Doc, got the "Eagle Grips- Malco", several months before the plant closed in Nebraska. So glad I did, as I got a phenomenal deal, as well. They are 100% worth the price, hype, reputation. Quality production, is not ethnic based, or an immediate determination of value, quality, durability. Most valuable things, are "you get what you pay for. But if you're a novice, general population, or jack of "no trades", factor in that as well, when purchasing tools/equipment. Quality control, logistics, oversight, and self esteem/pride, seem to be the definitive factor, of said products. Some countries, nationalities, traditions, values, ethics, can legitimately be found in certain nations. Some nations, not so much. Personal experience, is an individualized account, of he or she's purchase/usage. Buyer beware, and buyer listen/learn. That's what channels like this and others similar, do. They'll take the risks, sometimes, so we won't have to. - Paul from SoCal.
SnapOn doubled the price of the original Eagle Grip when they stamped their name on it, and they're triple the price of the Knipex German made option. SnapOn are not renowned for value-for-money, there's a reason for the growing interest in German and Japanese made tools.
There's just no value proposition for a Snap-On USA made tool. People will pay extra even for equivalent quality, but 3x the price of a German made tool? No.
That’s my problem as well, please, for an existing, I’ll be an excellent product, I own four or five pairs myself, is snap on massively increase the price on an existing product. They had to do no investment in RND.
I have various different sets of Vice-grips. Had a few of them for almost forty years. Take care of the tools, & they’ll last a lifetime! Play carefully folks!
Most of the time, i prefer to get the American made tools. But i will not buy snap-on because to me, the price is ridiculously out of my budget. I have a lot of Craftsman tools because at the time they were American and easy to warranty. Now its hard to warranty them for the same quality.
I can't wait until people stop telling us about their Craftsman tools. They were never half as good as people liked to pretend. They were *alright* Department Store tools. Snap on products are not comparable.
I could budget for Snap-On but 95% of the time it’s not worth the price differential. There are tons of other manufacturers selling tools as good or better than snap-on for a fraction of the price. In particular many Japanese hard tool manufacturers can eat their lunch when it comes to return on investment for the end user. My rule is no longer “Made in USA only” as much as it’s “Anywhere but China, etc”
If I remember correctly Malco bought the vise grip factory after Irwin closed it. Since Snap On has taken it over now, the snap ons are the modern day vise grips.
@@SB-dw6hzNo. The contents of the building were all auctioned off and the building itself is currently still for sale. Closest Snap-on has gotten so far is to make a couple small pairs that were not previously offered, and including the patented Power Ring which the patent itself is still assigned to Malco Products so they're just licensing that.
It had been closed for at least a decade at that point, Newell Rubbermaid moved production overseas years ago. But yes Malco bought the original Peterson Factory in DeWitt which I think is closed once again. I think Snapon just bought the tooling, but yes it has been confirmed by representatives from Snapon.
I bought several of the Malco eagle grips. I thought they were priced fair for very high quality pliers. Snap On anything is just ridiculously expensive, plus they are hard to get if you don’t have access to a snap on truck.
To answer your question Value. If the American made product which is more money is a better product then spending more on an item that is utilized can make sense. On the other hand, if the product does not provide a better quality and is just more expensive or the item is not critical or utilized as often, the country of origin becomes less important. Made in the USA is a bonus not a deal breaker to many. Just observations.
I think a large part is some, not all, companies think if they slap made in USA on it, it automatically increases the price by 3-5x when the actual cost to make it increases, but not by nearly as much. $80+ for a pair of locking pliers is ridiculous when you can get 80-90% of the performance for 20-30% of the price.
A vise grip is a type of tool for me that gets used hard and abused and I buy a lot of them because in welding you need a lot of them. I'm not paying lots of money for something that's going to be covered in weld spatter and grinder marks. I've been know to weld stuff on to vise grips for various tasks so I can't see spending $80 when that is the same money as a large pair of Knipex pliers.
Outside of ratchets/sockets/wrenches it is not “absurdly” expensive to build a made in USA dominant set. Add Japan and Germany to the mix and you can definitely have a top end kit for 1/3 the price of snap on. When building my kit I hit a road block for ratchets/wrenches/sockets… got SK adjustable wrenches 6” and 8”, and SK 3/8’s impact sockets… had a ratchet already… when the craftsman made in USA Lowe’s ratchet/socket set came out for $50 I was ecstatic. Bought 2. Then found an old made in USA craftsman wrench set at a yard sale. Well used but worth $35. Try my best to vote with my dollars.
Seen many videos saying this locking plier is the best. Just ordered one from Amazon Malco store. 10” $40. If this is the best, that’s cheap as hell. Should be delivered tomorrow. I’ll reply to this comment. Thanks 👍
I think, for the high-end companies anyway, this is a case where demand or a brand cannot justify the tool's true value. The company may justify its price based on its overall expenses and high-end materials, but if the ultimate use and wear of the tool is the same than the value you will get from the tool is the same and I see no justification for buying the expensive option. This is exactly where med to low-end companies need to shine and provide a more reasonable alternative, one which will actually reflect the true value of the tool.
Malcos are still $38 on Amazon. The people who are upset about the loss of US made tools are also near retirement and instead of buying tools are often selling off their tools. The people worried about this issue know what a "water closet" is. Some may even remember seeing Jack Parr walk off his show over it. However, it's not a bunch of 22 year old apprentices demanding expensive US made tools (especially considering half of the young guys in the trades weren't even born in the US).
The problem as I see it is that I don’t need a new set of locking pliers very often. Yes, I have two full sets of malcos, plus a bunch of clamps, because USA, but I really only need one set of 10in (I work on rusty junk so it’s heavy use). Where chinesium makes sense to me is not stuff I use a lot.
2:57.. which is exactly why the majority of tools are manufactured overseas. People aren't going to buy consistently for the price USA MADE means. We'll buy 1 or 2 but we (most consumers) aren't going to buy all of our stuff at that price demand..
Malco Eaglegrip's jaws were made with AISI 9260 high quality steel. It may be one of the reasons for the higher price. But the only thing that explains why the price doubled (or tripled) when Snap-On took over is branding.
I will 100% pay more for american made, but it depends on the tool. a vice grip to me... is very handy of course, but it's pretty much the wrong tool for most jobs, you reach for it when the situation is bad enough to hope this is enough to get it done.. Hard to put into words, but for what it does, I don't see the need to spend $80 on it. however I bought leathermans ARC, which I think is worth the money as I use it every day. I think most companies should offer a range, have the overseas cheaper stuff as a catagory, and have a "better" version made in america. play both sides a bit.
Snap On is great for "specialty" tools and certain hand tools only made by them. Unless you are a pro and can write most of the cost off, it is way too expensive for the "regular" guy.
Here's my take on it. When it was Malco I don't believe they where that expensive so same manufacturing plant and a lot more money. Why add another $30
Knipex could jump in the locking pliers game. Small locking pliers are probably THE best lighter EDC tool once they are modified to hold hex bits and jigsaw blades.
very good observation. But as a German insider I can tell you that even Knipex don't make their own locking pliers, almost all German locking pliers come from a small company called Bollmann. It's because Knipex only manufactures casted pliers according to their (very high) standards, and all 1400 types still are made in Germany. Although our labor costs and taxes and energy prices are even a lot higher than in in the US, Knipex is so extremely efficient they can compete price-wise (and in quality anyway). But they have to be very focused and specialized to do so, that's why they buy the vise grips from Bollmann, which is also extremely specialized and does nothing but vise grips as an OEM for all other brands. The Bollmanns are of decent quality, but the Spanish grip-on and the French Facom are even better. Old Vise-Grips made in the USA are very sturdy and surely won't break, but they are optimized to cut very sharply in the material, whereas in Europe we prefer to handle the stuff a bit more gentle. There are some ridiculously cool vise grips from Facom which have unique precision mechanisms and huge widths. They're used in aircraft manufacture (probably that's why the Airbusses don't drop so much stuff as Boeing). Normally, they're at around € 120.-. But I was lucky to get some on eBay for half that price, that's reasonable. The Leatherman Crunch therefore is my all-time favorite multitool. But for a small 4" or 5" locking pliers, one doesn't need the highest quality. Despite all my love for German (and foreign) top-notch tools some simple Taiwan-made pair of pliers is absolutely sufficient for the smaller tasks one can handle with the small types. And they're cheap (3-4 € = $). I prefer to spend my money on other stuff where I get more bang for the buck, e.g. high-quality knives...
this is a very fitting video I was just talking about this.. it is a very complex issue 1-less people are making a living with tools 2-people like myself can't afford high $$ tools so I buy used 3- i run my great grandfather's tools they are all usa made and last forever. the real problem is high cost I think the limit is around 50% more price for usa made. I work for a community college and buy tools I looked for a week to find USA made C clamps I gave up I think if tax $$$ is being used it should be usa made products
I'd pay extra for made in america if it felt as good or had a draw to it like the german/swedish tools i now buy. Everything I've gotten from knipex, pb swiss, wera and stawille just felt great to use or offered something i would have a hard time finding elsewhere
I have many USA made tools dating back to 1980's when I started collecting tools. I continue to collect USA made tools from estate sales. I have some tools made in China, Taiwan and India. Generally, tool quality has suffered from cost cutting over the last 40+ years. Basic economics first - yes, there is a point of diminishing returns for the consumer. As a hobbyist, I buy better, not the best tools. I will only spend so much money. Tool makers started offshoring to drive cost down to increase or at least maintain profits. Companies wanting to bring manufacturing back to the USA will have to accept lower profits and sell high volume to make their numbers. I'm not sure the money is there. Companies compete in a global market today.
Does anyone know why American-made tools are usually so expensive? European (mostly German) brands are not cheap, but definitely not that expensive over here in the EU. Obviously if you have to export them to the US they will become a little more expensive too, but I'd figure that US-made tools should be about the same price in the US as EU made tools in the EU. Why is that not the case?
American employees are typically more expensive because Our health benefits are received through our employer (or for younger Americans, could be through our Parents into our 20's. This worked pretty ok before the value of everything exploded through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. A lot of young Americans coming out of school are pretty shielded from reality, so young factory workers can take a while to really get with the program. I say this as an older American who's been in a few and around a few different industries, usually I'm working on automation.
