[jbay808]

> The quality of a mass-produced product like a consumer hand tool isn't a function of the country in which it is made but rather of its design

There's a lot more to production quality than just product design. Quality of materials, manufacturing tolerances, heat treatment, surface cleanliness, quality control procedures, tooling wear, order of operations, assembly jig design, and so on. Some of those may be affected by the country in which it's made, and some may not. While you may say those are "design" in that the designer specifies the material they want, whether their product really gets made the way they envision is not always up to them.

And even when it comes to just design, I'll say one thing: I have a lot more confidence in the designs produced by designers whose desks are within walking distance of the production line.