Tools & DIY

One Hammer, Two Origin Claims

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Vaughan & Bushnell was bought by MARSHALLTOWN, and the 999 Series framing hammer now carries two different origin claims from one owner. We read both, badged the manufacturer’s own website, and named what it will not say.

Read the Label, Not the Logo

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Klein Tools D213-9NE lineman\'s pliers, 9-inch, with dark blue plastic-dipped handles, cross-hatched knurled jaws and a side cutting knife, made in the USA

Klein makes some tools abroad and says so, so read the badge not the logo. The D213-9NE lineman’s pliers: verified origin, the real defects, and the warranty clause nobody reads.

The Nine Keys You Stop Losing

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Bondhus 12591 GorillaGrip nine-piece hex fold-up key set, inch sizes .050 to 3/16, made in Monticello, Minnesota

2,158 owners rate the Bondhus 12591 GorillaGrip fold-up 4.6 stars, and Bondhus names the Minnesota building the steel comes out of. The catch is reach – and the part number.

The Hammer That Can’t Lose Its Head

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Estwing has forged the head and handle of its claw hammer from one piece of steel in Rockford, Illinois since 1923 — so the joint that fails on every other hammer simply is not there.

The Grip That Won’t Walk

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The Wilde G253 is a Kansas-forged, angle-nose water-pump plier whose patented Grip Tight Clip keeps the jaw from walking off the nut — made in the USA with a lifetime warranty.

The Pliers That Became a Household Word

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Nearly 4,000 owners rate the Channellock 440 tongue-and-groove pliers 4.8 out of 5. Forged in Meadville, Pennsylvania — we verify what is made in the USA and report what owners actually complain about.