Vaughan, known for their USA-made hammers and other striking tools, has been in the news recently, with reports of a pending closure.
A reader (thank you Stuart_T) wrote in:
150-Year-Old Vaughan Plant Closing after Nixed Buyout
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Local media cited financial troubles leading to buyer backing out of purchasing the hand tool maker’s Bushnell, IL plant…
…Local ABC news station KHQA7 (Quincy, IL) reported April 11 that Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. Co. — a manufacturer of hammers, axes, prybars and hand saws — will close its Bushnell, IL factory doors for good at an unannounced date…
Here’s what we know:
A local news channel reported (source) that Vaughan, officially Vaughan and Bushnell, “announced it will be closing its doors at an unannounced date.”
I have not seen and could not find this announcement.
That the local news report says that Vaughan “will be closing its doors,” seems to suggest the company is closing or shutting down.
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KHQA added that the closure follows “a failed buyout” by Marshalltown manufacturing.
MDM (Modern Distribution Management) also wrote a story about the news (source), saying that Vaughan’s 150-year-old “tool plant is reportedly set to close.”
WGEM, another news channel in Illinois (source), suggests that the entire Vaughan business is in jeopardy.
According to WGEM, there will be a job fair on April 17th, “strictly for Vaughan employees.”
The plant in question was reportedly being sold for $5 million before Marshalltown backed out.
WGEM provided more context about the failed buyout, saying that Marshalltown was unable to contribute the full amount required to purchase the plant.
Marshalltown marketing told WGEM news that, regarding their purchase of the Vaughan plant, “the timing just wasn’t quite right.”
According to the reports, 130 jobs will be affected by the closure.
Uncertainty
From the reports, if they’re accurate, it’s unclear if Vaughan is closing their main factory, or if Vaughan is closing and shuttering their factory along with it.
I could not find any announcement, or any WARN notice, which would be required for a mass layoff.
I made several calls to Vaughan but was unable to connect with anyone who could confirm these reports or provide clarity. I emailed several people at the company and have not heard back yet.
What Could this Mean?
There are lots of questions that we don’t have answers to.
Is Vaughan shutting down USA manufacturing? In part or entirety?
Is Vaughan closing?
Can the brand close their factory and continue to exist?
Are they still looking for buyers? Why did Marshalltown back out?
An increasing number of long-time USA tool manufacturers have closed or been sold off in recent years.
Vaughan hasn’t confirmed or denied reports of their factory closure, but things aren’t looking optimistic.
It’s not good that news reports are talking about Vaughan closing down “at an unannounced date,” and even worse that nobody at the company has since come out to say “no – we’re all good here.”
I also couldn’t confirm that there will be a job fair exclusively for Vaughan employees and factory workers, as the Bushnell Recreation Center doesn’t have a public page or calendar.
At this time we don’t have all the facts, but things aren’t looking good.
Vaughan Response Update
I have been unable to connect with any marketing and communications contacts, but heard back from customer service on 4/16/24:
All I know is we are still accepting orders; unfortunately, I do not have any information to share with you at this time.
We are hoping to find out more details soon, but at this time, I do not have any more information than what you already heard.
fred
I believe that Vaughan & Bushnell had acquired and/or used some other brands like Dasco (aka Dasco Pro – acquired in 2018), Bear Saw and Dalluge. A buyout by Marshalltown might have made sense – to combine the Dasco tools under the Marshalltown umbrella. Like you say this raises plenty of questions. Will the brand or brands be sold off if the US production ceases? I wonder if a closing would also impact Dasco?
Mike
This seems inevitable, but what do I know?
One one hand, hammers are perfect tools, and Vaughan has long made some of the best. I think of them more for carpentry, where pneumatic and now battery powered nail guns have long ago replaced the hammer for almost all nailing. Hammers are still an essential tool on a framer’s belt, for tacking, positioning, removing nails, etc.
Seeing another high quality US factory closure is sad, and their products are still a terrific value. A Harbor Freight rip hammer is an incredible value, and basically none of the framers around here were born in the US, so I’m so not sure they place the same priority of US origin tools. As an aside, check out Grayvik for some Vaughan seconds, another incredible value.
On the other hand, I recall some sale notice on a titanium hammer and pry bar combo for only $300. I have never used a titanium version of either of these tools, but still don’t really understand how they could be so much better than modern steel design with a straight rip claw, a short, large diameter head, and the same light weight? I like a milled face hammer for rough framing, and have smoothed over steel ones quickly enough that I don’t see the appeal of a softer metal.
There are now all of these relatively expensive modern steel designs with steel handles and “shock absorbing” grips. I’m skeptical if they’re better for shock absorption than a wooden handle. Other for form work or demo, I never saw the appeal of Estwing, etc… a wooden handle lasts a long time if not abused. Are the special high tech grips replaceable? Also the wooden handle just slides so effortlessly in hand and in and out of a hammer loop, etc.
These new designs are often more expensive than a Vaughan rip hammer, and made in Taiwan, if not China, but would seem to be functionally similar.
