Word has started to spread that Lowe’s stores are selling imported versions of Klein Tools products previously marked as being made in the USA.
I came across images on social media showing two versions of the same Klein wire cutters, with one advertised as being made in USA and the other being marked as made in Taiwan.
It’s not a fluke; there’s a complaint on Lowe’s product page as well.
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Klein tools have continued to flood into Lowe’s, with shoppers finding more and more imported products with the brand’s name on it, such as pipe wrenches and claw hammers.
But, those are new-to-market products. What we’re talking about here is an existing tool, model D2755 wire cutters, and there could be others.
Why is Klein swapping USA-made tools for offshored imports? Is this only affecting shipments to Lowe’s? How many SKUs are affected? Will this become a trend for the brand?
Looking around on a hunch, I found a new Lowe’s-exclusive “RWB” version of the same Klein tool with red and blue handle grips.
At least Klein’s limited edition tools are still made in the USA, although they didn’t get the flag right here either. (Also see New Klein Blackout Wire Strippers have a Huge Mistake)
Maybe Klein has their factories at capacity building limited edition tools, and that’s why they moved some production to Asia. That’s the least-worst potential explanation I could think of.
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Bruce
What do we want? Cheap Tools! When do we want them? Now! Then suck it up and know that little kids in China are making them for you. Quit buying cheap crap and USA made tools will flourish.
eddiesky
If I want cheap tools, I buy at Harbor Freight – the disposal tool company!
But I am not disappointed in the quality of Tekton or Sunex, let alone Apex Tool Group products (Gearwrench, Craftsman, DeWalt, …)
I even prefer some Japanese brands, along with German (as long as they are still made in Japan, and in Germany). Come along way since WW2 have we…
Yet I still have Craftsman tools from as a teen that had a job, and a vehicle to work on with them. No, today I learned a screwdriver is not a chisel, but if you use it as such, and it breaks and its a Craftsman, don’t tell that to the clerk replacing it!
CKent
Apex does not own Craftsman and Dewalt, Stanley Black and Decker does.
eddiesky
Yup. I realized AFTER posting I couldn’t edit it but you are correct. Apex owns GearWrench, Crescent, Weller…
Doresoom
Tekton actually has a pretty big selection of USA-made tools: https://www.tekton.com/more/usa-made-tools
Kris P
I found a made in China Tekton adjustable wrench at Menards this week.
Adam
Likely old stock. Menards tends to find old oddball items in their warehouse.
The current adjustable wrenches are made in Taiwan.
Berg
Tekton has brand new made in Taiwan adjustable wrenches with a lot of improved features so they’re probably just trying to get rid of all their old generic Chinese made adjustables. The Menards near me in MN has a bunch of the old 6 inch ones for a couple bucks.
Eric
There is no one in the US making adjustable wrenches right now. So if you find one on the shelves somewhere it’s either really old stock or they’re lying about it.
AKJ
Snap-On still advertises USA made adjustable wrenches: https://shop.snapon.com/categories/Adjustable/682242
Stephen
To Eric: Ridgid and Klein and channelock still sell made in USA adjustable wrenches, they’re just a little harder to find.
Stuart
Klein: I’ve never seen any USA-made adjustables
Ridgid: They seemed to shift sourcing a while back, I haven’t seen any new USA-made ones
Channellock: I’ve never seen any USA-made; they seem to contract with Irega (made in Spain)
Andy
Stephen, The nicest Klein adjustable wrench I’ve seen were made by Irega and made in Spain. Granted they tended to have an up charge for the Klein name. I have one that I got on heavy discount a few years back.
Jason
China has some fantastic precision manufacturing. Can you get cheap crap likely made by unethical manufacturing practices? Yes of course, but it’s 2025 that’s not the norm anymore
fred
I just bought 4 of the Klein #44306 Flickblade Utility Knife/Scrapers that you recently posted about. I took advantage of a 20% off Zoro coupon – so the 4 cost me $62.90 ($15.72 ea.) before tax. I haven’t opened any of the packs – since they are meant for gifting. They feel a bit heavy in hand. As you posted – these were offshored by Klein to an OEM in China.