The EU places a 15-25% tariff on US made goods. I’m not sure which end of that spectrum tools fall into, but when combined with the additional profit distributors have to take for an import (to the EU), the final consumer cost makes it an expensive proposition.
The EU market is so heavily subsidized and protectionist, that attempting to draw any conclusions about market prices in the EU is going to always necessarily bring the wrong results.
@@littlejimmy7402 That can't be the reason. Almost every single EU country offers exponentially better health benefits and benefits like more legally protected vacation time and paternity/maternity leave.
@@SuddenPaintball Of course, and the Government helps with that cost. Not in the U.S. Our employers pay for our benefits through other private insurance companies, and every year the costs go up for insurance. Insurance is very expensive in the US. No job, no insurance. Well, until you go to the internet marketplace. My Wife had to go that route for a few months, the level of care was pretty sparse.
Craftsman (Sears) really dropped the ball here. Was once American made at an affordable price. I buy vintage USA tools now. No warranty this way but I likely won't need it with a quality tool.
I’m willing to pay a fair price for a USA tool. And that could be more than a comparable import tool. Can’t say what that is exactly, but I just know if it is when comparing tools. Just a feeling. The Snap on Visegrips are too expensive. Thanks for sharing!
The problem is the cost at the retail. Initially when manufacturing left the U.S. to go to China, the price of tools weren't high. Once Cresent wrench, vise grips, Eastwing, moved to China. The prices remain the same, but with A inferior tool. Now coming back to America, there trying to over price the tools. That's the problem.
People are more likely to shell out the extra for Snap-On or other US-made ratchets, sockets and wrenches, because those are high-value, high-prestige, lifetime investment tools. Locking pliers are low-value, low-status tools that get hammered on, welded on, ground on etc, and people are going to take a more utilitarian approach to buying and using them.
This really does seem to me to be a complicated issue - particularly in the sense that (in the US) the people who most wish for production to move back to the US tend to have less discretionary income with which to wallet-vote than do those more inclined toward globalism. Come to think of it, I guess the fact that this channel seems to bridge that blue/white-collar divide somewhat is what originally drew me to subscribe - I gotta respect a guy who gets his Rolex dirty 😂
I don’t think it is a country of origin issue as much as a boutique issue. I’ll pay for quality, but I’m not stupid, so I won’t pay “brand markup”. Snap-on, Festool, Mafell are all guilty, adding hefty markup for the name. Infuriating example: Festool rebrands NWS pliers in sets and doubles the price.
People are buying Icon when companies like Channellock and Wilde are making similar tools in the US at better quality for the same price. These people have made it clear they do not care about innovation or quality by buying cheaper made clone copies of tools rather than pay a few dollars (seriously, it isn't even that much cheaper) more to the original company that made that tool. The popularity of Icon makes it clear that this is a lost battle. I think the German brands will be fine, as they are popular globally for professional use. I think Snap-On will continue surviving for a long time due to their prices being expectedly high and their reputation being well established, as well as a healthy dose of government and industrial contract sales. But I see a lot of other American Brands going the SK way in the next few decades.
That's exactly my thoughts on Icon... why in the world would I or anyone get an Icon tool when there is a made in the USA version by Channelock, Wilde, sometimes even Klein for the same price if not cheaper. For hammers Vaughan and especially Trusty Cook blemished deadblows are unbeatable for the price. Granted, they do have rebranded USA made Mayhew Dominator pry bars now as Icon, but again why not just buy the mayhew?
@@lazor222 Vaughan's Grayvik line of blemish hammers were / are an unbelievable value. Sally after 150+ years as America's greatest Hammer manufacturer Vaughan & Bushnell recently announced that they are very likely going to have to shut down. Did you know that you can't even buy a Hammer at Home Depot anymore ? All they sell now are useless imported hammer shaped objects. First they dropped V&B a few years ago, then about a year ago they dropped Estwing. At least Lows and Ace Hardware still sell real hammers.
Because most diy guys have NO clue about quality standards/specifications and they Love to go down to a “brick & mortar” Store to shop for tools at a cheap price. It’s entertainment for them and most of those guys don’t use their tools enough to understand the quality difference anyway.
What I would really like to know is : is 80 bucks the price for it being made in the US or is it the price for the Snap on logo to be stamped on it ? Cause that would really make the difference in my opinion .
It's the price of the brand. The Malco made Eagle grips were already about $45 and profitable while being made to the highest possible quality standards. If Snapon was to only charge $50 they'd still make a profit and actually sell them, there's no way they could have improved the quality and are just charging what they can.
I'm willing to pay more for American-made tools, but I'm very reluctant pay Snap-On prices. I don't have a problem buying things from any democracy, but I buy CCP products only if I can't find an alternative. And I really dislike buying medicine or water filters, etc., from China. But, even there, I sometimes have no alternative.
Expensive is relative. It's about value. If you use the tool every day and it makes you money you want something that lasts. Is $80 expensive if you can use it for 20 years. Don't get me wrong inflation is destroying our purchasing power so there are other issues with high prices that's why I buy based on value rather than price. That goes for everything I buy.
I definitely prefer tools Not Made in China, but doesn’t have to be USA. Germany, Japan, even Taiwan are great choices. Snap-On to me is like Cuban Cigars: tons of comparable or better options, usually at a much lower price. And yes I own some Snap-On stuff.. I did buy a bunch of Malco Eagle Grips recently, and they make all my older Vice Grips seem like toys (USA made Irwin, Craftsman).
Globalisation was great for the consumer, not so much for the local manufacturers. The market is over flooded with these pliers at such cheap prices. U could probably by 8 pairs of Chinese imports for the price of one pair of USA made. The end result is there wont be any USA locking pliers. I dont like it, I try to buy the best tools I can afford but politicians love free trade deals desipte the damage it can do on local soil.
I have a lot of the American made craftsman tools and they use to be decent priced but now they are overseas made and they are as or more expensive than the American made ones why is that
Im sure glad I bought all the different malco locking pliers at a very discounted rate. Snap on trying to price gouge us again. Dont get me wrong I have plenty of snap on tools, it's just amazing to me you get the same locking plier except it's 50-60 dollars more each plier! I got some of mine on sale black friday on OPT for 26.99! They're 100.00 now? Wtf!
I consider locking pliers to be a good, useful tool but rather on the simple side (and often misused a bit in rough environments or welding, e.g..). Therefore the quality hasn't to be outstanding, just good. I love pliers and own half a hundred pairs of Knipex, but wouldn't spend the money Malco wanted, all the more Snap-on does now. It's 5% better for 400% the price. That's ridiculous. Buying some pliers wrenches or other precision tools is a different cup of tea, although.
As a Canadian, I rarely target “made in USA” instead I target best reliable brands, which tends to lead to European, Japanese and Taiwanese made tools due to the quality of steel and fit and finish. Unfortunately brands like Channel lock, Irwin, as well as Snap-ons double profit dealer model kills the desire to entertain the default mentality. When you look at the cost of Snap-ons sets, power tools, and toolboxes, you can see why “made in USA” is in trouble. Not because it costs more, but because the greed is double dipping with the franchise model. Snap-on use to make tools in Canada and those were also better days when they lead the market. I still buy some snap-on tools in my profession, but I’m selective, and they aren’t first choice, Wera, Knipex, Grip-on, Milwaukee cordless, starrett, mitsitoyo, Grey Pneumatic, Walter, Olfa, Fluke, Autul, ect, fall in the first choice category. Even Styrke Tool chest out of Red Dear Alberta are leaps and bounds better than what Snap-on is peddling, at an absolute fraction of the cost.
Is the brand vice grip gone? Those are the only vice grips brand I would buy. I never found a another brand that works to the level of VG. A friend of mine is 100% snapon but he still bought vice grip cuz he SO grips were junk.
maybe snap-on should make a "test" sample rebrand a product to be of lower price point and see what happens basically taking the price ladder argument here, like can they price a 6 inch locking plier for 20-30 dollaridoos but isnt branded snap-on the tool manufacturing world is infact a very "small place" you wouldnt be surprised if everyone in C suites actually personally know each other because let's face it maybe Knipex, Facom, Engineer might be more competitive than snap-on
See, here's the thing about Oriental steel: It's every bit as good as US and European steel, provided your Quality Control and Specification is sufficient to the task. Toolmakers can either build up to a quality spec or down to a price point, just like every other steelmaking nation on the planet, *including the USofA* (except us lazy Yanks don't make steel any more). The Chinese and Taiwanese people have been making steel arguably as long as Americans have, possibly longer. And as long as we're over on the far side of the Pacific, I don't think anyone would argue that Japanese steel isn't at least the equal to USA steel, if not far superior - they were forging the best swords on the planet since before Europeans even knew what a sword was. TL;DR: it don't make a damn bit of difference where on the planet your steel comes from, if it's made to a specific quality point. (Also, to the diehard "Merrica or nuthin'" crowd: Care to take a guess what percentage of your Harley Davidson comes from overseas? Or your Ford F150? Where was your cellphone & computer built, hmmm?)
You should probably brush up on your history before making idiotic claims such as: “Japanese were forging the best swords on the planet before Europeans even knew what a sword was.” The Greek xiphos and the Roman gladius far predate the earliest Japanese swords. Not even close. And yes the USA does make steel , some of the best in the world.
Assuming quality is the same, I’ll always buy US if the price is competitive with overseas. I’ll usually buy US if the price is 50% more. I’ll rarely buy US if the price is 100% more. Above that, forget it. There are some great US companies that don’t charge Snap-on’s ridiculous prices. Wright, Proto, Channel lock, Klein just to name some of the bigger ones. My toolbox is full of them and I plan to buy more. I also will buy quality German and Taiwan tools when it makes sense. As far as the Malco/Snap-on Eagle Grips… just no. I already have enough USA made Vise-Grips, but they were made for so long and so popular, that they’re easy to find on the used market if I need more. Good enough quality for me.
