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Jerry Sauk[_2_]

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/29/2015 7:34 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 6:51:36 PM UTC-4, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 10/29/2015 2:29 PM, Keyser Söze wrote:

On 10/29/15 1:01 PM, Mr. Luddite wrote:

Maybe I am but wouldn't it be nice to have more products say "Made in
the USA" on them? Either that or maybe you should take some
courses in
basic Hindi. :-)

Sure, it would be nice.

Do I detect a note of hopelessness?

Not too long ago, I went to Lowe's to buy some outlet strips. I
couldn't find anything that wasn't made in China. While I wanted
some high quality strips, there was nothing available but the cheap
junk. I was willing to pay more for better quality. It seems that
some enterprising companies would realize that there are consumers
that are willing to pay for quality, and while their market
penetration and product output would be small, they could make
money. It's frustrating.

I think it's a misnomer to assume that all Chinese made products are
sub-quality or "junk". There are plenty of examples of products made
in China that are of equal or even better quality compared to the same
product when it was made here in the USA. For example, I was just
looking at a space heater that I bought last year. It's a Honeywell
product, made in China, is UL tested and certified and is not anything
less in quality or performance than the same thing if it were made in
here.

There was a period of time, early on in the "invasion" of Chinese
manufactured products where quality or even adherence to any
established codes didn't exist. Remember the imported, made in China
sheet-rock that ended up having to be ripped out and replaced in new
construction? Or the problems with plastic bottles?

Over the years I think China has quickly learned and is producing
quality products that meet general code requirements. Once in a while
you'll find something made by a fly-by-night operation in China like the
stage lighting I bought on e-Bay a few years ago and was flabbergasted
by the crappy construction with weird electrical sockets and wiring
that were a hazard to operate. They quickly ended up busted up and
thrown in the dumpster.

There was also a period of time ... maybe it still exists ... that
because China does not recognize patents, trademarks or copyrights
of other nations, there were illegal (here) copies of Gibson and
Martin guitars being manufactured there. A guy showed up at my shop
a few years back. He had traveled to China on business and somehow
ran across an operation making Gibson electric guitar copies. He
bought 21 of them .... get this ... for about $1 each but paid a
hundred or so each to ship them to the USA. He brought some to the
shop trying to sell them to me. I was aware of the illegal copies
being brought to the states and knew how to determine that they were
fakes. It is illegal here to sell them, but I have to admit that
other than not being a "real" Gibson, they were of excellent quality
and workmanship.

I suspect the made in China outlet strips you saw at Lowe's are
probably fine, quality-wise, and I'll bet they are UL approved.

Many major US manufacturers have operations in China that they closely
oversee. They have a reputation to uphold.