USA made or CHINAmart ? .... what diff would you pay ? ...

... just bought a used high optioned 12 inch miter saw.... the blade was shot.

I did a search on blades ... I was astonished at price diffs.

TAKE ANY product purchase ... how much more would you pay to support North American jobs ?

YES I’m including those ... north of the border !

It's more than just supporting jobs, the US made stuff is likely much better than the other. Seek out some independent reviews to see.

In the market for a flag pole for the house. Found a nice 20' thick wall telescoping aluminum pole...of course, made in China, $179. Asked about a USA made pole...they have them made to the same specs....almost $500. I'll be spending $500 unless I find something else USA made. Not hanging Old Glory on a China made pole!!

I wonder where the flag was made.

Depends which "kit" you buy I'm sure

Unless I can prove to myself something is made 100% in the USA, I'm not gonna pony up the extra $$$$. Why? Long time ago I was getting part time jobs thru a temp agency. One of these part time jobs I was hired out to was to change the packaging on the product to show PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA instead of Made in China. That was my job for two days (honestly don't remember the company, it was some kind of swamp cooler).

Not saying this happens a lot (or even at all with bigger companies) but the whole experience soured me on 'buying American' just based on a sticker. Another variation to this that I've seen was the BOX being 'Made in the USA' but the contents were 100% China made.

Do a little research before spending the extra $$$$ is all I'm saying.

If I have a choice, I try really hard to pretend the china option doesn't even exist, and the domestic option price is "how much is supposed to cost". I'll admit I didn't do this in my younger years but I do now. I've never regretted paying good money for USA made at a higher price. Why reward a company for sending mfg elsewhere?

There is a difference in "Made in" and "Assembled in" as well. All parts can come from China and be put together in Canada (Or any other country) and it's "Assembled in Canada" which some believe is the same as "Made in Canada". Not saying it happens all the time, but some parts are 90% made in China and shipped to Canada or US to get "finished". Those finished parts are then used to assemble something and claimed "Made in" that country. An easy example (not sure if it's a good one) would be a bolt getting sent from China to Canada. The bolt is the head and shaft, no threads. The threads are cut in Canada and now you have a "Made in Canada" bolt even though it's Chinese materials.

Reading some reply’s it seems there are two different opinions on why to buy from North America;
-Patriotism to keep folks here in work, and
-Fear of buying an inferior product.

If the first is your concern, good luck with purchasing almost everything, many a country other than China make goods sold in your local stores. As a matter of fact, finding a true “made in the USA” or “Canada” may be at or near impossible, as mentioned, made is in the USA is often disguised and assembled, partly assembled, sticker placed on it, or an outright fraudulent rebox.

If the second is your concern, China, as well as many other countries, including the US and Canada, are fully capable of producing some very high quality items. Poor quality is usually the result of the brand accepting inferior quality to maximize profit or to beat the other guys price point.

I try to live by case number 1 but on the same token I’m not willing to purchase an inferior product for the same or higher price, just to say it’s made in country X. Far beyond price I consider quality (as best can be determined through research) as how something holds up over time, or performs a function, reliably, makes my life easier and reduces work.

Not trying to sway anyone or state right and wrong, but something to think about

United States Flag Store and/or Valley Forge Flags is worth a look guys

I do my best to buy USA made. Depending on the item depends on how much extra I will pay. For instance I will go to harbor freight if I need a specialty tool I will use one time or seldom.

USA made doesn't always mean better, i won't pay more for less quality. But in most cases the USA item is better for a marginal difference. And in some cases the USA made part is cheaper and better, I just wish it was more common.

I like it when companies are up front and proud of US made stuff as well. Just two examples off the top of my head.

Like DIYAutotune where I get all my fuel injection stuff
https://www.diyautotune.com/news/an-open-letter-from-our-founder-ceo-jerry-hoffmann/

Or Weathertech
https://www.weathertech.com/behindtech/

just a FYI.
imports from china hit a 14 YEAR HIGH in November

imports hit 14 year high in november

I'm glad people make the effort. Now tell me where you guys are getting your U.S. made stroker cranks & connecting rods... It would save me the trouble of rebuilding factory I-beams all the time & hunting for old Kellogg cranks.

