Made in China means "JUNK" (rant)

[lib2DaBone]

I bought my kid a bike 'Made in China'. In ten minutes the tire was flat and the metal on the gears was stripped. I bought spray paint Made in China that was all water. (I also bought painters tape that didn't stick). I bought made in China deck screws, and each one of them snapped-off during installation. I bought a shirt Made in China, washed it one time... it shrank to half size and the arm fell off in the dryer. I bought pet food Made in China and it was poison. WTF? I dont care if I save 10 cents or 50 Cents or a hundred dollars at Wal-Fart. Give me a pair of Florsheim's with real leather soles and a Ford Pickup. I know.. Florsheim's are now made in Shanghai and Ford has shipped production to Mexico. What is wrong with American's that they think this acceptable? Don't they work hard for their money? ARRRRRRRGH.....

[brentspeak]

1. Just tonight, I was trying out a made-in-China 4-track tape recorder

Plays back pre-recorded tapes ok. Only problem: it doesn't record.

[Romulox]

37. To be fair: My made in China Macbook Pro is the best multitrack recorder

ever available to the consumer market.

[angstlessk]

2. yeah, I bought a pair of stretch pants...supposed to stretch..the rear end

seperated (did not rip-seperated) after ONE wearing!!! I did not save $25.00 I THREW AWAY $10.00

[Warpy]

3. I'm convinced China is sending us stuff that doesn't pass

quality control inspection, all their second and third quality, while they send the good stuff to other markets.

If there was competing stuff out there, I would buy it in a heartbeat, but just try buying something like a foot pump for bicycle tires or furniture or any consumer electronics that aren't made in China. Even Korean companies are using Chinese labor now.

I'm sick of getting ripped off. I'd rather pay more for stuff that WORKS.

[NewJeffCT]

32. If you've been to China

you'd know that they send their good stuff here.

[Elwood P Dowd]

4. I've had 3-4 toaster ovens the last 5 years. They all died, and

they were all made in China. The old one made in the USA lasted over 20 years. Been through almost as many Chinese-made DVD players.

The Zenith table radio my parents gave me for Christmas in 1961 still fucking works! I've replaced a few vacuum tubes over the years, but it still sounds fantastic. An old Zenith Transoceanic made in the 1950s I inherited still works. My 1969 Oster blender still works. My American-made speakers built in the 1980s still work. My American-made Drake short wave radio still works. We're buying junk, using it a couple of years, dumping it in the landfill, and buying more junk.....made in China!

[Lennon]

5. I see from your avatar

that you are a Apple supporter, did you know that ALL of the hardware that Apple sells Is made In China?

[w4rma]

22. ALL of the electronic hardware that *anyone* sells is made in China. (nt)

[B3Nut]

30. Not true.

Farther up the electronics food chain, you find Japanese, European, and American manufacture, especially in high-end and professional audio. There's some nice gear coming out of the former Eastern Bloc, too.

[4_TN_TITANS]

41. I'll vouch for the toaster oven...

Our 30 yr. old USA made one died last week. Of course we had to get a replacement made overseas. I don't expect it to last a year.

People in this country have forgotten what real quality is. Paying American workers costs more up front, but look at the value.

[NuttyFluffers]

55. delonghi, well made italian toaster oven

they make nice pasta machines, too.

and it's true, older stuff was made to survive high impacts. steel machinery over cheap alloys and plastics with fragile electronics.

[Critters2]

6. As for shoes, I have found these made in the USA

http://www.nbwebexpress.com/information/madeinusa.asp

http://okabashi.com/ (I find these REALLY comfortable. YMMV)

But appliances, clothing and other things are difficult. As I said in the Lounge yesterday, I got a can of peaches home and found the words "product of China" on the label. From Aldi, so maybe I should've known. I got a refund and told the manager I wouldn't shop there again until Aldi follows Trader Joe's lead and stops selling Chinese imports.

[grasswire]

7. hey, look on the bright side

Maybe their weapons won't work, either.

