I understand your concern, BUT "made in USA" does not mean what it used
to. Good tools are hard to find, made anywhere. lotsa stuff made in USA is
junk, about one notch above China. If you want real tools Made in USA, buy
old ones put in a new cord and brushes.
Folks don't use mexicans because they are cheaper they use them because
they are better. ie. eye for detail, plumb is plumb, square is square not
"'bout rite, nailer"
Back in the old country (here) carpenters sons beat nails into scrap lumber
w/ wobbly headed hammers till they could do it, when given a real hammer
they were nail dirving machines. Now the sons play x-box while dad runs a
crew of mexicans. When the sons get to be teens and want work one of dads
friends will "give him a try"
and will find the kid is useless, lazy and weak,too cold , too cold,
hungover on mon, stoned on fri.....After a few weeks the boss man lets the
kid go, stops by the pantry and picks up a mex for a few $ more / Hr. He has
someone that can run tools, does not bitch, says "Yes sir bossman" whatever
is asked..
All the mexs I have seen that work for "slave wages" are unskilled drunks
that will show up. Showing up is one thing bosses love and value.

"USENET READER" wrote in message
...
After I decided to renovate my own house to save a shit-load of money
(acting as my own contractor, doing the work myself, keeping that money
here in the USA and not getting sent to Mexico every weekend), I decided
to only buy American or at least whenever possible. Most of the
building supplies are made in the USA (except the wood, and I can't tell
where that is made), but it is hard to find American made tools.

And don't call me a racist for not hiring illegal Mexican workers from
across the border. They shouldn't be here and they should go the ****
back home and petition their own government to improve the situation
there, not come here and steal jobs and send their money back home. Or
at least they should work to get a green card and learn to speak English
- you come to my county so don't expect me to learn your language! It's
like Americans expecting everyone to speak English when they travel
overseas!

It was getting down to only Porter-Cable and Milwaukee brands. However,
some of the Milwaukee brand tools are made in Mexico and also in the
Czech Republic. Porter-Cable used to be made entirely in the USA, but I
heard that they were bought by Black and Decker, who has already
layed-off some 350 workers already and shipped some jobs to Mexico. I
already know some Porter-Cable tools are made in China.

I saw a Milwaukee grinder made in Mexico for $99 with no case, a DeWalt
grinder with a paddle switch for $89 with a case (made in Mexico) and a
lesser-priced DeWalt made in Brazil with no case for $49. I contacted
Porter-Cable to see if they had any decent angle grinders made in the
USA, since no one seemed to stock them. Someone from P-C CS told me
there was one discontinued grinder that was made in America, so I
ordered it from Lowe's because they had the best price on the item. It
came in ten days later in a box which had "Hecho en China" on it, and it
was of course dead on arrival (bad slider switch). So I went and bought
a DeWalt for $49 with a two-year warranty, since I wasn't going to spend
$99 on a grinder and not get a case with it.

I also recently read that Techtronic Industries, owners of Ryobi,
Ridgid, Homelite, Regine, Royal, Dirt Devil and Vax, recently spent 713
million for the purchase of Milwaukee Tools and Atlas Copco Compressors.
Does this all mean that no more tools are going to be made in the
USA? They either charge the same price for the tool and it isn't any
better (and often doesn't work as well) or they charge less and they
definately don't work as well.

I do want to buy American and want to keep my tool-purchasing dollars
over in the USA. But I am a little worried about purchasing tools from
companies and then getting them replaced under warranty with inferior
tools made overseas - which is the same ****ing thing as buying tools
"Hecho en Mexico" or "Hecho en China".


GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn., July 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pentair, Inc.
(NYSE: PNR - News) announced today that it has concluded its exploration
of strategic alternatives for its wholly owned Tools Group, and that it
has signed a definitive agreement to sell the Group to The Black &
Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK - News) of Towson, Maryland, for
approximately $775 million. The transaction is expected to close in
2004, following the completion of customary regulatory clearance.
"In the 1990s, Pentair was largely defined by its top-performing tools
businesses but, today, the water and enclosures businesses are the
driving forces in our growth and expansion," said Randall J. Hogan,
Pentair chairman and chief executive officer. "The premier brands
comprising our Tools Group continue to represent great value and have
performed well against their competitors. However, the opportunities we
see in the expansion of our Water and Enclosures Groups made the sale of
the Tools Group a logical step to build greater value for Pentair
shareholders. The Tools Group is a strong business that performed well
for Pentair, and we believe it will continue to grow and prosper under
the ownership of Black & Decker."

Black & Decker is a global manufacturer and marketer of quality power
tools and accessories, hardware and home improvement products, and
technology-based fastening systems.

Pentair's Tools Group comprises the Porter-Cable, Delta, DeVilbiss Air
Power, Oldham Saw, and FLEX brands, among others. The Group employs
approximately 4,200 people at facilities in North America, Europe and
Asia.

"Black & Decker is a recognized leader in the power tool industry and
has proven its ability to grow and sustain strong brand names," Hogan
said. "We are very confident that we are placing our Tools Group in the
hands of a team that can further build the tools businesses to benefit
their customers, their suppliers, and their employees."

Pentair noted that the proceeds from the sale of the Tools Group will be
used to pay down debt associated with Pentair's acquisition of WICOR
Industries, which recently was approved by the Federal Trade Commission
and is expected to be complete at the end of July.

