Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Cheap Stuff
Unless you've been hiding in a cave recently you've probably read a lot about product recalls, primarily, but not only, from China. (For example, Nokia has been stuck with 46 million bum batteries from Japan's Matsushita.)
The problem for the most part is us. If we weren't so willing (and desperate) to buy cheap the manufacturers wouldn't be so inclined to cut corners. Why do you think places like Wal Mart have such low prices. It certainly isn't because they put quality on a pedestal. And in fact you can't really blame them. Given the choice between a $10 toy truck and a $2 toy truck most people are going to spend the 2 bucks.
You can't really blame China completely either. Wal Mart puts the squeeze on the manufacture to cut cost as much as possible. That half-cent difference between lead based paint and non-toxic latex doesn't sound like much, but over the run of a few million bilious green plastic frogs, it adds up.
So if you want safer/better stuff think about what you're buying. A couple of years ago, I spent around $15 for a 7 piece drill set (from China) which I thought at the time wasn't too bad a price. They worked adequately. A little rough, but they made holes. Over the next couple of years I learned a bit more about wood and then spent $45 for the exact same size set of drills. Made in USA and modified in Canada and they are so much better than the $15 set. Bottom line is that you get what you pay for, whether it's a $15 set of drills or a $2 blue bunny bus. There's a reason it's cheap.
