Made in America...

[DarthRider]

Thought I'd see if there is interest in a thread on the relative few consumer products we can buy that are still "MADE IN AMERICA", or "MADE WITH PRIDE IN THE USA", as some say.
No political intent and I sincerely hope none creeps in. Just a very small thing we Americans can do to make a large statement and a small, positive economic impact.
Maybe we'd buy more American goods if we shared what the good ones are & where they are?

I went to Wally World last week to buy a simple 2-gallon pump sprayer to zap some brush...and as a replacement for my 2 year old one that will not hold pressure and is perpetually clogging up. Guess what? In the middle of August with *plenty* of growing season left, 2 of the 3 local Walmarts are sold out, as it is considered a "seasonal item". One of them had 1 left but it was only a 1-gal. model, "Made In China" as I expected. It was $16.00. I didn't buy it.
I went then to Ace Hardware, expecting they would have them for probably $20.00.
They had a whole array of them from 1-gal. to large "backpack" models from 3 manufacturers! I found my 2-gal. model and was pleasantly surprised at the $16.00 price. And they had a rack of every spare part that might ever need replacing. Impressive.
Yesterday as I assembled & used it, I was also impressed at the quality of the components and how *perfectly* it worked. So much better than the Walmart Chinese special it was replacing!
Then I looked at it to see where it came from: "MADE IN AMERICA" it proclaimed. Nice.
http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE3-3565273dt.jpg


It is made by (not imported by) the Chapin Manufacturing Company of Batavia, NY, a family owned company making spray products & other things since 1884. I wonder how many jobs they have provided through the years?
http://www.chapinmfg.com/

Also, props to Ace Hardware for carrying these American products year 'round...what we need, when we need it, at a competitive price!
http://www.acehardware.com/home/index.jsp?cid=PPC:76293361

OK, I'll shut-up...anyone else want to recommend some "MADE IN AMERICA" products?
"No big deal" you say? Absolutely not, But a very nice "small deal".

[DarthRider]

Well, this certainly went over like a fart in a space suit!
Surprising...

[Elsie Smith]

well, since you brought it up, hundreds of products
distributed by the Amway Global corporation are
made in America! http://www.quixtar.com

[DarthRider]

well, since you brought it up, hundreds of products
distributed by the Amway Global corporation are
made in America! http://www.quixtar.com

Thanks Elsie, I wouldn't have thought of that.

[fganger]

Dave lad,

Just my thoughts on this, if you had a lot of postings your comments might be considered "over the line." However, why bother posting when you agree with the statements so stinking much. :webers:

On the other hand, it could be that everyone is working behind your back and one night, very soon, there will be an unusual noise outside your house. You will go out to check and . . . sadly no more Dave. :pot:

I sure one of the above is correct lad,
Stinkin' Frank

[Donson]

Harley-Davidson.American built with pride for 106 years.Got 4 of em out in the garage.Would I buy another? Hell,yes.:)

[DarthRider]

Harley-Davidson.American built with pride for 106 years.Got 4 of em out in the garage.Would I buy another? Hell,yes.:)

And an Iron Redskin too.

[vintagemxr]

Since I worked for a German company that has factories all over the globe and I did work for most of those factories my sense of of what's made where and "Does it matter?" varies a bit from the norm.

Last year I was asked by my colleagues in Germany to buy various interior trim parts for certain "Japanese" cars that are popular in America and also parts from a couple of American companies. Not an unusual request but that's another story. Anyway, I called the appropriate dealers and ordered the various parts. When the parts came in I had to do some paperwork to get them ready for shipment to Germany and one of the things you have to specify is "country of origin" for each item. With the exception of some Lexus parts everything else was marked "Made in USA."

I prefer to buy American, especially for tools and such, but it's getting tougher to do that. Heck, the "German" car I'm driving was built in Mexico. The my Gold Wing was built in Ohio, my Italian motorcycle had an Austrian engine in it and recently I found out my wife is part Irish. Worse, the bike 'o my dreams, the Triumph Scrambler, is now built in Thailand or Malaysia and not Old Blighty. Is nothing sacred anymore?

the other Doug

[DarthRider]

Is nothing sacred anymore?

the other Doug

No, I don't think so.
What I think about most these days is "where the jobs are", more than anything else. But I won't buy junk or pay an financial penalty to support anyone.

And that was the purpose of this thread, or so I thought..."What & where are the good quality, competitively priced Made in America products."

