Made in the USA, pleasantly surprised.

[CivicFan]

The other day I ordered a few coffee mugs from the website of one of the candidates for the presidential elections. The theme of the cups was "Made in America".

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mugs themselves were made in the USA. I did not know that we still made coffee mugs in this country.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

When i was at walmart a few years ago I was buying an old fasioned T handle tire pump. I spent an extra 7 bucks to get one that had a made in USA sticker on it. The thing was a piece of junk and fell apart first use I epoxied it back together but it only lasted another year until the bore and piston rusted even though i oiled it a bit. Well, At least it was made in the U.S. of A.

 

[Donald]

The USA is not immune to making poor quality things. Look at the other post on Chrysler. And the drop-in fuel tank in old Mustangs was a poor and cheap and very dangerous design. Oh but it was approved by someone who would latter run Chrysler.

 

[Smokescreen]

Now only if they could make the classic Stanley utility knife in USA again...that design is pretty hardy...

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
When i was at walmart a few years ago I was buying an old fasioned T handle tire pump. I spent an extra 7 bucks to get one that had a made in USA sticker on it. The thing was a piece of junk and fell apart first use I epoxied it back together but it only lasted another year until the bore and piston rusted even though i oiled it a bit. Well, At least it was made in the U.S. of A.


I think your issue comes more at the hand of Walmart and what they demand from producers, not country of origin.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

A few weeks ago, I think there was a news flap about a campaign's T-shirts being made overseas. Everybody else probably switched to US suppliers after that.

 

[modularv8]

I noticed some things still made in the USA tend to be the sort of things that should be made in China. Instead of making high-tech or complex manufactured products with high margins (MRI's, iPhones, scientific instruments/equipment, etc), we are making junky trinket-like items, like coffee mugs, cheap extruded donut sprinklers, decals, etc.

 

[friendly_jacek]

There is a joke that there is a village in China named USA.

Another thing is sometimes the made in USA items are made from foreign materials that could potentially mean that the Chinese mugs were placed into American boxes.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
When i was at walmart a few years ago I was buying an old fasioned T handle tire pump. I spent an extra 7 bucks to get one that had a made in USA sticker on it. The thing was a piece of junk and fell apart first use I epoxied it back together but it only lasted another year until the bore and piston rusted even though i oiled it a bit. Well, At least it was made in the U.S. of A.


I think your issue comes more at the hand of Walmart and what they demand from producers, not country of origin.
well if you cant make a robust design for a price point - dont make it. unless you dont care about quality and your company name. Oh, yeah,forgot; Nobody cares except to worship at the altar of GR$$N

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
There is a joke that there is a village in China named USA.
Its West of BUNGOTAKADA on the outlet to the SUONADA Sea.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
When i was at walmart a few years ago I was buying an old fasioned T handle tire pump. I spent an extra 7 bucks to get one that had a made in USA sticker on it. The thing was a piece of junk and fell apart first use I epoxied it back together but it only lasted another year until the bore and piston rusted even though i oiled it a bit. Well, At least it was made in the U.S. of A.


I think your issue comes more at the hand of Walmart and what they demand from producers, not country of origin.
well if you cant make a robust design for a price point - dont make it. unless you dont care about quality and your company name. Oh, yeah,forgot; Nobody cares except to worship at the altar of GR$$N


I agree, many companies like John Deere, notably, have sold their name down the river in the name of exposure in big stores.

Why you were thinking you could get a "good" bike pump at Walmart is another issue altogether I suppose.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: modularv8
I noticed some things still made in the USA tend to be the sort of things that should be made in China. Instead of making high-tech or complex manufactured products with high margins (MRI's, iPhones, scientific instruments/equipment, etc), we are making junky trinket-like items, like coffee mugs, cheap extruded donut sprinklers, decals, etc.


At a large new years eve party last winter it was a bittersweet moment to see that the party favors (hats, noise makers) were U.S. made. Go figure.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
The other day I ordered a few coffee mugs from the website of one of the candidates for the presidential elections. The theme of the cups was "Made in America".

