Still buying Chinese products?

once corporations had crushed most of the mom n pop businesses from existence there was no inner country anti'-monopoly effect and large corps started serving us junk to increase profits. introducing foreign products forced some incentive to produce better cheaper options. but i also introduced the large corps to foreign labor and they started to move production from our country, to again increase profits.
it's snowballed into cheap junk from around the world and less jobs at home. so being able to afford top end American made becomes a far reach for some, and the choice for cheap becomes a necessity.

i've offered 200$ off NIB Revo American made shafts and nobody's interested when G2's are 500$ w/free shipping.
so no they are no longer for sale and will go into my next Jeep.
 
pagrey said:
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/american-isolationism
See specifically where it says "During the 1930s, the combination of the Great Depression and the memory of tragic losses in World War I contributed to pushing American public opinion and policy toward isolationism"
WW2 didn't start the global economy, it shut down isolationists from the 1930s that thought sticking their heads into the sand would cure the depression.
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While there have been international trading partners for centuries, there really wasn't a "global economy" as we know it today until after WWII, the formation of the United Nations, and the rise of multiculturalism.

American Isolationism relates primarily to political and military entanglement with foreign nations (as stated in the article you cited) rather than international trade and global markets.
 
Tray Burge said:
I just ordered these this morning and they're made in the good ol' US of A! Been wanting some for a while, but I finally found some in bare aluminum which is hard to find for some reason.View attachment 151390
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Well these (ATP's) just bombed, on backorder so I cancelled and they immediately refunded my PayPal account.
So I went to Carolina Metal Masters, spoke with Brian and ordered his, a little more, but a little nicer too. The threaded hole you see is for his billet screw-in mirror for when the doors are off.
4cbdecac1cf9c0338741c16096c3ca4e.jpg
 
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billiebob said:
America opened the door to Asian products when we built shit cars in the 1970s. Not that we couldn't do better but every car built in the USA in the '70s was shit. Japan, Honda especially built exactly what we wanted. The EPA said we want this for emissions, the Big 3 said we cannot do it..... Honda said we are already selling it, the CCVC engine.

Then came electronics, where is RCA today. Where are your cell phones manufactured. We are better today but the big corporations still cry for tariffs instead of stepping up and beating the Asians at what they do best. And China sells us what we ask for, the cheapest shit possible and we flock to CostCo to get it..... in bulk.

Here is a great book.

View attachment 151542
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Yep — I remember that clearly. The Japanese were selling cars like hotcakes and our "Big 3" just claimed they were junk-- here buy our similarly priced Vega or Pinto. And some folks even bought those pieces of junk. My wife to be drove a Vega and my sister a Pinto. After all we had a GM plant in town-—-
 
Mr. Bills said:
While there have been international trading partners for centuries, there really wasn't a "global economy" as we know it today until after WWII, the formation of the United Nations, and the rise of multiculturalism.
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I get what you are saying but multiculturism and the UN are not economic entities. They are political and cultural, I guess obvously in one case.

When you get down to it this graph really tells the real story.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_trade_of_the_United_States
graph.jpg

It doesn't really show a post war boom, more like a gradual ramp up accelerating in the 1980s. Maybe the description @TJ2 used of 20 years ago wasn't too far off after all.
 
pagrey said:
It doesn't really show a post war boom, more like a gradual ramp up accelerating in the 1980s. Maybe the description @TJ2 used of 20 years ago wasn't too far off after all.
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Lot's of our people talks out of their ignorance. This is obvious mostly when I see and mingle with our fellow Americans overseas. We totally lost the grip around 20 years ago. That is my personal gained experience working around the world during my prime.
 
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Keep in mind that a lot of this isn't related just to labor costs. increasing EPA regulations have hit industries in the US very hard over the last 50 or so years. So much so that with all things being equal with the same labor costs and materials, the cost of production increased dramatically. What has happened is companies look for countries that don't have the regulations, or very little, in order to get by them. It just so happens that they also have lower labor costs.

We purchase products from China that don't meet our regulations. Should this be allowed? As far as I'm concerned this is an unfair practice.

Also, base materials are not always created equal. There's a joint manufacturer in SLC that refuses to make their products from Chinese metals. If received they will send them back. They only accept US made. Am I saying that all Chinese metals are subpar? No, but even US MFG has seen variances in quality that prevents them from accepting them.

Do I really believe we can get away from buying foreign products? No way. It's ingrained in everything we buy. However, I do believe in tariffs that allow better fairness into the lopsided domestic/import production issue.
 
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Rec_Rider said:
However, I do believe in tariffs that allow better fairness into the lopsided domestic/import production issue.
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Tariff? Not so fast! We do not have the modern infrastructure to compete. (sorry actually we do, for making fighter planes, nuclear bombs, and missiles)

1. In the 70's we started to discontinue modernizing our manufacturing industries.
2. In the 80's we started outsourcing some parts to save some cost, remember Zenith?
3. In the 90's we started to do business partnerships (with non-Americans).
4. In Y2K we globalized the economy ( corporates call it "Joint Venture" - Hah! )

Edit:
It will take a lot of years to reverse the above sequential procedure (4-3-2-1), and if we have the guts to change the course we might have a chance to break-even in 50 years or so because China will not just sit-still and wait for USA to beat their economy.
 
