Jorgensen Clamps - Switching to China?

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  • Relative
    Established Member
    • Mar 2007
    • 109
    • Garden Grove, CA
    • Ridgid R4512

    Jorgensen Clamps - Switching to China?

    One of the things I considered when buying Jorgensen clamps is that they were made in the USA by the Adjustable Clamp Co. Today I went to HD to pick up some 12" heavy duty clamps and discovered only 2 of the 9 that were on the rack were stamped "Made in the USA". The rest had no stamping except a bar code sticker labeled "Made in China".

    I only bought the two.

    I took a quick look at some of the other sizes and they were a mix of USA and China. Looks to me like the switch is on.

    There have been many posts on forums indicating the USA factor when considering buying Jorgensen clamps. Far as I am concerned, Adjustable Clamp Co. just shot themselves in the foot.

    Mike
    Last edited by Relative; 03-06-2012, 04:38 PM. Reason: Delete 'thumbs down' icon.
    Veterans are people who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to and including their life.
  • All Thumbs
    Established Member
    • Oct 2009
    • 322
    • Penn Hills, PA
    • BT3K/Saw-Stop

    #2
    Good catch, thanks for letting us know. I may not have noticed otherwise.

    Comment

    • woodturner
      Veteran Member
      • Jun 2008
      • 2047
      • Western Pennsylvania
      • General, Sears 21829, BT3100

      #3
      Originally posted by Relative
      I took a quick look at some of the other sizes and they were a mix of USA and China. Looks to me like the switch is on.
      Changes to labeling laws recently went into effect. In most cases, these changes no longer allow products assembled in the US from foreign components to be labeled "made in US" - they now must be labeled with the true country of origin. As a result, many products formerly labeled "made in USA" are now being labeled with "made in China" or "made in Taiwan".

      Examples I have found so far are Jorgensen clamps, Craftsman hand tools, and vise grips.

      I'm not sure why anyone would really care about country of origin anyway, but in this case they are the same clamps we have been buying, just with a different label.
      --------------------------------------------------
      Electrical Engineer by day, Woodworker by night

      Comment

      • LinuxRandal
        Veteran Member
        • Feb 2005
        • 4889
        • Independence, MO, USA.
        • bt3100

        #4
        Originally posted by woodturner
        Changes to labeling laws recently went into effect. In most cases, these changes no longer allow products assembled in the US from foreign components to be labeled "made in US" - they now must be labeled with the true country of origin. As a result, many products formerly labeled "made in USA" are now being labeled with "made in China" or "made in Taiwan".

        Examples I have found so far are Jorgensen clamps, Craftsman hand tools, and vise grips.

        I'm not sure why anyone would really care about country of origin anyway, but in this case they are the same clamps we have been buying, just with a different label.
        I don't agree with you!
        The law hasn't changed. Stanley tool works has tried and tried and tried, to claim made here, because it costs them more to finish and assemble a tool here then it costs getting it over here. They have lost lawsuits started by the FTC about Mac, Husky, Stanley, etc.

        The law hasn't changed.
        Craftsman hand tools are made by different suppliers. (typically the lowest bidder), and Danaher tools was the maker, but they joined with Cooper tools to form Apex and off shored a lot of their brands.

        Irwin offshored vise grips a couple of years ago. They went from Made in the USA when they were Petersen (spelling?), to being bought out, and made in the USA, to Made in the USA of global components, to made elsewhere.

        I am on a garage board that has been watching and looking for alternatives, etc. for a few years.

        Heck, even Snap on has removed USA from their tools that are made here, as "it is a small percentage of our customers who care about that".

        This doesn't even take into effect, there are already labeling laws on the books, that are bypassed, by those stickers, that magically come off of some items.
        She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

        Comment

        • herb fellows
          Veteran Member
          • Apr 2007
          • 1867
          • New York City
          • bt3100

