I was in a fair sized “True Value” hardware store the other day. I asked the buyer to estimate what percentage of the products in the store were made in China. He thought for a few seconds and said “about 50%”.
Of all the crap found in hardware stores now, none angers me more than parts that used to be made in metal that are now made in plastic. Weak, easily broken, they strip...forget it.
I sometimes wonder about the hardware itself (screws, bolts, etc.). The metal seems to be soft and easily stripped, ripped and bent.