I’m guessing that Klein’s wanting to expand to sell more and different kinds of tools to the mass market (e.g. via Lowes) can’t be met either on price or volume through their USA production. If Klein can make more money by selling Asia-made tools, one has to wonder how long their USA production will remain in operation as all.
fred
BTW – I just weighed one package – 215grams – and I’m guessing that the packaging is only 15 to 20% of that weight.
Jared
It’s hard for me to imagine Kline nixing ALL USA production – it’s too much a part of the brand and I think it would undermine their identity way too fast to profit from the Klein name. However, I think there’s a risk they could follow the SK/Great Star path and the percentage of US-produced tools might become somewhat negligible in comparison to their overall catalogue.
fred
Let’s hope you are correct. But I see the lure of mass-market sales (and profits) via Lowes and online retailers clouding their once focused (electrical trade) vision. They may become like Rubbermaid once was – a USA manufactured product – mass marketed (Walmart) then squeezed on price – forced offshore – then becoming unprofitable and finally being acquired by their archrival (Newell). I’m hoping that the Klein family business fares better and the brand doesn’t end up on the auction block.
Stuart
I think you’re right, but we’ve seen what other companies have done, such as Crescent and Craftsman when they were owned by Sears.
Crescent and their other brands (e.g. HK Porter) slowly shifted the bulk of their production overseas. Sears Craftsman introduced new imported tools that were sold alongside their USA-made ones, and then they offshored the production of all their core tools.
We don’t know what path Klein has set out on or where they’re going. However, we can see that they went with imports for their all-new product lines and there are now imported versions of existing products.
Actions speak louder than words. What are Klein Tools’ expansion efforts saying about the company’s direction?
Bonnie
Is it really that big a part of the brand identity though? I originally bought my smattering of Klein because they were a good balance between value/performance and I really liked he strippers I’d borrowed from a family member. I didn’t even know they were made in the US.
If anything, the pandering flags printed on the special editions is a turn-off. I don’t need fake patriotism coming from my tools.
MM
I commented on this several months back. I think Klein is really facing stiff competition from both ends of the market. They’ve long been known for good quality USA made tools, but frankly: competitors like Knipex make better tools today. Also, there are also loads of tool brands that beat Klein when it comes to value for money. They’re even facing competition in the made-in-USA space thanks to Milwaukee. Klein needs to do something to stay relevant. I’m not happy about them branching out into cheaper imports, but it doesn’t surprise me that they are doing this.
Jared
That’s an interesting thought – it’s not obvious what other avenue was available to them. Enthusiasts might want even HIGHER quality tools or more innovation, but that’s not easily done and the path doesn’t necessarily lead to increased profitability.
Offshoring production on the other hand, is easy – and the path to profitability, well-worn. It’s just that it also, very predictably, generates less exciting, lower-quality products and an erosion of brand reputation and value.
LE
12″ Alligator style pump pliers ordered a couple weeks ago, Klein and Lowe’s website still shows the yellow handle USA version but what I received had orange handles (like all the other China made pliers they’ve introduced) and Made In China. Same D50512 product number. Quality still looks OK just extremely disappointing.
John E
Return them. And contact corporate and let them know you have standards, even if they obviously don’t.
fm2176
“Maybe Klein has their factories at capacity building limited edition tools, and that’s why they moved some production to Asia. That’s the least-worst potential explanation I could think of.”
That’s a nice way of saying the “limited production” is anything but. I like the “special” tools as much as the next guy, but a tool is a tool. My Ridgid Stealth-Black kit (https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/ridgid-18v-brushless-combo-kit-limited-edition-black-color-scheme-h2017/%3C/a%3E%29 gets the same treatment that all of my other power tools get (that is, not pampered in the least). When I was gathering all of my tools a few weeks ago, the drill’s chuck was seized and required a bit of penetrating oil and some help from pliers to loosen up. It works fine now, but I digress.
You may be onto something, though. According to the pinnacle of academic research, Wikipedia, The Home Depot has over 2300 locations, and Lowe’s has over 1700. I can imagine that Klein only has so much domestic production capability, so adding another big box requiring large numbers of tools available in store and online might have put some strain on their ability to keep all of their customer well supplied.
