American made.

[Rastus]

even stuff made in the USA, I have seen distinct  differences  between  stuff made for the box stores  and those made form traditional  vendors.   I am sure the chinesium  is the same.

It didn't use to be that way, but the last 10 years or so I have seen a draatic differences in quality of the same item in the box stores.

I agree.  And, I surmise, to get around "price matching" they sell the same things with different model numbers and a sell it on a different slant.  So a 23 HP zero turn, for instance, from one big box has a different model number than other big box units that are the "same".  Then one advertises horsepower and the other uses displacement.  Same stuff though.

[Rastus]

<snip>
Someone mentioned Craftsman, and that's an excellent example. The guarantee on their hand tools is no better than Harbor Freight. And they are made in China as well. They just cost more, and are living on a reputation that has long since departed for parts unknown.
<snip>

Yep.  Sears was quite possibly purposely run into the ground.  As the Sears stores began closing (I know some are still here) I picked up a lot of the older Craftsman tools.  Also some 75th Anniversary tools in a box with a gold coating on them.  I remember buying Sears stock around $140/share because the guy running it was heralded to have the ability to turn it around.  Instead Sears was monetized (sold it off) and the CEO paid himself big bonuses which devastated all the people who had jobs and stock in Sears.

Harbor Freight is having a pretty big sale for it's "Inside Track" members right now.  I think it's time for me to pick up that Omnipro 220 welder.  I don't know that I'll see a lower price with the inflation we are "enjoying" now and for the foreseeable future.

[TAB]

cheap no name made in Mexico hitch vs b&w made in the USA hitch.  Same weight rating.

[crusader rabbit]

Even stuff that has been proudly touted as Made in USA gets made in China.  An example that I discovered while shopping for a gift was the Buck Knives Folding Hunter.  The real deal Made in USA knife can run around $199 with the leather sheath.  The one Walmart sells is around $55. 

How can that be, you might ask. 

It's because Walmart negotiated a nice contract with Buck to sell a bunch of their knives, but not at the regular price.  So, Buck decided since it cost them more to make the knife than Walmart wanted to pay, they would have to do some offshore manufacturing. 

And lo and behold, a Buck Folding Hunter sells at Walmart for $55 (sometimes less, on sale).

The two knives look identical with the brass bolsters and wooden slabs.  But the steel isn't the same and the Walmart version is really a piece of crap.

Apparently, it was better for Buck to risk their hard won reputation and sell a shoddy piece of crap while basking in that Walmart cash.

Crusader Rabbit

[PegLeg45]

Even stuff that has been proudly touted as Made in USA gets made in China.  An example that I discovered while shopping for a gift was the Buck Knives Folding Hunter.  The real deal Made in USA knife can run around $199 with the leather sheath.  The one Walmart sells is around $55. 

How can that be, you might ask. 

It's because Walmart negotiated a nice contract with Buck to sell a bunch of their knives, but not at the regular price.  So, Buck decided since it cost them more to make the knife than Walmart wanted to pay, they would have to do some offshore manufacturing. 

And lo and behold, a Buck Folding Hunter sells at Walmart for $55 (sometimes less, on sale).

The two knives look identical with the brass bolsters and wooden slabs.  But the steel isn't the same and the Walmart version is really a piece of crap.

Apparently, it was better for Buck to risk their hard won reputation and sell a shoddy piece of crap while basking in that Walmart cash.

Crusader Rabbit

That goes on with a lot of goods. Even some goods that are made entirely overseas has multiple versions of the same tool that is marketed at various target groups via the point of sale locations (mowers and power tools are the top two that come to mind).....so it's not surprising at all that a company like Buck fell into that habit. Kershaw knives has US and Chinese made knives as well and you have to look close when shopping.

[Sponsor]

[billt]

Even stuff that has been proudly touted as Made in USA gets made in China.  An example that I discovered while shopping for a gift was the Buck Knives Folding Hunter.  The real deal Made in USA knife can run around $199 with the leather sheath.  The one Walmart sells is around $55. 

How can that be, you might ask. 

It's because Walmart negotiated a nice contract with Buck to sell a bunch of their knives, but not at the regular price.  So, Buck decided since it cost them more to make the knife than Walmart wanted to pay, they would have to do some offshore manufacturing. 

And lo and behold, a Buck Folding Hunter sells at Walmart for $55 (sometimes less, on sale).

The two knives look identical with the brass bolsters and wooden slabs.  But the steel isn't the same and the Walmart version is really a piece of crap.

Apparently, it was better for Buck to risk their hard won reputation and sell a shoddy piece of crap while basking in that Walmart cash.

Crusader Rabbit

Harbor Freight is now selling a Buck General clone for $25.00 under the "Gordon" name.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-bowie-knife-58090.html?_br_psugg_q=knife

[Rastus]

I picked up a couple of Harbor Freight machetes.   There were real junk. 

[les snyder]

Rastus... I has been a couple of years since purchase, but my Tramontina bolo machete and Collins SA (Guatemala) have held up well... I did re-grind the bolo though

[Rastus]

My dad's machete is a USN version from I think 1942.   It looks like a Collins.  The next time I am in Louisiana I am going to take a look and see if it is a Collins.

Every machete I have owned is a serious second fiddle to the one he has...I really believe it may well be a Collins.  I saw one ground up pretty good on eBay for $275 and a better looking one for $145.  I am headed to Louisiana in a week and if it is a Collins as I suspect then I'm going to pinch one from eBay.  There is quite literally nothing like the one my dad had.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154733244049?hash=item2406d1ee91:g:iowAAOSwyzJhdCkf