Where are Black Magic Brakes made?

[toximus]

All you need is a reference chart to inform your final purchase.
View attachment 78328

Hmm... things aren't lining up. What am I supposed to do if my fuel is looking like that red line?

AEV did this with their wheels.... no one wanted to pay the USA wages, land costs, utilities cost to support "Made in the USA".

Talk to TrailReady. They've done a great job keeping it in the US. Their customers tend to be okay with the higher prices though.

lawnmower won't last 2 summers where the one our parents used was handed down to them by their parents and still works today.

Interesting story. I actually had 2 of these mowers and got sick of not being able to repair them. I found an old guy 5 hours away who rebuilds Lawn Boys from all generations and sells them. I ended up paying like new prices for a Gold Series but it runs like nobody's business and makes mowing enjoyable to me. The 32:1 gas mix is also fun in a quirky kind of way.

There are still some of us who do pay more for the better quality stuff, with the desire that it be made in the U.S. our first choice.

I think we could all benefit if we looked at what products other countries make better than us rather than be so insistent that we make them ourselves. There are some products that I'd nearly always avoid the US option given the choice.

 

[mrblaine]

So then that begs the question: Why not just have the made overseas (or somewhere cheaper)?

I don't know your market clearly as well as you do. Would people actually be up-in-arms if they found out they weren't made in the U.S.?

I have squatchsyndrome. I really really don't like doing overseas stuff. I can't avoid it for some stuff, but when I can where I can, I do it here. And yes my phone is not US, my computer isn't US, my wife's Jeep isn't US, and a whole bunch of other stuff I have isn't US, but that pisses me off no less.

 

[Chris]

There are some products that I'd nearly always avoid the US option given the choice.

You and me both. Just because it's made in the U.S. doesn't mean crap.

I'm big into guitars, and I can tell you that some of the guitars that Mexico, Japan, and China are putting out these days are far better craftsmanship than any of my U.S. made guitars. And of course, they're also a lot more affordable.

 

[toximus]

I'll bet pretty decent amounts of money that no one engaged in this form of electronic communication is able to do so with a device Made in the good ole US of A. It just isn't possible, is it?

For a start, America's capacitors are relatively poor compared to select other countries.

What's really interesting is seeing how natural events such as Thailand's flooding can affect the supply and quality of components on a global scale. Some countries won the global lottery and are placed geographically in superior areas for certain types of manufacturing regardless of human will power or politics.

 

[toximus]

You and me both. Just because it's made in the U.S. doesn't mean crap.

In my line of work there is a company in India that I contract out to for a small job (small by percentage) that I have not found anybody willing to do in the US and it's not for a lack of trying or budget. Before working with one US based company (that does very good work for me for a different project than the Indian company) I was "fired" by 4 or 5 US companies after weeks of discussing the project who didn't want the work. 2 of those companies have tried to hire me so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because they didn't want to deal with me (which I'd have understood... lol).

Edit: And... this may have become the next most confusing thing I've ever written. Vague? Check. Confusing context? Check. Unknown perspective? Check. I'm going to just leave it. Deal with it.

 

[BuildBreakRepeat]

In my line of work there is a company in India that I contract out to for a small job (small by percentage) that I have not found anybody willing to do in the US and it's not for a lack of trying or budget. Before working with one US based company (that does very good work for me for a different project than the Indian company) I was "fired" by 4 or 5 US companies after weeks of discussing the project who didn't want the work. 2 of those companies have tried to hire me so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because they didn't want to deal with me (which I'd have understood... lol).

Edit: And... this may have become the next most confusing thing I've ever written. Vague? Check. Confusing context? Check. Unknown perspective? Check. I'm going to just leave it. Deal with it.

Now I reall want to know the context and specifics based on that last paragraph. The same way everyone wants to know what exactly 95% of people in the pentagon do!

 

[jjvw]

I want this mysterious job to be something really embarrassing.

 

[mrblaine]

I want this mysterious job to be something really embarrassing.

Oh it is, no worries there.

 

[toximus]

Oh it is, no worries there.

I'm sorry I burdened you with that knowledge. At least it doesn't equal understanding, right?

Guys, it doesn't take much to look through my posts and figure out what I do.

 

[mrblaine]

I'm sorry I burdened you with that knowledge. At least it doesn't equal understanding, right?

Thankfully not in this case.