I prefer American made, and with 95% of hand tool types I will absolutely not buy from China Taiwan India Vietnam Mexico...etc no exceptions whatsoever. I have no problem buying from Japan Germany Canada or England when there's no comparable American made alternative or one I can afford, but if there is and it's exactly what I need I'll buy it over all else. My thoughts on these particular locking pliers is that Snapon jacked the price way up just because they could, and I believe Malco was already making an acceptable profit while manufacturing them to the highest standards possible. I don't believe there's any justofication for the price and my feeling is that Snapon will have to come back down to earth on the pricing or discontinue them, something is going to give. If they're priced much more reasonably, I don't think they will have much problem selling them.
Canadian here. I don't buy the hype of the "made in the usa" fanfare. It makes absolutely no difference where the tool is made as long as it's of good quality and does the job.
And the fact that you're Canadian explains why you don't get it. It's about supporting your own countries industrial independence and manufacturing capabilities instead of just saying " Harbor freight employs more Americans " even though those jobs don't really matter because there is and always will be plenty of minimum wage jobs. Now when it comes to quality, for me if it's American made I know that it will almost always be at the very least passable and decent, that doesn't mean it's automatically going to be the best of the best but I feel guaranteed that it won't be complete garbage. The same goes for Canadian made tools. Tools made in China & Taiwan run the gammot and could be bottom of the barrel, maybe it's a very great tool but I'm not taking the gamble if I don't have to.
Here’s how they (companies) should read you: don’t gouge!! I have always been willing pay more for American made but I’m not going to pay the ridiculous Snap-on prices. It’s important to me bc in my lifetime I have seen the devastation wrought by outsourcing to China in middle America. It’s the reason I stopped looking to take the off-the -beaten-path road-trips. I own several of the Malco visegrips & I paid more for them than I’d spend on cheap Chinese sh*t. I think I made a previous comment here about canceling a large order of SK Tools when I found out they were purchased by Chinese company & we’re going to make them in China. SK tried to convince me that what I ordered would still be American made but I cancelled anyway on General Principle. BTW, I buy German if it is made in Germany. Knipex is all made in country altho they tested the waters on a few items. It’s why I don’t buy Wiha.
Ill support a US company when i can. Sometimes i just can't afford it. And sometimes the US made stuff just isn't as nice. I do try to support skilled trades in my local economy when i can.
I wonder if one of the issues with US made tools prices, is just economies of scale. Are they just making so few of them that they can't use economies of scale to drive down the price? And the price being high means theres not enough customers so they can't aim for higher economies of scale savings?
This simply is the cost of quality. After process improvements and other manufacturing and distribution opportunities have largely been exhausted, better quality costs more. Fact. So I really appreciate how Doc frames this question - do we really value quality, where, and when… or do we just like to bitch and moan. Yes Stanley, Vice-Grip, Craftsman, and many more manufacturers of the past did make fantastic tools. But research generally shows that these products cost a higher % of weekly salaries than similar tools today. We drive the market by generally always choosing cheaper over quality (note, Snap-on® is a special case because of their distribution model and their unconditional lifetime warranty).
Their what warranty? I think you'd better read their warranty a bit more closely. It is available online. In addition to any limitations outlined in warranty statements provided with the Product, Snap-on does NOT provide any warranty for (1) products labeled other than Snap-on or Blue-Point or (2) products subjected to "abnormal use". Products that are not labeled Snap-on or Blue-Point are subject to the warranty provided by the manufacturers of those products and Snap-on will pass along any such warranties. "Abnormal use" includes misuse, accident, modification, unreasonable use, abuse, neglect, lack of maintenance, use in product-related service, or use after the product is significantly worn. Abnormal use of tool storage units also includes, without limitation, situations when a unit is pulled using a mechanical vehicle, rolled over large drops, used in a highly corrosive environment, used as a step stool, modified with non-Snap-on parts, overloaded or modified in any way. All of that sounds very conditional to me.
@@1pcfred Pretty standard in any warranty for a discrete manufacturing warranty. I’d ask you, if you made something custom for a customer and they abused it, would you fix it, build them a new one, or give their money back? I very highly doubt it. What is a fair criticism is if Snap-on® charges more for, say a Knipex Cobra plier, (and I bet they do), what value did they add over Amazon or KC Tools? As your quote shows, certainly not extended warranty. Possibly three things: the truck coming to you, having the tool in stock (i.e. added cost of carrying inventory), and for some folks financing. I used to be a global leader in Warranty Chain Management and separately I’ve coached a Snap-on® truck business owner, and those things cost a lot more than one might realize. But where they really make money is on tool training and personal support - like car analyzers, cooling exchangers and such, and they make a lot of money on financing which no surprise to anyone watching this channel. Personally, I’ve used Snap-on® tools for a great many years, and every tool failure was immediately addressed with a smile. It’s a little different for some people (and I’m speaking in generalities) who approach this with an entitlement attitude or a chip on their shoulders, and consciously try to abuse warranty. Like people who by used tools known to be abused, and then asking the truck to repair/replace the tool, or know they used a chrome socket with a heavy impact tool, etc… Anyway, I salute you for actually reading the warranty and exercising caveat emptor - let the buyer beware!
As a decidely DIY and home user I could not justify the Snap-On premium, especially where Craftsman was at the local store under a great warranty, so I bought Made in USA as much as I could aside from from one-time cheaper imports or a few specialty pricey imports (like my Knipex insulated electrial tools). I will prefer Made in USA followed by our allies in Germany, Japan, and yes, even Taiwan so long as quality and price are balanced. But just putting the label on and in the packaging in not "Made in America", nor does a price higher than a Made in Germany or Japan" price impress me for an equal to lesser tool. I want to but USA but I only have so much buying power and yes I buy Made in No Name (China) but try to minimize it for decidely political reasons, hoping to avoid them when I can. So give me a pro-sumer grade tool at a higher but not highest price and you get my Dollars.
So they raised the price of the already expensive locking pliers. Sorry but that would cause a problem regardless of what company owns the factory. And raising the price considerably is not going to go unnoticed and in fact people will look with disdain. Look at what happens when a pharmaceutical decides one day to raise the price and what kind of public opinion they end up with.
Thats definitely a big concern that bothers me about snap on. They are often expensive because their logo is on it, without justification for the price. These are good locking pliers, but is the price just too high for the quality and utility? It sounds like it isn't. The snap on markup is killing the sales on this product.
Thats definitely a big concern that bothers me about snap on. They are often expensive because their logo is on it, without justification for the price. These are good locking pliers, but is the price just too high for the quality and utility? It sounds like it is just too high. The snap on markup is killing the sales on this product.
The previous company went out of business, so clearly the prices were not sufficient to keep them afloat. The difference is, people already expect Snap On to be outrageously priced, and they buy their stuff anyway. So they will probably be fine in the long run.
That's because they didn't go Chinese or anything like that, they just closed the factory after getting as much as they could out the door and there's a lot still available.
I sometimes wonder how much cost of development goes into the retail price of the tool. I hate seeing a USA designed and made product get replicated by an unethical foreign company and sold on Amazon/Temu/Ali baba/vevor, etc....US companies need to compete for sales against global competition, but that doesn't always mean other companies play fair and a lot of American consumers only consider price. I am willing to pay extra for USA made products, but I also realize that doesn't always mean better.
So I have never owned a pair so perhaps I'm just ignorant but I know that my opinion is I will spend the extra $ for the best there is of a tool if I know they truly perform way above the rest. To me when it comes to the locking pliers I've always thought they are all basically the same. Perhaps I should invest in a pair for this particular matter to actually know but sometimes it seems like they just want you to pay more for the name and little performance difference. I don't care where it's made I care that it's proven the best
I think we need better laws to help American manufacturing to become more efficient and streamlined and/or tariffs on imported tools. If not, who could blame patriots from buying Chinese tools so they can afford imported oil.
What sort of "better laws" would you propose to make American manufacturing competitive with Chinese? I don't think you'll have much luck legalizing what is essentially slave labor and dumping toxic waste into rivers here anymore.
The problem is US companies are so greedy they squeeze every dime they can out of production and they just don't reinvest in equipment. So our shops look like medieval dungeons. Plus our workforce is pretty unskilled these days.
Malco's flawed business idea was to take a tried true design and make it "better" and multiple times more expensive. I have 40+ USA made Vice Grips and have never bought one new from a store. The original is quality and durable enough to have out lived the first owners. So Malco/Snap-On depend on mindless consumerism instead of doing actual innovation. Why should I overpay for this tool when I haven't been able to wear out the old ones?
They all besides vice grip there is no other good option really. Besides vice grip I have tried almost all of them. They all suck. Vice grip is all right but when you put your hands on an eagle grip it's just night and day but $90. I seriously think snap-on is doing it to themselves with these prices. They're going to be single-handedly, destroys american-made tools and make people not want to buy them which is breaking my heart. Just because I'm willing to buy them and doc here is willing to buy them. The average mechanic or the average blue collar guy doesn't want to spend $90 on a single player of pliers and honestly shouldn't have to... And the worst part of it all is malco was quite reasonable. $40. I would have easily paid $50
I bought the Malco pliers a few years ago, in two sizes. I'll pay more for quality tools from civilized nations. I don't understand the Snap-on business model. I need to find a truck somewhere and go there in person to buy something? That's not happening.
