Made in Canada - Gray tools

OVERKILL

$100 Site Donor 2021
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
57,913
Location
Ontario, Canada
I expect this is probably of little value for my American friends, but for folks in Canada looking for Canadian tools, a buddy of mine shared this on Twitter and I think it is worth keeping in mind:
http://www.graytools.com/_pdf/CIEN_Magazine_Dec_2012_Gray_Tools_Canada_Inc.pdf

(yes, the PDF is dated)

However this quote from their website emphasizes that this is still the case:

Originally Posted by Gray
We are extremely proud to be the only industrial-quality manufacturer of hand tools in Canada. Our goal is always to exceed your rigorous expectations for quality and reliability. We continue to deliver tools of the highest standard, providing tradesmen the confidence to perform and achieve exceptional results.


I have a pile of Gray tools, and they will be getting more of my business going forward.

08.gif
 
Thanks for the post. While we're on the topic, most of the motor oil from Shell, Pennzoil, Quaker State and Motomaster sold in Canada is blended in Canada. And of course the motor oil sold by Petro Canada in Canada is blended in Canada. Also a lot of Motor Oil sold by Napa Canada is blended in Quebec, (sort of part of Canada).
laugh.gif
We like our American' neighbor's stuff but it's nice to make some stuff ourselves. On a different note, much of the gasoline refined in the Mid West USA is refined from Canadian crude oil.
08.gif
34.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Thanks for the post. While we're on the topic, most of the motor oil from Shell, Pennzoil, Quaker State and Motomaster sold in Canada are blended in Canada. And of course the motor oil sold by Petro Canada in Canada is blended in Canada. We like our American's neighbor's stuff but it's nice to make some stuff ourselves. on a different note, much of the gasoline refined in the Mid West USA is refined from Canadian Crude oil.
08.gif
34.gif



Yep, same with Mobil products, all of which are sold through Imperial Oil, but I believe some are blended by them as well? The 0w-40 I have here says it was blended in the USA, imported and distributed by Imperial Oil.
 
I think at one time Gray was the manufacturer of the Canadian tire mastercraft line of sockets and ratchets ( may still be the case ?? )
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Thanks for the post. While we're on the topic, most of the motor oil from Shell, Pennzoil, Quaker State and Motomaster sold in Canada is blended in Canada. And of course the motor oil sold by Petro Canada in Canada is blended in Canada. Also a lot of Motor Oil sold by Napa Canada is blended in Quebec, (sort of part of Canada).
laugh.gif
We like our American' neighbor's stuff but it's nice to make some stuff ourselves. On a different note, much of the gasoline refined in the Mid West USA is refined from Canadian crude oil.
08.gif
34.gif




Speaking of this: I wonder how much oil sold in the U.S.A. is drilled, and blended here 🤔
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
On a different note, much of the gasoline refined in the Mid West USA is refined from Canadian crude oil.
08.gif
34.gif



while i'm not sure where their crude comes from, the Refinery here in town, which makes as much as 25% of the gas sold in Ohio, is owned By Husky Energy.
The Toledo, OH Refinery is a 50/50 joint venture between Husky and BP.
Husky also owns a Refinery in Superior, WI.
 
Thanks for the heads up on those tools! I will be looking further into this as I like to support my country.

Also for us prairie folk, Federated Co-op refines oil at their Regina refinery and produces their own line of lube, greases and all sorts. They are reasonably priced and local. As a side note, a few years ago I think I paid around 9$ a litre all in for a 20L pail of group 4 80w140 gear oil. Anything comparable from the other majors was north of 20$ a litre.
 
I'm boycotting Maple syrup from Canada due to its Mafia affiliation. So there!
 
Gray tools are very expensive, without commensurate quality. They are good tools but not that good.

Yes, forty years ago, Gray tools supplied hand tools to Canadian Tire. Those days are long gone.
 
Originally Posted by George7941
Gray tools are very expensive, without commensurate quality. They are good tools but not that good.

Yes, forty years ago, Gray tools supplied hand tools to Canadian Tire. Those days are long gone.


They seem to be a lot cheaper than Snap-on, which makes up most of my current hand tools
21.gif
Perhaps it depends on your reference point as to "very expensive"? I see they have a 1/4" drive ratchet for $50, whilst a comparable Snap-on is $150.00.

