Snap-on is one of the most recognized names in professional hand tools. The company is primarily known for its comprehensive range of sockets, and over time its product portfolio has grown to include wrenches, power tools and storage solutions. Snap-on is known for its high-priced, ultra-expensive tool boxes, with many of its tools costing well over $200. The company’s socket product portfolio covers 1,500 varieties, while its broader product portfolio has more than 85,000 individual products.
Snap-on sells its products in more than 130 countries and makes most of its tools in-house at manufacturing facilities around the world, including 15 in the United States alone and 21 overseas. In the case of Snap-on’s line of sockets, a little digging reveals that a large portion of its sockets are manufactured at the company’s hand tool factory in Milwaukee. Another hand tool factory in Elkmont, Alabama, also makes specialty sockets. Snap-on’s remaining U.S. plants manufacture other products, including wrenches, ratchets, impact tools, tire machines and pliers.
Given that Snap-on has manufacturing facilities outside the United States, it’s not entirely surprising to see some of its sockets labeled with different “Made in” labels. However, these products are mainly sold in the same overseas markets. Some receptacles sold in Snap-on stores are manufactured in Taiwan, where the company does not operate a manufacturing facility.
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Why are some Snap-on socket sets made in Taiwan?
Close-up image of a Socket set up inside a toolbox – Craig Ison/Shutterstock
While Snap-on sockets are indeed made in the United States at select hand tool manufacturing facilities, you may be wondering why some of the company’s sockets carry a “Made in Taiwan” label; especially considering that Snap-on doesn’t even mention Taiwan in its list of countries where it has manufacturing facilities. We noticed that most Snap-on sockets from Taiwan belong to the more affordable “Blue Dot” sub-brand.
Given that Taiwan is not listed as a manufacturing location anywhere on Snap-on’s website, it’s likely that these Blue-Point tools are made by a third-party manufacturer under license from Snap-on, a strategy the company has followed for years.
If you specifically want to know the source of a Snap-on product you want to buy, the easiest way is to visit Snap-on’s US website and search for the specific product. Once on the product page, look for the “Country of Origin” label in the product specifications tab. Here the company clearly mentions which part of the planet it comes from.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.