Globalization and the Petrol Dollar has ruined American manufacturing. Because of the Petrol Dollar, Dollars are in high demand globally effectively lowering the value of every other currency comparatively and increasing the cost/value ratio of American products. Basically, the reason why you think American Made products are too expensive is because your dollar goes very far in foreign markets. This will change as foreign markets devalue the dollar and refuse to keep it in reserve. The prices of American Products will look better as those Spanish made Snap-on pliers triple in price.
when i hear about this issue of home country manufacturing... it seems to me there should be govenment involvement and think tank (free consulting) scheme to develop a grant mechanism to take chinese tax levies from the chinese imports taxes (for example all those new chinese electric vehicles coming into the country). then the cost of manufacturing key critical tools could be subsidized (in part) to some reasonable levels to match the prices of german tools of a similar quality (for example kc tool prices). so from an infrastructure standpoint, that you can retain critical tools manufacturing capabilities. the other part of the equation is to simultaneously combat corruption and abuse for-profit enterprise bad actors. since its an endemic and such widespread unhealthy disease of usa corporations are those ways with 0 ethical standards considering only profits at the cost of all else, your own children's futures being sold down the river so to propose a fair subsidy scheme that (in other domains) would be equivalent to a farming and agricultural government subsidies scheme... is difficult because even the food has been abused so badly. its just stupid basically the corrupt people with 0 ethics in usa. anyhow to then enact a proposed scheme to actually become effective (as 2nd follow on task). is then yet another endeavour. its own thing to get right to apply to specific companies and manufacturing sites which actually deserving and needs preservation. can itself be another set of difficult challenges. and this is before making the end consumer aware via price cuts. that they might not believe is truely genuinee usa made tools. or be suspicious to suspect different motivations for. since nobody these days believes in such things can even happen. so its 1 thing to point out the problem and bring it to attention, for all snapon stuff is just massively far too expensive for regular consumers to afford to buy (over and abover the more budget friendly ikon, or foreign imported tools). and quite another thing to actually solve the issue successfully given how utterly greedy people actually are in the real world. perhaps another example is milwaukee company, whom does have some good standing and trust amongst customers, and also some range of pricings that sits generally below snapon. however less comprehensive offerings, and mixed sourced depending on the specific item. and then theres all the contractor grade stuff, for specialized jobs. which is generally lower volumes and more expensive items. see in europe here we tend to rely upon german and other eu based manufacturers for most locally sourced tools. and somehow the general price and quality remains good, in the face of chinese tools (usually cheaper but yet inferior). and up until now has been going along mostly well, at least for certain companies, like the knipex, wera, pb swiss and so on. however also with some manufacturing things made elsewhere now, such as vietnam and taiwan. the slippery slide is always a concern due to the global inflation price of everything rising etc. so i remain pretty concerned even for the german brands to be honest... and i did not mention japan but clearly to a lesser extent same or similar concerns over there too. like the engineer, vessel, makita, koken etc.
so globally i have mentioned there are multiple highly reputable competing tool companies (mostly german or eu based origins). such as the wera and knipex... and that those ones seems healthy right now. the crux of what i seem to fail to understand here is how that snapon itself, their board of directors basically went on its own continuus aquisitions quest to rid all local diversity amongst usa small timers home grown tool manufacturing. to the extent of eliminating all competition, then, after getting their desired monopoly on the high end tools market they set the prices as sky high as they wanted. its a greed based algorithm that simultaneously forcing most others to source from outside of usa, like asia etc. now that is the american greed based way. look in europe, and does wera try to purchase pb-swiss, or knipex to buy out wiha? yet they continue to make products directly competing with one another. so was the problem always consumers choosing to buy cheap, to buy chinese? or was it american neo-capitalism lack of basic human ethics falling onto its own sword? and how much trust did you ever put into boeing's own corporate board of directors (financial sector movers-in) whom were entirely responsible for destroying boeing's company reputation through a consistent pressures down into workforce / erosion of aviation safety standards? ... well these were american citizens whom did this. not the chinese. who are still currently behind in the civil aviation race (but quite intent of catching up). so who is left then? just airbus / bae for the big airliners? same basic witchhunts for whom was responsible for this. now over in eastern cultures (both japanese and china) there is some sense of integrity and ethical respect about doing a servitude towards others, the customer, or some senses of integrity which isnt purely profit driven. its in the people. its in the culture. so while we might reminice about the past olden times 'great ameica' the truth is corruption and the whole predatory business aquisitions model (based on financial sector, treating corporations as money printing machines and nothing else). is really how i would compare and contrast to the current european and japan based tools manufacturers mindset and sense of ethics. show me the lineage and history of those people whom have been sitting on the board of snapon. and what their backgrounds and personal integrity is. show me the corporate company ownerships. to believe that the decision makers at the top still has those necessary personal integrity going forwards. (unlike for boeing corp, which is clear as day bad actors) also there is actually another aquisitions model in parallel here, historically which has been in the industrual sector a continued set of aquisitions, mergers of large machine tooling. that all the old biggest machine tools companies got merged together. new yourk cnc channel had a factory tour of those guys... however they do seem genuinely committed usa based company with high integrity. and they keep a comprehensive library of all the past large heavy (massive) manufacturing tools. to give a good positive example. which hasn't sold itself out and still maintains those past (100 years) of histories and manufacturing culture, maintaining it into the modern era. so how to show us its still true for snap-on? what is that the actual reason for the high pricing (to maintain its integrity). versus the other reason. which is to basically undue-ly extract maximum wealth (from a dying industry, not a healthy and competitive one)... via holding a monopoly and keeping all profits / continuus extraction of profits. in other words strip mining and without any healthy home sustainable business model. or if its simply poor management practices. and inability to remain competitive for those established ways of production and manufacturing lines. because in german / eu based companies (such as pb-swiss and wera, knipex). they seem to stay all pretty healthy modern and current. to remain relevant and highly competitive.
Meh locking pliers are borderline consumables, I'm not going to be guilted into paying stupid money for a product that while better is only marginally so. Malco folded up trying to sell locking pliers for $35, SnapOn won't fold but there aren't anywhere near enough people that are going to buy them at more than twice that.
Like most things, the long term solution is a blend. It makes no sense to try to master methods that other people have spent decades perfecting if the only motivation is pride. The US has been leapfrogged in manufacturing technology and education. It doesn’t make sense to restart where we were in the 1980s. There is a whole world of future manufacturing tech we should focus on instead. We shouldn’t waste our time trying to build something that’s already dated. Instead of wrenches, let’s build quantum computers, biological tissue, self healing bio composites, micro machines, carbon fiber nano tubes, blah blah blah😅
What's a company supposed to do? How about read the room. Raising the prices more when customers are already hugely affected by inflation on groceries. I'm sorry but the hardware stores are reading the room pretty well because they are lowering prices. McDonald's is reading the room and trying to concoct deals to get people back in the door.
@@brettwalkom948 the companies are raising prices at a much higher rate than the inflation rate. That is the problem. Companies are using inflation as an excuse to price gouge loyal customers. They know customers are expecting higher prices because of inflation and they just double the increase because they know they can get away with it. This is disgusting predatory behavior and should not be supported or excused
I've bought 2 pair from snap on when they came out pair of 10 and 7 than when malco released them bought several pairs still can find them in a few places left didn't buy from Snap On again once they released the 5inch in regular and long nose version when it was Peterson vice grips we all treated them poorly and didn't care untill they went away no way will I treat a USA made pair that way I'll buy Chinese Irwin for abuse like hitting with a hammer or a welding clamp
If a company likes Snap-on wants to engage in price gouging, they should be boycotted like any other crooked company. These are the exact same pliers made at the exact same location so they should cost the exact same price
@@marcmckenzie5110 Malco didn't go out of business because of the price of their pliers, just like Sears/Craftsman didn't go under because of the price of their Craftsman tools. It was poor management. I hope you're not one of those Snap-on fanboys that thinks this company is anything but crooked. They screw over their employees and drivers, price gouge their loyal customers, all so everyone at corporate level can make obscene salaries. Get to know a couple drivers and you will hear the horror stories or just read about it online.
@@deltahawk1001 Malco's pliers prices did not bankrupt the company anymore than Sears Craftsman prices bankrupted them. It was poor management. It amazes me the people are so delusional that they actually support price gouging by crooked companies. Makes me wish Snap-on would raise the price to $200 so I could watch all you suckers really pay out the nose, because no matter what they charge you guys think it's a fair price
Overseas is fine by me, a lot of great affordable tools for the DIYer from all over the world at lower prices than SNAP-ON and Malco and the like. No reason why American companies can't make many tools cheaper, factory is the same here or abroad. Tech is only getting better. China is on way out with low child births, soon another country will be making the tools. The rich keep getting richer and screwing the working class for generations with "Investments/Stocks and asset prices. American workers have plenty of things we can do locally besides making all tools again.
Doc, got the "Eagle Grips- Malco", several months before the plant closed in Nebraska. So glad I did, as I got a phenomenal deal, as well. They are 100% worth the price, hype, reputation. Quality production, is not ethnic based, or an immediate determination of value, quality, durability. Most valuable things, are "you get what you pay for. But if you're a novice, general population, or jack of "no trades", factor in that as well, when purchasing tools/equipment. Quality control, logistics, oversight, and self esteem/pride, seem to be the definitive factor, of said products. Some countries, nationalities, traditions, values, ethics, can legitimately be found in certain nations. Some nations, not so much. Personal experience, is an individualized account, of he or she's purchase/usage. Buyer beware, and buyer listen/learn. That's what channels like this and others similar, do. They'll take the risks, sometimes, so we won't have to. - Paul from SoCal.
SnapOn doubled the price of the original Eagle Grip when they stamped their name on it, and they're triple the price of the Knipex German made option.
SnapOn are not renowned for value-for-money, there's a reason for the growing interest in German and Japanese made tools.
There's just no value proposition for a Snap-On USA made tool. People will pay extra even for equivalent quality, but 3x the price of a German made tool? No.
That’s my problem as well, please, for an existing, I’ll be an excellent product, I own four or five pairs myself, is snap on massively increase the price on an existing product. They had to do no investment in RND.
I have various different sets of Vice-grips.
Had a few of them for almost forty years.
Take care of the tools, & they’ll last a lifetime!
Play carefully folks!
Anyone who had a Vise Grip knows the quality of the "Old" stuff!
I have a pair so old there is no release lever on it, you just pull them open. I got them used when I was 16 or so many years ago
If you weld with Vise Grips you pretty much chew them up. Steel just doesn't handle heat all that well.
Hello again, Doc
Thank you for another Great Video 👍 You asked a good question. I don't have a good answer, yet.
Most of the time, i prefer to get the American made tools. But i will not buy snap-on because to me, the price is ridiculously out of my budget. I have a lot of Craftsman tools because at the time they were American and easy to warranty. Now its hard to warranty them for the same quality.
