Good thread. I use a lot of tools and have for over 35 years. I'm a contractor. I've done it all from demo to concrete to framing, plastering, drywall and finish carpentry. Now, I'm a finish carpenter with some stud guns that haven't been out of their box for over 15 years. I've replaced some tools because they just wear out. I'm on my 3rd worn drive Skillsaw. My Milwaukee stuff is going strong; most of the PorterCable is good and the Makita is one of the best. But, I have several HF power tools, those orange Chicago deals. They work fine; a little noisier, but fine.
AFA hand tools for autos, I have some Proto, some SK, some Craftsman and a few orphans. Then there's the gear pullers, valve spring compressor and strait spring compressor, not to mention 3 floor jacks. All HF or equivalent. No problems.
Here's MY point: I know tools pretty well as a lifetime user of them. In other words, I've never had a desk job, ever. My hands are what brings home the bacon. So, I go look at a Delta 10" contractors saw. I used to have one in a shop. New ones are over 800 now. The HF one is 399. Wait...it's the same thing! Yes it is. Different color, but the same damn thing. I've looked at every screw, each wheel, the grinding on the table, the arbor the motor, it's all identical. I know the Delta saws are made in Taiwan, it says so on them.
I don't know about you, but there's no ethical question here. They both come from the same place on the same boat and then thru different distribution systems. The amount of money that goes off shore for the product itself is the same. Now, if the first part of the Delta distribution is an off shore company controlled by Delta to avoid taxes, it doesn't bother me that they don't get any of my money. And, if the importer/warehouse/distributor is a US company, I don't mind if he doesn't get any of my money either. But the next stop would be my local retailer, so now I have a choice of which US retailer gets my money, HF or The Home Defect, etc.
My choice is HF because theoretically less money went off shore and more stayed in my pocket to make the same decisions with again.
So, like Wayne says, most tools are made off shore. If you're gonna buy Asian made tools, why buy them at the top of the food chain? Yeah, you might feed a few local warehouse workers, but you can take that same money and feed a few store clerks and your family too.
The economics of this deal are how much goes off shore vs. how much stays here vs. how much you get for your money altogether and what quality you get. On the 10" table saw, it's a no brainer. On Makita, too, because most of it is made or assembled here. Just the raw materials and corporate profits (after US taxes) goes off shore. That's a very small percentage, I can live with that. There are no real situations where you can keep all the money in the US on a tool purchase unless it's a high priced specialty tool. There are no ethics to be considering, just economics. I'm just as much of flag waving American (that drives a Porsche
) as you.
And, what I do every day is 100% attributed to the GDP. No civil service, no gov't contract or subsidy just returning gov't money back into the economy.
100% earned GDP; no social security or unemployment insurance (
never in 45 years of working). No illegals have ever worked for me directly, ever. No housecleaners here, I do it. I don't go to Mexico and buy anything to bring back. I don't go to Mexico or any foreign country and spend any US money. I don't buy foreign made much of anything and I don't go to Wallmart. Well, I guess my Levi's are now made off shore; shame on them. My shoes aren't if I can help it.
That's ethics. The rest is economics.
Come on Mul....come on, boy. You haven't tangled with me yet.