[pansypoo53219]

8. this is why i shop resale

resale shop today. got some clothes. i do estate sales. OLD fans work better. old 'unsafe' heaters work better. shit, if i had to use them, my old wooden potato mashers would work. the furniture may be worn, but it is made well. dropped a heavy deco drawer and nothing hurt it. huge, heavy as hell, but damned good for $40. as are my other old dressers.

[Zynx]

9. Ever buy some cheap ass chairs made in China?

Those break under my weight and I'm only 150.

[Horse with no Name]

60. When I was moving a few years ago

I had an American-made wooden chair fly out of the back of a pickup that was going 70 mph (it was down a rural highway), bounced 3 or 4 times about 10-15 feet on the pavement and then skidded to a stop.
It was helpful because I really needed to sand the back of the chair and the skid did the trick.
That chair is still in my dining room. Solid as a rock.

[tuvor]

10. Not always.

A quick survey reveals I've got name-brand items like an iPod, a computer, a camera, a PDA, Texas Instruments calculator, a printer and a half-dozen power tools that I'm quite pleased with. All made in China.

[BobTheSubgenius]

11. Seems that everything they make

is half-full of lead.

Except their lead, which is 90% arsenic.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

15. Hey Bob.

Used to live on Scott St. and was a Vic High degenerate years ago. How is Victoria these days?

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[notesdev]

13. Sad story

This is already three or so years back... visiting the National Archives - you know, where they have the Constitution, one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, etc. I bought a couple of souveneir coffee mugs with Nixon and Elvis featured on them. After about three times through the dishwasher, it was apparent that the photo was just a decal, and a poorly affixed one at that. Marveling at the low quality, I turned it over... and there it was, "Made in China".

I go to our own government's museum in which they keep our founding documents and they can't even sell American-made goods in the gift shop???

[Jack_DeLeon]

14. anywhere but China....

when I buy stuff I try to buy made in the USA if possible, if thats not possible then anywhere but China is good too. I'd much rather my money go to improving the situation in Mexico or the like than helping to fund the Chinese government and the corporations that have made this situation possible.

[JCMach1]

16. There was a report on Al Jazeera about a year ago where

the poor factories in Egypt that made the idols for souvenirs were all going out of business. Why? The market was flooded with cheap Chinese knockoffs. This was throwing thousands of people out of work.

So your next Eqyptian souvenir will be made in China!

[UndertheOcean]

17. Japanese exports used to be "junk" , until they got better.

The Chinese are still learning.

[Thothmes]

25. Right on

In the late 50s to the mid 60s, Made in Japan was code for junk. Japanese manufacturers developed engineering and QA capabilities that over time moved them to the top of the manufacturing world. The Chinese are learning what the cost is in poorly manufactured goods. They will in time get it right.

[Romulox]

39. And what's a few (thousand?) dead pets in the meantime, eh?

[brentspeak]

42. The Japanese didn't manufacture products hazardous to one's health

[earth mom]

18. Here's the crap that broke in my house this past year:

Front loading Maytag washer: 7 years old. (Found out this model has a defect and there was a recall-only I didn't know about it because I didn't send in my warranty.)

GE Dishwasher: 7 years old.

Microwave Oven: Less than 1 year old.

Mac Computer: 7 years old (I LOVE macs, but it became a dinosaur after 3-4 years)

Space Heater: Less than 1 year old, making noises, unplugged, ready to go to the Goodwill.

Braun Coffee Maker: 7 years old.


A lot of the stuff that broke we bought when we first moved into this house. So, of course I expected stuff to go out but not all at the same damn time!

I replaced the Mac 8 months ago, but only bought a cheap Mr. Coffee coffeemaker because all the ones that were around $100 (which is what my Braun cost) are flat out flimsy junk. They are prettier than my Mr. Coffee, but that's all. I'm not going to replace the Microwave or the Space Heater. However, the Washer and the Dishwasher are must haves but I still haven't replaced them because I am leary that I'm throwing money away. Didn't Maytag washers used to last like 20 YEARS?!!! :wtf:


Edited to add: I don't know if all my stuff was made in China or not, but I DO know that the quality of everything these days has gone down the flippin drain. :argh:

[Snarkturian Clone]

23. I have a front loading washer that worked for 3 months.

Still trying to get it repaired, each time it breaks within the same day. Trying to get it declared defective but that only ends up getting me another one of the same crappy washer. I'm considering just renting a u-haul and driving up to whirlpool HQ, dropping it on their lawn, and smashing it all over the place.

