[fredthecat]

I have a 300 foot pipe inspection camera of theirs that I’ve used to inspect water wells. It was under $700 and is a pretty useful tool at a fraction of the cost of other options on the market.

that sounds incredibly cool, if i was a millionaire (or the 2023 equivalent of this phrase - uh 10s millionaire?) i would buy stuff like this just to enjoy playing with.


i wont say im an expert on all things steel/metal related, but the "made in china" thing is very interesting and ive refrained from chiming in since i think people have their viewpoints, however from what i do - once steel products get mixed in in storage/transit/sorting they can extremely easily have their origin lost or faked. i know a major company that is absolutely using steel components that are claimed to be made in usa/north america and they are definitely not. and yet their buildings arent falling down.

the chinese products do have to conform to the same standards if they are assigned certain grades. i personally have no safety/health concern problem with using made in china metals and metal products, and in fact i'd rather use an all steel drinking container made in china than a plastic one made in the US/canada for example.

the reason for their cost savings nowadays (i think they definitely got away with BS products from the 80s to maybe 2010s) is lower labour costs, scale/govt investment for massive companies, lower infrastructure/safety requirements, really strong logistics and existing sales networks.

[Richard]

I worked in a building once that was built for the US Navy and was required to have rebar made in the US. The contractor used rebar made in Mexico, and partway through construction the Navy found out. They made them tear down all the concrete and build it again with real American rebar. I don't know that the building was any better, but it sure was behind schedule and the contractor lost a lot of money. To this day I don't know how the Navy figured out where the rebar came from.

[fredthecat]

I worked in a building once that was built for the US Navy and was required to have rebar made in the US. The contractor used rebar made in Mexico, and partway through construction the Navy found out. They made them tear down all the concrete and build it again with real American rebar. I don't know that the building was any better, but it sure was behind schedule and the contractor lost a lot of money. To this day I don't know how the Navy figured out where the rebar came from.

exactly, its a matter of insurance, regulations and things like that.

this company just states "every component must be made in north america" since it has to do with safety and infrastructure.

i doubt they did some kind of chemical analysis of the rebar (but maybe?), but likely someone just knew and spilled the beans somehow.

[Drewch]

I worked in a building once that was built for the US Navy and was required to have rebar made in the US. The contractor used rebar made in Mexico ... They made them tear down all the concrete and build it again with real American rebar....

exactly, its a matter of insurance, regulations and things like that....

This, I'm sure, was entirely about complying with US defense procurement laws and regulations.  The DoD has entire agencies devoted to auditing contacts.

[brewthru]

I have no doubts of the source of many, or all, of the things we purchase. Nor am I fooling myself into believing something that is not. We all know communist China production standards (ha, ha, ha) are woefully lacking. We all should know they steal intellectual property and ideas.

In regards to the model trains, I mentioned in a prior post, the zinc was sworn/was contracted as uncontaminated/pure. However, after many problems happened, research was done, it was determined the zinc wasn't as pure as promised. The zinc and other metals were contaminated with anything they threw in. Problem is either lack of quality assurance or deception.

OK, here’s a scenario. I contract with the commies to make me type 316 SS fermenters. They swear on their Mao books it’s type 316 SS. I receive a certificate attesting to the purity of the type 316 SS. I ask about lead in the fermenter. "No, no lead" and they give me a piece of paper attesting to the promise of no lead. They basically kiss my rear making all sorts of promises as they want the contract. I foolishly sign the contract.

Receive the fermenters. Sell them to homebrewers touting the 316 SS. After a while I'm hearing of problems with the SS. Now what? Legal action against a commie company? Right... Don't do business with them again? They could probably care less. What about everyone whom bought, whom now has the defective SS fermenter? My business reputation is shot.

[Richard]

I have no doubts of the source of many, or all, of the things we purchase. Nor am I fooling myself into believing something that is not. We all know communist China production standards (ha, ha, ha) are woefully lacking. We all should know they steal intellectual property and ideas.

In regards to the model trains, I mentioned in a prior post, the zinc was sworn/was contracted as uncontaminated/pure. However, after many problems happened, research was done, it was determined the zinc wasn't as pure as promised. The zinc and other metals were contaminated with anything they threw in. Problem is either lack of quality assurance or deception.

OK, here’s a scenario. I contract with the commies to make me type 316 SS fermenters. They swear on their Mao books it’s type 316 SS. I receive a certificate attesting to the purity of the type 316 SS. I ask about lead in the fermenter. "No, no lead" and they give me a piece of paper attesting to the promise of no lead. They basically kiss my rear making all sorts of promises as they want the contract. I foolishly sign the contract.

Receive the fermenters. Sell them to homebrewers touting the 316 SS. After a while I'm hearing of problems with the SS. Now what? Legal action against a commie company? Right... Don't do business with them again? They could probably care less. What about everyone whom bought, whom now has the defective SS fermenter? My business reputation is shot.

"Trust, but verify." That goes for any company you do business with, especially where human health is involved.

[brewthru]

"Trust, but verify." That goes for any company you do business with, especially where human health is involved.

Obsoletely. However, what if the commie company produces all sorts of credentials, testimonials, guarantees and they all turn out as lies?

I’ve vetted, done due diligence, etc, on home repairs, remodeling. Things are often NOT what they are presented.

[fredthecat]

"Trust, but verify." That goes for any company you do business with, especially where human health is involved.

Obsoletely. However, what if the commie company produces all sorts of credentials, testimonials, guarantees and they all turn out as lies?

I’ve vetted, done due diligence, etc, on home repairs, remodeling. Things are often NOT what they are presented.

a lot of hyperbole and its simply getting political. #1 east asian "communism" is simply a label they have applied to what is actually a sort of nationalism with aspects of traditional confucian hierarchy and heavy bureaucracy. south korea is not "communist" but often enough acts in the same way where the government intervenes in private affairs because it can.

my experience on the other hand is that china had a lot of domestic and export quality control issues and intentional flaws from the 1980s to early 2010s but they have definitely clamped down on that a lot. it is a developing country, things arent static. currently we use product we know 100% are made in mainland china and they have been fully tested to meet conformance. regardless of this we still have customers who somewhat irrationally demand (maybe its just personal choice - which is fine) "all parts must be 100% made in north america".

point being - things change, look at the manufacturing industry in mexico or vietnam compared to 30 years ago. theyre now producing a lot of vehicles.