Not made right here anymore.....

Proudly Made In the USA

Not anymore they aren't.


So I finally had killed a Carhartt jacket.

As the 'Polar Vortex" (cold Canadian air come a few weeks earlier than normal for those of you based in the real world) had come and reminded me that I needed to find a replacement for that worn out 10 year old Jacket.....

Sadly, when I went and looked at Carhartt outerwear, I discovered that ALL of the tags said something other than "Made in the USA"  Some said "Made in Mexico", others "Made in Bangladesh" One said "Made in Indonesia"...


NONE of the jackets I looked at said "Made in USA". Zero. None.

This changed somewhere around 2011.

Just something to think about next time you buy a jacket.

One more gone.

Strong Arm Lift Supports

Bought a new set for the Escape on ebay; the guy there has a store and they advertise that they're Made in the US. Their website has them in Australia, I don't know what that is all about. And the guy's ebay store is called Lift Supports Depot, where  I bought pairs of American made struts for the cost of a single Chinese made strut from Autozone.


Note: Not all of the struts on the Ebay store are Made in the US.

Customer service you won't get from most places

(crossposted from Middleoftheright.net)

So about 12+ years ago I purchased a GPI fuel transfer pump. I have several diesel vehicles and I needed a pump to transfer stored diesel to the appropriate vehicles. I generally buy diesel from the stations when the price is down (I might buy 150 gallons at a time if the price drops far enough) and store it for when the price jumps or when I just need to fuel the tractor or generator or whatever.

Now, this fuel pump has worked well for me for several years. I replaced a hand powered pump because I just got too lazy to pump 20 gallons or so of diesel by hand (do you know how many strokes of a hand pump that is?) I'd bet that this pump has moved in excess of 5 thousand gallons, both into and out of the fuel tanks.

Sadly, earlier this year, the pump no longer moved fuel. The electric motor would run but no movement of fuel. For a while,I was using a different pump I had because I was too busy to take the broken pump down and open it up to see what was wrong.

I got an exploded parts breakdown off the website and took the time to observe the pump and determine what parts I needed. When I called GPI to see where I could buy the parts, the conversation went like this:

"Hi, I need to order a gear and key set for a 150S pump. "

"Ok".

"and a gasket kit for the gear plate."

"Ok"

"And any other parts you think I need"

"Does the pump prime?"

"No"

"then I'll send you a poppet valve kit too....I need your address"

"123 XXXYYY City state"

"Cool, I'll get those out today"

"How much will that be?"

"I'll send them to you"

"Yes, I got that, how much and do you take Visa?"

"I'll send them to you"

"yes, and what are the charges?"

'I am sending them to you at no charge. "

"Oh, Thank you"

Didn't expect that, and the pump is 12+ years old. I doubt that the parts cost them that much to make, but still, this is well beyond what I expected as customer service. Hell, I'd have at least expected to have to pay for postage.

Oh, and BTW... these fuel pumps are MADE IN AMERICA.

Little Big Shot

Hose nozzle. Comes highly recommended by Partner. Made by disabled US veterans. I will be picking one up tomorrow to test for myself.  Ten bucks or $20 for three.

Trusty Cook Dead Blow hammers

Someone just gave me one- and I was very pleased to discover 'made in the USA' on the handle. very nice. Also supposedly awesome for tenderizing steaks, or so I'm told.

Made in America: ProShot Cleaning Products

I spent yesterday in the factory where most of this stuff is made. Very, very very high quality stuff, made by a hardcore gun nut who understands how to be obsessive/compulsive about quality. Buy some of their stuff, you will not be disapointed.

I had to move around my emergency kit some last weekend (the truck version) and came across my emergency flashlight. I store it without batteries and have a fresh unopened set of batteries and the flashlight in an old sock, together. Now, I love my Maglites. I love my little LED lights. I love my Surefire. That said, when I think "Flashlight" this is the image that comes to mind. .

  The Brightstar is the quintessentail "original" Flashlight and they are as durable as a brick. They're all plastic on the outside, which means they can be used inside electrical cabinets (Some older models had metal screws holding the switch on but I think that is now gone on all models) and a three D cell version costs $11 something. They are designed for industrial use- the light wands you see cops using and most airport ground people are usually brightstars. No, it doesn't have high technology ultra super bright bulbs or whatever, but they work for about 19 hours before needing battery replacement. Brightstar has moved up to some fancier models and they certainly do compete with the higher end flashlights in many arenas, but the original, ubiquitous BrightStar, still the familiar black and yellow, still damned near indestructible, is still Made in the USA. At $12, I find myself wondering why I don't have a few more of these. 

Texas Jeans

100% Made in the USA!

Texas Jeans Company (made in Asheboro NC) are 100% made in the USA.  All components are sourced from vendors in the USA. Fabric, buttons, zippers etc are sourced from US vendors.

These are good jeans. well made, double stitched, well made buttonholes etc. Like Levis used to be.

I found that the sizing was slightly smaller than what I normally wear. I had to go up a size or two, but other than that, they are perfect for me.

Pricing is excellent, at $29.99 for the basic jeans Some as low as $19.99. ($45.99 for the concealed carry jeans and the flannel lined version) Shipping is reasonable. You'll find that even with shipping, the price is comparable to what you'll buy in stores for a comparable pair of jeans.

Check them out!

