rubbish imported from china.

[threedogs]

Aussie I've got a 60kg blacksmiths vice 6" jaws already 100 plus years old. awesome tool indeed
Back to topic, there are decent products from Sth Africa, I like those Magliniolina roof top jobs.
My roof rack will be based on 4 rhino bars with led light bar and awning bracket .

[AB]

I wouldn't also disregard buying anything from China as a huge percentage of your basic consumables and household products are from China.

The company I work for imports from China and to be honest we just don't see this kind of high quality workmanship in Australia in the industry I work in full time.

There's China and then there's China.

China has amazing quality and of course this low quality gear like all countries.

The problem is not China, the problem is companies in Australia happy to import this rubbish and find it acceptable to sell it in Australia without giving a flying fat rats about how safe or how long it will last.

Unfortunately there is a demand for this crap all over the world as a lot of people want bargains!!!

[threedogs]

Your jobs safe for a while AB lol, correct what your saying to and its not just China.
India rings a bell' Just reading waeco / engel thread and one post inquired if worth buying a chinese fridge.
what the, some item you can get by with but your bigger ticket items you'll need to research.
talk to club members every salesman will say his product is best, but forums like this will give you real world answers.
EG ferret and myself have engels over 15 years old I'm not even thinking of up dating ,why would I, still looks, works great

[megatexture]

Yea im with you 3dogs i personally wouldn't be skimping on a fridge thats potentially got your life on the line if it fails out in the sticks and especially not for the price you pay for them also, its gotta be able to go the distance

[rkinsey]

To be technical, Australia (and all countries I am sure) have mandatory manufacturing and saftey standards that all manufacturers and importers have to make sure that their products meet or exceed.

All products have to be tested and then, if they pass said testing, are then issued with a certificate.

More information here: http://www.productsafety.gov.au/cont.../itemId/970225

http://www.productsafety.gov.au/cont...mItemId/974066

http://www.productsafety.gov.au/cont...mItemId/974066

A guide to product saftey - http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/conten...fety_guide.pdf

Having said all of that, we the consumers, are more informed than ever before and because of that information, are more empowered. You can ask to see the product safty certification for any product (that doesnt already display this information) and if the seller cant produce this info, then vote with your feet and get a proper product that is certified.

Having said that, supply and demand determines that market of any product and this determins the price. We are all human and always look for the cheaper option.

In my time over the past 15 years supporting Consumer Electronic devices for several manufacturers and resellers including building my own custom computer systems, I have always gone for mid range priced equipment and found that I had very little problems with these products.

Just because a product is the most expensive on the market doesnt mean it is the most reliable and just because a product is the cheapest means that is the best value for money either.

Just my two and a half cents worth.

Cheers,

Rob

[threedogs]

Thats fine but don't you feel now more than ever we are flooded with cheap copies.
before it was leather or vinyl not so clear cut these days. everyone wants to save a buck.
still think before buying especially if new to 4x4 or camping , throw up a Thread and get an informed
answer from people who have experience on what works and what wont, last thing you want is gear letting you down
out woop woop... AAAHHHHMMMM woop woop

[Winnie]

We sell a product at work, it's a circuit break of a very large name brand beginning with H. Made in Slovenia. They ran out of screws in manufacturing, so pulled screws out of something else and put them in (which didn't fit) and when you tried to undo them it stripped them and made them useless. We had thousands of dollars worth of stock in this product which was completely useless. Then another time on the exact same product, they ran out of springs for the test buttons, so just didn't put them in. That means the test button wouldn't spring out, so if you were to get audited by the electrical inspector you would fail from using that product. Useless!!

[Clunk]

I think I know the brand you're talking about there Winnie.
Company I work for have unfortunately had to get all of our branded products made in China due to the spiralling costs of manufacture over here and the need to be able to compete with our competitors. Everyone from Joe Bloggs down the road to the large mining companies, to the electrical wholesalers want everything as cheap as possible, so we tooled up the manufacturers and they manufacture to our specs. Quality control is set up over there and also checked again when it reaches us. Anything that's not to standard get rejected and the manufacturer has to fix it or it or replace it at their cost otherwise they don't get paid......... As has been said before..... not everything that comes out of there is shizza but its up to the companies who employ their services to make sure that they make good quality product.

[lorrieandjas]

There's China and then there's China.

China has amazing quality and of course this low quality gear like all countries.

The problem is not China, the problem is companies in Australia happy to import this rubbish and find it acceptable to sell it in Australia without giving a flying fat rats about how safe or how long it will last.
!

Couldn't agree more. Some of the Chinese manufacturing is so much better than some of the stuff made here. The issue is that for every component made in China there are about 22 levels of quality and it comes down to what the importer or customer wants - which too often is the lowest price. I have seen, and used some great imports, however there is always the idealogical argument about made in Australia which I support and is valid. Unfortunately the laws of supply and demand mean that some people who can't afford "quality" (read sometimes over-priced or made in Oz) sometimes opt for the lowest price - and generally regret it. However, albeit rarely, sometimes the lowest price is actually the best deal for money.

I think as someone else mentioned you need to be an informed buyer - forums are great for that generally - Caveat Emptor.

Now all that said - what really gets up my nose is when you buy something from someone who know their product is a lemon.

[threedogs]

Thats called salesmanship, samples of cheap copies that are OK would to me be any Aldi gear.
but feel free if anyone has had a good run from another products, this could be interesting.
For me cheap is all my Fishing gear, got tons of it, $15 10 ball bearing reels, I can't fault them,
300mtr of 40lb Dyneema braid $13, how can you beat that, and lures 5 x $8 free post.
Mind you haven't caught anything with them either, Chinese lures Aussie Cod. LOL