Made in the USA?

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Made in the USA?

Well, I can only agree to Matt Woodburn.
Believe me, if you Americans would only use really American made items for reenacting you would certainly go without many an item. There are so many items especially hardware that are made outside the US not to mention the weapons. I believe even fabrics will be imported. The "globalisation" has long since taken place also in the hobby. I like to know where the items I buy come from. But my first thought is if the quality is good.
For me as a German European patriotism concerng buying items is of course irrelevant. And Matt the country you are born in will be most likely the best country in the world for most of the people;-))) ( although this must not nesessarily be patriotism)
But of course it is always good if you can get material or items from more local sources but that is in many cases out of the question because of the high prices. If I want a German foundry to cast bar buckles for bridles for me and I have to pay 30$ per piece ending up at 180$ cost for the hardware for one bridle only, well I doubt there will be anybody stupid enough to buy it only because it is "100% Made in Germany":)

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Made in the USA?

Jan,

I had a chance to see some of your shoes at Fort Duffield a couple of years ago. I don't care if you make them in Timbuktu, those are some darned nice shoes!!

Everyone Else,
At one point in my career, I worked for a large petroleum company based out of the UK. We also marketed metalworking fluids and management services to automotive and other manufacturers. At one point, the company was bidding on a contract to provide our chemical management services to a certain motorcycle manufacturer up in Milwaukee.

The turned us down because ours was not "an American Company" and they felt it was important that their product be "100% American Made". Well, I don't know how many of you folks have worked in the machine tool industry, but let me tell you, it ain't all "Blanchard" and "Milwaukee" tools... the majority are from names like "Hitachi" and "Mori Seiki". Hmmm...

I don't want to support any business that has their product made by 12-year-olds paid $0.25 per week. But beyond that, I'm mostly concerned about the reproduction I'm holding in my hands when I make a purchasing decision.

...oh yeah... And if Wal Mart started carrying top quality jean cloth for two-bits a yard, I still wouldn't buy it!!! (Sorry, Rob! ;) )

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Made in the USA?

Hello-

The larger problem here is the world economy and the new globalism. I agree, in part, with what Matt and Greyfox said above. Ford has parts made in Taiwan and Nissan has vehicles made in Tennessee... even defense-industry products from where I work have components made in Germany, Britain, and Canada with MOST being made in the USA.

... here's the issue with that- where does MOST of the money go for the final assembly??? Nissan, I'll bet, takes the lion's share of the profits, thereby MOST of the money goes out of the USA. When too many people, and even our government, have this attitude of "I don't really care where my goods come from anymore..." then goods (and sometimes jobs) go overseas so the American company can make more money. Overall, if this happens TOO often, our American-based companies LOSE money and so does the economy of the United States as a whole. That means labor-wise, we are importing more than we export.
Now you know one reason why American car companies, among others, are losing money and pretty soon we won't even be able to build our own vehicles in the near future if current trends continue. One thing I noticed in Europe when I lived there is the fact they protect their core industries (automotive, technology, etc.) better than the US does and this leads to more self-sufficiency and better control over their own economy. We in the US are driven by the almighty dollar-who cares about the long-term results...?

Bottom line: Just because it is made here and the company is foreign, doesn't mean 100% of the profits stay here in the American economy- while we might benefit from SOME of the assembling of the product jobwise for Americans, when the consumer buys the Japanese vehicle assembled in America, most of our money goes to the Japanese. Too much of this hurts the US economy over a long-period of time.

How does this impact the hobby? Well, like above... why not protect the hobby's "core interests" meaning construction of items by hardworking, authentic craftsmen that provide these items of a dying art? Of course, if authentically in history, a jacket or item was made in a foreign country, then I'd go for the item made from an authentic vendor in that country first (hoping they had authentic quality)and then if it really was of lousy quality, I'd look for an American that could make the item better.

My 2 cents... Thanks- Johnny :D

[dclarry]

Re: Made in the USA?

.... well I doubt there will be anybody stupid enough to buy it only because it is "100% Made in Germany":)

Well, Jan, many Americans spend $10K or more over the price of an equivalent American-made, or Japanese-made, automobile to get that "Made in Germany' cachet. I own a Subaru Outback XT. The equivalent German car (performance/feature wise) would be an Audi Quattro wagon, which was about $10K higher when I last compared cars. I didn't go for it, but I know several who did. I think the 'Made in Germany' label means more draussen than drinnen Deutschland.

After all, I bought one of you excellent German bugles. Again, like muskets, no real American equivalent.

[Watchdog]

Re: Made in the USA?

I'm not a UAW guy but I drive American-made cars, on purpose.

Whenever possible, I buy American-made and that extends to all my hobbies.

Paul,

As an automotive engineer for thirty-six years I have observed that at least half of the components of most "American-made" vehicles come from sources outside of the United States.

I suppose that someone might make point that since an 1860s product was manufactured in the US in 1860, an accurate reproduction must made in the US.

I do not buy it.

[Southern Cal]

Re: Made in the USA?

Many Pattern 1853 "Enfields" imported from Gr. Britain into the USA and CSA during the Civil War included parts made by Belgian gunmakers under sub-contract from British firms. Looks like some long established means of production and commerce haven't changed that much since then.