          #5
          Re: Snap-On. If an executive from that company actually made that statement, I would assume he has been let go by now.
          That is beyond stupid, by a country mile.
          If 10% of your customers bought your tools because they said 'made in USA', you have now decided to give up that 10% of your customer base? Why would you do that? Even if this was decided at the highest levels of the company, why on earth would you put a statement like that out there for public consumption? Something smells fishy here.
          Second, I'm not a fanboy of the 'Made in the USA' label. If I was, I might have bought a Ford Pinto. That would show you the error of that way real quick!
          If I'm looking for a quality, lifetime tool, I will buy the best product out there. If it happens to be made here, great! I would love to see manufacturing come back here.
          As a country, we were incredibly stupid to give it up in the first place. If you think there's no market for quality, take a look at the bottom lines of most German companies.
          I have bought Toyota for 39 years, without exception. In that 39 years, I have had one day where the car would not start! Next year, I am going to consider buying an American car for the first time, because I believe Toyota is slipping and the American manufacturers are FINALLY waking up. I will be very happy to own a GOOD American car, but I will not buy a bad one.

          Unfortunately, our companies decided long ago that cheaper products are the way to go, leaving countries like Germany to fill the role of supplying decent tools. I'm guessing you don't see nearly as much 'made in China' in Germany as you do here. Of course there are exceptions, I'm talking about the general consensus of American business here.
          My recollection is Snap-On made great products, maybe they still do; but based on the stupidity of that decision alone, and the gross stupidity of announcing it, I would never buy another Snap-On product. I'll have to look into that though, because it just seems too stupid to be real.
          Sorry for the length of my rant, I get real agitated over stuff like this!
          You don't need a parachute to skydive, you only need a parachute to skydive twice.

          Comment

          • LCHIEN
            Internet Fact Checker
            • Dec 2002
            • 20914
            • Katy, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 vintage 1999

            #6
            Some Googling

            From wiki.answers.com:
            Are Snap-On tools made in the US?

            Answer:

            Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $2.8 billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

            Some of their tools are manufactured in USA, others are manufactured off-shore.




            and another interesting site lists manufacturers of tools made in the USA
            http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/tools.html says about Snap-on:
            Snap-on Tools: a business division of Snap-on Inc., Snap-on Tools Group manufactures tools for motor vehicle service and repair at 4 facilities in the U.S. (Elkmont, AL; Algona, IA; Elizabethton, TN; and Milwaukee, WI). Known for their franchised dealer vans, Snap-on tools are now also available online. Many, but not all, tools imprinted with the Snap-on name are made in US, other tool brands (including Blue Point) are imported. County of origin is provided for each product on the Snap-On website, so check before you purchase.



            And its true that the snap-on on-line catalog lists country of origin for all tools as in the following example for a wrench:

            $28 for a single box end wrench - better be a **** good built in the usa of pure gold wrench!
            Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-03-2012, 03:11 AM.
            Loring in Katy, TX USA
            If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
            BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

            Comment

            • cabinetman
              Gone but not Forgotten RIP
              • Jun 2006
              • 15218
              • So. Florida
              • Delta

              #7
              Originally posted by LinuxRandal
              Heck, even Snap on has removed USA from their tools that are made here, as "it is a small percentage of our customers who care about that".
              I agree. It seems price is more important than where a product is made. It's evident on forums when questions come up about chisels (just an example). Looking for quality, but the price has to be right. I can't remember questions about which chisels to buy of those made in the USA.

              .

              Comment

              • woodturner
                Veteran Member
                • Jun 2008
                • 2047
                • Western Pennsylvania
                • General, Sears 21829, BT3100

                #8
                Originally posted by herb fellows
                As a country, we were incredibly stupid to give it up in the first place. If you think there's no market for quality, take a look at the bottom lines of most German companies.
                I agree there will always be a market for quality products - provided they are not so vastly overpriced that few can practically buy them.

                Whether outsourcing production is a good thing or a bad thing is an economic question. As workers, we want to keep jobs in the US, often without thinking about the outcome - that we are outsourcing low level, low paying jobs and replacing them with higher paying higher skill level jobs. Economists argue that are economy is still rough because we are not outsourcing enough and are continuing to do work we are not good at while not doing the higher paying work where we can be more successful.

                Many companies have found they cannot economically outsource. Prior to teaching at the university, I worked for a well known consumer electronics company. Management wanted to compete head on with low cost suppliers, so we looked at every option. One product had annual sales of about 1.5M and retailed at discount for $50. It cost us $20 to make that product and we were directed to reduce cost to $12. We found that we could have that product made in China for around $4 - but it would cost $11 in shipping. We found that we could automate the production line and produce it for around $6. We convinced marketing to change the packaging from the fancy four color $10 box to a simpler two color $5 box, amortized the automation costs into the other $1 and met our cost target.