[LeftyMom]

43. Most of the "American" applicance brands are made in Mexico now.

Also, a lot of the parts that used to be steel or porcelain-covered metal, or some other long-lasting material are now plastic, and if they are metal it's much thinner and usually just covered in paint.

European and commercial brands tend to be longer lasting and more effective, but they're also rather spendy. They're a very good choice though for the front-loading washers, because they've been making them that way all along, and all the user testing of minor issues that Maytag figured out in the 90's with their front loaders- "hey, why don't we fix this gasket so that it doesn't leak all over the damned place!"- got done a generation or two ago. But check country of origin, some of their brands are moving production to China, too. (Don't buy a Haier anything. Total shit.)

Oh, and if the space heater is suspect, dumpster it. The last thing anybody needs is some broke person picking it up and Goodwill and the thing starting a fire.

[earth mom]

45. Thanks for the info...

:hi:

Btw, What European brand do you suggest?

Also, good idea about the space heater. I will take it to the dump. The microwave already went to the Goodwill because I thought someone might be able to fix it. Maybe it should have gone to the dump too... :hide:

[LeftyMom]

47. Miele makes good stuff.

I have their low-end vacuum, and it's very powerful and only about as loud as a fan. Based on that, I'm pretty impressed with their things. I hear only good stuff about their large appliances, but I rent so I'm not really in the market for any- my place came with low-end Whirlpool stuff, which is made in Mexico and is crap.

[earth mom]

50. Wow...

They are gorgeous...but I didn't realize they were that high-don't think I can afford one right now I'm sorry to say.

I probably should buy something from craigslist that's been used a year or two. That way if it breaks down, I'm only out about half the money. Which isn't chump change either. :(

[LeftyMom]

51. Yeah, but you can get high-end lines pretty cheap that way

People remodeling (or increasingly, selling off the appliances before the bank gets the house) get rid of nice stuff cheap.

I haven't seen much euro stuff that way, but a lot of upper-end US brands, KitchenAid, JennAir etc.

[earth mom]

54. That thought occurred to me too when I was looking on craigslist earlier today.

Though I don't think the mortgage crisis has hit the well off areas of my city...yet.

However, it has hit the working class areas around here where there are lots of "for sale" signs-so sad. :(

[Quantess]

19. So true. You get what you pay for.

No actually, we're all paying, BIG-TIME, for the poor decisions and sell-outs.
I don't like NAFTA either.

[AdHocSolver]

20. Don't blame China. The stuff we get from China is junk because that is what the corporations import.

Americans have been "trained" by the multinational corporations to buy cheaply made "throwaway" products. The Chinese could make quality products if the corporations who import the stuff into the U.S. demanded better quality. They don't.

Many products manufactured in China could be manufactured here with little or no increase in price. The corporations do NOT pass along the savings in labor costs to consumers. They merely pocket the difference as profit.

A lot of products are made on automated equipment. Little training is needed to run the machinery. I have no doubt that any cost saving in labor is more than offset by shipping costs of materials, subassemblies, and finished product.

Americans are "ignorant" consumers who don't know how to judge quality or relative cost. I remember reading that Nike brand shoes that cost as much as $100 a pair were manufactured in Asia for about $3.00. This was not classified information. A comparable pair of store brand shoes could be bought for less than half that price. Yet it didn't hurt Nike sales.

I was looking for a new toaster oven. Our old one, about eight years old, suffered a heating element failure. I went to several stores shopping for a replacement. I noticed that all the new ones had writing on the glass door which warned about the food inside catching fire.

We have had several toaster ovens over the years and never had that kind of problem so I studied the unit to figure out why there should now be a fire hazard with toaster ovens. After studying the controls, I figured it out.