(cross posted to both MiddleofTheRight and Made in America)

Edge Pro Knife Sharpening systems

I've been sharpening knives by hand for all my life. Not everyone has learned this skill, and if you haven't, this appears to be a good solution.  Comes highly reccomended by reader Roger.

Bondhus Balldrivers

I have been using them for years, and now I bought my very first Gold Plated set. I'm all excited!

Skin Care Products, Made in America....

Preface to FTC, FCC, or whoever the hell else cares--I bought and paid for these products myself--more than once, thank you very much.....

I'm always searching for the least-chemical, healthiest stuff for my face and body that actually works.  I've recently found a place, in the USA, that fits the bill.  Plus they are sustainable beekeepers, which I think is pretty nice.

Meadowlake Farm, has honey-based  and other organic skin care products.  I got their Flawless face cream, their face wash, a couple bars of soap.  Later I tried some of their honey salve with hive isolates as well as their face cream with hive isolates.  I've also got some of their jewelweed soap and salve in wait for when I wander through the poison ivy again. 

While the soap is soap, the rest of their products that I've tried have been fantastic.  No breakouts, better looking skin, everything you want in a product.  I have a friend with rosacea who tried their products (Flawless and Cream with Hive Isolates as well as their toner and face wash) and can now go without heavy foundation to cover the redness.  Truly good stuff.  While face stuff is pretty personal, I've got a sample of two whole people who are wickedly happy with their products.  They seem pretty pricey, but you get a pretty huge jar of stuff (I usually have littler jars that I put stuff in so I don't contaminate the big jar.

Just my opinion, and it's nice to find something that works for me.

I know this is a bit more girly than some other posts on here, but Og, the blog-starter, said he didn't mind my adding a bit of the feminine to the mix.

CAPPS uniform shoes

I have just purchased these Capps Uniform shoes.

I tend to wear plain oxfords and these are properly sewn together, welted construction with a real Goodyear welt.

The quality of the shoes is good, I've just gotten them tonight nad worn them around a bit to get a feel for them. These will have to be broken in, like leather shoes used to, but I expect they will feel like a second skin once I do. I will comment as they wear in and we'll see how they last long term. It was nice to pick up the insole and see the nails holding the heel on, like the old days.

Magpul products

I have not yet used these products, but when I was handed a magazine to test that was proudly marked "Made in America" and all the people I know who are AR shooters swear by them, I must post: Made in America: Magpul. Unlike a lot of other products of it's type, they're made in America and reasonably priced. Buy some before everyone figures it out!!

About time

Who knew that Menards had a patriotic streak?

Now if only they'll source the other 2,000,000 other product that they sell from manufacturers in the US.

Lisle tools

Lisle tools makes most of the good quality hand tools that are sold point of purchase in auto parts stores. The Lisle 3/8" drive metric allen set in my toolbox may be my most versatile tool. I'm damned if I know what I'd do without it. And thanks to Partner, I find they're still an American company, going strong.

Anderson's Winery, Valparaiso, Indiana

Og coordinated a trip to Anderson's Winery in Valparaiso, Indiana this last weekend with Brigid, myself, Mr. B/Himself, the Ogwife, and the Oglet.  Not only do they have locally made wines, they also create various soda pops--green apple, blue raspberry, apple, grape, and their own root beer (which the Oglet tried and liked, not being old enough for the wine).  They have been in place for about 50 years and specialize in "light, fruity wines produced by fruit and grapes grown in the Midwest region".  We came home with several bottles including their Red Raspberry, Strawberry, Rhubarb (a favorite of the Ogwife), Cherry, and their Vineyard Blue grape.  Being root beer aficionados (and on the advice of the the Oglet), Himself and I also brought home a couple of bottles of root beer to do a side-by-side comparison with Point Root Beer (Stevens Point, WI) and Sprecher's (Milwaukee), our present favorites.

You can belly up to their bar for a wine tasting that they will tailor to the preferences of the tastees.  They also have a small refrigerator filled with Fair Oaks Farm cheeses and make their own fudge onsite.  If you are in the Chicago-land area, it's worth a side trip being not-that-far south of Indiana Dunes State Park to make a nice day trip.  I'm not sure you can order online, but you can give them a call and see.

Libman cleaning products

makes brooms, dust pans, other bathroom and kitchen cleaning prooducts- like swiffer type stuff etc. and all made in the USA, and priced similarly to comparable chinese crap. Partner reminded me and sent me the link to Libman here.

Batteries not included

Another thing that recently occurred to me, is Batteries.

Johnson Controls still makes all it's car batteries here in the USA. Most of the manufacturing is done in Illinois. They make the batteries that are branded Motorcraft, Duralast, EverStart, and DieHard among others.

If you have a choce between a Motorcraft or a Duralast, and the cold cranking hours are the same, pick the cheaper one. Inside the plastic, they re both the same battery.

Wadsworth Tool

This is a Wadsworth Tool kit. It is the finest screwdriver set in the world, bar none. it is expensive, but it's worth it. I've had mine for about twelve years now, and I get very upset if it goes missing for even a few minutes.

I just got done putting a new DPFE sensor on the Exploder, and I'm damned if I know how I'd have done it without this tool.

Orange Juice

When perusing the grocery store shelves for some juice, I discovered that, of the major brands of orange juice, Florida's Natural is grown and packaged entirely in the USA.  I think it tastes great and I'll reach for it before I'll go for one of the competitors.