Shippers Frantic After China's Busiest Port Shuts Container Terminal Due To Covid

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Arcticdude said:
If China can't ship their crap over here, what's the problem? Maybe now we can get weaned off their cheaply made junk.
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One would think by this time companies here in the US would start to say, "Hey, we might want to bring back production of stuff here to mitigate these disruptions"
Nope. The construction of a plant here in the US, tooling, and especially labor costs, better to hope for the best and do nothing.
 
MOS0231 said:
One would think by this time companies here in the US would start to say, "Hey, we might want to bring back production of stuff here to mitigate these disruptions"
Nope. The construction of a plant here in the US, tooling, and especially labor costs, better to hope for the best and do nothing.
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That is a typical response. Fortunately most products are still made in the US. Maybe not electronic stuff, but just about everything that I need is still made in USA. Costs a little, quality does, and it takes some searching but USA products are out there.
 
Arcticdude said:
That is a typical response. Fortunately most products are still made in the US. Maybe not electronic stuff, but just about everything that I need is still made in USA. Costs a little, quality does, and it takes some searching but USA products are out there.
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The other thing I see a lot are, Made In The USA, using globally sourced parts.
My Craftsman tool chest has that on the side.
 
MOS0231 said:
The other thing I see a lot are, Made In The USA, using globally sourced parts.
My Craftsman tool chest has that on the side.
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Yrah, I've noticed that a lot too. I guess its still assembled in the US using (mostly) American workers. Better than nothing I suppose. I'd rather keep an American working than a Chinese communist slave.
 
I just took a flight to Chicago. Out of pure boredom I read the emergency procedure sheet in the seat pouch. Printed bold as day it says “This aircraft was assembled in the US from foreign made parts.” That did not give me a lot of confidence in the aircraft quality, since Mr. Short Wang in China was responsible for manufacturing critical engine and airframe parts.
 
China is at the spearhead of this great new world, they have gained immeasurably under the lockdowns, their people are oppressed more than ever. If they locked a port I doubt it has anything to do with covid, more likely they are using that to cover the fact that they are not exporting as much crap as before. You would have to look a lot deeper than the simple explanation "Spin" in a media story to know what's really going on.

Personally I couldn't give a toss, this stuff is just background noise.
 
MOS0231 said:
The other thing I see a lot are, Made In The USA, using globally sourced parts.
My Craftsman tool chest has that on the side.
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The new line of Craftsman tools are made in China. However when I bought my Craftsman tools I got them from Sears and they say Made in the USA. I'll dig through bins at pawnshop looking for American made tools.
 
Arcticdude said:
I'm in the process of building a boat and I'm starting to buy the tools I need for this project. I need another cordless drill, clamps and a power plane. The last cordless drill I bought was a Dewalt and it was made in the USA. We'll see if they still are.
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I don’t think any of the brands are anymore. At the minimum the parts are sourced globally.
 
I’ve been a dewalt fan for years but the Milwaukee tools are more ergonomic and comfortable. Both do the job though.
 
There are some DeWalt power tools still made in the US, I'm not sure now many. Some Bosch power tools are made in Germany and Switzerland.
I read that one model Bosch angle grinder is made in Germany, but mine is made in China.
If you want to roll the dice, you can buy used American made power tools at most any pawn shop for a pretty good price. They might just outlast anything new. Caveat Emptor!
 
Brent S said:
I’ve been a dewalt fan for years but the Milwaukee tools are more ergonomic and comfortable. Both do the job though.
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Dewalt is owned by Black and Decker and oddly enough made ( this side of the pond anyway) with Bosch machinery.
 
Stanley, which I always equated with cheap tools, surprisingly owns loads of other brands.
 
Brent S said:
Stanley, which I always equated with cheap tools, surprisingly owns loads of other brands.
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I found a Stanley hammer while walking my dog in a campground. It has that odd looking neck between the hammer and the handle. A carpenter told me it reduces vibration which is important for carpenters after hours of hammering. I still have it years later and it works fine.
 
The other day I bought a Dewalt cordless drill. Made in Mexico, better than China, or so I thought. Turns out the drill bit slips in the chuck. I can't tighten it enough. They don't make a drill that uses a chuck key any more. I'll have to return it. That's another 250 mile round trip at $4.00 a gallon gas.
 
Arcticdude said:
The other day I bought a Dewalt cordless drill. Made in Mexico, better than China, or so I thought. Turns out the drill bit slips in the chuck. I can't tighten it enough. They don't make a drill that uses a chuck key any more. I'll have to return it. That's another 250 mile round trip at $4.00 a gallon gas.
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I’m driving 3 hours each way to pu a finish mower for the tractor today. I’m saving 550$ by driving to Tennessee for it. I was questioning wether it was really worthwhile to save the money vs the wear and tear on the car and trailer, fuel, 6 hrs or travel, etc. you just made me feel better about the decision with the drill comparison though. Doing that trip just for the drill just isn’t worthwhile. Waiting until you are going in that direction anyways makes it work out though.
The other day I had bought a loaf of whole grain bread from a grocery. It was moldy in two days. I wanted to return it but figured the trip and time just wasn’t worth the 4.50 it cost so It went into the garbage bin…. I try to look at cost or risk vs benefit or reward on most things. (Normally it would have went into the compost bin but my dogs love bread and would likely have snuck over there)…
 
Brent S said:
I’m driving 3 hours each way to pu a finish mower for the tractor today. I’m saving 550$ by driving to Tennessee for it. I was questioning wether it was really worthwhile to save the money vs the wear and tear on the car and trailer, fuel, 6 hrs or travel, etc. you just made me feel better about the decision with the drill comparison though. Doing that trip just for the drill just isn’t worthwhile. Waiting until you are going in that direction anyways makes it work out though.
The other day I had bought a loaf of whole grain bread from a grocery. It was moldy in two days. I wanted to return it but figured the trip and time just wasn’t worth the 4.50 it cost so It went into the garbage bin…. I try to look at cost or risk vs benefit or reward on most things. (Normally it would have went into the compost bin but my dogs love bread and would likely have snuck over there)…
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Just about everywhere we go is at least a 3 hour trip. With the price of fuel and our time I combine it with other stops as much as possible. I'll take the drill back next week. I still need some more tools for my boat building project, and I'll start ordering lumber for it.
One good thing about selling the cattle is I'm not hauling hay all summer. I've got enough hay and grain to finish the steers in the feedlot until butcher time.
I'm really looking forward to this winter. No feeding or breaking ice twice a day.
 
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