I can't wait until people stop telling us about their Craftsman tools. They were never half as good as people liked to pretend. They were *alright* Department Store tools. Snap on products are not comparable.
I could budget for Snap-On but 95% of the time it’s not worth the price differential. There are tons of other manufacturers selling tools as good or better than snap-on for a fraction of the price. In particular many Japanese hard tool manufacturers can eat their lunch when it comes to return on investment for the end user.
My rule is no longer “Made in USA only” as much as it’s “Anywhere but China, etc”
@@BigChillingGoingDownAmen, Amen, Amen!!!
If I remember correctly Malco bought the vise grip factory after Irwin closed it. Since Snap On has taken it over now, the snap ons are the modern day vise grips.
has it been confirmed snapon took it over?
@@SB-dw6hzNo. The contents of the building were all auctioned off and the building itself is currently still for sale. Closest Snap-on has gotten so far is to make a couple small pairs that were not previously offered, and including the patented Power Ring which the patent itself is still assigned to Malco Products so they're just licensing that.
It had been closed for at least a decade at that point, Newell Rubbermaid moved production overseas years ago.
But yes Malco bought the original Peterson Factory in DeWitt which I think is closed once again.
I think Snapon just bought the tooling, but yes it has been confirmed by representatives from Snapon.
I bought several of the Malco eagle grips. I thought they were priced fair for very high quality pliers. Snap On anything is just ridiculously expensive, plus they are hard to get if you don’t have access to a snap on truck.
Yeah I bought a 3
Set when I heard they went oob, they were $100 for all 3. $80 on the truck or $35 online lol
To answer your question Value. If the American made product which is more money is a better product then spending more on an item that is utilized can make sense. On the other hand, if the product does not provide a better quality and is just more expensive or the item is not critical or utilized as often, the country of origin becomes less important. Made in the USA is a bonus not a deal breaker to many. Just observations.
I think a large part is some, not all, companies think if they slap made in USA on it, it automatically increases the price by 3-5x when the actual cost to make it increases, but not by nearly as much. $80+ for a pair of locking pliers is ridiculous when you can get 80-90% of the performance for 20-30% of the price.
Usually it's just the truck brands really hiking the prices up so high.
Usually it's just the truck brands really hiking the prices up so high.
A vise grip is a type of tool for me that gets used hard and abused and I buy a lot of them because in welding you need a lot of them. I'm not paying lots of money for something that's going to be covered in weld spatter and grinder marks. I've been know to weld stuff on to vise grips for various tasks so I can't see spending $80 when that is the same money as a large pair of Knipex pliers.
So is Snapon operating the plant in Dewitt now?
Outside of ratchets/sockets/wrenches it is not “absurdly” expensive to build a made in USA dominant set. Add Japan and Germany to the mix and you can definitely have a top end kit for 1/3 the price of snap on.
When building my kit I hit a road block for ratchets/wrenches/sockets… got SK adjustable wrenches 6” and 8”, and SK 3/8’s impact sockets… had a ratchet already… when the craftsman made in USA Lowe’s ratchet/socket set came out for $50 I was ecstatic. Bought 2. Then found an old made in USA craftsman wrench set at a yard sale. Well used but worth $35. Try my best to vote with my dollars.
Seen many videos saying this locking plier is the best. Just ordered one from Amazon Malco store. 10” $40. If this is the best, that’s cheap as hell. Should be delivered tomorrow. I’ll reply to this comment. Thanks 👍
I think, for the high-end companies anyway, this is a case where demand or a brand cannot justify the tool's true value.
The company may justify its price based on its overall expenses and high-end materials, but if the ultimate use and wear of the tool is the same than the value you will get from the
tool is the same and I see no justification for buying the expensive option.
This is exactly where med to low-end companies need to shine and provide a more reasonable alternative, one which will actually reflect the true value of the tool.
Malcos are still $38 on Amazon. The people who are upset about the loss of US made tools are also near retirement and instead of buying tools are often selling off their tools. The people worried about this issue know what a "water closet" is. Some may even remember seeing Jack Parr walk off his show over it. However, it's not a bunch of 22 year old apprentices demanding expensive US made tools (especially considering half of the young guys in the trades weren't even born in the US).
The problem as I see it is that I don’t need a new set of locking pliers very often. Yes, I have two full sets of malcos, plus a bunch of clamps, because USA, but I really only need one set of 10in (I work on rusty junk so it’s heavy use). Where chinesium makes sense to me is not stuff I use a lot.
2:57.. which is exactly why the majority of tools are manufactured overseas. People aren't going to buy consistently for the price USA MADE means. We'll buy 1 or 2 but we (most consumers) aren't going to buy all of our stuff at that price demand..
I have both the SO and the Malco eagle grip. They’re literally identical (except the branding). They even share the SAME model #.
Malco Eaglegrip's jaws were made with AISI 9260 high quality steel. It may be one of the reasons for the higher price. But the only thing that explains why the price doubled (or tripled) when Snap-On took over is branding.
I will 100% pay more for american made, but it depends on the tool. a vice grip to me... is very handy of course, but it's pretty much the wrong tool for most jobs, you reach for it when the situation is bad enough to hope this is enough to get it done.. Hard to put into words, but for what it does, I don't see the need to spend $80 on it. however I bought leathermans ARC, which I think is worth the money as I use it every day. I think most companies should offer a range, have the overseas cheaper stuff as a catagory, and have a "better" version made in america. play both sides a bit.
Snap On is great for "specialty" tools and certain hand tools only made by them. Unless you are a pro and can write most of the cost off, it is way too expensive for the "regular" guy.
Here's my take on it. When it was Malco I don't believe they where that expensive so same manufacturing plant and a lot more money. Why add another $30
Knipex could jump in the locking pliers game. Small locking pliers are probably THE best lighter EDC tool once they are modified to hold hex bits and jigsaw blades.
very good observation. But as a German insider I can tell you that even Knipex don't make their own locking pliers, almost all German locking pliers come from a small company called Bollmann. It's because Knipex only manufactures casted pliers according to their (very high) standards, and all 1400 types still are made in Germany. Although our labor costs and taxes and energy prices are even a lot higher than in in the US, Knipex is so extremely efficient they can compete price-wise (and in quality anyway). But they have to be very focused and specialized to do so, that's why they buy the vise grips from Bollmann, which is also extremely specialized and does nothing but vise grips as an OEM for all other brands.
The Bollmanns are of decent quality, but the Spanish grip-on and the French Facom are even better. Old Vise-Grips made in the USA are very sturdy and surely won't break, but they are optimized to cut very sharply in the material, whereas in Europe we prefer to handle the stuff a bit more gentle. There are some ridiculously cool vise grips from Facom which have unique precision mechanisms and huge widths. They're used in aircraft manufacture (probably that's why the Airbusses don't drop so much stuff as Boeing). Normally, they're at around € 120.-. But I was lucky to get some on eBay for half that price, that's reasonable.
The Leatherman Crunch therefore is my all-time favorite multitool. But for a small 4" or 5" locking pliers, one doesn't need the highest quality. Despite all my love for German (and foreign) top-notch tools some simple Taiwan-made pair of pliers is absolutely sufficient for the smaller tasks one can handle with the small types. And they're cheap (3-4 € = $). I prefer to spend my money on other stuff where I get more bang for the buck, e.g. high-quality knives...
this is a very fitting video I was just talking about this.. it is a very complex issue 1-less people are making a living with tools 2-people like myself can't afford high $$ tools so I buy used 3- i run my great grandfather's tools they are all usa made and last forever. the real problem is high cost I think the limit is around 50% more price for usa made. I work for a community college and buy tools I looked for a week to find USA made C clamps I gave up I think if tax $$$ is being used it should be usa made products
I'd pay extra for made in america if it felt as good or had a draw to it like the german/swedish tools i now buy. Everything I've gotten from knipex, pb swiss, wera and stawille just felt great to use or offered something i would have a hard time finding elsewhere
I have many USA made tools dating back to 1980's when I started collecting tools. I continue to collect USA made tools from estate sales. I have some tools made in China, Taiwan and India. Generally, tool quality has suffered from cost cutting over the last 40+ years. Basic economics first - yes, there is a point of diminishing returns for the consumer. As a hobbyist, I buy better, not the best tools. I will only spend so much money. Tool makers started offshoring to drive cost down to increase or at least maintain profits. Companies wanting to bring manufacturing back to the USA will have to accept lower profits and sell high volume to make their numbers. I'm not sure the money is there. Companies compete in a global market today.
Does anyone know why American-made tools are usually so expensive? European (mostly German) brands are not cheap, but definitely not that expensive over here in the EU. Obviously if you have to export them to the US they will become a little more expensive too, but I'd figure that US-made tools should be about the same price in the US as EU made tools in the EU. Why is that not the case?
American employees are typically more expensive because Our health benefits are received through our employer (or for younger Americans, could be through our Parents into our 20's. This worked pretty ok before the value of everything exploded through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. A lot of young Americans coming out of school are pretty shielded from reality, so young factory workers can take a while to really get with the program.
I say this as an older American who's been in a few and around a few different industries, usually I'm working on automation.
The EU places a 15-25% tariff on US made goods. I’m not sure which end of that spectrum tools fall into, but when combined with the additional profit distributors have to take for an import (to the EU), the final consumer cost makes it an expensive proposition.
The EU market is so heavily subsidized and protectionist, that attempting to draw any conclusions about market prices in the EU is going to always necessarily bring the wrong results.
@@littlejimmy7402 That can't be the reason. Almost every single EU country offers exponentially better health benefits and benefits like more legally protected vacation time and paternity/maternity leave.
@@SuddenPaintball Of course, and the Government helps with that cost. Not in the U.S. Our employers pay for our benefits through other private insurance companies, and every year the costs go up for insurance. Insurance is very expensive in the US. No job, no insurance. Well, until you go to the internet marketplace. My Wife had to go that route for a few months, the level of care was pretty sparse.
Craftsman (Sears) really dropped the ball here. Was once American made at an affordable price. I buy vintage USA tools now. No warranty this way but I likely won't need it with a quality tool.
