Made in USA vise grips

Scott 730

Well-known Member
Location
EC MN
Not sure if this has been posted recently but I was pleasantly surprised to see made in USA vise grips at a local tool supplier. I asked him where he got ahold of some old stock and he said they were new production. :D Has anyone else seen any?
 
And they were Irwin brand with a roll pin in the
release lever ? The Chinese crap ones have a rivet
in the lever....
 

The one I looked at was the 6" C clamp style and it absolutely said Made in USA on the label. What caught my eye first was the Stars and Stripes on the label.
 
I still have all of mine from my working days! All made in USA! I have the mechanic types, and the body-man types. they are handy for repairing lawn mowers and tractors. Never slip, never jump off, just hold and hold!
On the other hand-when the usa went to metric stuff, i bought some great tools, made in Tiawan, sockets and hand wrenches, etc. They are stll in use!
 
I would like to see a little more info on that, as the original factory in DeWitt, Nebraska was shuttered, as well as about 500 jobs.
It still galls me when I see a Chinese-made Vice-Grips that has the word "original" on the packaging. The old man Peterson would be turning in his grave if he saw that.
 
I like buying & using USA made Channel Lock tools . They are made in Meadville Pa ,,. only about 1/2 hr west of me . I used to have afriend that worked there & he could get me 2nds really cheap or grade #1 at his cost . He disappeared so my great deals are over with . God bless , Ken
 
Not to get nit-picky here, but their pliers are made in USA. A lot of their other tools, like their screwdrivers and adjustable wrenches are not.
But yea, I like them too.
 
I didn't know that . It's been around 20 - 25 yrs since I've bought any . As far as adjustable wrenches , I've always bought & used the Crescent brand . My Dad bought nothing but USA made tools . He made his living with tools , so he was quite fussy about what he bought & he would always wipe them down before they entered his tool chest again . As a kid , that was my job . He wouldn't teach me anything but how to keep a clean toolbox & to always clean up the areas when finished . Oh , also how to hold a trouble light so he could see . If he couldn't see , he would always grab the trouble light out of my hand & smash it over my head . Then my next lesson was to go get a new bulb from Mom . What I know is what I've learned first hand by a Hands-On technique . But I truly loved my Dad . God bless , Ken
 
There's no reason a company can't make a product in China to the same level of quality as their American product. Likewise, once a company (such as Irwin) decides to cut quality to save cost, they can do that with their American-made product. Irwin may have moved some production back to the US, but I'll bet new Vice-Grips made in the US are just as crappy as their Chinese junk.
 
Have had a great score on made-in-USA Vise Grips at yard
sales recently. I bought six at one sale for 50 cents and a
dollar each, all in great shape. Found two others small ones,
brand new in their original cardboard boxes, for a buck
apiece. I"ll take all I can get at those prices!
 
Rossow,
I, like, you buy many tools at garage sales.
I bought a 10" pair of Vice-Grips last year that were just like new.
' had to pay $4.00 but they were original Peterson so I was happy with the price.
 
I don't take what the "made in" label says too seriously. I've seen something simple like a bolt with pressed on washer come in a package saying "made in Canada with imported parts." You can't get much simpler than a washer-headed bolt! Also have opened a parts box that says "made in Germany," only to see the inner wrapper have a sticker that says "...Korea."

Maybe USA and Canada are also the names of cities in China and Mexico!

-karl f
 
I was going through the tool aisle at wally's-mart recently, and noticed the Vice-Grip vice-grips were labeled as 9 inch pliers, and the same pair next to them, with the Stanley name, was labeled as a 10 inch plier.
 
I saw some vise grips that had made in USA stamped on the handle but said made in china on a sticker on the back of the package.Most of my vise grips are US made.I use imports for welding clamps.
 
(quoted from post at 06:23:21 05/30/13) Rossow,
I, like, you buy many tools at garage sales.
I bought a 10" pair of Vice-Grips last year that were just like new.
' had to pay $4.00 but they were original Peterson so I was happy with the price.

Yep, I buy 'em when I see 'em - I always thought, and still do, that the inventor of Vise-Grips should be rewarded and remembered with a national holiday ...... a truly 'inspired' invention! :idea:
 

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