[Donson]

No more trips to Harbour Freight for Bro Dave!:pope:

[DarthRider]

No more trips to Harbour Freight for Bro Dave!:pope:

OK, all we have to do is find where to get the same products at the same prices...I'm in!

[jb44]

OK, all we have to do is find where to get the same products at the same prices...I'm in!
... and that's the problem.

For example, I have a Baxley Sport Chock on my trailer.

http://www.baxleycompanies.com/Sportchock.html

It's a finely engineered, well-made item made in Alabama. But at $230. US, when it came time to purchase another one, I opted for one from Harbor Freight for $29.95...... not as elegant, but it does the same job for $200. less.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96349

jb

[Donson]

I bought one of those chocks from HF and bolted it to My small wooden deck trailer.To trust a $30 chock with a $20,000.00 bike...I bought some Ancra (?) tie downs like Dave suggested,and will never buy anything else.I have had one Wally world,and one HF strap snap on the lift. I dropped a Yam 650(SatansVirago)and also the Bronson Sportster fall off the lift.Now,only Ancra straps TWO PER SIDE,on any bike on the lift. Even a Honda 50.You get what You pay for.

[Rchop]

and recently I found out my wife is part Irish.

the other Doug

:yikes: Oh No...what will you do!! LOL

[Sir Limpsalot]

Worse, the bike 'o my dreams, the Triumph Scrambler, is now built in Thailand or Malaysia and not Old Blighty. Is nothing sacred anymore?

the other Doug

Not all of them Doug, the factory in Hinkley is still producing many thousands of bikes a year. Thankfully. I seem to recall that you can tell from the vin no where it was made, if it's an issue.

Si.

[Pacific]

There's a book worth reading -- A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink. Pink is neither a communist nor . . . you know -- not that there's anything wrong with that. He and many others argue that the great manufacturing booms of the past will NEVER, EVER return to the USA. Fact is, the demands of American employees (based on their need to maintain a decent standard of living) make it impossible to compete. We vote for goods with out pocket books, and the lower price, given approximately equal quality, always wins.

The same exodus of jobs will become increasingly true in "portable" information-age jobs like certain kinds of engineering and design. A worker in India can join the middle class for about $14.00/hour. These workers are just as smart, capable, and educated as North American people. And they'll take 30,000/year where we expect 50,000. So American firms hire them.

The future is in creative work -- in custom work, service industries, and a thousand other endeavors that bring people face-to-face or that require response on-the-ground. Pink argues that we're still educating people like it's 1960 and that we're going to end up with a lot of math-trained people driving cabs in the future.

Not trying to hijack this thread -- something to think about, though.

Jay

[DarthRider]

... and that's the problem.

For example, I have a Baxley Sport Chock on my trailer.

http://www.baxleycompanies.com/Sportchock.html

It's a finely engineered, well-made item made in Alabama. But at $230. US, when it came time to purchase another one, I opted for one from Harbor Freight for $29.95...... not as elegant, but it does the same job for $200. less.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96349

jb



jb - yes, and on the other-hand...

I recently bought quite a few quick-connect airline fittings & related items for my shop compressed air-line system.
The by-far cheaper ones from Harbor Freight mostly had "repeatability" problems. Not all 3/8" tapered pipe thread fittings were *exactly* the same. They leaked no matter how much Teflon tape or pipe sealer you used, or how much or little torque you used. The threads were often sharp or had burrs.

This was our problem with Chinese & many other "off-shore" manufacturers when I was with Tucker Rocky. They will make exactly what you want, to any spec, but many do not hold those tolerances, clearances, thread pitches, etc. for very long. Worn tools & dies, little attention for QA, etc.

You can get that repeatability but you pay more for it.

The equivalent fittings from Ace Hardware & Loews were almost 100% usable. And they were all from China or Taiwan, and cost a little more.

The ~15-20% or so of cost I tried to save cost me more that that in time, gas & aggravation. Fortunately, HF is a 100% easy-return place, they know & understand what they sell.

Anyone know a source for American Made pneumatic fittings at a competitive price?
That would be my preference.

[DarthRider]

Jay, your thread makes perfect sense and is not a jack at all!

That's the very reason I started the thread to find & support the shrinking American manufacturing base that still makes good, competitively priced products.

If the last one is destined to turn his lights out in X-years, maybe we can stretch that to X+Y years?

Or maybe a small(er) manufacturing base of very smart companies with very satisfied & loyal customers can go on virtually forever?