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TJ2 said:
Do you honestly believe Tariff will get us back on track?
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I don't know if this is an honest question or not. This issue can't just be fixed by a duty tax. I believe fair trade is what we are trying to get to as well as self-reliance for critical goods and services. A tariff is one tool to help get us get there. It's not the be-all or end-all.
 
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Rec_Rider said:
I don't know if this is an honest question or not. This issue can't just be fixed by a duty tax. I believe fair trade is what we are trying to get to as well as self-reliance for critical goods and services. A tariff is one tool to help get us get there. It's not the be-all or end-all.
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Sorry there was "sarcasm" on my post.
 
mrblaine said:
You're wholly missing the point. China does not love to make disposable crap. The companies that move their production to China are responsible for the quality and they don't move their production because they want higher quality, they move there because they want a lower price point or more profit. Unbeknownst to the vast majority of the folks in the offroad world, there are many high quality products we use that come right out of China. Top notch and not cheap, but not US made.

But again, they are not products that were built at a price point, they are built at a quality point first and then a price point. The reason they are made in China is to keep the price from going up instead of reducing quality to stay at a price point if made here or similar.
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You are simply defending you Brembo-like brakes that you import from China. Nothing more. MY VAST expreince is that China provides substandard goods for the most part. I wouldn't trust their quality for anything if I don't have to. Your brakes are for people that for example, drive up a hill and have to brake because they can't anticipate a curve ahead. I see these people all the time and dismiss them as people who can't anticipate what is ahead of them. If you can't anticipate a curve in the road and need to for some reason brake when driving UP HILL, you really aren't a driver. Sure if you are running 35's or more and aren't a driver, you better get some Brembo type brakes like yours which come from China. If you are a "driver" like I am, you will never need them unless you track your TJ. lol Nah, I think I will pass.

I have had it with the attitude. Time for me to actually school you a bit. Enjoy your Easter!
 
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gg1 said:
You are simply defending you Brembo-like brakes that you import from China. Nothing more.
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Yeah, you can fuck right off. I have my knuckles engineered, and the mold patterns made by a company in Montana. They are cast at a foundry right here in SoCal. Then they are machined at a machine shop right here in SoCal. I do not import anything from China. I buy stuff that I can't get elsewhere like our premium quality rotors and if I could buy onshore versions, I most certainly would. The calipers in general are new and while I suspect the castings are from Korea, I can't prove or disprove that, but I buy them from a couple of local companies and I go pick them up. I don't live anywhere near China.

MY VAST expreince is that China provides substandard goods for the most part. I wouldn't trust their quality for anything if I don't have to.
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You are absolutely correct. For a lot of the stuff coming out of China, the quality is poor. It isn't poor because it is from China, it is poor because the company here in the US that had it built over there did it at a specific price point, not a specific quality point.


Your brakes are for people that for example, drive up a hill and have to brake because they can't anticipate a curve ahead. I see these people all the time and dismiss them as people who can't anticipate what is ahead of them. If you can't anticipate a curve in the road and need to for some reason brake when driving UP HILL, you really aren't a driver. Sure if you are running 35's or more and aren't a driver, you better get some Brembo type brakes like yours which come from China. If you are a "driver" like I am, you will never need them unless you track your TJ. lol Nah, I think I will pass.
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You are the only clairvoyant to ever pilot a motor vehicle. I'll let you ponder that very precise dismissal of that drivel you just posted. Others will get it perfectly, I doubt you will.

I have had it with the attitude. Time for me to actually school you a bit. Enjoy your Easter!
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Apologies for being past your kindergarten level misinformed schooling many years ago.
 
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gg1 said:
But it is Easter. Oh, I guess I can just say likewise to be kind. Just not a kind person. Maybe your area is like that though? Different around these parts.

Glad I am hooked up here and now stay local with knowledgeable people. I had a bent axle. No one knew what was the problem on here. I took care of it locally. I hate brakes you need to hammer on to work well. Why would anyone want them? Running 35's or more, I guess I could see it, but otherwise no.
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Will you stop already? You do NOT need to hammer on them. That's only bullshit in your head because you can't seem to understand how stuff works, brakes, my stuff, or companies that have shit made in China.
 
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Tray Burge said:
Well these (ATP's) just bombed, on backorder so I cancelled and they immediately refunded my PayPal account.
So I went to Carolina Metal Masters, spoke with Brian and ordered his, a little more, but a little nicer too. The threaded hole you see is for his billet screw-in mirror for when the doors are off.
View attachment 151651
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Those look nice, I just ordered a set.
 
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gg1 said:
Thanks.

I don't come here for advice anymore as I don't need to since my buddy is above you in knowledge, but I'll never forget my first experience with your attitude.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/replacing-drivers-side-axle.27805/page-2
You aren't a nice person and I should have bypassed asking here, but I tried it for fun. You can be what you are, but I just feel you need to know. You ain't all that.

Have a nice Easter.
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You can be as butthurt as you choose to be, won't change that the easy way to tell which axle goes on which side in a rear TJ Dana 44 is they match the front.
 
zebra12 said:
Those look nice, I just ordered a set.
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Not only are the Carolina Metal Masters made in America, but they're also machined on HAAS CNC's that are manufactured and completely built in house in Oxnard, California. Many years ago, I sold them.
 
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