 

[mrblaine]

BTW turdbucket, you didn't mention that you chatted with a nice guy with an orange TJ Unlimited equipped with some 2.5" shocks and the mid arm while you were out being a desert rat. And its not like you would forget his name.

 

[toximus]

BTW turdbucket, you didn't mention that you chatted with a nice guy with an orange TJ Unlimited equipped with some 2.5" shocks and the mid arm while you were out being a desert rat. And its not like you would forget his name.

This is true. I also spoke with Harry which we need to discuss at some point.

 

[Squatch]

I think we could all benefit if we looked at what products other countries make better than us rather than be so insistent that we make them ourselves. There are some products that I'd nearly always avoid the US option given the choice.

I only prefer it to be a quality U.S. made product. It will always be my first choice. If it's a U.S. made crap product, I go elsewhere. I'm not delusional about what is, just hopeful about what could be again.

 

[astjp2]

I'm delusional

fixed it for you!

 

[Squatch]

fixed it for you!

LOL That was funny!

 

[mrblaine]

Very true .. but our corporations drive jobs off shore and our open free trade policies pull off shore products into our markets. With 1.4B people in India, another 1.4B in China, North America is becoming irrelevant to any company looking at global growth. We used to be affluent world leaders. Not so much today.

Wal Mart is scary the way they target local competition. Amazon??? is just way too big, brilliant, best marketing in the world... but becoming a monopoly is never healthy.

Our corporations are only responding to our demands. All it takes is for one cheaper product to stifle the competition in one head to head market and that slippery slope is unending. The corporations don't care as long as the product is going out the door. It isn't until it slows down and they start looking for why, that the rest comes into it.

Walmart isn't the least bit scary, what is scary is why we shop there and it isn't quality, patriotism, tribalism, or any other ism except survivalism. Folks need to stretch a dollar to get by. Walmart gives them a path to do so. Even if you don't need to stretch a dollar to survive, you can damn sure keep more of them to buy Jeep parts with if you shop there.

 

[TimboSlice]

I apologize to @mrblaine for my comment on the pictures of the brake pad product and for letting my mind wonder in believing that the stock pad upgrade could possibly be bought elsewhere. I have purchased things from him as far as hardware and such, and have always received it promptly and marveled the quality of my items. I can admit I was wrong and hope this will not reflect my name going forward.

 

[mrblaine]

I apologize to @mrblaine for my comment on the pictures of the brake pad product and for letting my mind wonder in believing that the stock pad upgrade could possibly be bought elsewhere. I have purchased things from him as far as hardware and such, and have always received it promptly and marveled the quality of my items. I can admit I was wrong and hope this will not reflect my name going forward.

No worries. Stock pad upgrades can be bought elsewhere, there are lots of offerings. I haven't found any of them to be close to the same performance and I test every new one I can get my hands on. If I find one that is better, that will be the one we sell and use because my interest is only being the best.

 

[mrblaine]

I only prefer it to be a quality U.S. made product. It will always be my first choice. If it's a U.S. made crap product, I go elsewhere. I'm not delusional about what is, just hopeful about what could be again.

Very little would thrill me more that to have a big brake kit that is 100% US made.

 

[mrblaine]

Back on track, I have found that there are also 2 different size pads that GM used for their 4wd calipers and at least 5 different calipers dating from the mid 70's until the mid 90's, I found that the ford explorers calipers interchanged with the Grand Cherokee dual piston stuff, so there are lots of configurations for the same products. Most of the GM calipers had 3 different piston sizes so if you need to get a replacement, you need to verify all of the criteria. I have been known to return a different core on a few things to the parts stores, the people at the counter just know if it is a steering box, has no idea if it is inside or outside the frame rail...

We need to explore some of this. I don't know of a difference between the GM D-52 caliper for 2wd and 4wd. The clips below are of the buyer's guide on RA for that caliper. I'm not that versed in GM models but it looks like the caliper is used on both. If you look at the K-5 which is the Blazer, they show the RWD and 4WD as both using it.

I know for a fact that the WJ Dual Piston Front will not interchange with the Ford Sport Trac or Explorer caliper of the same genre. Yes, they are both dual 48mm piston calipers but that is it. Oddly, the Sport Trac and WJ both use a 12.01" diameter rotor that is 1.02" thick, but they are not interchangeable.