                A researcher has published an article titled "eating our feed corn" (or something close to that). He argues that the issue is not that we are outsourcing production but rather that we have stopped innovating. He further argues that if other countries take over our gloabl role as innovators, we will not be able to recover. It's an interesting and compelling article.
                --------------------------------------------------
                Electrical Engineer by day, Woodworker by night

                Comment

                • pelligrini
                  Veteran Member
                  • Apr 2007
                  • 4217
                  • Fort Worth, TX
                  • Craftsman 21829

                  #9
                  As far as I know the laws haven't changed since 1997. Here's a good synopsis on an FTC webpage: http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bu...e-usa-standard

                  I don't mind too much about buying a foreign made product, as long as the quality is commensurate with the pricing. Given a good choice (same quality), I would purchase a "Made in USA" over a foreign made product if the USA product only cost a small percentage more (10% or less). I don't like seeing companies moving production overseas or down south and lowering the quality along with it.

                  Chisels and "Made in the USA"... Lie Nielsen is the one that always comes to mind. http://www.lie-nielsen.com/ They're not the cheapest things around, but the quality is superb. You do get what you pay for. I've only fondled them myself though.
                  Erik

                  Comment

                  • gsmittle
                    Veteran Member
                    • Aug 2004
                    • 2784
                    • St. Louis, MO, USA.
                    • BT 3100

                    #10
                    Originally posted by LCHIEN
                    $28 for a single box end wrench - better be a **** good built in the usa of pure gold wrench!
                    Nah, pure gold is too soft to tighten a bolt adequately. It would have to be some sort of alloy…

                    g.
                    Smit

                    "Be excellent to each other."
                    Bill & Ted

                    Comment

                    • LCHIEN
                      Internet Fact Checker
                      • Dec 2002
                      • 20914
                      • Katy, TX, USA.
                      • BT3000 vintage 1999

                      #11
                      Originally posted by gsmittle
                      Nah, pure gold is too soft to tighten a bolt adequately. It would have to be some sort of alloy…

                      g.
                      only for use on pure gold machinery.
                      Loring in Katy, TX USA
                      If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                      BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                      Comment

                      • BobSch
                        • Aug 2004
                        • 4385
                        • Minneapolis, MN, USA.
                        • BT3100

                        #12
                        Originally posted by LCHIEN
                        only for use on pure gold machinery.
                        Oh, you mean a SawStop?
                        Bob

                        Bad decisions make good stories.

                        Comment

                        • dbhost
                          Slow and steady
                          • Apr 2008
                          • 9209
                          • League City, Texas
                          • Ryobi BT3100

                          #13
                          You made me look...

                          I have 2 Jorgenson "Pony" F style bar clamps, 36" models that I picked up at Home Depot in 2002. There is nothing stamped anywhere on the clamp to reflect country of Origin, but there is a little sticker with the bar code on it that says "Made In China"...

                          My Jorgenson corner clamps purchased on Amazon in 2008 are clearly marked "Made in USA".

                          It looks like they have been doing the onshore / offshore thing for quite a while now...
                          Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

                          Comment

                          • pelligrini
                            Veteran Member
                            • Apr 2007
                            • 4217
                            • Fort Worth, TX
                            • Craftsman 21829

                            #14
                            I always thought they were Sweedish anyways...
                            Erik

                            Comment

                            • Relative
                              Established Member
                              • Mar 2007
                              • 109
                              • Garden Grove, CA
                              • Ridgid R4512

                              #15
                              I asked if they were changing their policy on where their products were made. Here is the reply:

                              "Most of our core products, pipe clamp fixtures, steel bar clamps, steel spring clamps and woodworker's vises continue to be made in the U.S. The import line was added to stay competitive in today's market.

                              "Our domestic and import items must pass the same quality inspections and carry a one year warranty covering faulty workmanship and materials."

                              I have several Jorgensen clamps and hadn't looked at the label for a long time. That barcode label happened to catch my eye on one of the clamps I picked up. Dug through the rack to get the only two of that size labeled 'Made in USA'. I'll still buy Jorgensen, but be a little more selective.

                              Mike
                              Veterans are people who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to and including their life.

                              Comment

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