I haven’t tried out all of the latest and greatest hammer designs. The modern rip hammer is a big improvement over the old fashioned long, thin nosed curved claw hammers.
If I had to guess, people are just falling for slick marketing images and jargon, and the belief that the latest technology is a big improvement for all tools. Cordless tools, 100% yes, framing hammers, I’m not so sure.
Stuart
Nail hammers are a small part of the striking tools business.
Ball peen hammers, mallets, pry bars, etc, haven’t been made obsolete yet. I believe framing hammers are still widely used for formwork, and rip claw hammers are still used for residential demolition work.
Vaughan offered wood and steel-handled hammers. I don’t think that has any influence on this matter.
In my opinion, Sears’ demise sent ripples throughout the industry. Sears’ Craftsman brand had a very broad catalog of USA-made hand tools. After Sears started shifting to overseas suppliers, and then pretty much spiraled into irrelevance, it left a void in many manufacturers’ balance sheets.
Has Vaughan innovated in the past 10 years?
Has Vaughan reached new customers via social media or other means?
Has Vaughan formed new retail or OEM partnerships?
Davis
The answer is No. Vaughan deserved to go down like it did. It was poor leadership and even worse management and dealing with the city to try to get help. The city officials are clueless and uneducation and inexperienced in many facets of management, let alone trying to “save a factory”. As I retired from Government contracting, I offered my services to the company to get them up to date with state and federal needs. As they were “doing bad” for a few years before this close. The people I spoke to. The Owner of the company said, “Our business is just fine and successful enough to not need those services…” Well they obviously did.
Mike
I see Vaughan has some modern one piece lightweight hammers like RS17L. They don’t get great reviews on Amazon, with pictures of broken heads, handles, etc.
Assuming some modern geometry, i.e. short, large diameter head and straight claw…
Is a forged alloy steel head with an easily replaceable hickory handle still state of the art?
Stuart
The Vaughan Stealth hammers came out 11 years ago. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/vaughan-stealth-framing-hammer/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
CA
Ball peens used to be useful to me when things were meant to be taken apart and repaired. Now that everything you buy is disposable I can understand the lack of demand for such hammers. A shame really. I hate to see hard times fall upon these old American companies.
ITCD
Still a market in other fields. Automotive can use an old fashioned peen when they don’t want the dead blow functionality, and industrial sectors love their almost as much as the corporation who’s equipment they’re maintaining loves getting all they can out of their capital investments.
ITCD
Plus they had much more than ball peen hammers. Framing hammers are still bread and butter in residential construction, they also had demo bars as well, and soft face hammers,
Aaron
I just started swinging a Vaughn hammer several weeks ago and really like it. My hammer prior was a Estwing and I much prefer my Vaughn.
I’m not a professional so investing in a very nice Martinez would be insane and the Vaughn has been great to use.
I’ll go pick a couple extras up.
JR Ramos
I just saw the commentary in the other article…sure hate to hear this. I’m probably set for life with hammers unless I lose one…at this point I look to old hammers on Ebay to see if I can score quality old Plumb or earlier Vaughan or something. Vaughan is still very good quality even if the finish work isn’t what it used to be (very much the same for Estwing though). Whoever is making heads for Snap-On, Williams, and Klein is doing a good job, too…wonder if it was Vaughan?
Maybe Snap-On would have interest in buying them…would make a lot of sense. Hopefully not Great Star…..
svt
Yeah right. Snap- on buys them and jacks up the price, that’ll solve everything. lol
JR Ramos
We’ll see how the whole Eagle Grips scenario plays out but off the bat it looks like Snap-On purchasing that setup will be a good deal since Malco bailed. That or we continue to lose key capabilities (and products, not to mention the specialized manufacturing machines and processes) as we have been.
IronWood
My very favorite claw hammers are Vaughan 999 and 99. They also make some good nail bars. This is sad news if it’s the end of Vaughan.
Scottie
I hope Vaughan isn’t going out of business.Their “Superbars” are practically indestructible.I have never even chipped an edge of one,ever.I bought one brand new,and I have used it on every job I’ve ever done,from roofing to vinyl siding to just tearing stuff up.Vaughan used to supply these same exact wrecking bars to Sears in a Craftsman version,back when Craftsman was still all USA.You can always spot a Craftsman bar as they were painted Army green.I have about 2 dozen of these bars as you can pick them up at garage and estate sales for a dollar or two.But I always use my old original Vaughan Superbar when I’m doing some wrecking.
frobo
Totally agree about Superbars. The one I have must be made from Kryptonite or something; it’s done a lot of dirty work over the years, and it just keeps going. If I had to give up all but a dozen of my tools, it would be one of the keepers.
Leo B.
