That SK set you linked to is a nice set and one that I would be happy to own. If you want NEW and US made, that's probably the way to go for a reasonably priced (for new) set that is high quality.
My strategy, which is not unique and is probably something you already thought of, is to buy USED high end tools for my own use. I look for Snap-On, Mac, Matco, and Cornwell primarily - the "tool truck" brands, but also for VINTAGE Craftsman tools or Craftsman Professional Line tools and some other brands like Blackhawk, SK, and some Armstrong. There are plenty of other old US made brands too...way too many to list here. As long as they're not worn out, they're worth a shot, too.
Skip the
new Craftsman stuff - it's almost all made in China now (except for some of their Professional Line stuff). Sears is still honoring Craftsman warranties, but they'll replace your broken or worn out US made tool with a new one from China
Sometimes there is still old stock US made Craftsman stuff on the shelf, but mostly not. As far as Craftsman Professional goes, you won't buy it by accident. It's way more expensive than most Craftsman stuff and they make sure you know it's US made and "professional." US made Craftsman stuff is plentiful and tends to go pretty cheap on ebay as Craftsman stuff, for whatever reason, is apparently looked down upon by professional mechanics (and they don't have tool trucks that service the shops so they must suck, right?).
I have purchased quite a few of my "tool truck brand" tools on ebay. A lot of mechanics that retire seem to unload their tool collections there and a lot of young mechanics that get in trouble with extreme debt or have a change of heart, career wise, seem to cash out on ebay also. It does require carefully picking through offerings to make sure that what you're getting isn't just beat to s***, and there are no absolute steals (ie, other folks are also looking for the same stuff, so prices can get run up), but if you are patient, there are deals to be found. My best deals on high end tools are usually found with Cornwell tools. They don't seem to be as big of a deal as Snap On and their tool truck network seems to be much smaller, so I guess (???) they're less popular...less folks looking for them on ebay makes them less expensive for me to own.
It should also be said that most of these major brands offer
better quality imported tools for less money than their US made stuff. Usually the COO is Taiwan, but some tools come out of China as well. Snap On has Blue Point, Matco offers imported items under the Matco brand, and Cornwell has the Blue Power line. I have some tools from all of these lines and they're excellent, quite honestly...mostly the stuff that is (for me) cost prohibitive to buy high-quality US versions of such as impact socket sets for my pneumatic tools which tend to be very expensive. As a hobbyist, for the amount I use them and what I use them for, they'll last forever.
For all the money that was cumulatively spent on those, I could have had some real tools that would have lasted much longer.