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mugs themselves were made in the USA. I did not know that we still made coffee mugs in this country.

Are you serious?

You're buying into some election stunt about coffee cups made in America? I'm guessing those cups represent 1/100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 of coffee cups sold in the US. The vast majority are made overseas.

A candidate could easily find a US factory and have them switch production and make a few coffee mugs or T-shirts touting made in the US, elect me, I'll bring back US jobs, hope, and change.

The more astounding aspect of this is that people actually buy campaign material from politicians.

 

[Samilcar]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT

The more astounding aspect of this is that people actually buy campaign material from politicians.


What's so astounding about giving money to a politician that you happen to support?

 

[PandaBear]

It would be politically wrong to have presidential candidate mugs to be made in China.

Originally Posted By: modularv8
I noticed some things still made in the USA tend to be the sort of things that should be made in China. Instead of making high-tech or complex manufactured products with high margins (MRI's, iPhones, scientific instruments/equipment, etc), we are making junky trinket-like items, like coffee mugs, cheap extruded donut sprinklers, decals, etc.


That's the norm for today's Made in America consumer products. Those who didn't out source have bad business practice that wouldn't survive the move, and end up in a bad business in the US.

Lights of America is one example of that. Their lights last 1/10 as long as the Chinese junks from IKEA.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
When i was at walmart a few years ago I was buying an old fasioned T handle tire pump. I spent an extra 7 bucks to get one that had a made in USA sticker on it. The thing was a piece of junk and fell apart first use I epoxied it back together but it only lasted another year until the bore and piston rusted even though i oiled it a bit. Well, At least it was made in the U.S. of A.


I think your issue comes more at the hand of Walmart and what they demand from producers, not country of origin.


I did the exact same thing and had the bloody toe to prove it.

I agree, walmart quality.

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
It would be politically wrong to have presidential candidate mugs to be made in China.

Originally Posted By: modularv8
I noticed some things still made in the USA tend to be the sort of things that should be made in China. Instead of making high-tech or complex manufactured products with high margins (MRI's, iPhones, scientific instruments/equipment, etc), we are making junky trinket-like items, like coffee mugs, cheap extruded donut sprinklers, decals, etc.


That's the norm for today's Made in America consumer products. Those who didn't out source have bad business practice that wouldn't survive the move, and end up in a bad business in the US.

Lights of America is one example of that. Their lights last 1/10 as long as the Chinese junks from IKEA.


Lights of America bulbs are mostly made in China, so what's your point?

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: cchase
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
It would be politically wrong to have presidential candidate mugs to be made in China.

Originally Posted By: modularv8
I noticed some things still made in the USA tend to be the sort of things that should be made in China. Instead of making high-tech or complex manufactured products with high margins (MRI's, iPhones, scientific instruments/equipment, etc), we are making junky trinket-like items, like coffee mugs, cheap extruded donut sprinklers, decals, etc.


That's the norm for today's Made in America consumer products. Those who didn't out source have bad business practice that wouldn't survive the move, and end up in a bad business in the US.

Lights of America is one example of that. Their lights last 1/10 as long as the Chinese junks from IKEA.


Lights of America bulbs are mostly made in China, so what's your point?


They were junk even before they move to China.

 

[kozanoglu]

I just got an oiler can which was made in the US.Made by Dutton Lainson Co.China-made equivalents were half the price at around 5 dollars.

 

[FloatingBrick]

Quote:
Instead of making high-tech or complex manufactured products with high margins (MRI's, iPhones, scientific instruments/equipment, etc), we are making junky trinket-like items, like coffee mugs, cheap extruded donut sprinklers, decals, etc.


I'm half joking/half serious when I say the following: given the recent media videos about Chrysler employees drinking and toking before and during work, I'm not so sure I want American workers building "high-tech or complex manufactured products."

Then there are some of the 18-25 year-old workers who are almost nontrainable because of their education and socialization. The US is no longer the singular hotbed of innovation, productivity, and skilled workers that is was 40 years ago.