Originally Posted by
Stanley Covington
A real problem with having things made in China is that the fabricators will switch the steel you specified for a different steel they have on hand, or a different steel that they can get cheaper than the one you specified. This happens even if you buy the steel yourself and ship it to the factory in China. They will use the supplied/specified steel to fill a different, more profitable order, or truck it off to Uncle Wong's factory down the block, and then replace it with a different steel that they can procure at less cost.
Internal theft at the factories in China is also a contributing factor to this switcheroo, especially in the case where Uncle Wong benefits.
Happens a lot unless you have a QC guy in the factory, do independent testing, and monitor security. An expensive proposition. I know this from direct hands-on experience.
By removing the steel designation, the American/European companies protect themselves from claims from wholesalers and retailers who actually test the steel and discover that what was used it not what was required in the order documentation. 99.9% of consumers can't tell the difference, so instead of rejecting the bad lot, and fighting with the Chinese fabricator, they just sell it. By removing the material designation, they shield themselves from liability, or claims of breach of contract.
This is the actual price uninformed/cheapskate people pay for insisting on the absolute lowest cost for the products they buy.
A sound policy is to never buy anything made in China if the quality of the metal in the product is more important than the outward appearance of the metal.
Reputation means something. It is not free to either manufacturer or consumer. Unfortunately, instead of improving their quality-assurance procedures and spending money on improving reputation through actual performance, too many companies boost their marketing efforts instead, and spend money on clever designs to improve their product's appearance while it hangs on the Borg's pegboard, where appearance is much more important than performance. They have traded their reputations for fast profits, with predictable results. It has always been thus.
I think Lie-Nielson, as well as Lee Valley, did a wonderful thing by resurrecting old time-tested tool designs, improving those designs, and then manufacturing excellent tools using superior modern materials. But I fear Stanley and others have predictably stolen LN and LV's thunder, and are predictably adulterating the quality, just as they did in the 1950's. It has always been thus.
Caveat emptor, baby.
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