Made in China insanity

[Fletch]

So i needed a new pair of workboots. I last bought a pair over a decade ago, Timberlands and they were great and lasted a long time but they started coming apart. I go looking for boots and immediately grab the Timberlands and they are all made in China now. So I go through every other kind of boot in the place and everything is made in China. I ask the dudes working there if they have any boot made in the USA! They had a couple from one maker Chippewa. So I spent the extra dough and got a pair. Out of 80 or 90 different boot styles from 6 or 7 different makers they had like 3 pair of boots not made in China.

I do not know if it is just me but I want my stuff made here in good ole USA. I realize people real tight on a buck sometimes have to go with the cheaper stuff. But, it is really stupid that some boot can be made in a plant in China that does not have to follow any environmental regs and pays the workers pennies then it is still cheaper to ship that boot half way around the world and sells here 10 to 40 % cheaper than any USA offering. The government needs to tax that stuff coming in. No wonder China owns this country.

Sorry, rant over.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Fletch

[WNYBuckHunter]

I try to buy American made stuff as much as possible, unfortunately, sometimes it just isnt possible. A few years ago I tried really hard to buy a turkey frier that was American made and after looking for quite some time, discovered there arent any American made ones. Recently, I bought some stuff for the kitchen and spent the extra to get the American made ones vs the Chinese made equivalents.

[Uncle Nicky]

You're 100% correct, I try to buy American whenever possible. I'm tired of buying cheap crap from China, lose/lose for both the country and the consumer.

[NFA-ADK]

Did the same thing when I went to Dick's Sporting goods store. I could not find any clothing that was made in the USA for hunting...

[Lefty]

Its almost imposable to find something made in the USA almost all knifes are made in china this really makes me sick.

[Doc]

So now you all are starting to see just why our economy can take cyclical ups and downs, but never any real meaningful and permanent forward progress. We don't make anything anymore. We are simply a "service" country. We flip a mean burger, and have the art of selling trinkets and gadgets (produced by others) down pat, but we really don't crank out any hardware. I'll say it again....if we want to compete with the chinese, we are going to have to live like them. U.S. industry cannot (will not) support our current lifestyles.

But then, none of this is new. It's been going on for decades. We (U.S. corporations) have exported our technology, our expertise, and consequently our jobs to various 3rd world countries. We have even exported our demand for products overseas by raising (with our jobs) the standard of living of foriegn countries until they have made our internal consuming (U.S.) less necessary. Some strange things have happened to what used to be our domain, and apparently we all slept through it. And I guess U.S. corporations have absolutely no feelings of loyalty toward the country that spawned their success.

[ants]

Same here ..I bought a Buck pocket knife over the summer and later realized it was made in FLIPPEN CHINA!!! You have to look at the packadge. The made in U.S.A. ones will have the American flag on it. Same thing with danner boots , which I love,.....Some are made here and some in China. The stuff made here is 10 times better than the Chinise stuff but it cost more.. WHAT THE !@#$&&*%!!!

[Gthphtm]

www.americanmadeworkboots.com

[jusputtn]

I wouldn't put it all on U.S. Corporations. We, the American consumer, like to buy our goods cheap. If the demand was only for American made goods in this country, there would be no market for foreign goods here.

I'll pat myself on the back for my recent purchase of a pair of LL Bean hunting boots.

[covert]

So i needed a new pair of workboots. I last bought a pair over a decade ago, Timberlands and they were great and lasted a long time but they started coming apart. I go looking for boots and immediately grab the Timberlands and they are all made in China now. So I go through every other kind of boot in the place and everything is made in China. I ask the dudes working there if they have any boot made in the USA! They had a couple from one maker Chippewa. So I spent the extra dough and got a pair. Out of 80 or 90 different boot styles from 6 or 7 different makers they had like 3 pair of boots not made in China.

I do not know if it is just me but I want my stuff made here in good ole USA. I realize people real tight on a buck sometimes have to go with the cheaper stuff. But, it is really stupid that some boot can be made in a plant in China that does not have to follow any environmental regs and pays the workers pennies then it is still cheaper to ship that boot half way around the world and sells here 10 to 40 % cheaper than any USA offering. The government needs to tax that stuff coming in. No wonder China owns this country.

Sorry, rant over.

You have to watch the Chippewas though. Some of their boots are made in China too and what's really sneaky is that some models are made here and in China, so you have to make sure you check each pair before you buy them.

I buy Work 1 brand for my work boots and Thorogood for hunting boots. They are both owned/made by Weinbrenner and they are US made and I did have a problem with a couple pairs over the years and I called and had replacements right away. One pair was over a year old and they replaced them with no trouble at all.

[2GRIT]

AMERICANMADEWORKBOOTS.COM I bought my first pair of Carolinas from them 8 months ago and they are better than any Red Wing or any other boot I have ever owned. Period. There is American stuff out there. You just have to look for it and be willing to spend what it's worth

[Kelty]

I wish they would have a made in America campaign and put an American flag on all products made and grown here. In a Shopright the other day a nearly purchased a bag of garlic grown in china, it was pure luck i saw the label and was able to put them back and get the American grown.

[Early]

You can thank Papa Bush for this. It all started with his "New World Order". With that, the Republicans sold out the USA!