Well back to the OP ... Cheapies have their place - cutting up trash or firewood. But for carpentry work I always buy a) a carbide tipped blade and b) a name brand like Freud. They're not always American made and personally, since I'm not American, I couldn't care less. When Sears went under all their inventory got sold for pennies on the dollar and you can go to swapmeets or flea markets and buy a 12" Craftsman blade for $10.. You can't beat that regardless where they're made.

I bought two quarter panels from Year One because they advertised Made In USA. When they arrived there were stickers that had those words on it. Then I noticed the corner of a sticker under the USA sticker so I carefully removed the USA sticker and there, plain as day was a sticker that had Made in Taiwan ROC (Republic of China). I've never bought from Year One again.

I do everything I can to buy made in USA. And will pay more to support products made here. But somethings are impossible to find a made in USA version.

Callies and Oliver is where I got my last one. The one before was from 440source and not US made and the machine shop found no problems with the product. The build dictates what I will us.

I for one do try to buy quality US made products. Especially when a company shifts production overseas to cut costs but charges same prices as before like I have seen with Craftsman and Levi's. Both of these companies lost my business as the quality suffered. You can get quality from China, but it takes a lot of oversite and control of production which is usually done by westerners that cost a company a lot (expats). Add in the rising costs of transportation and now you find that you have to either reduce oversite or further cheapen the product. I buy Texas Jeans now. They seem to be holding up, and come in many styles. At the end of the day I don't think anyone cares about the name on the 2" x 4" leather label on the waist band. As for tools, I focus on US manufactures when I can. Or if I know its a crap shoot with quality I will buy the foreign with the assumption I will replace it later. We have a store near us called "Made in America" that sells only US made items. But they don't stock a lot of stuff so its hit or miss when shopping there.

This is not true. Do you know why American-made, no, let's say non-Chinese-made, product is (generally) higher quality? It sure as hell isn't because the workers are more skilled or conscientious. In fact, the total opposite is true. Give an American a job to do with no specific desired outcome and you will end up with the same sh!t that the American auto makers were cranking out in the 60's to 80's. The average American worker will do the least amount of work for the most monetary gain. It took foreign (read Japanese) product to open American eyes and implement "quality programs". Programs such as ISO - but don't get me started on that one! Chinese production is no different today than most other countries. If you provide the specifications and tolerances, you will end up with a product comparable to and other manufacturer using the same specifications. And it doesn't take oversite by westerners, the Chinese are total capable of overseeing their own production. No, the reason you get poor quality Chinese product is because, quite simply, there is a market for it! Forget Chinese for a moment and look at the vast array of American-made products. You will find a large number of similar products with varying levels of quality and price. Because there is a market. A prime example is Snap-On, Mac, Craftsman and Stanley tools. Not everyone needs or can afford a Snap-On or Mac and the Craftsman or Stanley will do just fine. So back to the point of Chinese quality, its there - if you want it - and it will still cost less than an American-made product of equal quality.

It is true China can produce a product that is of high quality but...
The challenge is having product built and audited under strict quality standards. However In China it is a common practice to source/build for the lowest price, and this frequently results in a sub-par product due to:
a. Weak or none, outgoing QA standards
b. No audit for the raw material subcontractors
c. Frequently, low-quality and/or recycled raw materials are utilized
d. No local monitoring of the production process
e. No final outgoing inspection

Bottom line..
We have been sourcing products from China for >20 years, made >60 trips to China, while delivering products valued @ millions of $$.. And this has been done for some of the well-known brands.
Also we are frequently consulted by an importer who has been burned by not following an audited, documented procedure. Sourcing from China can be a challenge, the procedure is well-established but does add significant costs to the product,
and this is where many problems arise as the importer tries to save $ costs but ends up with a batch of defective products...

Just my $0.02...

Add to you list : no brand name to protect its integrity. They don't care what they ship, as long as they get paid now.

