While most power tools are now manufactured overseas, many hand tools are still made in the USA, Canada, England and other countries with long traditions of producing top-quality tools with pride. In recent years, more and more domestic factories have closed their doors and shuttered their windows, making it more important than ever to know where tools are made.
Home Depot’s online store does not mention the country of origin information (COO) for the tools and other products they sell, but Home Depot’s Canadian site does. That’s right, over at HomeDepot.ca, COO information for most if not all of the products they sell is disclosed to potential customers, lised along with other product specifications.
I’ve known about this disclosure for quite some time and about 10 months ago I thought I was presented with an opportunity to find out why COO info was excluded from product pages on Home Depot’s USA site. I was wrong.
Advertisement
It all started last November, right before the winter holiday shopping season rush, when a Home Depot representative reached out to us and conveyed that they wanted to interact more with bloggers and consumers. In introducing herslef, she also said that if I ever see a customer issue or have a question about a product, I should contact her directly and that she would “get me what I need”.
Oh boy, did I have a question right off the bat:
I already do have a question that I hope you could answer for me. Myself and a lot of my colleagues, peers, and readers have an interest in knowing where the tools we buy online are manufactured. A tool’s country of origin may sometimes guide or influence our purchasing decisions, but for the most part it is about the desire to know as much about a product as possible. Are there plans for HomeDepot.com to provide products’ country of origins in their product specifications? If not, what is the official reason for not wanting to do this?
I am asking this because HomeDepot.ca has provided products’ Country of Origin information for a long time now, suggesting that there may be a specific and deliberate reason as to why HomeDepot.com does not.
I received a very prompt response:
I will check with our tool merchants and global sourcing team to determine why we don’t currently list that info online.
Advertisement
Great, she was going to look into it!! I figured that at the very worst, I would receive a followup saying that they coudn’t share that info. Little did I know that I would never hear from them ever again.
Two months later I tried again:
Hi, it has been quite some time since we last spoke. I was wondering if your tool merchants and global sourcing team were able to get back to you about why country of origin info is not currently specified for products on HomeDepot.com. As I previously pointed out, Home Depot’s Canadian online storefront does provide this information.
No response at all this time.
While ultimately a tool’s quality is usually a greater selling point for me than where it’s made, I always at least want to know where it’s made beforehand.
I really don’t see any technical reason as to why HomeDepot.com excludes COO info. But it’s not that they cannot share this detail with consumers, is it? It really seems like they don’t want to.
In case you don’t quite get what I mean, take a look at the first random product I found offered for sale on both sites – a Ryobi P815 18V lithium ion compact drill kit:
HomeDepot.com (USA) Product Info
HomeDepot.ca (Canada) Product Info
Can you see where the drill is made by visiting the USA web portal? Nope. Take a look at the Canadian portal and you’ll see Country of Origin: China.
How about a randomly selected hand tool, Stanley’s FATMAX Xtreme Fubar Functional Utility Bar?
HomeDepot.com Product Info
HomeDepot.ca Product Info
Checking the USA site, where is the tool made? Who knows, it doesn’t say. Checking the Canadian site, it clearly says Country of Origin: Taiwan.
Why is this? I’d love to know, but Home Depot’s Corporate Communications Manager never got back to me.
EDIT: To be fair, although I’m picking on Home Depot here, other retailers are equally as guilty of the same policies. I focused on Home Depot because it seems like they can disclose COO info but won’t.
Bolster
I am also one of those who want to know COO, even if it’s not the ultimate reason I choose to buy a particular tool. I don’t understand why the American consumer has to be kept in the dark. Glad you wrote this article. Hope HD responds and follows Canada’s lead.
Bob frustrated
As a true consumer of many tools . It is easy enough to go to the depot . and just.turn the product over .some were there you will see clear as day we’re the origan . Of we’re it’s made . But don’t worry just buy any item . and see how long it lasts and wala you will now we’re it’s made . because it will not last . More junk in there truck . Great stuff . What happend too . Made in the USA doink. 😏
Gary Ray
Home Depot also out sources there customer complaints off shore, check it out.
call there 800 # with a complaint .
gary
Stuart
I highly doubt that they will respond (although I hope they eventually do), and don’t think that they’ll provide COO info anytime soon.
