Steven wrote:Part of the problem is that Australian made gear cannot compete on price with gear made offshore
But there are those among us who realise that you need to pay more for a product that will last. Not always the case but if you know the gear is good but it is expensive, you have a choice.
Have a look at what has happened to Scarpa boot prices over the last few years. Last pair cost me less than $300 and now they're over $400.
Why?
Is it because of a lack of competition for high end boots? No answer needed, it's just an example.
People cannot always afford the best of the best because it might last longer. So there are options. Unfortunately, most of these options are Chinese and fall apart when relied upon most.
Not the end of the world on a day walk if it didn't cost you a fortune to buy, but...
For example...
About 20 years ago I went for a walk with a mate. He had a cheap $200 chinese copy of a tunnel tent, it had fibreglass poles, but was supposed to be a 4 season tunnel tent.
We got as far as Moonlight ridge and decided we didn't want to go to LaPerouse any more. So we set up camp, sheltered by the ridgetop.
The forecast was for the winds to die down overnight then strengthen again on Sunday.
Instead, during the evening the winds shifted 90 degrees and was now at full force on the side of the tent. We were camped on about a foot of compacted icy snow.
Boats were blown from their moorings in Sandy Bay, the Burnie courthouse lost its roof, and we are in a cheap tent that got totally destroyed throughout the night. Sleeping bag soaked - totally saturated. We survived the night and got out of there the next morning.
I'd say we were lucky.
My point is that sometimes your life will be dependent on your gear. Take rock climbing. Would you use cheap shackles etc that you bought from HK on eBay, or would you buy a reputable brand from a source you trust?
If the gear is to use as a backup to something else when lopping a tree in your back yard, fair enough. If the gear is to be relied upon halfway up a cliff, well, I'll have the expensive one thanks.
I have discussed my tripod in another topic on this forum. Cheap Chinese excrement. So often do I swear at it.
Problem is, the proper tripod will cost me three times as much which I currently cannot afford.
So like my mate and his tent, starting off with what you can afford, and learning (or knowing) that you will expect to replace it with something better one day. Or just keep buying new cheap ones.
Take a look at washing machines - I found a great write up a while back. Hang on...
Found it.
http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/reviews/miele-overview.htmlWhat's wrong with cheaper washing machines?
The trouble with many washing machines these days, is that their design and reliability seems to be dictated almost entirely by costs. The majority of washing machine manufacturers are fighting out a long running price war, which will probably end up with them all being taken over by large global companies until there are just one or two companies making washing machines worldwide. Already, many apparently competing washing machines are actually owned by the same companies. ( Who owns who? Who really makes your washing machine )
In an ideal world, companies making a product should make it as well as they possibly can, and then sell it at what it costs, plus the profit margin. Unfortunately though, this results in a product costing a lot more than the average person is prepared to pay. So manufacturers usually do it the other way round. They find out or guess what most people will pay and build the product to sell at that price. This usually results in a lot of corners being cut, then as competition increases, these products can become lower and lower in quality until they become rubbish - but most people still buy them because they won't pay for a "proper" one. People usually get what they pay for. Frankly, if you've had nothing but trouble for many years with your washing machines and think they are rubbish, it's possibly because you won't pay up for a good one. To be fair though, most people just don't think of it like this, or aren't even aware that high quality washing machines are available. ( If you're thinking, "what does he mean, I paid a lot of money for my last washing machine?" Read this - If I buy a more expensive washing machine do I actually get a better one? )
The manufacturers who have decided to compete in the most competitive price range, must keep their washing machines strictly within this price range at all costs. As manufacturing costs constantly increase, they daren't pass on the costs to customers. Manufacturing costs constantly have to be cut to maintain the final selling price and stay in the competition. To be fair, many cost savings are achieved with improved manufacturing techniques and other methods, but there's only so far you can go without having to start compromising quality.
Ultimately, the obsession with supplying washing machines at ridiculously cheap prices has resulted in a plethora of virtually throwaway washing machines. These washing machines are noisy in operation, dance around the kitchen, and suffer long known about and totally unnecessary breakdowns.
I've seen mains cables and fill hoses get so short they don't even reach in many situations. Many washing machines now have basic time-locks which make a customer wait two minutes to open the door whereas before they had more sophisticated (and more expensive) systems that let the customer into the machine as soon as it stopped.
Over the last 30 years, I've seen many individual parts getting cheaper - but much poorer in quality. Dozens of metal parts have been replaced by plastic parts, and parts that used to be repaired if a minor fault occurred, now only come as complete items. The worst example of this is when a simple coil goes open circuit on a motor, or a bearing wears. The only option on many of the cheaper washing machines is to fit a whole new motor which costs nearly as much as the machine did in the first place. This, is one of the hidden costs of cheap washing machines.
In fact, many of these manufacturers now appear to rely heavily on the profit from supplying spare parts to make up the shortfall in profit from making the washing machines in the first place. If this is the case, then they don't have much incentive to improve the quality of some of the parts inside.
Interesting points - and from another
articleThe reason I make this comparison is that it concentrates the mind on how unrealistically cheap many washing machines now are. I really don’t know how so many manufacturers of washing machines are still in business when the product they produce is apparently valued so little that they can’t even sell them at a reasonable price. At £199 the washing machine is not going to get repaired. Most people will dump it the first time it breaks down. Even the manufacturer’s repair agents will charge £97 (inc. VAT) to repair it out of warranty and that’s if it didn’t need any spare parts (last price check Jan 2007) They can’t just keep churning them out in their millions forever, they are overfilling our landfill sites.
We’ve had throwaway products for many years and I don’t mind admitting that it never bothered me before. Advances in manufacturing that enables production of very cheap products inevitably means they will never be economical to repair but it just didn’t seem too bad when I was throwing away small items. Now that the not-worth-repairing problem has started to include big things like washing machines and fridges it doesn’t seem right any more. Maybe it’s now time to consider making it illegal to produce certain products that can’t be economically repaired? Where is all this leading?
Where is all this leading indeed.
If the reputable brands cannot compete because everyone seems to be buying the cheap stuff, it may come to pass that the reputable brands will no longer have a market and so they will close down.
I've waffled enough, my point is that when buying gear, everyone should consider what they are going to be using it for, how reliant they will be on that gear for their comfort and/or survival, and whatever other benefits there might be in buying a more expensive / less Chinese item.
Then choose where to shop accordingly.
My
two cents seventeen dollars and sixty five cents.
Posted: Fri 17 Jul, 2009 10:31 pm
I suppose the overheads of running stores is a considerable cost. Similar to warehousing and distribution??? Free delivery to those who don't have a local store would be very nice. I got free delivery for a tent bought from an NZ online retailer.