Even so, I don’t see this going over too well with those of us who bother to check COO or who expect a name like Klein to be domestically produced. If it’s not produced in the same US factory(ies) as we expect, at least add a suffix to it (D2755T, for example) to differentiate it. It’s not too dissimilar from the power tool companies making budget versions of their premium tools to bundle in kits (from what I recall, there was some stink over that years ago). If I buy a set of Klein cutters that have traditionally been made in the US, I expect them to have something indicating they’re not the same as those I previously owned or was contemplating buying, just as I’d expect a DeWalt tool kit to list the specs of the included DCS381 circular saw for easy comparison against the DCS380B it looks very similar too (old reference, I know, but hopefully you get the point). Tools that aren’t traditionally identified with the Klein brand are a bit different: maybe I’m a brand loyalist and just like the Klein branding on my new hammer, regardless of COO. It’s like Channellock: if I buy any of their pliers, I expect them to be made in Meadville, PA, as they always have been. If, however, I want that Channellock Blue socket set at Sam’s Club and some blue-handled screwdrivers, I might be okay with the China or Taiwan COO. And, yes, I’m guilty of buying things like hammers and tape measures just because they’re Channellock branded.
Andy
In my area it seems like the roll out of all these new Klein tools at Lowe’s coincided with Home Depot replacing most of their in-store Klein stock with Milwaukee offerings.
Stuart
Klein Tools’ announcement of their Lowe’s partnership came first.
It’s possible that Milwaukee Tool was squeezing into Home Depot’s electrical hand tool department, but keep in mind that some of Klein’s new products preceded this.
Klein ModBox: Feb 6, 2023 – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/klein-modbox-tool-box-system-teaser/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Klein Lowe’s partnership: Feb 9, 2023 – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/lowes-klein-tools-partnership-2023/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I think that Lowe’s provided Klein Tools with a venue for ModBox and other desired expansions. I doubt Home Depot had room for yet another modular tool box system whereas Lowe’s had been lacking in this area.
Other tool brands set their sights on expansion at Lowe’s. EGO wanted to grow and expand at Lowe’s, and Home Depot helped facilitate that by terminating their relationship.
I believe that Klein wanted greater visibility than they could have gotten at Home Depot.
David A.
I have no problem with many, if not most, tools being made in China. Manufacturing technology is so much better than 70 years ago such that tools made in China today are probably of higher quality than tools made in America in the 1950s (generally speaking). Making simple tools (e.g. hammers, wrenches, pliers, etc.) does not generally require lots of high-skilled high wage earners, so it makes perfect sense to move that process to places where labor is cheap(er). That being said I hate what’s happening to Klein- Lowes is cashing in Klein’s reputation and brand recognition by cranking out cheaper tools and putting the Klein logo everywhere. I love Klein tools- their history as a tool maker and brand is uniquely American and their tools were practically unmatched in quality for basically 100 years. We’ve seen this story play out over and over so we know the ending- once a brand becomes a zombie all the value gets sucked out- once you lose your reputation, it’s difficult if not impossible to rebuild it. (See Black & Decker, Skil, Porter Cable, Irwin, Stanley, Craftsman, etc.). Not that the new Klein tools at Lowes are bad tools- I know they’re decent. But Klein is clearly moving from a boutique, made-in-America, specialty brand to a ubiquitous everything brand so it will lose, and is losing its cachet and high-status reputation. I suppose that’s the way business works as it ebbs and flows but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Jean G
Are we all going to gloss over the fact that Klein has been making a large variety of tools in China for a long time now? Just a few years ago they had dedicated to increasing production here in the USA and are making moves to do so… This is precisely when I started buying Klein tools again (after a many-year hiatus) to support this effort. It just takes time. Even now I see so many more options for USA-made tools than I used to, especially when it comes to screwdrivers.
Stuart
Actions speak louder than words. How many new USA tools has Klein launched in the past 2 years? Did they launch *any*? I haven’t heard of any new investment in USA manufacturing, but I’ve definitely seen lots of new imported tools, some unique and others uninspired copies.
John
Offshoring brings significant brand reputation risk for Klein and won’t go unnoticed by their loyal customers. (see Sears/Craftsman).
Klein’s risk is further exacerbated by the recent 145% import tariffs on Chinese goods. Their supply chain pipeline could very well be filled with large quantities of China-manufactured tools for Father’s Day promotions. If those goods are subject to tariff when they they hit the port, they could end up being more costly than the Klein products that were previously manufactured in the US.
