Do we still make anything in America? Turns out yes…
75 years ago, America was overflowing with vise manufacturers in the rust belt. From Charles Parker up in Connecticut to Wilton in Chicago Illinois, we had choices. Today not so much but read below to see why that may not matter too much in your search for a strong, capable bench vise for your shop.
Brands still manufacturing bench vises in the USA…
- Wilton: Wilton has moved their Tradesman and lesser quality vises to Taiwan and China. Machinist (bullet vises) and Combination vises (C0 – C3) are still made in the USA.
- Morgan: Owned by Milwaukee Tool & Equipment, the Morgan brand is available in retailers like Zoro Tools.
- Fireball Tool (Sorta): So they are saying Fall of 2025 they will have a USA made version of the Hard Tail vise… Click Here to learn more..
Are vises made in America better?
I may get some flack for this, but based on my 13 years in the foundry business and another 5 years in general manufacturing, I would say no, or at least not necessarily. The simple fact is that good cast iron foundries in the USA are getting harder and harder to find. The metallurgists and general foundry worker base is retired or retiring soon, with very few of the younger generation replacing them. I retained foundry skills in the American workforce is dwindling, and it’s a shame.
Where does that leave us? Well Taiwan seems like the best option for quality as well as Korea. I say Korea because their machine tool business and heavy shipping industry is supported by quality foundries but I don’t know of any vises actaully made in Korea at the moment.
Wilton, Yost and plenty of others are however producing great vises in Taiwan. The Taiwanese have a great reputation for quality built up over the years. What was once a mark of inferior quality (like Japan in the past too) it’s come a long way.