[chton]

That's entirely true for the current generations of 3D printer, but how do you know they won't improve in the future? If printed tools ever become good enough or almost good enough to compete with the quality that a traditional manufacturer can provide, they definitely have a chance of becoming more economical. Cutting out transport, work, and other such costs can make up for it.

I don't know when that tipping point will happen, but it would surprise me if it's decades for common tools. Printers have made great strides in just the last few years, and if the current pace of development keeps up, they could reach parity in the very near future.