I wasn’t aware that they outsourced their customer complaints, but it’s not too surprising; many large companies do this nowadays.
fred
While I agree with you that quality and functionality come first in my tool-buying decision process – COO is a consideration. Is it possible that Canadian culture dictates HD’s Canadian Website to be more open about this issue – or maybe its fear of backlash on the US site with so many Americans out of work that prompts the difference. I’m not sure what some hard research would yield – but I believe that the big box stores have helped do drive prices of goods (including tools) down and have made quality tools more readily available to a mass market – but that that has come at the expense of forcing manufacturing to move more and more to lower-priced labor markets overseas
Phil G
I wonder if it has anything to do with past instances of manufacturers mislabeling products as “Made in USA” when indeed they were made offshore. By specifying the CoO, they might be afraid to be dragged into legal messes if it is found that the manufacturer is playing shenanigans with the CoO information. More plausible, however, Home Depot most likely does not want to be lumped in with Walmart with accusations that the majority of the items they sell are sourced from China. While the comparison might not be entirely correct, a cursory look through most of the durable goods will show that most of it, including the lumber, comes from outside the USA.
Stuart
Phil, that’s an interesting assessment. As long as they said “country of origin information subject to change” somewhere in their terms and conditions, they would probably be fully protected from legal recourse. As long as they updated product listings when manufacturers updated their products’ sell sheets, they’d also be in the clear.
What are they really afraid of? That customers will see “made in Malaysia” when searching for a power tool and be swayed into ordering the identical product from Lowes or elsewhere that doesn’t yet show COO info?
Dan Richards
(Originally posted on GJ) I wish more websites would make the COO available and display it prominently, not witholding or hiding it. I read your article, Stuey, and it frustrates me that I can’t find that info at HD, Lowes, Sears and other retail stores’ sites as I compare tools. I buy most of my tools at a store rather than off a truck, and I don’t really cross-shop too much but sometimes I just want to know, like earlier this week when I was buying locking pliers. I wound up with some Grip-On and some NOS USA Vise-Grip, but I would have liked to know that Crescent’s were made in TW without getting out a magnifying glass in a store.
If the quality is there, I’ll buy a Chinese product, if it fits my needs and budget, though I find myself feeling guilty for doing this sometimes. In my toolbox I have Chinese Allen hex tools, TW/China Channellock wrenches, sockets and ratchets, and a couple TW/China things from KD Gearwrench and Stanley. Stanley, Allen and KD put TW/China right on the front of their packaging, didn’t hide it. Channellock put an American flag on their package. I still feel like they tried to trick me. I love Channellock, they employ people in and around my community and I will buy their products for life, but I still have a sour taste in my mouth from that. They have since redesigned the packaging for their licensed import products and do not represent them on their own website since its relaunch. I believe they’re still available at Sam’s Club.
Steve
Although not required to be stated in catalogs, on websites, etc., I agree that the country of origin information is intentionally omitted. Unfortunately, many consumers don’t seem to care where the item was made. The retailer knows that if the country of origin is clearly stated, sales may be lost to those of us who do care.
K
They don’t want to share it with the customers, because Americans don’t like to hear “made in China.” Not that Canadian’s do, but they ‘may’ be less sensitive to the issue.
Doing a random click through on cordless and corded drills on the Canadian site, Dewalt was the only manufacturer that had some corded drills made in America. All others Ridged, Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch, etc. are in Malaysia, China, or other Asian country’s. For cordless, Dewalt was the only one not made in Asia but still made in Mexico.