"Going forward, with Pentair's full resources focused on the growth and
expansion of the Water and Enclosures Groups, we will become a much
stronger, more nimble company, Hogan said. "We also expect to be much
better positioned to achieve with greater consistency the growth goals
our shareholders expect."

Pentair will report earnings for the second quarter of 2004 on
Wednesday, July 21. A conference call scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CDT that
day will be webcast live via http://www.pentair.com. A link to the
conference call is posted on the site's "Financial Information" page and
will be archived at the same location.

About Pentair, Inc.

Pentair (http://www.pentair.com) is a diversified operating company
headquartered in Minnesota. Its Water Technologies Group is a global
leader in providing innovative products and systems used worldwide in
the movement, treatment, storage and enjoyment of water. Pentair's
Enclosures group is a leader in the global enclosures market, serving
industrial and electronic customers, and its Tools Group markets
innovative products under established brand names to professionals and
do-it-yourself users. Pentair's 2003 revenues totaled $2.7 billion. The
company employs 13,500 people in more than 50 locations around the world.

Any statements made about the company's anticipated financial results
are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties such
as the ability to complete the sale of the Tools Group on its expected
timetable, the ability to obtain regulatory approvals of the sale of the
Tools Group on anticipated terms and schedule, continued economic
growth; foreign currency effects; retail and industrial demand; product
introductions; and pricing and other competitive pressures.
Forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date
hereof and the company undertakes no obligation to update publicly such
statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Actual results
could differ materially from anticipated results.

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/s...07/story5.html

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
From the March 4, 2005 print edition
Porter-Cable losing 350 Jackson jobs
Jane Aldinger

JACKSON, Tenn. -- Porter-Cable Corp. is laying off 350 people in Jackson
after being acquired by Black & Decker in October.

Most of the eliminated jobs are manufacturing and assembly positions
that are being shipped south to Reynosa, Mexico. Black & Decker has a
large professional tool facility in Reynosa that will absorb production
being lost in Jackson, says Barbara Lucas, Black & Decker senior vice
president of public affairs.

"These kinds of tools can be easily absorbed in some of our facilities
where we've already got the scale and the efficiencies in place," Lucas
says.

Porter-Cable, a power tool manufacturer, currently employs about 1,650
people in Jackson but that number will decrease to about 1,300 when the
layoffs are complete.

Towson, Md.-based Black & Decker eliminated 75 non-manufacturing jobs in
October, which were mostly staff and support positions from Porter-Cable
and Jackson's DeVilbiss facility. DeVilbiss Air Power was also part of
Black & Decker's acquisition.

In addition to the power tools manufacturing and assembly shift, Black &
Decker is initiating other production movement within its newly acquired
companies. Porter-Cable is relocating a reconditioning operation from
Jackson to Reynosa and another Black & Decker facility in McAllen,
Texas. Lucas says Jackson will see the addition of some router bit
manufacturing from a plant in North Carolina, and the moving of air
compressors from Reynosa to the DeVilbiss facility.

The company could not specify the number of jobs lost and gained within
each division. Lucas says Black & Decker's actions will ultimately
result in the net loss of 350 Jackson jobs, almost exclusively in the
manufacturing arena.

Black & Decker announced its intention to purchase the Tools Group from
Pentair, Inc., in July 2004 and finalized that $775 million transaction
in October. The Tools Group, with 2003 sales of $1.08 billion and
operating profit of $82 million, includes Porter-Cable, Delta, DeVilbiss
Air Power, Oldham Saw and Flex businesses.

Lucas says the company has not announced any other programs or actions
that would eliminate more jobs in Jackson. 1,300 employees is still a
very large presence for Black & Decker in any market, she says.

Paul Latture, president and CEO of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, says
the sheer size of Black & Decker and Pentair Tools Group dictates job
loss.

"When two companies join together, there's obviously going to be
synergies and duplication," Latture says. "It would be our hope that we
have no more job loss than we have and also that this will make Black &
Decker more competitive in the marketplace and Jackson will continue to
be a shining star in their system."

Despite the job loss, Black & Decker is still Jackson's largest
manufacturer. Latture says prospect activity in Jackson is good, and he
hopes to land some active recruits soon. BlueScope Butler was the latest
good news; the steel component manufacturer announced late last year
that it would open a plant in Jackson employing 150 people.

Melissa Rivers, regionalism director with the Memphis Regional Chamber,
says Jackson has taken a hit from Black & Decker, but should rebound soon.

"Any time a community has a loss of 350 jobs, it's a blow to the local
and regional economy," Rivers says. "However, the Jackson Area Chamber
of Commerce has a strong economic development team with a long track
record of success in recruiting manufacturing jobs. We're confident that
they will recover from this very quickly."

Latture is also confident that Jackson's diversified economy will help
those who are losing their jobs find employment elsewhere.

Lucas says Black & Decker will provide severance and job placement
assistance to the unemployed and is making them aware of openings for
transfers. The city of Jackson and Madison County will also work to
match those employees up with different opportunities, Latture says.

Black & Decker, traded on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker
symbol BDK, is a global manufacturer and marketer of quality power tools
and accessories, hardware and home improvement products, and
technology-based fastening systems.

CONTACT staff writer Jane Aldinger at 259-1727 or



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