Our old toaster ovens had a heat sensitive release for making toast. You selected a "browning" range and pressed a lever to start the toast. After the toaster heated up enough, the heating element tripped the release and shut the unit off. Out of six different brands representing around fifteen different models of new toaster ovens, I discovered why the fire hazard warning.

Instead of a heat sensitive release, every unit had a timer that shut the unit off. You timed the toasting or cooking process from five to sixty minutes. Except for two very expensive units (around $100) that used a digital timer, the others all used a mechanical timer like an egg timer. You rotated a knob to set the time and a spring rotated the knob back to the "OFF" position.

I tried the timers for several different models. I set each timer for five minutes. Only one unit actually shut off (with a warning ding). Every other unit's timer jammed in the "ON" position. Now I knew why the warning about a fire hazard. Maximum heating indefinitely from these units.

I didn't buy any of them. We bought a plain toaster instead.

[NewJeffCT]

33. good post - Wal-Mart has also forced a lot of US companies

to manufacture in China. My wife's old company's biggest customer was Wal-Mart. They had manufactured their textile and textile-related products in the US for 100+ years and employed 600-700 people. They could have continued making it in the US for the same price as Chinese manufacturers as the process was very automated.

However, WM said that any product they get from the company must be shipped through Guangzhou (Canton) in China. Obviously, it was ridiculous to ship a product from Massachusetts to China for shipping back to the US, and it was cost prohibitive.

So, they were left with two options: (1)refuse WM's terms and go out of business and 600-700 people are out of jobs; or (2) manufacture their product in China, stay in business and take solace in that at least 100-200 people will still have jobs.

[girl gone mad]

21. You don't save money,

only Wal-Mart does. They pressure their manufacturers to sell to them at the lowest possible price, then they keep 99% of the savings for themselves. This is why I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart.

China sucks (no, not the citizens - their government), but Wal-Mart's tactics are the root of many of our current problems.

[Nay]

24. I bought a Chinese-made cloth sun hat for 16-mo-old grandchild.

The hat was marked size "2T to 4T" -- namely for 2- to 4-yr-old toddlers. This hat wouldn't have fit a 6-mo-old baby. The chin straps weren't even long enough to touch each other under his chin!! ALL the hats were totally mis-sized! I returned it (Target) and put in a loud complaint. Am headed to their website to do the same thing. And in addition, it was cheaply made of thin material.

I ended up making 4 hats for my little guy -- they fit perfectly and the hell with China. I needed to do some sewing anyway, to calm myself down. And don't get me started on how hard it was to find a toddler hat in ANY store in the first place. It wasn't like they were OUT of hats -- most clerks looked at me like I was asking for the moon. Jesus.

[Frank Cannon]

26. China is crafting their toxic waste into products and shipping it to us

That's pretty brilliant, when you think about it. They've got a billion people and who knows how many millions of tons of toxic waste laying around, so rather than try to find a place to bury it all they just shape it into stuff and ship it to us!

If you have any doubt about this whatsoever, just check this list of toy hazards and where they were manufactured:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html

[ReverendDeuce]

27. Capitalism = foist the lowest quality into the market that the market will tolerate

It's plain and simple.

They (the corporations that outsource to China) get away with it because people tolerate it.

Some Chinese-made stuff is okay, but you have to actually pay close attention.

And to those who believe it's China making stuff poorly to send to us, that's not true. Look up the crash test videos of the Cherry automobiles that China makes for its domestic market (and will soon be imported into the US by Chrysler):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7rrk3ZjN-I

[treestar]

28. Buy the more expensive version

It doesn't matter where it is made so much as whether it is the cheap version.

Most Chinese goods must be good enough, or Americans wouldn't be buying them. The retailers stay in business, so how can it all be junk?

U.S. made stuff could be junk, too, at times. I remember that as a kid.

[spoony]

29. "Most Chinese goods must be good enough, or Americans wouldn't be buying them"

You say that like there's always a choice. I was shopping for new kitchen tools the other day. Searched high and low and the only thing I could find made in the US was a cutting board.

[Zynx]

46. Indeed. There really isn't much choice.

You go to an electronics store and try to get something not made in China.

[spoony]

57. But apparently we should just make these things ourselves

and stop "whining" about inferior, dangerous products from China.

