China-free in 2008
- Thread starter MaddBaggins
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my mouse is from Malaysia, keyboard was assembled there, monitor made in Korea, and the box itself is in such location that I will not remove it just to look at the label underneath
laptop made in Taiwan
The Orient is well known to be filled with people who can copy and duplicate with real skill. We taught them to do that after WWII. In that war, we were forced to destroy most of them. The least that we could do was to teach them to be more like us so that they could compete on the market. We did that job all too well. Now Toyota outsells GM. We as Land Cruiser Club members cannot claim America-only as an attitude. If we do, then our claims ring hollow. We mostly drive Toyotas. In the event that we haven't noticed, Toyota is a Japanese corperation. When we log onto a site that believes in the higher ability of a Japanese company to build quality, we might think that you believe in the abilities that we Americans instilled in the Japanese 60 or more years ago. We would not expect to see an anti-aisian attitude.
We buy only the best. Would you really buy stocks from China? Would you buy a computer from Japan? Would you put your money into the Hong Kong Stock exchange? Probably not. Yet we all call the Toyota the best auto in the world for good reason. We want to be all-American, yet everyone on this site owns a foreign truck...An oriental product.
Get over it!!
While we are a world repository of knowledge about a Japanese product, we complain about Walmart, a real American company. While Walmart may be, and certainly is, a seller of oriental products, most of their house generic brands are re-labeled versions of old and quality American names. Spray lube sold under the house brand is not British or Chinese. It is WD-40 in a Wally can. Wally florescent light bulbs are made by Phillips, an American company, and sell for a dollar each in 4-packs. The house brand of paint is by Dutch-Boy. It is the best choice of some of the best contracters. In quantities under 5 gallons, it is the first choice of many professionals. Walmart pros are some of the best at matching colors. Walmart Color-Choice paints are thicker and can be color-matched in the darkest colors. Most exterior colors are too thick to roll on without thinning. We as professionals find the best values at Walmart on older American brands. And most of them can be found amoung the house generic names.
If you shop for furniture or other things, you may have to sort through some cheap stuff. But as a professional, I find much of my best quality at Wally
I can get identical items at lower costs, and the house brand paint is at a quality several levels above either Home Depot or Lowes. As a Pro, I buy my supplies at Wally as often as I can.
We buy only the best. Would you really buy stocks from China? Would you buy a computer from Japan? Would you put your money into the Hong Kong Stock exchange? Probably not. Yet we all call the Toyota the best auto in the world for good reason. We want to be all-American, yet everyone on this site owns a foreign truck...An oriental product.
Get over it!!
While we are a world repository of knowledge about a Japanese product, we complain about Walmart, a real American company. While Walmart may be, and certainly is, a seller of oriental products, most of their house generic brands are re-labeled versions of old and quality American names. Spray lube sold under the house brand is not British or Chinese. It is WD-40 in a Wally can. Wally florescent light bulbs are made by Phillips, an American company, and sell for a dollar each in 4-packs. The house brand of paint is by Dutch-Boy. It is the best choice of some of the best contracters. In quantities under 5 gallons, it is the first choice of many professionals. Walmart pros are some of the best at matching colors. Walmart Color-Choice paints are thicker and can be color-matched in the darkest colors. Most exterior colors are too thick to roll on without thinning. We as professionals find the best values at Walmart on older American brands. And most of them can be found amoung the house generic names.
If you shop for furniture or other things, you may have to sort through some cheap stuff. But as a professional, I find much of my best quality at Wally
I can get identical items at lower costs, and the house brand paint is at a quality several levels above either Home Depot or Lowes. As a Pro, I buy my supplies at Wally as often as I can.
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PS, Don't get me started on Mexico! How can a nation have thousands of miles of pristine beaches, remote high mountains, oil fields, as well as cities, and no jobs? Could there be corruption there? Do not start me on that! If we shut the border, I give them three years to rebellion. We had better be able to back them up! We can't stop the flow without taking some place in the trouble that results.
- Thread starter
- #45
I'm not ranting anti-asia or USA-only Brian. I'm talking about doing my best to avoid products MADE IN CHINA for all the reasons I posted on page 1. I happen to be a bit partial to Japanese. My better 1/2 is Japanese.
My home computer, I was suprised to find, is not made in China, its made in Malaysia.
My home computer, I was suprised to find, is not made in China, its made in Malaysia.
p.s. be carefull about lumber, i hear we get about 40% from china and most of that is illegally hervested. oh and portland cement, make sure you buy cement products from non chinese portland, last i heard as much as 80% was imported.
its really gonna be hard to keep china off the shopping list. stupid free trade.
BTW i'm not stoking the fire,, just trying to inform and help.
its really gonna be hard to keep china off the shopping list. stupid free trade.
BTW i'm not stoking the fire,, just trying to inform and help.
