Interesting Article: Why Crappy Tools?

I often wonder if the Chinese make products for themselves as crappy as they make them for us...


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Buyer beware. I've seen good products and bad products from all the usual sources the make stuff.
 
The article is engineers fantasy.
Crescent is owned by Apex, the same company that owns so many of our beloved brands such as Jacobs, Delta, Armstrong, and others that have gone to crap in the last few years.
The Chinese are perfectly able to have design meet intent. In the case of the Crescent Wrench, they have done exactly that, the intent is to make maximum profit from a quality name before the name goes bad and they liquidate the brand.
The cost of moving a factory is China is substantial, and requires a great deal of representation there by the company. There is nothing stopping the same company from employing a full time engineer or group of engineers to oversee start up operations, and to ensure that the product meets specifications. The only reason this would not be done is because the company simply does not care about quality.
 
Perhaps this is not limited to Chinese imports.
Is VW on the same track?
How do corporations meet the perceived needs of customers and leverage a profit for owners/shareholders.
This is a delicate balance.
I'd like to suggest that we, the US consumer promote acceptance of poor quality everytime we knowingly buy cheap knowing it will not perform.
I'm not advocating against HF or import. They have some great product.

Is this any different than how you make your own parts in your own shop?
We work to tolerance. You decide the tolerance, or your wife tells you what it is...
Regardless, if you loosen your tolerance you might save costs and make it faster. Thus, your investment is less.
I'm now economist, nor a solvent shop owner.
I'm merely suggesting we own this problem. If it is a problem.
Perhaps they are just working within the tolerances we, the end user are expecting. Moreover, we are willing to pay for.....
Nothing against HF or imports. Hope I didn't offend!

Daryl
MN
 
First I most say it was a good article. China can make very good tools. The USA an Europe can make cheap crappy tools. Sometimes it is had to tell when purchased. The sad part is you use to be able to go by brand name. Not any more. So many companies have sold the name to the dollar sign devil. It is truly a buyer be ware economy. The other problem which we are all guilty of is we buy by price many of time. Look how many artica like there are on improving/correcting problems on tools we buy. Also many good companies charge a primium for there stuff. I would love to to have all snap on tools but I can't afford their manufacturer suggested price. Also some S.O. tools I did purchase have been nothing but rebranded junk.

I'm quiting my rant now
 
@Uglydog
I agree with you. This is something we as consumers are mostly responsible for. I have no quarrel with companies like HF and their business model.
We pay premium price for brands such as Jacobs and expect Jacobs to deliver on quality. Both Jacobs and HF have good and more or less ethical business models. HF promises cheap imports at low price, Jacobs promises a premium tool at a premium price.

My frustration lies with companies like Apex who buy reputable brands for the sole purpose of banking on the name. This is not what we asked for as consumers. We wished for Jacobs quality at HF prices, but we also understand the two are mutually exclusive.

Not very long ago, Delta was considered one of the premier tool makers in the world. They charged the same premium price for years after they became no better than HF. Now they are just using the last of their good name selling to the hand full of people who have not heard that Delta is trash. 10 years from now, Jacobs will have the same reputation for being nothing more than a big box store cheap Chinese import.

China has a long history and culture of being very inventive and creative working with materials and sciences. They are very much like Americans in being able to just make things work. They are totally able to produce first class products, and will. Apple has proven that, as have other brands that manufacture in China and still deliver a quality product.
 
If you find You bought junk you need to tell the people you bought it from. If they are smart they will make it right. If they don't you need to tell everyone you talk to. The word will get around.
 
The Chinese should be able to make stuff better than us. They are certainly not stupid. There's a never ending supply of engineers, They have the latest new equipment, we have 20 and 50 year old stuff. But they don't . I think it's cultural, a what can we get away with and a quick buck mentality. At our end there is too much buying into the Walmart advertising. Once apon time buying tools hurt. But those tools lasted lifetimes.
 
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