Many of the Crapsman taps and dies are now made in China.
My solution was to go to Sears and purchase their tap holder in the dustiest, most retro-looking packaging (which curiously was labeled as being made in the USA) and then to individually purchase Greenfield taps through McMaster on an as-needed basis. Rarely will I get involved with a project that involves tapping without putting in a couple days' worth of forethought during which I could source a high quality tap.
Of course that leaves me without a complete tap set, but as mentioned, I have tried the junk Chinese taps, and they just aren't worth the frustration. The complete Greenfield and Cleveland sets run into the thousands, depending on how many pieces are included, so I figure I'll just acquire them over a long period of time, as needs arise. I'm satisfied with a lot of other bargain tools, but cheap taps just won't cut it for me, pardon the pun.
My solution was to go to Sears and purchase their tap holder in the dustiest, most retro-looking packaging (which curiously was labeled as being made in the USA) and then to individually purchase Greenfield taps through McMaster on an as-needed basis. Rarely will I get involved with a project that involves tapping without putting in a couple days' worth of forethought during which I could source a high quality tap.
Of course that leaves me without a complete tap set, but as mentioned, I have tried the junk Chinese taps, and they just aren't worth the frustration. The complete Greenfield and Cleveland sets run into the thousands, depending on how many pieces are included, so I figure I'll just acquire them over a long period of time, as needs arise. I'm satisfied with a lot of other bargain tools, but cheap taps just won't cut it for me, pardon the pun.