The Superbars are good, but I kind of prefer the Estwing half round bars myself. Little lighter, thinner claw, and slightly flatter on the straight side. For me, it slides in my belt’s flat bar sleeve much more easily. The Superbar is definitely indestructible, though. I’ve done a lot of work with mine! The Estwing is the brand new kid in town for me. Time will tell about its durability.
eddiesky
IF you watch the latest MrPete222 (Tubalcain), a former shop school teacher/machinist, he mentioned this closure. And about his story on Starrett being bought out. And something about failing to meet an order with Home Depot. Starts at 22:41
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4vlFwTQkPQ
Stuart
I haven’t heard anything about Vaughan not meeting a HD order. They don’t have hammers or pry bars there, only a couple of Dasco products these days.
I’ve heard about Estwing not meeting orders as a potential explanation for the brand being dropped from stores a year ago.
Jason
I’m sure the vulture capitalists will be all over this soon enough.
PW
Absolutely. They’ll buy the brand for pennies, slap some blue paint on imported crap and fool people for a few years while they pump n dump some stock.
Stuart
Does the Vaughan brand have value? What non-duplicated IP do they still hold? There could be value in their manufacturing capabilities and know-how.
Nate
Do we really have to turn every story like this into a soft-marxist screed? It’s not private equity’s fault that Americans don’t value American tools like they used to. If *you* don’t want to buy chinese crap, then don’t. Nobody’s forcing us to be cheap.
Al
“It’s not private equity’s fault…” sounds like the defense of vultures and charlatans. Don’t get me wrong, it _is_ the American way to screw ex-customers by selling their ‘loyalty’ data. And it _is_ the American way to sell off brands, logos, and IP such as origin stories and quasi-historical photos…then pass them off as your own history.
We can’t let a good disaster go to waste. A brand is not allowed to die peacefully if investors can still extract cash out of it.
Look at the crap that is sold under the names Bell & Howell or Kodak. Look at the new Jorgensen site, pretending like they’ve mived from horse-drawn wagons in the USA to factories in Asia.
It is a sad fact that it’s cheaper to buy a dead brand and pass it off as your own. Somebody else already spent decades or centuries building it.
Cheaper manufacturers just wear the dead brands skin as a costume.
I think it’s OK to not like this behavior. It’s deceitful.
Stuart
Maybe Nate could have been more delicate, but they have a point.
Instead of saying “I hope Vaughan pulls through, and if not hopefully all of the affected workers will bounce back quickly with new jobs,” you’re soapboxing about private equity and completely unrelated brands.
Al
You’re right. The soapboxing was about brands that were killed and resurrected. And the comment that it’s not private equity’s fault. Private equity is exactly to blame for brand hijacking. It’s not an organic development.
But, Vaughan, WF, and others are probably not well known enough to be hijacked.
Vaughan might be avoiding federal WARN notice under a plant closure exemption caused by “faltering business”, if they were seeking financing or restructuring during the time when they would normally file notice.
I do hope the Vaughan folks pull through to new jobs or decent retirement.
Neighbor Joe
Going out of business just like Western Forge. Lost market share and debt load. WF demise closely tied to Sear shuttering nearly all its stores. Vaughn may have suffered similar fate. I believe Lowes removed them from their shelves a year ago. I thought their prices were very good considering the great quality of the products. Interestingly checking out HD and Sears websites, Vaughn hammers are available. Maybe this is a case where consumers need a hammer they rather to the store like HF and pick one up in real time. Too bad. Great hammers and prybars for the price I will likely be handing down to my sons. Just where is SBD? They marketed Craftsman tools as made in America. For 5 mil they can buy Vaughn, their 130 employees is hardly a massive undertaking for SBD and be producing made in USA Craftsman hammers tomorrow.
ITCD
SBD promised on-shoring and was giving it a go but found getting a USA version made that can be priced like a foreign competitor is a challenge. Shareholders must not have liked it, because the CEO that was all about on-shoring got ousted and replaced by a guy who immediately shuttered the new plant, and has been shuttering and consolidating others. Last year they shut down the Cheraw SC facility, which I believe was the place where they were doing Proto and Mac screwdrivers IIRC. Recently they announced closing another SC location, Fort Mill, as well as the Mission TX plant. The CFO was very clear in their statement to investors that they’re looking to trim $2B in costs by next year.
Ola
Just bought a Vaughan hammer at Lowes last week. They had a decent selection.
PW
This is just more depressing news on this front.
I will say I’m not surprised by this one though. For a while now I’ve thought Vaughn was operating in a sour spot. They’re priced within a stone’s throw of cheap imports, but with US costs. They don’t seem to have effectively moved upmarket to take advantage of trendy, more expensive, presumably higher margin options in their category. They seem to have ever shrinking shelf presence at retailers. People here seem aware of their brand, but the average Amazon shopper is not.
It’s really sad though. They’re one of the best value for money, domestically made tool brands left in the US. 😭
ITCD
I was just thumbing through a comments section day that reminded me of this. It was an ad for Boss Hammers which had garnered hundreds of comments. There were tons of “I’ll stick to Estwing” and just one guy (that I saw, didn’t read every comment) that said they preferred Vaughan. It’s not a representation of the industry as a whole but was an eye-opening example of what people prefer when it comes to steel framing hammers.