G'day all
This is an interesting thread because it involves
history as it is unfolding.I feel China can make products to any quality chosen.
I know they make great China - and have done so for centuries!
In many ways, the market is way beyond any one manufacturer;
but every manufacturer must 'fall in line' to remain competitive.
My contempt is with respected manufacturers that hide behind a veil.
That is, they do not sufficiently control the quality of products they
choose to have made in China under the banner of their name.
China has very obliging manufacturers that may produce the very best -
or the most dodgy. I think there is no case for 'industrial racism'.
There is a secondary problem: the advent of the entry-level, domestic
lawnmower as a mere appliance - a throw-away job with a limited lifespan.
This is relatively new concept in lawnmower history.
As such, manufacturers have responded to the 'pizza' market ... but
that should not absolve them of a decent base product.
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JackAn interesting tangent this has gone on.
Was talking about this with a mate after discussing mowers no less, fairly new to me having my first garden to look after, but he was pulling many apart not so long ago in high school.
He then brought up the plastic cams on newer engines. My jaw hit the floor.
He's an engineer so the discussion got down to the fact that they have essentially deliberately made design choices based on light domestic use and say a fairly short lifespan, so they've saved let's say $20 per mower by using plastic, this will add up. However they don't seem to be taking into account that once it fails they have done irreparable damage to their brand and reputation and as always it's likely not affordable or viable to fix, cheaper to just replace the whole engine, another sale, yippee.
Yet you've got a pissed off customer that's wondering why their dads lawnmower is 30 years old and still goes first pull and their new one fell apart after 5.
It is everything these days, see it in electronics where a cheap component has been used for a saving of actual cents, which then fails catastrophically and takes out a device worth hundreds. It is insane. Every corner has been cut, every part has been screwed right down to be as cheap as they can get away with.
I am surprised this has not really been covered purely from an environmental aspect, the amount of things these days that are not made to be repaired or not viable or affordable to that end up in landfill, chuck it and buy another one.
It's depressing and I can't see how this can continue indefinitely.
You do occasionally see those that are passionate about making a quality product and good workmanship but it seems rare these days.
