markh Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hey guys. At the risk of annoying everyone, I want to speak my mind concerning the American economy. Free trade agreements are really messing with our future, especially the one with China. That said, I want to encourage everyone to investigate the manufacturers and distibutors of power hammers, air compressors, lathes, drill presses, etc. Big Blu, Iron Kiss, Phoniex Forging Hammers(who are now making a 160# Prodigy for way less $ than their large hammers), KA hammers all make great machines that are built right here in the USA. Strikers and Anyang, as most people know, are made in China. I think that with the great power hammer options we have here, it would not be very patriotic to purchase on from China. Industrial Gold makes an amazing air compressor(7.5 HP single phase) that will deliver more than enough cfm for a utility hammer. They are priced nice as well. Please reply with more ideas, your criticism, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 it would not be very patriotic to purchase on from China unless of course your Chinese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 IForgeIron is visited by over 50 world wide countries each month and is truly an international web site. We try to stay away from the subject of politics, and political discussions, and concentrate on blacksmithing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbiesmith Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Sorry Mark. But I have to just say "Welcome to my life". I'm one of those guys that can walk through a field and step in the one cow pie in it. Good to see there is someone else with my luck. -Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocsMachine Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I'll buy American when I can, but there's limits. When I needed a new vertical mill, I had a choice; one of several dozen imports, anything used, or a new American. The problem with choice two is, being in Alaska, I'd be buying sight-unseen. That's okay for an anvil or a hammer, but stupid for a precision machine tool. eBay is chock-full of dealers that wave an angle grinder with a wire cup wheel over a rusty government scrap-auction tool, slap a coat of industrial grey on it, and shill-bid the thing up to the price of a good Boeing castoff. And the problem with choice three is there's precisely one manufacturer of Bridgeport-sized manual mills in the US, which is, of course, Bridgeport, which is now a small division of Hardinge. Who, as it turns out, has most of their large castings made in China anyway. My Grizzly 9x42" 2HP vertical knee mill, a Taiwanese import, cost me $4,600, shipped to my doorstep. An essentially identical Bridgeport was going to be $17,500 before it even got loaded onto the truck. How about a lathe? A Grizzly 13" is around $3,000. The only people that even make a lathe that size in the US is Monarch, who make them mainly for the military, and they start at $55,000. That's not a typo. I would love to have a real Bridgeport. I would love to have a shiny new Monarch. Xxxx, I'd rather have Baldor buffers and grinders than these cheap imports. But the import is $90 and the Baldor is $400. I'm nowhere near rich, and self-employed. I'd love to buy an American car that's not built from 87% Asian parts and assembled in Mexico, I'd love to buy drills and hand power tools made from aluminum and magnesium with real ball bearings, but they don't even make those anymore. Our "American" cars are made in Japan and our Japanese cars are made in the US. Ford and GM tried to force congress to legislate an advantage over the imports instead of building a better product- and those unions didn't help much either. The best I can do is buy quality tools when I can. I'll spend a little more to get a better, longer lasting tool, but I don't always have the luxury of paying huge premiums to have an "All American" tool that often really isn't all that much better than an import that costs a quarter the price. Doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markh Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Glen, Sorry about the politics. I just got fired up watching the news last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 and those unions didn't help much either. I was under the impression all the unions had been broken and outlawed :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I think people should put aside such boundaries and buy what's best .. .be it that it's made by their country or not ... but when the difference is not that big ..one should buy products made by his own country. Last time i said something about China . . it was deleted ..so we better talk about such things in chat ...where you can get things off your chest faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip in china Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I think it is important to support the manufacturers of the country where you earn your living. (Grin). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveh Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 i just finished reading your posting Philip and ihave to admit it put a smile on my face.i think you have a good sense of humour.have a good day or night ,im not sure which.happy forging steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Posts from USA, Romania, China and Canada Yes, the site IS INDEED INTERNATIONAL in scope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I think it is important to support the manufacturers of the country where you earn your living. (Grin). I think its important to be the manufacturer in the country your earning your living :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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