Ogajiga Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Never knew Mustad hooks are made in China now, until mentioned in TU posts. I had noticed years ago the boxes changed and had a "Key Brand Fish Hooks" logo added but thought that was just corporate restructuring. Oooh, now it makes sense why Mustad 34184 jig hook quality became bad enough that I switched entirely to lesser strength but better point EC 413. And now, EC 413 is made in China with an unacceptable amount of very strange hair thin point tips you could fold with finger pressure. With the exception of still decent Mustad Ultra Points here's a message to hook "manufacturers" Eagle Claw, Matzuo, & Mustad: I WON'T BUY ANY MORE OF YOUR CRAPPY CHINESE HOOKS!! OK, next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 It all comes down to profit. The cheaper they can make them the more $ they make. And of course; what isn't made in China these days. I'm afraid the Chinese are going to be the only country in the world manufacturing all the products we use or consume. And here's a paranoid thought; then once they get the rest of the world dependant on them they cut it all off crippling the world's economy. Or better yet; they continue trying to poision us with there septic-raised fish or the lead-painted items. Now I hear they are sending us crappy tires for our cars. Now all that being said; the most stupid part of it all is that we are still buying this crap. Just my 2 cents. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 You are right. I am are working on several cars for China! I can't say too much because of eyes and ears. But I will say this, I will not be buying one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dampeoples Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 A vodkaman car! Hell, i'd buy that, you'd have to make it though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 I just design 'em. It runs on VORTEX POWER!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dampeoples Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Shame, but I just knew it would work on the Vortex principle, that was the selling point for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutty_gnome Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Huh. I didn't know that the Mustads were made in China. I've been loving the new(? - well new to me anyway) impact soft plastic keeper hooks with and without the sliding weights. The points on the 3/0 to 4/0 varieties seem to be working great for me. It truly is an awesome hook for fishing plastics. They aren't cheap though. 7 bucks for 3 of the weighted hooks I think and 5 bucks for 5 unweighted. If gamakatsu would make something similar, i would probably switch, but I haven't found it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutty_gnome Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Just to clarify, I like the mustad Powerlock Plus ultrapoint hooks. You can see them in the mustad Catalog online. N_G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Here in my home state of Oregon minimum wage is around 7.50 per hour. The average wage in China is less than 1 dollar an hour. You can get a whole bunch more work done with 7 or 8 people than you can with 1. So as a manufacturer you either work for far less profit margin or have it "made in China". It's not just by chance that Wal-Mart is the biggest retailer in the world. It's not just imports from China impacting the USA, millions of illegal immigrants have come to this country and they are often willing to take jobs Americans would prefer to not do. They are also willing to work for a wage that many Americans would feel is unfair. The only way you are going to maintain a competitive business edge is to also hire illegal immigrants. If you are a roofer for example, you can't afford to pay your crew 15 dollars an hour while your competitor is doing the same job paying his employees 7. The computer industry recruited large numbers of employees from India, they are highly trained, very intelligent and often willing to work longer hours and for less money than Americans. So if you are going to compete in this business, you either also hire these type of employees or you "outsource" your work to India. Whether we like it or not, Americans have priced themselves out of many markets and as a business operator the only way you be competitive is to either find a better way or "join the crowd". As America gets poorer, Mexico and China get richer. RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millsryno Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 One of the Dateline or 48 Hours shows just did a show on this very thing. I don't remember the exact figures, but manufacturers pay something like $15.00 per hour on average when you factor in benefits and salary to get things made. In China, that figure was like $1.20 per hour! Whatever the exact figures were, it was a 12 to 1 ratio. Not only do US manufacturers have to pay higher wages, but also pay way more for tougher regulations, insurance and taxes than Chinese manufacturers. The saddest part of it all, though, is that all this business we send to China and India could be going to Mexico, but their system is so broken it has to go oversees. If all this business was headed to Mexico, we probably wouldn't have the immigration problem we do today! Did you know that the average wage difference between the US and Mexico