I’m willing to pay a fair price for a USA tool. And that could be more than a comparable import tool. Can’t say what that is exactly, but I just know if it is when comparing tools. Just a feeling. The Snap on Visegrips are too expensive. Thanks for sharing!
I really think that the best option in locking pliers is Facom, the 500 series knowing where to buy it is cheaper than snap on
The problem is the cost at the retail. Initially when manufacturing left the U.S. to go to China, the price of tools weren't high. Once Cresent wrench, vise grips, Eastwing, moved to China. The prices remain the same, but with A inferior tool. Now coming back to America, there trying to over price the tools. That's the problem.
Estwing did not move to China.
People are more likely to shell out the extra for Snap-On or other US-made ratchets, sockets and wrenches, because those are high-value, high-prestige, lifetime investment tools. Locking pliers are low-value, low-status tools that get hammered on, welded on, ground on etc, and people are going to take a more utilitarian approach to buying and using them.
This really does seem to me to be a complicated issue - particularly in the sense that (in the US) the people who most wish for production to move back to the US tend to have less discretionary income with which to wallet-vote than do those more inclined toward globalism. Come to think of it, I guess the fact that this channel seems to bridge that blue/white-collar divide somewhat is what originally drew me to subscribe - I gotta respect a guy who gets his Rolex dirty 😂
I don’t think it is a country of origin issue as much as a boutique issue. I’ll pay for quality, but I’m not stupid, so I won’t pay “brand markup”. Snap-on, Festool, Mafell are all guilty, adding hefty markup for the name. Infuriating example: Festool rebrands NWS pliers in sets and doubles the price.
People are buying Icon when companies like Channellock and Wilde are making similar tools in the US at better quality for the same price. These people have made it clear they do not care about innovation or quality by buying cheaper made clone copies of tools rather than pay a few dollars (seriously, it isn't even that much cheaper) more to the original company that made that tool. The popularity of Icon makes it clear that this is a lost battle. I think the German brands will be fine, as they are popular globally for professional use. I think Snap-On will continue surviving for a long time due to their prices being expectedly high and their reputation being well established, as well as a healthy dose of government and industrial contract sales. But I see a lot of other American Brands going the SK way in the next few decades.
That's exactly my thoughts on Icon... why in the world would I or anyone get an Icon tool when there is a made in the USA version by Channelock, Wilde, sometimes even Klein for the same price if not cheaper. For hammers Vaughan and especially Trusty Cook blemished deadblows are unbeatable for the price. Granted, they do have rebranded USA made Mayhew Dominator pry bars now as Icon, but again why not just buy the mayhew?
@@lazor222
Vaughan's Grayvik line of blemish hammers were / are an unbelievable value.
Sally after 150+ years as America's greatest Hammer manufacturer Vaughan & Bushnell recently announced that they are very likely going to have to shut down.
Did you know that you can't even buy a Hammer at Home Depot anymore ?
All they sell now are useless imported hammer shaped objects.
First they dropped V&B a few years ago, then about a year ago they dropped Estwing.
At least Lows and Ace Hardware still sell real hammers.
Because most diy guys have NO clue about quality standards/specifications and they Love to go down to a “brick & mortar” Store to shop for tools at a cheap price. It’s entertainment for them and most of those guys don’t use their tools enough to understand the quality difference anyway.
What I would really like to know is : is 80 bucks the price for it being made in the US or is it the price for the Snap on logo to be stamped on it ?
Cause that would really make the difference in my opinion .
It's the price of the brand.
The Malco made Eagle grips were already about $45 and profitable while being made to the highest possible quality standards.
If Snapon was to only charge $50 they'd still make a profit and actually sell them, there's no way they could have improved the quality and are just charging what they can.
I’m hoping for a long nose variant of the old Eagle Grips from Snap-On.
Ill pay up to 100% increase over competitors, not more. I think that snap on is pushing 400% or more.
I'm willing to pay more for American-made tools, but I'm very reluctant pay Snap-On prices. I don't have a problem buying things from any democracy, but I buy CCP products only if I can't find an alternative. And I really dislike buying medicine or water filters, etc., from China. But, even there, I sometimes have no alternative.
Always buy 🇺🇸 when possible or from an allied country. That gives you 32 options to find a good tool. Now with 🇸🇪 and 🇫🇮 joining.
For Me that I'm loosing my memory and leaving the tools in the job site it's El Chipo Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Expensive is relative. It's about value. If you use the tool every day and it makes you money you want something that lasts. Is $80 expensive if you can use it for 20 years. Don't get me wrong inflation is destroying our purchasing power so there are other issues with high prices that's why I buy based on value rather than price. That goes for everything I buy.
I definitely prefer tools Not Made in China, but doesn’t have to be USA. Germany, Japan, even Taiwan are great choices.
Snap-On to me is like Cuban Cigars: tons of comparable or better options, usually at a much lower price. And yes I own some Snap-On stuff..
I did buy a bunch of Malco Eagle Grips recently, and they make all my older Vice Grips seem like toys (USA made Irwin, Craftsman).
Globalisation was great for the consumer, not so much for the local manufacturers. The market is over flooded with these pliers at such cheap prices. U could probably by 8 pairs of Chinese imports for the price of one pair of USA made. The end result is there wont be any USA locking pliers. I dont like it, I try to buy the best tools I can afford but politicians love free trade deals desipte the damage it can do on local soil.
I have a lot of the American made craftsman tools and they use to be decent priced but now they are overseas made and they are as or more expensive than the American made ones why is that
Im sure glad I bought all the different malco locking pliers at a very discounted rate. Snap on trying to price gouge us again. Dont get me wrong I have plenty of snap on tools, it's just amazing to me you get the same locking plier except it's 50-60 dollars more each plier! I got some of mine on sale black friday on OPT for 26.99! They're 100.00 now? Wtf!
I consider locking pliers to be a good, useful tool but rather on the simple side (and often misused a bit in rough environments or welding, e.g..). Therefore the quality hasn't to be outstanding, just good. I love pliers and own half a hundred pairs of Knipex, but wouldn't spend the money Malco wanted, all the more Snap-on does now. It's 5% better for 400% the price. That's ridiculous. Buying some pliers wrenches or other precision tools is a different cup of tea, although.
As a Canadian, I rarely target “made in USA” instead I target best reliable brands, which tends to lead to European, Japanese and Taiwanese made tools due to the quality of steel and fit and finish. Unfortunately brands like Channel lock, Irwin, as well as Snap-ons double profit dealer model kills the desire to entertain the default mentality. When you look at the cost of Snap-ons sets, power tools, and toolboxes, you can see why “made in USA” is in trouble. Not because it costs more, but because the greed is double dipping with the franchise model. Snap-on use to make tools in Canada and those were also better days when they lead the market.
I still buy some snap-on tools in my profession, but I’m selective, and they aren’t first choice, Wera, Knipex, Grip-on, Milwaukee cordless, starrett, mitsitoyo, Grey Pneumatic, Walter, Olfa, Fluke, Autul, ect, fall in the first choice category. Even Styrke Tool chest out of Red Dear Alberta are leaps and bounds better than what Snap-on is peddling, at an absolute fraction of the cost.
Do people still want tools that "last forever" with top quality and top prices, or is good quality / price relation just enough? Cheers from Portugal.
Is the brand vice grip gone? Those are the only vice grips brand I would buy. I never found a another brand that works to the level of VG. A friend of mine is 100% snapon but he still bought vice grip cuz he SO grips were junk.
Petersen manufacturing is long gone. They sold in 1984. But the pliers were still made in the USA until 2008.
@@1pcfred I better keep my VG and preserve them, could be collectors items
The brand isn't gone, but they're now imported and not as good.
By all accounts they're adequate but I'm not buying.
maybe snap-on should make a "test" sample rebrand a product to be of lower price point and see what happens basically taking the price ladder argument here, like can they price a 6 inch locking plier for 20-30 dollaridoos but isnt branded snap-on the tool manufacturing world is infact a very "small place" you wouldnt be surprised if everyone in C suites actually personally know each other
because let's face it maybe Knipex, Facom, Engineer might be more competitive than snap-on
See, here's the thing about Oriental steel: It's every bit as good as US and European steel, provided your Quality Control and Specification is sufficient to the task. Toolmakers can either build up to a quality spec or down to a price point, just like every other steelmaking nation on the planet, *including the USofA* (except us lazy Yanks don't make steel any more). The Chinese and Taiwanese people have been making steel arguably as long as Americans have, possibly longer. And as long as we're over on the far side of the Pacific, I don't think anyone would argue that Japanese steel isn't at least the equal to USA steel, if not far superior - they were forging the best swords on the planet since before Europeans even knew what a sword was.
TL;DR: it don't make a damn bit of difference where on the planet your steel comes from, if it's made to a specific quality point.
(Also, to the diehard "Merrica or nuthin'" crowd: Care to take a guess what percentage of your Harley Davidson comes from overseas? Or your Ford F150? Where was your cellphone & computer built, hmmm?)
You should probably brush up on your history before making idiotic claims such as: “Japanese were forging the best swords on the planet before Europeans even knew what a sword was.” The Greek xiphos and the Roman gladius far predate the earliest Japanese swords. Not even close. And yes the USA does make steel , some of the best in the world.
Assuming quality is the same, I’ll always buy US if the price is competitive with overseas. I’ll usually buy US if the price is 50% more. I’ll rarely buy US if the price is 100% more. Above that, forget it.
There are some great US companies that don’t charge Snap-on’s ridiculous prices. Wright, Proto, Channel lock, Klein just to name some of the bigger ones. My toolbox is full of them and I plan to buy more. I also will buy quality German and Taiwan tools when it makes sense.
As far as the Malco/Snap-on Eagle Grips… just no. I already have enough USA made Vise-Grips, but they were made for so long and so popular, that they’re easy to find on the used market if I need more. Good enough quality for me.
Used 5in Peterson Vise Grips (USA made) in good shape $10-20. New Snap-on 5 in $80. Tell me how that makes any sense.
I prefer American made, and with 95% of hand tool types I will absolutely not buy from China Taiwan India Vietnam Mexico...etc no exceptions whatsoever.