I thought this threads title would be about the China type eBay site when it said China Mart.
Aliexpress home of the counterfeit goods.
Anything China is cheap as above stated. And can also be rejects from legitimate runs.
No R&D

Ordered a weight bench a few weeks ago. The bench ships Fri. They claim all U.S. steel and all made in the USA. Their stuff looks to be great quality.
https://www.legendfitness.com/product/four-way-utility/

I'd rather go without than purchasing anything chinese made, although it is tough these days. Will gladly spend double for American made. Buy older, used items when possible.




This is a local company to me and worth a look. https://ezpole.com/

Why would anyone want to finance a communist hellhole? Avoid it as much as you can.

A perfect example of the difficulty of deciding what you consider patriotic vs economically sensible..

Taiwan ROC is NOT China.
Taiwan is an island, and was a province of mainland China, to which Chinese Nationalist forces withdrew after their defeat by Mao's Communist forces.
Taiwan was then protected from attack by mainland China by the US, and remains a US ally to this day.
Taiwan functions as an independent country, but is not a separate member state of the UN, nor viewed as one.
Taiwan is legally not a sovereign state, so..
...Taiwan continues to be CLAIMED by the Communist Chinese mainland as a province of theirs.

Fun stuff to consider as you go down the rabbit hole of the global economy ..

...do you buy from a US ally in support of their freedom and independence from Communist China?
- Art

Wanted a little red wagon to pull the Granddaughter around in. First looked at the old standard Radio Flyer. $199 and made in China. Found a Berlin Flyer for $119 and made in America. That was an easy choice!

but yet, we all purchase big tv's, phones, and computers made [where else ?] in china.

The question was how much more would you pay for USA products...that's assuming you have a choice. There IS no choice when it comes to phones, TVs etc.

correct ! ^^^^^^

My TV was made in Mexico. Are they no longer made there? My computer and phone were refurbished units, so the original manufacturer didn't get my money anyway.

I do my best to buy things not made in China. Indonesia, South Korea, Botswana are all fair game as long as it is not China.

Y
You could always choose not to have a phone or TV. Now I'm not saying it's a good choice but it is a choice.

Today mainland China produces about 75% of all internal electrical components from resistors capacitors, transformers, integrated circuits, transistors, connectors that go inside of HD displays, cell phones, home theater components, laptops, tablets....
However the final assembly for those products is slowly moving out of China to Malaysia, Vietnam, India..

Just my $0.02...

I have some interesting information.... that will make most here reconsider....,

I did ... HUGE DIFF !

Film at 11?

after DoC gets done with his latest DaTe.

Anyone who considers spending money for ANYTHING involving China and the CCP is either not paying a bit of attention to what is happening - you know, virus and other stuff I won't go into on this thread, maybe drop down a notch for an education - or they flat don't care about the future of this country.

I will not buy or spend money on anything from Communist China if I have a choice - that means I must have it to function and it is not made anywhere else. I don't care if it's the best for the least, some things are more important. No shoes, clothes, tools, parts, nothing. Yes I will send it back if I buy it by mistake.

Additionally, I pay attention to content and double talk on "Assembled in US" stuff. Obviously, it's probably not possible to buy complex items - cars, computers, appliances, etc - that do not have some Chinese crap in them, but I try.

Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Europe, Mexico, Canada...no problem, although I do source US made as much as possible.

Come on now seaMac... spill da beans ... TELL US how you really feel !!

Real quick ... ONLY ONE made in the USA circular saw manufacturer ... Forest Saw .....

ONE 12” blade ..., 90 tooth ....$ 165.00 ...


I got a 2 pack of blades .... a 32 and 80 blade ..... take a guess!

Yeah, you'd like me to get a perma-ban.

What about Systematic??? Made by Simons Intl. darn good blades, cheaper than Freud.....but defiantly NOT cheap.

But seaMac .. I always enjoy yur posts

But PacMan... Forest is the only thing that showed up for a USA search ..,,,

Irwin is a good brand .. made in New Zealand.... the Diablo brand is made in Italy ...

The brand I got was Wen ... from Home Depot... the pair - 33.33$