ElectroAtletico
Lowes & Klein = don’t expect much
Osprey
Not just at Lowe’s. Multiple tools previously made in USA are also showing up in the electrical supply houses. And there is a clear quality difference.
S
I suspect it’s a lot of market forces. The Lowe’s deal is an exclusive that no other home improvement store has been willing to cut them in on–good or bad.
There’s an opportunity for them to expand within Lowe’s, in areas that other home improvement stores like home depot, Menards, or trade specific supply houses could never allow because of the other brand contracts or foot traffic expectations (how many would even consider visiting and purchasing a stiletto hammer at retail cost from a supply house specializing in PLC’s and Ethernet cable accessories?)
There’s really only so much innovation that they can do and stay within the confines of being “an electrical tool maker”. I think their foray into safety gear was one of the last frontiers they had for electrical-related tools. There’s also the fact that Milwaukee has hit extremely hard at the electrical sales space with their most recent products, especially as they take up more and more space within home depot and supply houses. From my perspective, home depot can’t bend over for TTI far enough at any point, and will willingly give up major currently-occupied parts of the store to satisfy and maintain that relationship.
As an example of Klein’s new product difficulty, There’s little market headway for them to offer new plumbing tools at an electrical supply store, and any plumbing supply already has packed shelves from their current brands– the likelihood of Klein getting their foot into the door at any non-electrical supply house would be slim, and likely require massive incentives to only win a few stores and tiny shelf spaces at a time–a battle of inches, when competitors like Milwaukee are winning battles for floor space measured in feet. The same goes for any other trade specific supply house, like what Klein originally cut their teeth on.
A consequence of playing to a larger market in lowes is that the vast majority of the public shop on price, not brand, and not COO. This is easily evident by Amazon and temu’s accelerated market share growth, and even more so in the fast-and-loose “branding” happening on either platform while still selling like crazy.
Maintaining quality and COO restrictions likely pigeonholed them from a lot of potential growth when there are so many other brands stepping on their toes and not following the same rules. It’s almost near impossible to go 45mph in highway construction zones with big rigs bearing down on you wanting to go 65…
JustinS
Shortly after Lowes started carrying Klein I picked up a pair of their 10″ Klein Klaw type water pump pliers. I have a smaller pair that I figure was made in Germany by NWS. They are great, and the ones I got from Lowes had an American flag on the package, so I just figured they were making them in house. I took them out of the package and they were poorly finished, uneven grinding and very gritty. I seen they said they were forged in the USA of USA steel, but finished by Klein Tools de Mexico. I felt it was a little dishonest of them. I am an electrician of nearly 20 years, and have used many Klein tools over the years. I looked at their plier catalog and many of their small pliers are like that now.
One thing I also noticed that bothered me is that Klein used to sell some high quality tools that maybe weren’t their specialty but were manufactured by quality USA tool companies and sold under Klein’s name are being phased out. For example, Vaughan for hammers, Utica Kutmaster knives, Bondhus hex wrenches, Quickwedge screwdrivers nearly all have been replaced by generic orange colored Klein Chinese tools now.
Johnez
If I want cheap imports I go to Harbor Freight. If I want quality I go with USA first, German/European second. Klein does not enter into this equation, as I’m sure many other tradesmen feel. My bet is they are already in trouble and will ride their name into the ground, tho golden parachutes will be provided to some big wigs on the way down.
DH
This is the direction Lowes has been heading in the last few years, their CEO thinks he’s a genius and customers don’t notice. Across the board Lowes has been sliding! They make the choice we give them the answers!
William
Klein is diluting itself too much and getting away from their core. When you have a tool colloquially named for your company (Kleins vs linesman pliers) you’ve done well. Now, not so much. Too many forays into other product categories. But to be fair, they’ve got steep competition from other brands now, particularly Milwaukee.
I predict Klein will be the next Craftsman or Skil. Known for a specific product, then got cheaper and diluted trying to capture more market.
Gaku
Yes. I think the beginning of the end for Klein was when they stopped being available only at electrical and industrial supply houses and started selling through big box retail stores.
Johnny
They use the “Forged in USA” to hide and distract from the fact that tools are actually being made in Mexico, China, etc. Lowe’s doesn’t have the Pro traffic Depot did, so instead of making profit on topline sales, they have to make it up by making cheaper tools. You’ll see more of this stuff going overseas, not less. It’ll be Craftsman before we know it.