I have no problem buying from Japan Germany Canada or England when there's no comparable American made alternative or one I can afford, but if there is and it's exactly what I need I'll buy it over all else.
My thoughts on these particular locking pliers is that Snapon jacked the price way up just because they could, and I believe Malco was already making an acceptable profit while manufacturing them to the highest standards possible.
I don't believe there's any justofication for the price and my feeling is that Snapon will have to come back down to earth on the pricing or discontinue them, something is going to give.
If they're priced much more reasonably, I don't think they will have much problem selling them.
Canadian here. I don't buy the hype of the "made in the usa" fanfare. It makes absolutely no difference where the tool is made as long as it's of good quality and does the job.
And the fact that you're Canadian explains why you don't get it.
It's about supporting your own countries industrial independence and manufacturing capabilities instead of just saying " Harbor freight employs more Americans " even though those jobs don't really matter because there is and always will be plenty of minimum wage jobs.
Now when it comes to quality, for me if it's American made I know that it will almost always be at the very least passable and decent, that doesn't mean it's automatically going to be the best of the best but I feel guaranteed that it won't be complete garbage.
The same goes for Canadian made tools.
Tools made in China & Taiwan run the gammot and could be bottom of the barrel, maybe it's a very great tool but I'm not taking the gamble if I don't have to.
Here’s how they (companies) should read you: don’t gouge!! I have always been willing pay more for American made but I’m not going to pay the ridiculous Snap-on prices. It’s important to me bc in my lifetime I have seen the devastation wrought by outsourcing to China in middle America. It’s the reason I stopped looking to take the off-the -beaten-path road-trips. I own several of the Malco visegrips & I paid more for them than I’d spend on cheap Chinese sh*t. I think I made a previous comment here about canceling a large order of SK Tools when I found out they were purchased by Chinese company & we’re going to make them in China. SK tried to convince me that what I ordered would still be American made but I cancelled anyway on General Principle. BTW, I buy German if it is made in Germany. Knipex is all made in country altho they tested the waters on a few items. It’s why I don’t buy Wiha.
If you're not going to pay the ridiculous Snap-on prices then you're just a dirty little twinkle toed commie pinko scumbag. I've got my eye on you.
Manufacturing in america has become harder due to so many restraints by it's government. We all pay for that.
Ill support a US company when i can. Sometimes i just can't afford it. And sometimes the US made stuff just isn't as nice. I do try to support skilled trades in my local economy when i can.
I wonder if one of the issues with US made tools prices, is just economies of scale. Are they just making so few of them that they can't use economies of scale to drive down the price? And the price being high means theres not enough customers so they can't aim for higher economies of scale savings?
This simply is the cost of quality. After process improvements and other manufacturing and distribution opportunities have largely been exhausted, better quality costs more. Fact. So I really appreciate how Doc frames this question - do we really value quality, where, and when… or do we just like to bitch and moan. Yes Stanley, Vice-Grip, Craftsman, and many more manufacturers of the past did make fantastic tools. But research generally shows that these products cost a higher % of weekly salaries than similar tools today. We drive the market by generally always choosing cheaper over quality (note, Snap-on® is a special case because of their distribution model and their unconditional lifetime warranty).
Their what warranty? I think you'd better read their warranty a bit more closely. It is available online.
In addition to any limitations outlined in warranty statements provided with the Product, Snap-on does NOT provide any warranty for (1) products labeled other than Snap-on or Blue-Point or (2) products subjected to "abnormal use". Products that are not labeled Snap-on or Blue-Point are subject to the warranty provided by the manufacturers of those products and Snap-on will pass along any such warranties. "Abnormal use" includes misuse, accident, modification, unreasonable use, abuse, neglect, lack of maintenance, use in product-related service, or use after the product is significantly worn. Abnormal use of tool storage units also includes, without limitation, situations when a unit is pulled using a mechanical vehicle, rolled over large drops, used in a highly corrosive environment, used as a step stool, modified with non-Snap-on parts, overloaded or modified in any way.
All of that sounds very conditional to me.
@@1pcfred Pretty standard in any warranty for a discrete manufacturing warranty. I’d ask you, if you made something custom for a customer and they abused it, would you fix it, build them a new one, or give their money back? I very highly doubt it.
What is a fair criticism is if Snap-on® charges more for, say a Knipex Cobra plier, (and I bet they do), what value did they add over Amazon or KC Tools? As your quote shows, certainly not extended warranty. Possibly three things: the truck coming to you, having the tool in stock (i.e. added cost of carrying inventory), and for some folks financing. I used to be a global leader in Warranty Chain Management and separately I’ve coached a Snap-on® truck business owner, and those things cost a lot more than one might realize. But where they really make money is on tool training and personal support - like car analyzers, cooling exchangers and such, and they make a lot of money on financing which no surprise to anyone watching this channel.
Personally, I’ve used Snap-on® tools for a great many years, and every tool failure was immediately addressed with a smile. It’s a little different for some people (and I’m speaking in generalities) who approach this with an entitlement attitude or a chip on their shoulders, and consciously try to abuse warranty. Like people who by used tools known to be abused, and then asking the truck to repair/replace the tool, or know they used a chrome socket with a heavy impact tool, etc…
Anyway, I salute you for actually reading the warranty and exercising caveat emptor - let the buyer beware!
As a decidely DIY and home user I could not justify the Snap-On premium, especially where Craftsman was at the local store under a great warranty, so I bought Made in USA as much as I could aside from from one-time cheaper imports or a few specialty pricey imports (like my Knipex insulated electrial tools). I will prefer Made in USA followed by our allies in Germany, Japan, and yes, even Taiwan so long as quality and price are balanced. But just putting the label on and in the packaging in not "Made in America", nor does a price higher than a Made in Germany or Japan" price impress me for an equal to lesser tool. I want to but USA but I only have so much buying power and yes I buy Made in No Name (China) but try to minimize it for decidely political reasons, hoping to avoid them when I can. So give me a pro-sumer grade tool at a higher but not highest price and you get my Dollars.
Snap-on is the Apple of tools. You pay more but you get a premium quality product.
Up to a point.
But crAPPLE is worse because the amount they overcharge for their Chinese sweatshop child labor crap is far higher than what Snapon does.
So they raised the price of the already expensive locking pliers. Sorry but that would cause a problem regardless of what company owns the factory. And raising the price considerably is not going to go unnoticed and in fact people will look with disdain. Look at what happens when a pharmaceutical decides one day to raise the price and what kind of public opinion they end up with.
Thats definitely a big concern that bothers me about snap on. They are often expensive because their logo is on it, without justification for the price.
These are good locking pliers, but is the price just too high for the quality and utility? It sounds like it isn't. The snap on markup is killing the sales on this product.
Thats definitely a big concern that bothers me about snap on. They are often expensive because their logo is on it, without justification for the price.
These are good locking pliers, but is the price just too high for the quality and utility? It sounds like it is just too high. The snap on markup is killing the sales on this product.
The previous company went out of business, so clearly the prices were not sufficient to keep them afloat. The difference is, people already expect Snap On to be outrageously priced, and they buy their stuff anyway. So they will probably be fine in the long run.
The malco I’ve been seeing are still made in the US.
That's because they didn't go Chinese or anything like that, they just closed the factory after getting as much as they could out the door and there's a lot still available.
I sometimes wonder how much cost of development goes into the retail price of the tool. I hate seeing a USA designed and made product get replicated by an unethical foreign company and sold on Amazon/Temu/Ali baba/vevor, etc....US companies need to compete for sales against global competition, but that doesn't always mean other companies play fair and a lot of American consumers only consider price. I am willing to pay extra for USA made products, but I also realize that doesn't always mean better.
Oh im early! Even the bots arent hear're yet!
So I have never owned a pair so perhaps I'm just ignorant but I know that my opinion is I will spend the extra $ for the best there is of a tool if I know they truly perform way above the rest. To me when it comes to the locking pliers I've always thought they are all basically the same. Perhaps I should invest in a pair for this particular matter to actually know but sometimes it seems like they just want you to pay more for the name and little performance difference. I don't care where it's made I care that it's proven the best
I buy us tools but snap on is way over priced and 4 times the price as other us locking pliers. Nobody wants to pay $80 for a $20 pliers
I think we need better laws to help American manufacturing to become more efficient and streamlined and/or tariffs on imported tools. If not, who could blame patriots from buying Chinese tools so they can afford imported oil.
What sort of "better laws" would you propose to make American manufacturing competitive with Chinese? I don't think you'll have much luck legalizing what is essentially slave labor and dumping toxic waste into rivers here anymore.
@@cgtbrad Do you think America is without it's fair share of abominations? Are we THE financial model and so fiscally responsible with our deficit?
@@PoorWays Love a good change of subject, but what laws would you recommend to "help American manufacturing to become more efficient and streamlined"?
The problem is US companies are so greedy they squeeze every dime they can out of production and they just don't reinvest in equipment. So our shops look like medieval dungeons. Plus our workforce is pretty unskilled these days.
Answer with a question, so who makes our trucks, cars, tools, ammunition, guns bombs, medicine and other military equipment if they are not made here?
If there weren't so many US-made rockets and bombs, the world wouldn't be a much worse place…
@@muxmurki1497we can live in fantasy land or reality.
Malco's flawed business idea was to take a tried true design and make it "better" and multiple times more expensive. I have 40+ USA made Vice Grips and have never bought one new from a store. The original is quality and durable enough to have out lived the first owners. So Malco/Snap-On depend on mindless consumerism instead of doing actual innovation. Why should I overpay for this tool when I haven't been able to wear out the old ones?
I for 1 never said that…..
They all besides vice grip there is no other good option really. Besides vice grip I have tried almost all of them. They all suck. Vice grip is all right but when you put your hands on an eagle grip it's just night and day but $90. I seriously think snap-on is doing it to themselves with these prices. They're going to be single-handedly, destroys american-made tools and make people not want to buy them which is breaking my heart. Just because I'm willing to buy them and doc here is willing to buy them. The average mechanic or the average blue collar guy doesn't want to spend $90 on a single player of pliers and honestly shouldn't have to... And the worst part of it all is malco was quite reasonable. $40. I would have easily paid $50
I bought the Malco pliers a few years ago, in two sizes. I'll pay more for quality tools from civilized nations. I don't understand the Snap-on business model. I need to find a truck somewhere and go there in person to buy something? That's not happening.
