All of us have seen the huge migration of US tool companies to "offshore" sourcing (Milwaukee went Chinese-owned in the 1990's. ViseGrip left for China in October of '09). In some cases this is good for the consumer's wallet, but it's often short-term gain —with short-term satisfaction. There are many tools I use (or want) that don't seem to be made well enough offshore.
Snips, for instance, are something that must cut smooth and straight – and not fold the metal over instead of cutting a narrow sliver off of an edge of stainless steel. Wiss snips used to be great – until they went offshore in the early 1980's and their forgings were downgraded into castings, which are softer and less reliable. I did not realize this because my old Wiss snips were made in 1969 and 1972, and I had never tried the later ones. When I finally used the new ones I realized why Wiss was no longer regarded as a quality item. Now we have found MidWest Snips and are very grateful to carry their whole line of Forged high-quality American Made snips. And so it goes. I have come to depend on quality tools, and I have built this company on both the values of customer service and "quality at a fair price." I trust that you might feel the same way.
Pricing makes this a tough decision because folks want cheap, and tools have been made so poorly for so long now, that many people don't recognize a well-made tool anymore. Here at TM Technologies, we believe there is still a market for well-made tools and machines, the kind of products we all remember from decades back. So we offer tools that are made to last. We believe in supporting small shops that are carrying on the traditions of high-quality and craftsmanship. We ocassionally source a part or product from overseas, but only when we cannot find a superior product here in the U.S.
We look forward to serving you.
