Ok folks I got snapped at for talking pro USA products the other day. Question is does made in the US affect your purchasing?

 

As long as it doesn't say made in China, Korea, or Iraq, then it is OK with me.

 

Depends on what I'm buying. If it's something small I don't care. For cars, I only buy american built.

 

Always check for the tag!

 

My problem with most of the MADE IN USA stuff I buy is it's low quality. I can buy a worse looking japanese model and it lasts twice as long. Not trying to cause a war here but when electronics are involved best to leave to someone who has been doing it for years. One day we will achieve the level of the japanese but not yet.

 

Depends on what it is. Cars-american, Anything else-what ever is best price for best quality.

 

...Any more these days it is next to impossible to strictly "buy american"...I finally quick trying when I discovered the my "all american Harley Davidson motorcycle is all but...
I tend to focus more on what works for me instead...

 

course you know toyota,nissan,honda,mercedes,bmw are all made in usa, they employ a huge number of american workers in their assembly plants.

 

as long as its made in the usa i will buy it if not i look elswhere.

 

For trucks, Only american made....As for the other things doesn't matter..If it is well built and not to bad of a price I am going to get it..

 

As I now live in Canada I have a different set of priorities.
JK

 

So much comes from other countries, though. Even most components of so-called made in America stuff. The send kits over, an American factory assembles it, slaps a little flag on it, and sends it down the line. Nothing is sacred anymore. The US used to be the technology superpower, we pioneered computer science, lots of automotive and manufacturing technology, and so forth. Now, we have a service economy. Consulting firms. Accounting. Inspections. Standards. That is why there are so few true "made in America" products.

 

Usually, if I have two products with the features I want and near the same price I will buy USA. Problem is that not a lot of products are really made in the USA now, and some US products are significantly more expensive than say a China special. Other times a US product may be the same price but be of very low quality since our workers don't make 2 bucks a day in wages so something has to give.

In general for complex products like cars, big electronics, computers, machinery, bicycles, I will usually buy USA unless outrageously over priced.

I laugh at people who think Japan invented quality electronics and have the best. Used to be considered trash but much better now, but still not up to their reputation. I have bought several Sony products and they were outrageously expensive and I have been dissatisfied with their durability. Most Japanese electronics are companies originated in the US. Now a days, the problem with US electronics is that almost none of them are made in the US unless they are computers or high end products. This is also true of Japanese brands, a lot of Sonys are made elsewhere.

Japanese and some other countrys do produce good quality products but I wouldn't sell US companies short. We make excellent products, if there is enough margin to make up for labor. Americans have some weird belief that we can't make good products, bull. Maybe true in the 70s/80s but not so now in my opinion.

As far as China and "third world" producers, they are all excellent products considering the price, but for complex machinery, they usually are crummy quality. I buy chinese, cloth products and cheap toys and throw away tools, but I will buy American if I need it to last.

For example take a nice Chinese made Caliper and then a US made Starrett or even Japanese Mitutoyo. From a distance they are all beautiful. Up close and knowing what you are looking at, the Chinese is way low on quality, but essentially worth what you paid for it.

I shop for decent durability, decent price and if USA is close I go that way.

Just my opinion,

Jim Henderson

 

I buy whatever I think I get the best value for my dollar. If its made in the USA great. But if I find a comparable object that is foreign made but I feel is a better value I'll buy it. I have friends that work in both the Ford plant and the Chebby plant in Atlanta and some of the storys they tell about quality control make me think twice on American autos. I own both a Ford and a GMC but sometimes I wonder Why?

 

You can't buy Made In USA electronics, they are ASSEMBLED in the USA with, japanese and malasian parts usually.