What's Happening At Harbor Freight

[Pappy]

After picking up some sale items at Harbor Freight I was looking for a small metal cutting blade when I spotted this....



Not the upper left corner of the package. Made in the USA in HF?

SHOCKING!!!!!

[cabinetman]

Maybe it's just the packaging that's made in the USA.

.

[Stytooner]

Not legally it isn't. I don't recall what percentage of a product has to be made in the US, for them to be able to use those words, but there is a flexible figure somewhere. I recall reading it recently, but file 13'ed it.

What was the price on the blade?
That is for the little 4x6" metal cutting band saw. The blade that came with it was not all that great, but worked a while. I buy Starrett blades for them from McMaster Carr now though. About $20 each.

Here we go.
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bu...e-usa-standard

[LCHIEN]

yes the FTC definition says "virtually" all the components and labor must be US made/supplied. So the raw steel must be US and the teeth cut and the band welded in the US. Presumably a small, relatively inconsequential items like the cardboard for the package or the oil applied for rest prevention could be made abroad and still meet the definition.

[schloff]

I've seen that before on a circular saw blade package, "proudly made in the USA". But thru the plastic printed on the blade, it clearly reads "made in China".

Must be the packaging that is made in th USA, as Cab mentioned before.

[cwsmith]

I don't know... my ex-employer makes a lot of stuff in China, having moved two significant product lines there in early 2000. I left them in 2003, but I am told by old friends that a heckuva lot of this stuff comes back to our plant for "work" and then get's shipped like it was made here.

CWS

[sweensdv]

Anyone know the definition of what can be labeled Made in USA vs Built in USA? My Ridgid TS3612 table saw, last of the Emerson built saws, is powered by an Emerson motor which I assumed is made in this country yet the saw is clearly marked Built in USA.

As far as the HF bandsaw blade is concerned, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if it wasn't made here. There are probably dozens of companies in this country in the bandsaw blade business so HF may well be able to buy them domestically as cheaply as going abroad.

[dbhost]

Not too shocking. The Link belts that have been offered at HF for years are USA made...

[rfisher7381]

I just purchased the "premium Gold Carbide" Supercut blades which were recommended on another wood website. Here is a link to their website http://www.supercutbandsaw.com/.

Pricing seems very reasonable and they claim to be manufactured in the USA.

PS: I am not affiliated with them in any way.

[Irv Lee]

Cities Named USA

http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/usa.asp
than read this about a city in Saipan called USA;
http://glo.bmwe.org/public/journal/1999/09sep/b04.htm
thats how they do it...
I think the only Legit sign it's made in the United States Of America is;
"Made in the U.S.A."
So "Made in the USA" may mean it's made in Saipan...

[tommyt654]

Packaging looks surprisingly familiar , http://www.supercutbandsaw.com/meat.html

[cabinetman]

I also noticed that their flier ads don't have the little freighters (ships) at the top of the ads.

.

[LCHIEN]

the link posted by Stytooner
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bu...e-usa-standard

is fairly clear (including statements that may be read to imply certain things) on what and how things can be labeled for country of origin based upon content and value added and what jurisdiction the Federal trade commission and US Customs has.

clearly a saw labeled made in china on a cardboard with a blister marked proudly made in USA would be a violation of the FTC guidelines.
But, there's not a whole lot of enforcement going on unless someone brings it to the attention of the FTC. No registration is required, proof is not generally required, and no one is checking imports at the border.

[Eric]

SuperCut is a local business to me, I've stopped by the factory a couple times to buy bandsaw blades.

Their quality isn't like timberwolf by any means, which I just purchased a couple, but they're good blades.

[iceman61]

I worked for a company that made tire cord a few years ago. They would get huge shipments in from their "New Factories in China" and repackage it as though it was made in one of our US factories. Didn't take long to figure out that we all needed to start hitting up the job fairs and start looking for employment elsewhere before the announcement to close the doors came.