That's funny because I have worked in the North American software industry for a number of years and in my experience a finished job is always considered a good job, especially if it's ahead of schedule. In my opinion, the only reason it seems like products are better here is because of the media and marketing departments. People will buy a bag of dead leaves if it's marketed to them properly.
I take it you have never been there.
You think the stuff we get is bad quality or dangerous, if you saw the stuff they sell their own people you would crap yourself.There is no, absolutely no feeling, desire or any other outward manifestation for quality.
To take your example, for them once the code was written, done deal. As long as it worked once or twice that was good enough regardless of the bugs. Is that how you classify a "job well done"? Just because you 'finish' a job doesn't mean it was well done. That was all I was saying and that is from my 5+ years experience dealing with that system.
There is a new trans-Tibet railway. After watching how it was built there is no way on earth I would ever ride a train there. Concrete footings that are less than one year old would crumble in your hand. You could pull it apart by hand. I found this on two different bridges over 100 miles apart. The scary thing is those were the only place I came close to the bridge.
Brand new research labs and buildings that were less than 2 years old with cracked foundations, leaking gas and sewer lines. As I was getting my tour these fxxxers were proud of this building even though the level of contamination would impair and put into doubt any data that came out of that facility.
Government buildings that are 5 years old with the old construction debris all over, granted it is picked clean of the good stuff.
Ever had a pressure cooker explode on you? I have. That is why we would bring 3 or 4 for a two month field season. I will admit explosion has happened only twice that I know of (one personal), but they fail quite regularly.
For a two month field season we would buy about 40 lighters. Why? On average they would work about 6-10 times.
How many propane burners? 4 because you would be reasonably sure to have at least one working at the end.
I would go on, but it get repetitious.
You have a Japanese butt? That's so cool! Oh wait... the better half of your family? I get it, that's pretty cool too.
- Thread starter
- #50
We were not thinking about your lard-butt! But now we are!! Who brought that lard up anyway?
I have a really solid concern about Chinese quality. Most products that I buy from them are not of the lead-paint variety. They are more of the chop-saw kind. The chop-saw that I bought from them last year worked really well for a year for $100. It still cuts very well. But it lost its safety net last year on a job where I was using the saw on a job that was well beyond the capability of the saw. While I was cutting a 6X12 piece of wood on an angle, the safety screen blew into a thousand pieces! Humpty-dumpty, and not enough super glue to put it together again! Without the safety, the saw is a bit scary!
When I do the math, I have earned about $12,000 with that $99.00 saw. I cannot complain. Maybe I should buy a new one! At $99 for every $12,000 earned, we are doing OK. I buy 10" saw blades like they are butter knives. I have more cordless drills than most guys have pocket knives. I have three light table saws. With all of this stuff, I might be able to make something.
Sometimes I do!!
I have a really solid concern about Chinese quality. Most products that I buy from them are not of the lead-paint variety. They are more of the chop-saw kind. The chop-saw that I bought from them last year worked really well for a year for $100. It still cuts very well. But it lost its safety net last year on a job where I was using the saw on a job that was well beyond the capability of the saw. While I was cutting a 6X12 piece of wood on an angle, the safety screen blew into a thousand pieces! Humpty-dumpty, and not enough super glue to put it together again! Without the safety, the saw is a bit scary!
When I do the math, I have earned about $12,000 with that $99.00 saw. I cannot complain. Maybe I should buy a new one! At $99 for every $12,000 earned, we are doing OK. I buy 10" saw blades like they are butter knives. I have more cordless drills than most guys have pocket knives. I have three light table saws. With all of this stuff, I might be able to make something.
Sometimes I do!!
- Thread starter
- #52
I had my first dilemma in the quest to stay away from Chinese made products. I passed this time.
I was looking for a good tarp to use with my trailer to make a good area out of the weather for cooking and such. I checked all the good companies that make wing type tarps. SnowPeak, MSR, Moss. All 3 have really good tarps, lightweight, UV protected and waterproof. All 3 are made in China.
I ended up at the local military surplus store and got a new, military canvas waterproof tarp for less money, made in USA. The only down side to the tarp is that it's a rectangle instead of wing type and it's pretty heavy comparatively.
My new computer is assembled in China with California made components. That one is a bit of a grey area, but I'll accept it.
I was looking for a good tarp to use with my trailer to make a good area out of the weather for cooking and such. I checked all the good companies that make wing type tarps. SnowPeak, MSR, Moss. All 3 have really good tarps, lightweight, UV protected and waterproof. All 3 are made in China.
I ended up at the local military surplus store and got a new, military canvas waterproof tarp for less money, made in USA. The only down side to the tarp is that it's a rectangle instead of wing type and it's pretty heavy comparatively.
My new computer is assembled in China with California made components. That one is a bit of a grey area, but I'll accept it.
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- #55
- Thread starter
- #57
Is there something you guys want to go public with
OK
It's true, Branden has a Va-china!
OK
It's true, Branden has a Va-china!
yeah, we all saw it at the the 1st fossil creek clean-up
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- #60