distributed hydraulic systems on boats? why not?

No Im certainly not a brand name junky It is by experience and loss of money that I dont buy anything but Bosch. I was talked into buying Black and decker last month in Home pro. I took it back with a wobbly chuck bearing I got another and its now the same.

I dont buy Makita, Ryobi, De walt etc and more expensive. They are not worth that much.

Bosch has constantly shown value for money and I am very very hard on them.

 

No doubt made in China then.

Rick W

 

@rick. from my experience you're partially right about avoiding brand names. it's true than the majority of parts are made in china, but there are several companies who maintain patents on particular bits of tools' anatomy, and while 99% of the manufacturing is done in china, sometimes the final 1% is done elsewhere, and using components that don't go into the competitors product.

also, i find it's a similar situation to what you're describing with almost all clothing being made in china... but that doesn't mean they're all made to the same standard. there's been endless scandal here in the u.s. when people are somehow shocked to find out that Walmart is coercing otherwise reliable brand names to source cheaper contractors in china to make the line of product for walmart... it keeps the price unbeatable, but with cheaper production you get cheaper product.

i always get a kick out of people who assume that something is poorly made if it comes from china, chinese manufacturers are more than happy to make quality product, as long as they are going to be able to sell it. it's the importing companies demanding cut-rate prices that causes the manufacturers to cut corners, IMO

one last, HUGE, advantage over going with name-brand? return policy! my company buys Bosch drills, which by all measure are a great machine. but there are far more expensive and far cheaper options out there. the reason they go with Bosch is a spectacular return policy. sometimes it's worth paying more for a branded generic simply because when it eventually fails you can take it back again and again and again.

 

I buy things with the intention of them not failing. I never bother with extended warranties. I would not buy on the basis of a return policy. I have had cause to chase warranties on three items as I recall in recent years.

One was a AUD100 stick welder, made in Italy, that failed after 3 months of reasonably heavy use. The hardware supplier replaced without question and said they sold hundreds of them and he could only recall a couple being returned. It did not burn out but there was an open circuit - maybe in the cutout switch. Replacement unit has worked fine for a couple of years.

Another was Sunbeam mixer my wife purchased for AUD350. I regard this as pricey for what you get. It got noisier and smellier after about 9 months of use and got to imminent failure after 14 months. Still ran but the noise was awful. I checked reviews and found it was a common problem with the particular model and had no problem getting replacement motor and drive at their cost even though the 12 month warranty had expired.

My Canon S1IS camera started to get E18 error after about 2 years of careful use. The problem is intermittent and very frustrating. I have lost countless good photo opportunities because of it. It has to be the silliest and most sensitive protection system ever devised. Canon will not replace the camera because it seems all cameras with extending lenses suffer the same problem and they would go broke if they replaced all cameras that suffer the problem. I will again post the details in case people did not see the last one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E18_error

If I am buying expensive tools or appliances I am now in the habit of checking reviews on the internet. With most tools I buy these days I am usually wowed by the value for money in the low to mid price range that I am prepared to tolerate a dud but so far very happy. I would not buy a AUD16 angle grinder or drill unless it was a disposable once-off use. I know they have plastic or pressed gears and will not operate for long.

Consumers have a lot more power these days if they care to exercise it. You could find my posts on Sunbeam and Canon around the web. If you buy something and it fails check the web as others may have had the same experience. This is good support for a warranty claim. So being able to identify the branding supplier is useful but don't kid yourself, there will only be a few places where the things are actually being made.

Also do not kid yourself about the quality of Chinese developed products. They have copied the best from the rest and are able to dedicate endless intelligent people to improving what they make and how they make it. Inevitably they provide better value. I can see China is well placed to manufacture electric cars for the world as these gradually replace IC vehicles. China already has a substantial population of electric scooters and manufacture the power electronics and motors required in vast numbers.

Rick W

 

Made in Japan --used to be a frightner at one time now its almost a sign of quality. China will get there sooner or later. Im not sure I feel happy about food stuffs though.

They hung a guy that made dodgey tooth paste and now the milk man is getting it.

The success of Asia is cheap labour. I did not say slave labour just a days work for a days pay. The Western love for 54 inch LED Tv with 2 cars and a jet ski all on credit has ---- -well we all know where that ends up.

Whats this thread called ? whoooa off topic or what?

 

Frosty
Just to stray further off topic. When I was kid my Grandfather yearned for a Jaguar motor car. He was born in the UK, emigrating at school age before the first world war. He still had a strong affinity for all things British. He eventually purchased a second-hand Jag and spent about 5 years rebuilding and restoring the car. I have to say it was an impressive ride but it managed to keep him broke up until he traded it for a middle of the road Australian built car that lasted till he passed away.

So as a kid British manufacture was heralded as the best. As implied earlier Japanese was regarded as second rate. By the time I was in industry British was rubbish and Japanese was sought after. The world has changed dramatically in my lifetime. Now China dominates manufacturing. Even if they use technology from elsewhere it rubs off and has wide influence on the locals' aspirations and learning. Once lost it is very hard for a country to rebuild the capacity.

I am not particularly faithful to brands. I look around for value and experience of other users. If it is made in China I expect it will offer good value.

Rick W