How Important is Made in the USA?

[two_bit_score]

As long as it is quality manufactured I try and buy Made in the USA as much as possible even if it costs 10% more!! Good luck,
Jim

another one. :thumbsup:

 

[devildog1]

Ken,
Just a short and honest answer is YES! I believe in America and American Workmen products, I would always be willing to pay 10% more if product was made in the good ole U.S.A. Good Luck in what ever your decision is, I just hope that your idea catches on. Ya know there is a store in upstate N.Y. near Rome that started out earlier this year, the only items they sell have to be made in the U.S.A. From what I hear they are doing a good business.
DevilDog

 

[Raindem]

I would gladly pay 10% more for Made in USA if that increase buys a better quality product. But too often that higher price is paying for union activities, environmental regs, liability insurance, higher taxes, etc. I refuse to subsidize the many liberal agenda items that tend to drive up the cost of manufacturing in the U.S.

 

[mjncad]

Do I like seeing 'Made in USA' on my products? Yes. Does it bother me to see 'Made in ______?' Not necessarily as I've had good and bad USA and imported items.

But what pisses me off anymore is 'Made in China.' I sent Milwaukee tools a gripe about them making premium priced tools in China. China to me is a four-letter word using five letters.

If you make a high quality product, the ~10% shouldn't be a deal breaker until you get into higher priced products. Then you might need to shoot for a 5% price premium to stay competitive.

Look at Harbor Freight; they sell crap; but they're so cheap on the price, people come back for more. The same goes for the fast-food industry.

One way or another, you will need to place a country of origin label on your products. Do your best to make the best quality product you can at a competitive price, and with luck you will make out. Make an expensive piece of crap, and you may as well close the doors before you get started.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

I would gladly pay 10% more for Made in USA if that increase buys a better quality product. But too often that higher price is paying for union activities, environmental regs, liability insurance, higher taxes, etc. I refuse to subsidize the many liberal agenda items that tend to drive up the cost of manufacturing in the U.S.

I don't like paying for that kind of stuff either!

We are not a big box store, and do not have those types of problems. Since we are family owned (in business since 1946), and not listed on some stock exchange somewhere, we can stay lean and mean, and everyone that works for me EARNS their paycheck. No big white collar bonuses here.

If our own line of implements we produce cost a 5% or 10% premium, you can bet your bottom dollar that it was spent to make the product 20% better, not to just increase our profit margin. We would rather make our customers repeat buyers . . .

 

[sweettractors]

I don't like paying for that kind of stuff either!

We are not a big box store, and do not have those types of problems. Since we are family owned (in business since 1946), and not listed on some stock exchange somewhere, we can stay lean and mean, and everyone that works for me EARNS their paycheck. No big white collar bonuses here.

If our own line of implements we produce cost a 5% or 10% premium, you can bet your bottom dollar that it was spent to make the product 20% better, not to just increase our profit margin. We would rather make our customers repeat buyers . . .

Ted, I would think your informational videos would be worth the additional 5-10% extra in product cost. I have done a few of those videos and when you do that on a large scale like you do, I am sure it takes a full time internet/video employee just to take care of that added service. Ken Sweet

 

[turbo36]

I would gladly pay 10% more for Made in USA if that increase buys a better quality product. But too often that higher price is paying for union activities, environmental regs, liability insurance, higher taxes, etc. I refuse to subsidize the many liberal agenda items that tend to drive up the cost of manufacturing in the U.S.

This is an interesting statement, are you saying that if a USA product costs more it must be due to socialism? If that were true, then the reason Chinese products costs less must be because of Communism? I guess communism trumps socialism.

The reason USA product costs more is because of our high standard of living, if you and I were willing to live at the same level as the Indians and Chinese then our labor would cost less and our products would cost less.

I don't know what you do for a living but I can guarantee I could get done just as well and cheaper in China.

 

[gregsons]

First think i look for when i buy anything is where it was made. I look for Made in the USA not where it was put togher. then i look at the construction. if all is the same i would always pay more for the usa product. Sometime the usa product is low quality and i buy from over seas.

 

[gwjd]

i would say that i look at a the total quality cheep american bolts like lower grade worse than high grade foreign ones. but i have a feeling your implements will be of high quality so id fork out the 10% then agin i will not be buying any for a long time

 

[Chilly807]

Most new products I buy are a compromise at best. I like to buy North American made when possible, but the quality has to be there, it has to be supportable long-term, and the price can't be outlandishly expensive in comparison.