[landtracdeerhunter]

It's really great to see people wanting to support American made products. If only more people would think this way. Vendors can keep the China junk on their shelves. Would you believe it ; when I picked up an American flag, the other day, that was made in China, made me sick. They can keep it, send it back to China; I'll buy an American, thank you!

Edited February 14, 2012 by landtracdeerhunter

[Nomad]

There are tons of USA made knives.Benchmade,Spyderco,Kersaw,Buck,Case,Tops,Ontario,Esee,ZT, Chris Reeve,Strider ,Ka-bar,SOG,Bark River are a few off the top of my head that either make some or their whole line in the U.S.A.

Most box stores won't carry many as thats not what the customers want.

Then we have tons of custom makers who can make you a top of the line handmade that can be passed down a few generations . As well as guaranted for life of the knife,sharpend for free and so on .

But this costs money, and most guys want cheap disposable junk,which over time costs more.....

Same with clothes you won't find Beagle Wear or Filson in Dicks, both U.S.A.made top of the line,with price to match but it'll out last you, so which really costs more. Buy the best cry once.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Larry302

[wooly]

http://www.saveourcountryfirst.com/

Here's a local shop that sells only US products.

Sorry, but I refuse to pay $25 for a t-shirt or hat, not to mention a few of the other outrageously priced doo-dads they carry That's just the way it is.

[hunter49]

Wooly, been there, nice stuff but very pricey but they always have been with all they sell there. I go there as last resort only.

[Doc]

I wouldn't put it all on U.S. Corporations. We, the American consumer, like to buy our goods cheap. If the demand was only for American made goods in this country, there would be no market for foreign goods here.

Of course you're right, price and quality drive purchases. That's what makes a smart consumer demand certain products. But who is it that exported technology, money and jobs to those third world countrys that are now kicking our butt. That wasn't the American consumer. And the other thing that we have to get over is the idea that we are the only consumers who are driving markets. Every day we get to be less and less relevant as far as consumers. Buying American no longer achieves anything at all other than guaranteeing that you are paying more for a product of the same or less quality.

Also, as a lot of these replies on this thread indicate, the choice to "buy American" no longer exists in much of an effective fashion for U.S. consumers. And if you do manage to "buy American", the only thing you are assuring is that the product is being marketed as being made in the USA. Most of those products turn out to be packaged or assembled in the USA, but the real skilled work that has any potential for a decent family income is still foriegn sourced. Other "made in the USA" products simply have their corporate headquarters here. It's all a Con-game, and none of it was designed or implemented by the American consumer.

[erussell]

“[it was Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union and father of global communism, who once said capitalists would give communists the technical, material and financial help they need to prevail in their ideological tug of war with the world's democracies.] To put it in other words, ... they will work on the preparation of their own suicide.”

Vladimir Lenin quote

[sweet old bill]

both the right and left of this country has to ask our law makers to start working together to get mfg back into the USA.Or we will be only the big bucks and the very poor, ( no more middle class ) Fair and balanced is fox words, but never have a good word for anything on the left. That also applies to fair trade, to make it fair it should be if you let me xport as example 10,000 auto to your country, then we should allow the same amount to the USA. Not you ship 100,000 cars in and we can only xport less than 10,000. Also get rid of all these special interest tax breaks in the tax law. Seems only the big bucks get a break. Big dollars seems to be the major issue on how not to pay a fair share to the Govt. How can a major company G.E. not pay one cent in taxs and get a credit back from the govt. If you are on the right , I aks you to think of one positive thing that the current Presdent has done that you supported. As a left and right person I have to say the far right has put the focus on year after year we are over spending the budget. We got to start living within our means. But what gets me, is during the Bush years, with two wars going there was never a hand raised that said lets pay for those wars, and raise all of our tax a few percent to "pay for the cost ", no lets keep those charges outside the budget. Lets keep making tax cuts for the top 1 %.. So how would you fix the problems we have?

[DTG3k]

http://americansworking.com/

[Uncle Nicky]

It's a small part, but here's a website that lists companies that manufacture here in the USA. The website doesn't seem to have a left or right slant, just informational. Looks like I was too slow, DTG3k beat me to it.

http://americansworking.com/index.html

Edited February 14, 2012 by Uncle Nicky

[ELMER J. FUDD]

You can thank Papa Bush for this. It all started with his "New World Order". With that, the Republicans sold out the USA!

Clinton signed it. Ross Perot predicted this outcome. "Giant Sucking Sound" anyone?

[SteveB]

Back a while ago, I heard 2 guys shopping in a Walmart complaining about how nothing was made in the USA anymore.

Both where wearing IBEW jackets and hats.

Irony on a couple levels there.

[WNYBuckHunter]

It's really great to see people wanting to support American made products. If only more people would think this way. Vendors can keep the China junk on their shelves. Would you believe it ; when I picked up an American flag, the other day, that was made in China, made me sick. They can keep it, send it back to China; I'll buy an American, thank you!

Gotta get either Betsy Ross flags or Annin flags. Most of the ones you see in the big box stores are Chinese made. I order my flags from http://www.all-flags.com/ as they carry only Annin flags.

Thanks for reminding me, I have to order my new one.