By the time you trace the origin of all of the components (alloys, forgings, resins), you end up literally all over the world.
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The more I think of this topic, the more Iâm convinced itâs nearly folly to attempt to make any sort of meaningful distinction by way of segregating ones consumer choices based solely on country of origin.
Certainly, one could object to a particular COMPANYâS labor practices, or political stance, etc. But just from where a factory is physically located?
The only way I could see where that would be relevant is the case where the political infrastructure was SO corrupt and SO degraded that product adulteration or rampant build quality problems were endemic to the entire system, i.e. âNot even one good man in Sodom.â For instance, I would not, knowingly buy goods manufactured in North Korea, because I have no confidence that what they SAY is coming out of the factory actually IS whatâs coming out of the factory. Past that, thereâs always a ânot ALL xâ argument to be made.
One need only remember Sturgeonâs Law: 90% of everything is crud.
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And in the US, North Korea is one of the few places that will have had a hand in anything you buy. The fines for dealing with N Korea have been in place for a very long time and are steep (and come with potential jail time for those who exploit that)
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Maybeânot intentionallyâso.
Then again, I own a lot of stuff I either didnât buy at all or didnât buy from the manufacturer.
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Not a penny spent at thrift stores goes back to the manufacturer.
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I understand that its not intentional. But I promise its there.
For me, political considerations do not play a role at all in my buying decisions. Imho itâs too naive to exclude a country like China - the iphone being a case in point but also Volvo.
What matters to me is good quality and craftmanship. I like that Le Creuset is still being made in France. To me it shows that they are willing to spend money on safeguarding quality control. Not that Chinese factories canât make good products, but if a production facility is near the headquarters of a firm then itâs usually better able to safeguard quality.
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How about supporting employment and craftsmanship in the country of origin?
Iâve purchased some really great products that were âMade in Chinaâ.
My instant (whole house) hot water heater was âMade in Chinaâ and it does an outstanding job and has lasted much longer then what I expected. My bicycle was also made in China, again well built, handles the abuse it is served and keeps on going.
Both my (made in China) angle grinder and wet tile saw broke prematurely. I only got through two tile jobs when the motor in my wet tile saw died.
I donât think you can generalize the quality of an item based on its country of manufacture. I think it has more to do with the design and the materials the parent company sourced. The workers assembled what they were provided.
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I try to buy local but at our level of income price will dictate where.
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There seem to be more quality control issues wrt to Chinese products- a lot of lies and a lot of cheating.
I donât trust their system.
I donât trust that their businesses look out for safety and welfare for their own workers, their own communities or the consumers. I donât trust that the pesticides they sell their farmers are as safe as the ones used in Canada or the States. I think Chinese people in China are doing the best they can. Itâs not their fault that the government, their system and business- whether multinational Chinese- allows for lower quality materials to be used.
The past 2.5 years has been made worse because of the system running China. Itâs too bad.
This is an excellent documentary, in case anyone is interested
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Nice thing about thrift stores is that the money tends to stay in the community. Also, less landfill.
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I canât speak to what has been happening lately (past 2.5 years or so) as I havenât purchased any âmajor itemsâ in a while.
I do agree some companies cheat and lie, I think that has more to do with that companyâs corporate culture and management. One of the more recent scandals I remember was Volkswagen and their diesel emissions.
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It absolutely has to do with management and bottom line.
We lost another 200 jobs overnight in my region. The management decided to shut down a 53 yo companyâs factory a month before Xmas. The manufacturing will now be done in Tennessee, where labour costs less. Kelloggs shut down its production in my city after 99 years. Caterpillar and Heinz also have left Canada. We have more meth addicts, more homelessness, more prostitution and more theft now that we have more poverty. Itâs all connected.
I look at the labels, and support businesses that align with my principles.
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I care, but if I actively avoided buying from countries I didnât want to support, I donât think I could own a car, a computer, or much of anything. Anything I can buy locally grown, I buy locally grown.
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LC ECI is still being made in France. Itâs easy to see the quality of LC vs some of the less expensive brands (made in various places) by the presence of chipped dutch ovens on display in places like TJMaxx and Home Goods, and even in department stores.
LC Stoneware is made elsewhere. The last few pieces I purchased are made in Thailand, and Iâve had no issues with that whatsoever. Quality is fine.
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Very true.
Sometimes an item is designed into a price pointâthey need to sell X for $Y retail and still make a margin of Z%. Very likely this was they case with your tools.
Other companies understand that quality has a cost and would rather raise the price a bit than compromise that.
Iâm in the apparel/accessories business and have worked for companies that do business both ways.
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I have a few pieces of LC ECI, but they were bought before their prices went crazy high. Theyâre good, but I would not recommend them now a days given some of the competition.
Interesting discussion. Most of my kitchen stuff was made in Europe (cookware) or Japan (knives). I assume the cheapo plastic spatulas and similar items were made in China.
I donât buy much; I donât own much; and most of my items were used (Goodwill) or discounted (TJMaxx).
My priorities are: safe, durable, affordable, and then country of origin. Whenever possible, I do not buy from China. They are in a learning curve for manufacturing items which meet my top three priorities, but are often not there yet. I think that Chinese non-electronic goods manufacturers are in the same improvement place as Japan was in the 1950s: much potential, but poor quality standards, and very poor quality processes.
Remember in 2007 the poisonous dog food scandal of Chinese dog food? Melamine? This was not poor quality standards, but deliberate substitution of a poisonous ingredient in order to lower manufacturing costs.
Ethical considerations are also important to me: forced labor of minorities and political dissidents, used by manufacturers, and coordinated by the Chinese government. (Sorry about the long link below)
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2007 our Australian Shepherd got a bad case of mange from that dog food. We were living in Europe at the time and bought a large bag of it at Ramstein AFB. Still makes me angry, what that poor girl went through.
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