Posted by David Sherman on Sunday, June 02, 2002 at 10:07PM :
In Reply to: Re: Chinese?? posted by MoparNorm on Sunday, June 02, 2002 at 7:12PM :
I knew I'd catch some flak on the Chinese comment, and I know the chinese tools aren't as good as the American ones they copied, BUT...
For example, I remember when Sears sold a good solid cast-iron table saw. I have one from the 1950s and it's wonderful. Then around 1970 they started cheapening it up by using more stamped sheet metal, die-case pot metal, plastic, etc, while continuing to raise the price. They look pretty, the fit and finish is good, they come in a 4-color glossy box, etc, but they're fragile and flimsy and wobbly. Along come the Chinese (Jet/Foremost/Grizzly, etc) and they make a heavy, strong, poorly-finished tool that comes in an ugly box with a bad manual for a lower price. To my taste, if the tool had to be cheapened, the Chinese cheapened it in the right way. I would rather support American workers, but it's American managers who have decided that we want a glossy finish and a lot of gimmicks rather than a solid functional machine.
It's a tough dilemma, if I want to buy American but no American company is making what I want for a price I can afford. In the case of trucks, nobody's making it at all. I do think that if, for example, a Chinese copy of an M37 became popular in the US, it might wake up the Detroit marketeers. Look at that Chinese copy of a Braden winch that Northern Industrial sells: The only reason the Chinese can do that is that Braden has quit making them itself. Chrysler could go back and make a strong functional inexpensive truck if they wanted to but instead they give us plastic and electronics. As far as fuel economy goes, they'd gain a lot more by providing a smaller engine than by replacing steel with plastic. I don't mind slowing down to 50 mph on a steep hill once in a while.
Another problem with "buying American" is that it's real hard to tell what is American. A few years ago I wanted a 1-ton chain hoist. I could have bought a "Jet" from Tool Town for maybe $60, but I went to the local industrial supply and bought an Ingersoll-Rand" for well over $100, figuring the American-made one would be better. After I got it home, I opened up the box and inside it was another box with chinese writing on it and inside it with the hoist was the Chinese inspection certificate stamped with chinese letters. I basically got duped into paying twice the price just because I-R put it in their own box. Now I would like to think that if I pay twice as much for an I-R air tool as for a "Chicago Pneumatic" (chinese) one, it would be made in the USA, but after my experience with the chain hoist, I don't believe them.
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