Globalization and the Petrol Dollar has ruined American manufacturing. Because of the Petrol Dollar, Dollars are in high demand globally effectively lowering the value of every other currency comparatively and increasing the cost/value ratio of American products. Basically, the reason why you think American Made products are too expensive is because your dollar goes very far in foreign markets. This will change as foreign markets devalue the dollar and refuse to keep it in reserve. The prices of American Products will look better as those Spanish made Snap-on pliers triple in price.
Can't afford it. Priced out. I am sure once WWIII kicks off a lot of things will be coming back here.
That is VERY unlikely.
$80 USD with water closet sounds good. Just wire cutter, no thanks.
when i hear about this issue of home country manufacturing... it seems to me there should be govenment involvement and think tank (free consulting) scheme to develop a grant mechanism to take chinese tax levies from the chinese imports taxes (for example all those new chinese electric vehicles coming into the country).
then the cost of manufacturing key critical tools could be subsidized (in part) to some reasonable levels to match the prices of german tools of a similar quality (for example kc tool prices). so from an infrastructure standpoint, that you can retain critical tools manufacturing capabilities. the other part of the equation is to simultaneously combat corruption and abuse for-profit enterprise bad actors. since its an endemic and such widespread unhealthy disease of usa corporations are those ways with 0 ethical standards considering only profits at the cost of all else, your own children's futures being sold down the river
so to propose a fair subsidy scheme that (in other domains) would be equivalent to a farming and agricultural government subsidies scheme... is difficult because even the food has been abused so badly. its just stupid basically the corrupt people with 0 ethics in usa. anyhow to then enact a proposed scheme to actually become effective (as 2nd follow on task). is then yet another endeavour. its own thing to get right to apply to specific companies and manufacturing sites which actually deserving and needs preservation. can itself be another set of difficult challenges.
and this is before making the end consumer aware via price cuts. that they might not believe is truely genuinee usa made tools. or be suspicious to suspect different motivations for. since nobody these days believes in such things can even happen.
so its 1 thing to point out the problem and bring it to attention, for all snapon stuff is just massively far too expensive for regular consumers to afford to buy (over and abover the more budget friendly ikon, or foreign imported tools). and quite another thing to actually solve the issue successfully given how utterly greedy people actually are in the real world. perhaps another example is milwaukee company, whom does have some good standing and trust amongst customers, and also some range of pricings that sits generally below snapon. however less comprehensive offerings, and mixed sourced depending on the specific item.
and then theres all the contractor grade stuff, for specialized jobs. which is generally lower volumes and more expensive items. see in europe here we tend to rely upon german and other eu based manufacturers for most locally sourced tools. and somehow the general price and quality remains good, in the face of chinese tools (usually cheaper but yet inferior). and up until now has been going along mostly well, at least for certain companies, like the knipex, wera, pb swiss and so on. however also with some manufacturing things made elsewhere now, such as vietnam and taiwan. the slippery slide is always a concern due to the global inflation price of everything rising etc. so i remain pretty concerned even for the german brands to be honest...
and i did not mention japan but clearly to a lesser extent same or similar concerns over there too. like the engineer, vessel, makita, koken etc.
so globally i have mentioned there are multiple highly reputable competing tool companies (mostly german or eu based origins). such as the wera and knipex... and that those ones seems healthy right now. the crux of what i seem to fail to understand here is how that snapon itself, their board of directors basically went on its own continuus aquisitions quest to rid all local diversity amongst usa small timers home grown tool manufacturing. to the extent of eliminating all competition, then, after getting their desired monopoly on the high end tools market they set the prices as sky high as they wanted. its a greed based algorithm that simultaneously forcing most others to source from outside of usa, like asia etc.
now that is the american greed based way. look in europe, and does wera try to purchase pb-swiss, or knipex to buy out wiha? yet they continue to make products directly competing with one another. so was the problem always consumers choosing to buy cheap, to buy chinese? or was it american neo-capitalism lack of basic human ethics falling onto its own sword?
and how much trust did you ever put into boeing's own corporate board of directors (financial sector movers-in) whom were entirely responsible for destroying boeing's company reputation through a consistent pressures down into workforce / erosion of aviation safety standards? ... well these were american citizens whom did this. not the chinese. who are still currently behind in the civil aviation race (but quite intent of catching up). so who is left then? just airbus / bae for the big airliners? same basic witchhunts for whom was responsible for this.
now over in eastern cultures (both japanese and china) there is some sense of integrity and ethical respect about doing a servitude towards others, the customer, or some senses of integrity which isnt purely profit driven. its in the people. its in the culture. so while we might reminice about the past olden times 'great ameica' the truth is corruption and the whole predatory business aquisitions model (based on financial sector, treating corporations as money printing machines and nothing else). is really how i would compare and contrast to the current european and japan based tools manufacturers mindset and sense of ethics.
show me the lineage and history of those people whom have been sitting on the board of snapon. and what their backgrounds and personal integrity is. show me the corporate company ownerships. to believe that the decision makers at the top still has those necessary personal integrity going forwards. (unlike for boeing corp, which is clear as day bad actors)
also there is actually another aquisitions model in parallel here, historically which has been in the industrual sector a continued set of aquisitions, mergers of large machine tooling. that all the old biggest machine tools companies got merged together. new yourk cnc channel had a factory tour of those guys... however they do seem genuinely committed usa based company with high integrity. and they keep a comprehensive library of all the past large heavy (massive) manufacturing tools. to give a good positive example. which hasn't sold itself out and still maintains those past (100 years) of histories and manufacturing culture, maintaining it into the modern era.
so how to show us its still true for snap-on? what is that the actual reason for the high pricing (to maintain its integrity). versus the other reason. which is to basically undue-ly extract maximum wealth (from a dying industry, not a healthy and competitive one)... via holding a monopoly and keeping all profits / continuus extraction of profits. in other words strip mining and without any healthy home sustainable business model. or if its simply poor management practices. and inability to remain competitive for those established ways of production and manufacturing lines. because in german / eu based companies (such as pb-swiss and wera, knipex). they seem to stay all pretty healthy modern and current. to remain relevant and highly competitive.
Meh locking pliers are borderline consumables, I'm not going to be guilted into paying stupid money for a product that while better is only marginally so. Malco folded up trying to sell locking pliers for $35, SnapOn won't fold but there aren't anywhere near enough people that are going to buy them at more than twice that.
Like most things, the long term solution is a blend. It makes no sense to try to master methods that other people have spent decades perfecting if the only motivation is pride. The US has been leapfrogged in manufacturing technology and education. It doesn’t make sense to restart where we were in the 1980s. There is a whole world of future manufacturing tech we should focus on instead. We shouldn’t waste our time trying to build something that’s already dated. Instead of wrenches, let’s build quantum computers, biological tissue, self healing bio composites, micro machines, carbon fiber nano tubes, blah blah blah😅
Why the markup from the US made Malco to the US made Snap On? Company should change its name to Strap On
Harry J Epstein still has Eagle Grip pliers at good prices.
👍😎👍
What's a company supposed to do? How about read the room. Raising the prices more when customers are already hugely affected by inflation on groceries. I'm sorry but the hardware stores are reading the room pretty well because they are lowering prices. McDonald's is reading the room and trying to concoct deals to get people back in the door.
The companies are affected by inflation too
@@brettwalkom948 the companies are raising prices at a much higher rate than the inflation rate. That is the problem. Companies are using inflation as an excuse to price gouge loyal customers. They know customers are expecting higher prices because of inflation and they just double the increase because they know they can get away with it. This is disgusting predatory behavior and should not be supported or excused
I've bought 2 pair from snap on when they came out pair of 10 and 7 than when malco released them bought several pairs still can find them in a few places left didn't buy from Snap On again once they released the 5inch in regular and long nose version when it was Peterson vice grips we all treated them poorly and didn't care untill they went away no way will I treat a USA made pair that way I'll buy Chinese Irwin for abuse like hitting with a hammer or a welding clamp
Taiwan > German > USA
If a company likes Snap-on wants to engage in price gouging, they should be boycotted like any other crooked company. These are the exact same pliers made at the exact same location so they should cost the exact same price
Except, that company wasn’t able to survive on their pre-Snap-on® prices…
The exact same price that bankrupted the original company?
@@marcmckenzie5110 Malco didn't go out of business because of the price of their pliers, just like Sears/Craftsman didn't go under because of the price of their Craftsman tools. It was poor management. I hope you're not one of those Snap-on fanboys that thinks this company is anything but crooked. They screw over their employees and drivers, price gouge their loyal customers, all so everyone at corporate level can make obscene salaries. Get to know a couple drivers and you will hear the horror stories or just read about it online.
@@deltahawk1001 Malco's pliers prices did not bankrupt the company anymore than Sears Craftsman prices bankrupted them. It was poor management. It amazes me the people are so delusional that they actually support price gouging by crooked companies. Makes me wish Snap-on would raise the price to $200 so I could watch all you suckers really pay out the nose, because no matter what they charge you guys think it's a fair price
@@deltahawk1001 Yes - have I missed something?
Don’t think the US makes anything that’s exceptional, plenty of countries have great manufacturing
Cept freedom…… 🇺🇸🏈💵
@@TakashiAmanoOriginal oh dear , the American version of freedom is far from desirable,
Not so much any more...
@@spinnymathingy3149 then don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out 🤡🙏 bot or not
@@spinnymathingy3149 also a list of better versions would be helpful, thanks
don't be greedy!
Overseas is fine by me, a lot of great affordable tools for the DIYer from all over the world at lower prices than SNAP-ON and Malco and the like. No reason why American companies can't make many tools cheaper, factory is the same here or abroad. Tech is only getting better. China is on way out with low child births, soon another country will be making the tools.
The rich keep getting richer and screwing the working class for generations with "Investments/Stocks and asset prices. American workers have plenty of things we can do locally besides making all tools again.