[treestar]

49. Then make your own cutting board

Or look for mom and pop to buy it from them (the same thing at a greater price).

That's the answer, not play the whining victim of the Chinese. You DO have a choice. Make your own, or take the time to find the American manufacturer so you can pay them the higher price for the same thing.

[spoony]

56. It'd help if you'd read the post

Which said that the only thing I COULD find made in the US was a cutting board. Sorry, but I don't have the equipment to make metal bowls or whisks, pal.

[Romulox]

36. Inferior products + uneducated consumers drive superior goods from the market...

This is especially true as the goods become complex such that the consumer cannot determine the goods' quality by basic handling and observation.

[NMDemDist2]

31. The Story of Stuff.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

it will make your head spin and your brain burn

[NewJeffCT]

34. You do realize that these products are made for American corporations?

They are built to American specs and are supposed to be quality-tested by these American companies as well? Then, they're supposed to be subject to inspection upon import as well...

As an example, Mattel admitted that 80-90% of their 20 million toy recalls were the fault of the design sent to the Chinese factories. They even apologized to China because of it. China doesn't see a lot of the publicity Chinese products get here, but they do see the head of Mattel coming to China to apologize to the Chinese people for blaming a Chinese factory because of American errors.

China's manufacturing and business processes will not change until American, Japanese & European corporations force them to change.

[Greyhound]

35. There's no such thing as an "American corporation" anymore. They have become

international entities with no allegiance to anything except their own pursuit of endless profits.

[Romulox]

38. The Ford F-150 is made in Dearborn, Michigan.

http://media.ford.com/facilities/plant_display.cfm?plant_id=32

[Vinca]

40. You'll find this amusing.

I was at a thrift shop this morning looking for treasures and spotted a nice looking "U.S. Army" scrapbook with an elaborate medallion on the front. A young Chinese guy picked it up before I did and then put it down. I picked it up and he said to me, "It looks good, but it's made in China." :rofl:

[Duer 157099]

44. That's why thrift stores are so cool nowadays

About half the stuff there has the Made in China mark, but the other half does not.

Why buy brand new crap that's shiny but low quality, when you can find most stuff in thrift stores for a huge discount and good quality.

[haymakeragain]

48. They make it EXACTLY how they are contracted to make it. Blame

Big Corpo and Wall Street.

[Richard Steele]

53. Well, oftentimes they cut corners on materials and workmanship and "quality control"...

But the corps that receive the products (in boxes with their "brand name"
on it) don't give a rat's ass about that anymore, and the Federal Agencies
empowered to protect consumers have spent the last 7 years playing "go fish"
with the frickin "Maytag Repairman"...
which brings us right back to "Blame Big Corpo and Wall Street", doesn't it?

[Gore1FL]

52. Amazingly

I am old enough to remember when the stuff labeled "Made in Japan" was junk.

[baldguy]

58. A lot of things are made in China. Most of it has excellent quality.

Don't make the mistake of assuming everything from China is junk.

Workers is China are just as intelligent, and capable as you are. The difference is the governments which allow substandard manufacturing, employment & environmental standards and corporations that exploit them. This is the reason so much of what is available to you from China as a middle-class consumer is junk, but if necessary they can compete with the highest quality manufacturers in the world.

[Greyhound]

59. What, pray tell, are some of these "excellent quality" products?

I work for the largest computer manufacturer on the planet, and since 100% of our production was moved to China, our defect rate has quadrupled. Our customer service usage, the people you call when your new computer is delivered non-functional, assembled with the wrong parts, and with refurbished components, has increased over 1000%.

[TwixVoy]

61. You get what you pay for

This has been true forever.

No one thinks this is acceptable. NO ONE. But there are a LOT of people who think it IS acceptable if they can pay less than what decent items would cost.

I have known countless people who buy crap that breaks constantly and will over and over again buy the same crap to replce the prior. Over time they spend more money than if they had done it right the first time a bought a quality item.

[pansypoo53219]

62. cheap stuff from china

in denmark was much nicer than american crap. we get their total crap. wonder what canada and mexico gets from chjna.