Another Chinese tool rant :)

[reader2580]

Lol, so this is our fault?

News flash.

People buy a $75 imported floor jack, because they cannot afford a $350 USA model.

It is the consumer's fault when they choose to buy a cheap Chinese floor jack over an American one that will probably be higher quality. I bet a lot of those Chinese jacks will be replaced in a few years when they start leaking.

I know plenty of people who buy two, three, four of a cheap low quality item and finally they decide to get the more expensive quality item that will outlive them. In the case of the the jacks if you go through four of them you'll have spent nearly as much as getting an American one up front.

I've done it. It didn't seem worth getting the expensive item at first, but after buying a few of the cheap ones I ended up with the expensive one anyhow.

 

[94EG8]

What does one have to do to convince the brand owners that some of us are still willing to pay the premium for quality?
It does not matter what it is, I would still pay the extra to buy a product that is fit for purpose and lasts.

Quite frankly there just aren't enough people actually willing to pay more, and usually it's not a little extra either, it's a lot extra. Lots of people claim they're willing to spend more for USA made, but when push comes to shove most aren't.

How long have Wright and Snap-On been able to stay in business with tools that don't break?

They still break, they are lifetime warranty though. Snap-On is a bit unique, most people that buy Snap-On feel that you can never have too many tools, or even too many of the same tool. I don't feel this translates well to other brands or products.

 

[PeterT]

The long and the short of it, some of us take pride in holding a tool made by another American. It makes some of us feel good knowing we are buying American and another American worker is employed because of it. Some of us prefer the quality of an SK or Proto or Snap on versus the lower quality Chinese tools.

I always buy American and assuming I am not in a huge hurry, I can usually get a decent deal on it.

 

[visionguru]

... I bet a lot of those Chinese jacks will be replaced in a few years when they start leaking.

Made in USA floor jacks will leak too, because it all depends on the O-rings. I have used a Craftsman 3-ton jack for 6 years, made in China, still works perfectly.

 

[2oolhound]

That said the chinese have launched rockets into space. They are as qualified and intelligent as any other people on the planet. It's just the money hungry entrepreneurs entering the market place in a frenzy that cause the problems. They have as much honour as a seagull (if you've ever watched them fight over a scrap) and will do anything for a buck. They've learned to cheat their way through life.

Have you realized that you are generalizing 1/4 of world's population, who has been the most advanced civilization for most part of human history?

I have a friend (from China) who has been a big supplier of Christmas decoration items for one of the national home improvement stores for the last 11 years. He told me that year after year, the chain gives him less and less money, but asking for more quantity. He had to use the cheapest materials and hire cheapest workers for the business to survive. If he loses the contract, there are plenty of others to fill in.

What is the problem here? It's not Made in China. It's the corporate greed and the prices paid. Modern day China has similar equipments and ample access to materials from all over the world, like steels from Germany and Japan. These tools are not exactly hard to make. Quality comes with a price, it has little to do with where things are made.

How is this any different from what I'd said? When you quote one line only you loose context of my full statement. If you re-read it with the preceding sentence it's basically the same thing you've repeated.

The only reason China is being used in this discussion is because that's where the bulk of the manufacturing jobs from this side of the globe have gone. As such that's where the entrepreneurs who are in the bidding wars and cutting quality to win contracts are. Please re-read my 1st 2 sentences in the final paragraph below:

That said the chinese have launched rockets into space. They are as qualified and intelligent as any other people on the planet.

 

[jrockford]

It is the consumer's fault when they choose to buy a cheap Chinese floor jack over an American one that will probably be higher quality. I bet a lot of those Chinese jacks will be replaced in a few years when they start leaking.

I know plenty of people who buy two, three, four of a cheap low quality item and finally they decide to get the more expensive quality item that will outlive them. In the case of the the jacks if you go through four of them you'll have spent nearly as much as getting an American one up front.

I've done it. It didn't seem worth getting the expensive item at first, but after buying a few of the cheap ones I ended up with the expensive one anyhow.

There's Chinese made jacks then there's cheap Chinese jacks.