Armstrong hand tools

[OVERKILL]

I can't remember the member who posted about these, but I got some for Christmas from my wife.

http://www.armstrongtools.com/clientextensions/danaher/pages/default.aspx

EXCELLENT quality, USA-made. I'm VERY impressed!

They were purchased through Brafasco.

 

[91344George]

Wow, those are sweet looking tools! Very high quality too.

I'm definitely willing to put my money where my mouth is, my next tools will come from Armstrong unless Sears addresses the Craftsman debacle and promises to make sure all Craftsman hand tools are made in the USA.

 

[scurvy]

We have a ton of those tools at work and they hold up very well. I especially like their as-forged 'satin' finish on their wrenches - just got a 1-3/8" combination wrench for some of the hydraulic lines on a press and it's very nicely machined & broached.

As Craftsman is now made of finest Chinaloy I'll probably step up to Armstrong, SK or Proto for my hand tools.

 

[xxch4osxx]

I will have to visit a local Brafasco and check those out. Id rather buy USA made tools anyday over made in china garbage.

 

[OVERKILL]

Oh, and these are much more reasonably priced than Snap-On.

And of course they are NOT available at Walmart.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL


And of course they are NOT available at Walmart.


LOL! Let's keep it that way!

 

[Trav]

Nice tools! Grab em while you can they belong to the APEX group like Crescent.
Who knows how long they will remain US made. From another thread, i saw the new Chinese Crescent brand adjustable wrenches today.
The real con is they even resurrected the Crestoloy name on the opposite side. Another good brand down the chute!

http://www.apextoolgroup.com/brands/index.cfm

 

[NHGUY]

Strange,I thought Armstrong tool was a division of KD which is owned by Danaher Corp,which is not an American company.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Strange,I thought Armstrong tool was a division of KD which is owned by Danaher Corp,which is not an American company.


And of course the link I posted above does have Danaher in it.....

Quite the puzzle, LOL!

EDIT:

Nevermind, it is explained in the link Trav provided:

Quote:
Apex Tool Group was formed in July 2010 as a joint venture combining two premier tool manufacturers: Danaher Tool Group and Cooper Tools. Together, the two businesses will offer industrial, commercial, and do-it-yourself customers an unparalleled selection of over 30 leading brands, including Crescent, GearWrench, Armstrong, and Weller.

 

[Trav]

Quote:
Apex Tool Group was formed in July 2010 as a joint venture combining two premier tool manufacturers: Danaher Tool Group and Cooper Tools. Together, the two businesses will offer industrial, commercial, and do-it-yourself customers an unparalleled selection of over 30 leading brands, including Crescent, GearWrench, Armstrong, and Weller.

Maybe this explains the Craftsman dilemma eh?
One huge group takes control of producing Craftsman, Stanley, Kobalt etc and decides to classify them as consumer/DIY grade and make them in China.

Maybe Armstrong, Proto and other pro brands will be left American, i truly hope so.
The bottom line seems that for mechanics or someone wanting quality tools, Sears, HD, Lowes, etc are off the list for even the most simple tool e.g a file, adjustable wrench, screwdriver etc.
DIY grade cheap stuff from China only will be offered at these outlets.
Better of to just going to HF for half the price if thats the case, IMHO.

This appears to be the company making some of the tools for this group. This is the adjustable wrench page.

http://www.globalpowertools.com/adjustable_wrench.htm

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Trav

Better of to just going to HF for half the price if thats the case, IMHO.



sad but so true.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Trav

Maybe this explains the Craftsman dilemma eh?
One huge group takes control of producing Craftsman, Stanley, Kobalt etc and decides to classify them as consumer/DIY grade and make them in China.

Maybe Armstrong, Proto and other pro brands will be left American, i truly hope so.


There are a few mixed up details in this post, but you're on the right track.

Apex was a merger of Danaher and Cooper Tools. Stanly Black & Decker (owner of Proto, MAC, Facom and many others) is a totally separate company and not part of the merger.

It seems the outsourcing of Danaher's formerly USA-made brands has sped up after the merger. Allen, K-D and others were USA made but have now been replaced with imported products.

Armstrong is still USA made, and I haven't heard any rumors about outsourcing it. In fact, they're updating their MAXX ratchets from 60 to 88 teeth.

 

[Trav]

Oh okay i i got confused with Stanley, this is confusing, who owns what and so on.

 

[TMoto]

I own a few Armstrong tools and have no complaints. My 3/8 ratchet and a handful of combination wrenches work fine and look pretty good with the high polish finish.

FYI, Western Forge in Colorado Springs makes some hand tools under the Craftsman name. To my knowledge they don't produce any sockets or ratchets, but they do make their tongue and groove pliers and similar tools.

 

[benjamming]

What kind of hand tools did you get? Ratcheting wrenches or what?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: benjamming
What kind of hand tools did you get? Ratcheting wrenches or what?


A couple of ratchets as posted in the Canadian tool thread.

I'm going to be trying out their sockets next

 

[Stu_Rock]

I buy a lot of Armstrong wrenches and sockets from McMaster. So far, they are all US-made. Many of them appear to be identical to Craftsman.

Danaher, the co-owner of Apex, which makes Armstrong, is known for moving production to low-cost countries when they feel like they can get away with it. They are a US-based company, though.

The other co-owner of Apex is Cooper Industries, which is also a US-based company. They are incorporated in Ireland for tax evasion purposes, though.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Stu_Rock
I buy a lot of Armstrong wrenches and sockets from McMaster. So far, they are all US-made. Many of them appear to be identical to Craftsman.

Danaher, the co-owner of Apex, which makes Armstrong, is known for moving production to low-cost countries when they feel like they can get away with it. They are a US-based company, though.

The other co-owner of Apex is Cooper Industries, which is also a US-based company. They are incorporated in Ireland for tax evasion purposes, though.


Armstrong is apparently going to remain US-made from what Stephen9666 posted above:

Quote:
There are a few mixed up details in this post, but you're on the right track.

Apex was a merger of Danaher and Cooper Tools. Stanly Black & Decker (owner of Proto, MAC, Facom and many others) is a totally separate company and not part of the merger.

It seems the outsourcing of Danaher's formerly USA-made brands has sped up after the merger. Allen, K-D and others were USA made but have now been replaced with imported products.

Armstrong is still USA made, and I haven't heard any rumors about outsourcing it. In fact, they're updating their MAXX ratchets from 60 to 88 teeth.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL


Armstrong is apparently going to remain US-made from what Stephen9666 posted above:



I will say, I'm only basing this on the fact that no one on the tool forums I frequent has seen any imported Armstrong tools.

But, Apex has outsourced so much already. If they were going to outsource Armstrong, I think they would have done it already.

My guess is that Armstrong will basically remain their only US tool brand (except for Matco, but that wasn't included in the Apex merger). Armstrong is aimed at industrial customers, who are more likely to consider a product's country of origin.

 

[91344George]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
.

My guess is that Armstrong will basically remain their only US tool brand (except for Matco, but that wasn't included in the Apex merger). Armstrong is aimed at industrial customers, who are more likely to BE ABLE TO AFFORD A PRODUCT MADE IN THE US COMPARED TO THE NOW POORER US CONSUMER WHICH HAS BEEN FORCED INTO BUYING CHEAP SINCE THEY NO LONGER MAKE DECENT WAGES SINCE OUTSOURCING HAS OCCURED.



This seems more accurate.