is the biggest difference between two neighboring countries anywhere in the world? Other than furniture, I don't really see anything "Made in Mexico" and that is a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dampeoples Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 The saddest part isn't the wage difference, it's pen-devil upper level American business owners that send the work overseas. You wanna be mad? Spit in their face. If you can get into their gated subdivision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 America needs to wake up and take accountability. Mexicans, politicians, CEO's had nothing to do with the situation they have only profited from the overall stupidity and laziness of the American people. These groups didnt' force anything on us, we either asked for them to do the work, voted them into office, buy their products, etc..... Yes unfortunately we are the reason it just is often hard to swallow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Travis, I totally agree. I feel a bit guilty working for their industry over here, but at the end of the day I am a mercinary contractor and they pay 75% more than Detroit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 WE are only PART of the reason it is hard to swallow. WE vote for them, WE elect them and WE send them off to D.C. to do OUR business but WE don't watch what they are accomplishing. Once they are there, they begin to fall into the system and all the hoopla and good intentions that they came into town with are soon flushed down the nearest commode. So as they are setting up all this global trade agreements and the like they are lining their pockets while they are gettin' r done. Once we send our business overseas, no body is watching what is happening to the product. Where are the checkpoints, the quality assurance audits, the random spot checks? They don't exist. How else could all those toys have made it into the system with lead paint? WE may have given a standard of a certain paint to be used when awarding the business, then a few years later some hot shot entrepeneur decided they could save some money by using up some old lead paint going to waste. Why not, nobody is watching. So how do we get out of this mess, or is it just going to continue to worsen? Good question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 I'm not sure that who we vote for will make that much of a difference anymore. Both repubs and dems are unwilling to really take a hard stand on immigration and out-sourcing. Why? Because they know minorities mean votes. Now we are seeing cities over America adopting their own immigration policies because the feds are unwilling to do anything about it. Only America would allow a person to come into their country "illegally" and stand on the street protesting for "equal rights". It's a bummer, America is definitely not the place it was when I was a kid. For now, chinese goods are part of doing business. RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 What does immigration have to do with quality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secretck Posted September 1, 2007 Report Share Posted September 1, 2007 Australia is the same. But if you want to whinge, give back your TVs and surround system, also the microwave and I pod all made in China. Most fishing gear in the world has some part made in China, so if you feel so strongly about using chinese or mexican made gear throw your rods and reels in the bin and make your own. Simple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchy Posted September 16, 2007 Report Share Posted September 16, 2007 All these issues pretty much are a product of our bad government. Heres a scary fact everyday 25 Americans are murdered in this country by illegal immigrants. Thats like 35,000 people in four years. If I remember right thats more Americans than killed in Iraq. Now just imagine the other crimes they commit like rapes, child molesting etc etc. Now made in china's crappy products dont seem so bad. Cause we really MADE all this come to pass IN THE USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smirkplug Posted September 16, 2007 Report Share Posted September 16, 2007 It seems like theres alot of junk out there made in China with low prices, I fish heavilly fished lakes and snag up many a chineese junk plug with bent, broken, cracked, plastic, hooks, etc ! think of what our lake bottoms look loke with all that junk around. Prices are so cheap it seems everybody breaks off a cheap lure rather than trying to get it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP MYERS Posted September 17, 2007 Report Share Posted September 17, 2007 Hmmmmm.. My wife was Made in China, havent found any defects in her yet.. But then we've only been married 2 yrs.. LoL.. Tho Im sure her complaints would be far louder than mine anyways.. John~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 our own greed has led to the asian revolution. but if you want quality buy north american.. we send our dicards scrap pulp and metals to asia. now pricing of materials here increase. ever notice how screw eyes and many other things have been dictated. north americans business plans are based on short term profit. in asia everything is long term commitments.. unless folks take a good hard look north america is in a downward spiral in manufacturing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