My main critique wouldn't be price, but rather their ratchets all seem to have pretty low tooth count.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL

They seem to be a lot cheaper than Snap-on, which makes up most of my current hand tools
21.gif
Perhaps it depends on your reference point as to "very expensive"? I see they have a 1/4" drive ratchet for $50, whilst a comparable Snap-on is $150.00.

My main critique wouldn't be price, but rather their ratchets all seem to have pretty low tooth count.


My main critique isn't the price either but the price/quality ratio. My experience has been that a Gray ratchet is of lower quality than Snap On.

Professionals pay Snap On prices because when there is a issue with a tool, the Snap On man comes by and takes care of it without the buyer investing time getting a warranty honored. So it is not fair to directly compare Snap On vs Gray prices.
 
Originally Posted by earlyre
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
On a different note, much of the gasoline refined in the Mid West USA is refined from Canadian crude oil.
08.gif
34.gif



while i'm not sure where their crude comes from, the Refinery here in town, which makes as much as 25% of the gas sold in Ohio, is owned By Husky Energy.
The Toledo, OH Refinery is a 50/50 joint venture between Husky and BP.
Husky also owns a Refinery in Superior, WI.



Yes, Husky produces 300,000 bbls a day in Canada and a lot of it makes down to those refineries, maybe not the same molecules, but certainly the large volume.
 
Originally Posted by George7941
Originally Posted by OVERKILL

They seem to be a lot cheaper than Snap-on, which makes up most of my current hand tools
21.gif
Perhaps it depends on your reference point as to "very expensive"? I see they have a 1/4" drive ratchet for $50, whilst a comparable Snap-on is $150.00.

My main critique wouldn't be price, but rather their ratchets all seem to have pretty low tooth count.


My main critique isn't the price either but the price/quality ratio. My experience has been that a Gray ratchet is of lower quality than Snap On.

Professionals pay Snap On prices because when there is an issue with a tool, the Snap On man comes by and takes care of it without the buyer investing time getting a warranty honored. So it is not fair to directly compare Snap On vs Gray prices.


Sure, but Joe Average is unlikely to spend $150 on a ratchet, whilst $50 for a Gray is far more reasonable. The lads (and ladies) in the business buy from the truck because of exactly the reason you noted: very quick dealing with warranty and issues and they typically stand behind the product with no questions asked. I've had my 1940's vintage 1/2" drive re-kitted for example and it surprised the socks off me that they still carried the kit for it!

I wouldn't expect that at 1/3rd the price, the Gray is going to be as nice. I have a couple of Armstrong ratchets too, which were made in the US but were less expensive than Snap-On and while very nice quality feeling tools, they are not as high-end feeling as Snap-On. The heads are bigger, and taller, the tooth count is lower..etc. I expect the same is true for Gray. But they appear to be a very potentially appealing option for folks not wanting to buy offshore stuff but can't justify the tool truck cost.
 
53' Speaking of this: I wonder how much oil sold in the U.S.A. is drilled said:
I'd say the motor oil production in the USA is huge compared to the foreign contribution. No Made in America issues with motor oils. A lot of it makes its way into Canada as well. I guess some exceptions are Motul, and a few Castrol blends that are from Belgium and Germany. Maybe someone else can mention others.For fun I'm going to post one that is up in Canada but is made in Germany. Here it is:






C4F9AB1D-FB06-491F-999B-3EEA9D23018D.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Do their wrenches and sockets have the grip and flank drive features? Brands like Wright in the US can be found discounted from retail considerably, and are much less expensive than Snap On. Gray may be less than Snap On in price but not necessarily in quality. I looked up a Gray large wrench set though, it was like $1000.
 
Originally Posted by earlyre
while i'm not sure where their crude comes from, the Refinery here in town, which makes as much as 25% of the gas sold in Ohio, is owned By Husky Energy.
The Toledo, OH Refinery is a 50/50 joint venture between Husky and BP.
Husky also owns a Refinery in Superior, WI.
Husky, though, is no more Canadian than is Citgo or Tim Hortons.
 
Back
Top