Michael Which hobby handyman doesn't take pride in his tool collection! Ever since I was a young kid, I've been collecting the highest quality tools, even when they could only be obtained at an exorbitant price. For example, in my toolbag, there's two pairs of piers that are about 30 years old, made by the famous German toolmaker Bernstein, which I personally purchased back in the day at the Bürklin store in the Schillerstraße in downtown Munich, and I vividly remember how I cringed because they were really expensive back then. Or take the screwdriver set made in Germany by Wiha, which I bought in Germany last year when we visited the old country again. They are really fun to work with and feel fantastic, they really make my day when I set out to repair anything that needs maintenance.

If you inspect the shelves of a typical big box home improvement store these days, regardless whether in Germany or in the United States, you'll mostly find tools manufactured in China. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as every hobby handyman can find excellent quality tools there, just remember to stay away from the 1-Dollar bins. The smaller hardware stores, however, for example "Ace Hardware", often carry more traditional tools made in the USA. I can't help it, but I'm really drawn to their opulent design. It's sometimes a bit overly sturdy and almost klutzy, but I love the retro look and feel. There's a certain clientele here in the United States who would never buy anything that's not made in the USA, and they're often leaving vitriolic comments on Amazon's product review pages, driving home the point that a certain tool that used to be manufactured in the U.S. is now being assembled in China, which allegedly led to shoddy quality that doesn't measure up to the tool they tried to replae after owning it for 30 years without problems.

I love the bold design of these traditional made-in-the-USA tools, which seems to have been unaffected all the progress in modern toolmaking since the 1950ies. Some of them are pretty heavy-handed because the manufacturing companies are still using ancient materials like cast iron, but I like they way they look and how the feel in my hand. I spent a whopping $50 on the bodacious "Ridgid" pipe wrench (Figure 1), but I've got to admit that for practical reasons, I didn't go for the cast iron version and chose the aluminum make instead, although even the lighter version still feels like it could easily withstand a nuclear strike. Or take the revolving punch made by Osborne (Abbildung 2). The design could easily date back to Wild West times, but even nowadays, no honest shoemaker or leather craftsman would settle for anything less solid.

Interestingly, hammers sold in the US are typically carpenter's hammers, featuring a claw on one end to help removing nails, although I don't think I've ever in my life removed a nail with a hammer claw. The "Craftsman" brand is sold at "Sears" retail stores, which is the most disastrous American chain and I'd shop there only if there was absolutely no other way, like if all other stores had been overrun by zombies and I was in desperate need of a hammer.

Let me tell you, I've ordered items at Sears' website, but when I then followed the directions in the confirmation email to pick up my stuff at the nearest store, it turned out that no one there knew where my order was. It wouldn't surprise me at all if their terrible business went bankrupt soon. Regardless, the hammer in Figure 3 with its 1950ies style walnut handle is a timeless beauty, and most likely, I bought it not from Sears, but at a completely different chain store, Ace Hardware. They feature many small franchise stores all across America, and sometimes they can be found even in remote villages. Their staff is always knowledgable and eager to help. And they even sell single screws at 10 Cents! I'm telling you, we've got to support these Ace stores, because if they're gone one day and all that's left are the "Home Depot" and "Lowes" big box hardware stores, there's going to be a rude awakening with much moaning and tearing of clothes. Make sure to frequent them for your hardware needs, and even if you need a more expensive item, give them your business even if it's a few dollars more. You'll save gas and time driving to the nearest suburban big box store anyway.

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• More topics you might be interested in:

  	At the Mercy of America's Broken Health Care System
  	Top Product: The Foldable Cargo Box
  	New Delivery Services
  	Unusual Drought Measures
  	Top Product: Rold Gold Pretzels
  	Thank you - Uh huh
  	Michael leaving Yahoo, joining Apple