Case in point.. I just finished shopping for a post hole digger (phd). Speeco was the cheapest (Chinese and not great quality), Green Manufacturing was decent quality, and made in US except for gearbox, same with Woods and Land Pride. I'm not sure where the Land Pride gearboxes come from, but I doubt they're North American.

In the end I got a good used Kubota phd, made in the US (I forget the company name now).

If I had bought new, it would have been either the Woods or the Green Manufacturing first, the Land Pride was just too expensive, and the Speeco wasn't on the table at all.

My gear has to hold up over time, if it doesn't I might as well buy the premium one in the first place. I have to be able to get parts easily, and it can't break the bank. If I can get that made in North America, consider it sold.

I think the saying goes, " The bitterness of poor quality will remain when the sweetness of low price is only a memory".

Sean

 

[mjncad]

I guess communism trumps socialism.

Communism and Socialism are essentially the same thing, except for Communism achieves its goals through totalitarianism and brutality. Socialism achieves its goals by taxing people into poverty, then giving back a portion of what they stole from you.

 

[sweettractors]

Can anyone tell me where the steel comes from that USA implements are made from ? I don't think we make much anymore? Hope it is not one of those deals where China buys our scrap steel and refines it and mixes it with their Junk steel and sells it back to us. I know that a lot of the USA made implements don't have the basic structural integrity that the older implements had a few years back. Ken Sweet

 

[Hawghauler]

I just bought a Korean Kioti 41 hp. Are there American made rigs in this size and weight? Would the price difference only be 10%? I would cheerfully pay 10% to 20% more for American iron American made. Between our government mandidating and taxing, and unions demanding ridiculous wages, our American made products are rarely only 10% more and our industries stopped competing years ago. You can't fire a bad employee, every thought deed and action by an American business is taxed into oblivion. Thank God we don't get as much government as we pay for. Darn it I vented.

 

[Builder]

Can anyone tell me where the steel comes from that USA implements are made from ? I don't think we make much anymore? Hope it is not one of those deals where China buys our scrap steel and refines it and mixes it with their Junk steel and sells it back to us. I know that a lot of the USA made implements don't have the basic structural integrity that the older implements had a few years back. Ken Sweet

So true. My neighbor has a York rake probably made in the 70's. Weighs a TON. My new woods landscape rake isn't near as heavy built and it's the heviest version they build. They call it "Cat-2". I think it might be more like a glorified cat-1, but so far it has held up.

He also has an older IH 548 tractor. It's ~60HP. My M-7040 is 70HP. His IH looks so much heavier built than my "larger" Kubota. Steel is thicker.

My next tractor will without a doubt be an older piece of IH or Deere that's real "American iron". I can live without the bells & whistles and prefer the heavy "arse" feel of older American equipment. No wonder so many guys hold on to these pieces and fix them up. Buddy of mine has a Deere 4420 (I think that's the number) he loans to me to batwing a field. It's so heavy built compared to new stuff.

I attribute foreign made equipment being lighter built to the rising cost of shipping. Lots of foreign made tractors & implememnts end up being sold here. The cost of shipping is considerable. If they make a tractor that is 25% lighter than an American version that has very little shipping cost to the American buyer, they can ship more units cheaper and be more competitive.

Love the older Deere & IH machinery & older American made implements.

 

[Raindem]

I don't like paying for that kind of stuff either!

We are not a big box store, and do not have those types of problems. Since we are family owned (in business since 1946), and not listed on some stock exchange somewhere, we can stay lean and mean, and everyone that works for me EARNS their paycheck. No big white collar bonuses here.

If our own line of implements we produce cost a 5% or 10% premium, you can bet your bottom dollar that it was spent to make the product 20% better, not to just increase our profit margin. We would rather make our customers repeat buyers . . .

In that case you would have my business.

 

[Raindem]

This is an interesting statement, are you saying that if a USA product costs more it must be due to socialism? If that were true, then the reason Chinese products costs less must be because of Communism? I guess communism trumps socialism.

The reason USA product costs more is because of our high standard of living, if you and I were willing to live at the same level as the Indians and Chinese then our labor would cost less and our products would cost less.

I don't know what you do for a living but I can guarantee I could get done just as well and cheaper in China.

I am saying that the higher cost of U.S. made products is due to the higher costs of manufacturing here. If the cost is higher because the materials are better, or the worker is more skilled and deserves a higher salary, then fine I'll pay it. But if the cost is due to burdensome government regs or union shakedowns then I won't.

I'm not sure about your communism vs. socialism comparison. The Chinese do have an unusual mix of capitalism in there which I think blurs the distinction.