Tools, Service and Tool shops

[chris vickery]

I used to work in the indusrtial sales market, and unfortunately in today's global market, almost everything comes from China.
A well known Canadian company, Gray Tool, used to have their own casting plant right here, using Canadian steel, and forged and worked it into very fine tools. If one were to compare a wrench made in the 1970's to one made today, there is no comparison. Gray buys all their rough cast from overseas, forges and finshes it here, and then calls it Canadian made because it meets the proper requirement for "Canadian content" as per our government rules.
Believe it or not, even Snap-On buys and uses this crap in their tools as well.
Many tool suppliers simply buy from one source and have their label put on it. You can buy a tool from Snap-On, Canadian Tire, Sears or wherever, pay various prices and end up with the exact tool, just a different label.
Now, as per the arguement on the best tools, it depends on what level. If were talking at a hobbyist level it is different than a professional level.
I use a combination of Craftsman and Mastercraft Professional as both Sears and Canadian Tire offer a no-nonsense replacement policy. I do have some Proto and old stock Gray tools which are excellent but quite expensive for the hobbyist.
It really comes down to getting what you pay for, and generally if it says made in China, Korea or Taiwan its shit.