on their website form and you will have a new replacement the next day in the mail. That simple. 

volvoclearinghouse said:

Any specific tape measures anyone likes?  I like a good 30-ish foot or so deal.  

Milwaukee tape measures are the best I've found so far. I have one on my hip now.

Kline hand tools. Usually available at electrical supply houses. Home Depot also used to carry them.

Edit to add: When buying Vice Grips, buy name brand by Irwin. When buying Channel Locks, buy name brand. 

Garage and Estate sales for me. Oh, and Christmas, but the only tool I got for Christmas this year was made in Germany - a Wiha driver. 

Can we talk about how for some tools, buying the best is just so much better? I'm on the lookout for Knipex anything, but especially some Channel Locks and mini-bolt cutters. I figured that out thanks to my uncle - he carries Knipex with him everywhere he goes. Literally, I think he could produce them at a funeral. Obviously I have more than my share of Harbor Freight - for some things, like a pliers for my backup tackle box, it doesn't matter, but if it is a dedicated tool it is just so much more satisfying using the real deal. 

wheelsmithy said:

volvoclearinghouse said:

Any specific tape measures anyone likes?  I like a good 30-ish foot or so deal.  

I'm having good luck with a Milwaukee, rather than my formerly standard chrome Stanley.

All my expensive Milwaukee ones broke inside and are gone.  I bought some dewalt which are slightly better.  Anymore i buy the yellow stanleys and treat them as throwaways 

Patrick said:

wheelsmithy said:

volvoclearinghouse said:

Any specific tape measures anyone likes?  I like a good 30-ish foot or so deal.  

I'm having good luck with a Milwaukee, rather than my formerly standard chrome Stanley.

All my expensive Milwaukee ones broke inside and are gone.  I bought some dewalt which are slightly better.  Anymore i buy the yellow stanleys and treat them as throwaways 

My dad got me a Lufkin for Christmas a few years ago, it was my favorite until I lost it. Which seems to happen with tape measures for me. Because of that, I buy them cheap at estate sales, get the free ones from Harbor Freight, etc., and put them everywhere around the house. 

In reply to mtn :

LIke 10mm sockets and Phillips head screwdrivers, tape measures all seem to grow legs around my house.  Mrs. VCH has a 16 footer that she loves and treats like gold whenever I ask to borrow it.  

mtn said:

Garage and Estate sales for me.

I was buyign tools at all the big box over the years, and the quality has diminsihed so much, that I stopped.  For the first time inmy life I spent $330 at garage sales and craigs list in 2019. Got very high quality older tools, and exactly what I have been searching for all these years. 

Jumper K Balls (Trent) said:

Tekton has the best warranty out there. If you break a tool, submit a picture on their website form and you will have a new replacement the next day in the mail. That simple. 

Interesting. 

I just noticed the other day that the Meijer Store right near my house carries a big supply of Tekton. Rural King carries them too. 

mtn said:

Garage and Estate sales for me. Oh, and Christmas, but the only tool I got for Christmas this year was made in Germany - a Wiha driver. 

 

Can we talk about how for some tools, buying the best is just so much better? I'm on the lookout for Knipex anything, but especially some Channel Locks and mini-bolt cutters. I figured that out thanks to my uncle - he carries Knipex with him everywhere he goes. Literally, I think he could produce them at a funeral. Obviously I have more than my share of Harbor Freight - for some things, like a pliers for my backup tackle box, it doesn't matter, but if it is a dedicated tool it is just so much more satisfying using the real deal. 

Came here to say this

mr2s2000elise said:

mtn said:

Garage and Estate sales for me.

I was buyign tools at all the big box over the years, and the quality has diminsihed so much, that I stopped.  For the first time inmy life I spent $330 at garage sales and craigs list in 2019. Got very high quality older tools, and exactly what I have been searching for all these years. 

I still have some dollar screwdrivers I got at some box store many years ago.  The current dollar screwdriver bin is much crappier in quality.  I guess a buck doesn't go as far as it used to.