K
Did some research on the parent companies of our favorite brands and where they are located:
TTI Group – Headquarters: Hong Kong – Brands: Milwaukee, Ryobi, Ridged
Stanley Black & Decker – Headquarters: New Britain, Connecticut, USA
Brands: Stanley, Black & Decker, Bostitch, Dewalt, Porter Cable, Delta
Makita Corp – Headquarters: Japan – Brands: Makita
Bosch Group – Headquarters: Germany – Brands: Bosch, Skill, Dremel
Stanley Black & Decker is the only American owned company…
uthscsaedu
Just got off the phone with a non english speaking customer service rep (not tool related at all). Sounded “outsourced”
They read from some kind of script “how may I help you today”
“I’m very sorry to hear you are not satisfied with XXXX”
“I would be very happy to help with your XXXX”
“Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
“Have I answered your questions to your satisfaction?”
I believe there was a movie called “outsourced” in 2006, and now there is an NBC show with the same name.
Mike Shoaf
Another issue is the fact that some CoO’s are a moving target for a specific tool. I was looking for a grinder a few years ago, and discovered that the same model # had its production recently switched from USA to China. A competing item had been being made in Mexico, but had also switched to China, still carrying its same SKU. I was fortunate to find a NIB USA one elsewhere, but I could see that it could be tough for HD (or any retailer) to keep up with this.
One store might have half their inventory of a given model from one country and half from another. If the web site still said USA, and a customer walked in the store and there were only China versions (or vice-versa), he might raise a stink and possibly accuse HD of false advertising, etc. It could be a real PR mess.
But that said, I agree, Stuart, that a disclaimer statement “should” cover them in such a situation.
Stuart
While tool brands go through manufacturing changes every now and then, it does not happen frequently. Tools go through updates and minor upgrades more often and many online retailers are slow to pick up on those changes. It is not uncommon to see inaccurate product descriptions and older photos. I don’t think that a changing COO should cause a huge problem.
As far as in-store confusion, I have seen a few instances where there identical tools from multiple sources shared a peg. When Vise Grip shifted their production partially and then entirely overseas, there was mixed stock in stores. Stanley also shifted production of particular screwdrivers and wood chisels from England to China. In Stanley’s case, the product packaging had also changed, helping to differentiate the products and reflect the COO change. The Vise Grips had very subtle differences.
I can understand the frustration that could arise from mis-advertised COO, but I don’t think that there is much risk of false advertising complaints. I imagine that the number of potential “wrong COO” complaints would pale in comparison to the many other complaints large retailers such as Home Depot encounter each day.
Will
I often shop homedepot.com when looking for a product before making a trip to the physical store to pick it up. I will also look up the item on homedepot.ca if I have any question about the COO.
I assume the US site does not list product origin because there is no legal requirement to do so. I have wondered if the Canadian laws differ in this respect.
Manufacturers and retailers already push the limits on product labeling, and I feel that attempting to conceal the COO is quite intentional in many cases.
Dan Richards
I’ve contacted Channellock regarding the quality of tool their China OEM had produced for them and the package, waiting to hear back from them.
Stuart
I’d be interested to hear what they say. In my experience, Channellock has been VERY responsive to email inquiries about product origins and quality.
Tia R
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Stuart. I work with the PR Manager you referenced and we have sent your request to the appropriate people, but suggestions like this take some time. It’s a good recommendation and would be a nice addition to the shopping information included on our website. I’ll send you a direct message with my contact info – let’s stay in touch on this.
Tia Robinson, Home Depot Communications
Blake
Quite bluntly, I won’t buy any product without checking where this product is made. This goes double for tools. If a company does not disclose that information that doesn’t mean I won’t buy from them, but I’ll do my research on my own.
However if for whatever reason I can’t find the information and can’t find this out, I am not buying that product. If I email or call a company and they refuse to tell me, I will not buy from that company. I don’t like secrets, at all.
But even if a company provides that information, I still may not buy from them, especially if the person I dealt with had a attitude or was just a flat out jerk about this. Lie to me about where a product is made we are through for life though.
EVERY company should disclose that information, customers don’t like surprises and nor do they like secrets.
Paul
With the exception of only a few brands who have a solid track record eg., Milwaukee, Bosch, Tekton, Makita, etc. just as long it’s not made in China. Paying for a little more up front for a tool in my opinion is well worth spending any money on Chinese crap that invariably fall apart well before it’s life expectancy. Made in USA is always a plus.