First thing I saw when I received my box was "made in China", Harbor Freight sells one for $100, though it doesn't rip. As far as ripping, my help cannot keep a consistent measurement utilizing the gauge marks, maybe because I erroniously believed it would rip a shingle in one cut, not two or three lops. The preset holes are for either a three tab or the larger highend shingles. Regular metric dimensionals cannot be ripped,for the starter, they are 13" high. For the money, I assumed it was American made, and what I had been tracking for the last 5 years. My bad.