Arc Welder Group Test

[Muggins the Mug]

It does make you wonder how a country that invented gun powder, contributed much to astronomy in centuries past and other technological marvels in the past is now producing such poor quality products...

Regards,

Ian.

 

[Archie]

The 'how' is simply down to the vast amount of cheap labour available.

'Why' is very much more depressing. The answer is because that's what we, the West, demand: cheap stuff. And welders, sadly, are no exception.

 

[TechnicAl]

archie

Im not sure that WE have demanded it. Some dealers have seen the prices available and have seen the opportunity for a fast buck.
Our inherent greed has wafted the flames and made us think why should I pay for a traditional brand when I can get Chinese for half the price.
In many cases purchasers have realised too late why they bought the original product but there are some who now can afford a MIG welder or a plasma cutter who couldnt before.
I think we have CREATED a market rather than react to Market demands.

One example is a MIG wire importer who used to only supply chinese scaffolding. He saw the opprotunity for cheap MIG wire and jumped on the bandwagon.

But I agree with what you say

 

[matt1978]

Yes........its a subject that's been raised on here before many times.

From my own experience/observations of the welding industry, a lot of it has been created by Manufacturers and Distributors........I have seen countless exapmles...

A Distributor is selling a Box for £10, he buys it off the manufacturer for £7 and the £3 is profit. Everyone is happy.

Then he see's an opportunity to get a simerla (and simerla should be used loosely) box from China that he can buy for £4, so he buys a load of these boxes, but insted of maintaining his original sales price, he starts selling them for £6 to try and 'clean' up in the market place.

He doesn't look at the fact that he is making overall less profit and has pretty much destroyed the market place for said boxes.

I have seen it with welding machines, Gloves, Wires, Regulators etc etc lots of things.

 

[Archie]

I see your point, Al, but isn't it a bit of a chicken and egg situation? Dealers had to know that people would buy the cheaper stuff in order for there to be the opportunity for a quick buck.

 

[malcolm]

Also margins on the Chinese **** tend to be massive. Ever wondered why occasionally there's a discount from £150 to £40? Is the distributor is buying the things in for £60 and taking the loss just to make you happy, or did they cost the distributor £20? Big markup going on there maybe.

I'd much rather have my money going towards producing the product I'm buying so I can end up with something decent rather than sending my money to some git (who generally doesn't care about how I'll get on) just for selling it to me.

 

[TechnicAl]

I see your point, Al, but isn't it a bit of a chicken and egg situation? Dealers had to know that people would buy the cheaper stuff in order for there to be the opportunity for a quick buck.

I think thats our inherent greed. We are all guilty of thinking that Tesco Corn Flakes are really Kelloggs in a different box. We can even convince ourselves that they taste the same until one day the penny drops and we stop kidding ourselves.

Im no exception, Ive done it, and ,whats even more annoying, I continue to do it (Yorkshireman). Its hard to resist the pull of the bargain.

 

[Archie]

Fair point but I have to disagree with one thing; I could never convince myself that Tesco's cornflakes taste the same as Kellogg's!

 

[marknotgeorge]

I see what you're saying about cheap tools, but food is slightly different. I don't know who makes Tesco cornflakes (probably not Kelloggs) but I do know that United Biscuits (who make McVitie's) make the own-brand biscuits for just about all the supermarkets. My dad trunks the stuff from UB's depot to the supermarket depots. I remember seeing a UB recall notice for bourbon biscuits. It covered everyone from Waitrose to Happy Shopper.

 

[TechnicAl]

Archie.........to be honest I cant stand corn flakes, Kelloggs or anyone elses

marknotgeorge
I think that happens with lots of items. Dont they call it badge engineering or something. I know of similar situations but they usually do something to reduce the costs of the cheaper brand, such as cheaper raw materials, cheaper packaging and the simple bulk purchase.

I know it happens with welding products and I also know some reps make false claims. I know of one who makes a point of telling everyone that his wire is not chinese, which is true, its Indian.

 

[GeorgeB]

Fair point but I have to disagree with one thing; I could never convince myself that Tesco's cornflakes taste the same as Kellogg's!

Neither could I. They don't taste the same but, after a day or two, I forgot the difference and they're just as good in their own way, a bit like the difference between some welding sets. I now buy the cheapest 'Corn Flakes' from Tesco's value range, Asda or Lidl and would never waste my money on Kelloggs again.

It's a near-certainty that many 'own brands' are identical to the leading brands and come off the same production line. Not Kelloggs, though, but who cares!

Here are two forum threads well worth reading if you are starting to feel the effects of the recession:

Great disguised own brand hunt:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=23002

What value things have you tried and liked?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=405198

 

[TechnicAl]

Incredible how a thread subject can transform from Stick Welding to Cornflakes. You couldnt do it if you tried.

 

[Muggins the Mug]

Incredible how a thread subject can transform from Stick Welding to Cornflakes. You couldnt do it if you tried.

Personally the cheap cornflakes are often rotten to my tastebuds, but cheap wheetabix tastes like the branded one.

Regards,

Ian.

 

[matt1978]

Personally the cheap cornflakes are often rotten to my tastebuds, but cheap wheetabix tastes like the branded one.

Regards,

Ian.

Christ..............they must be bad!

This is coming from the home of Deep fried mars bars

 

[Muggins the Mug]

This is coming from the home of Deep fried mars bars

Funnily enough I've never tried them, always thought the taste of deep fried chocolate and caramel sounds disgusting. Even a deep fried Marathon sounds rotten.

Regards,

Ian.

 

[madkayaker]

Iron Brew doesn't taste as nice south of the border

 

[Muggins the Mug]

Barr's Irn Bru - made in Scotland from girders. What a cracking slogan.

Regards,

Ian.

 

[TechnicAl]

Iron Brew doesn't taste as nice south of the border

That must be why I think its awful.........tastes like medicine

 

[snowcat]

I see what you're saying about cheap tools, but food is slightly different. I don't know who makes Tosca cornflakes (probably not Kelloggs) but I do know that United Biscuits (who make McVitie's) make the own-brand biscuits for just about all the supermarkets. My dad trunks the stuff from UB's depot to the supermarket depots. I remember seeing a UB recall notice for bourbon biscuits. It covered everyone from Waitrose to Happy Shopper.

ahh just because biscuits are made in the same bakery doesn't mean they use the same ingredients, cheaper products on the whole use cheaper raw materials, wheat isn't just wheat, the variation between a British grown high protein biscuit or bread making wheat, is completely different to a low protein, harvested in the wet, Canadian import, ever wondered why cheep bread has holes you could drive a bus through, its down to cheep flour with a poor Hagberg which is normally produced for a pittance in Eastern europe....

all mills and bakery's produce different priced products using different ingrediants.....its not just loading a price on to pay for a name, supermarkets generally have a massive % of profit over everyone else in the chain, and notoriously price set with each other........to hold prices low for the producer and profits high for themselves but thats a diffrent dabate....

 

[eddie49]

I was once talking with someone from Glasgow about how revolting I thought the idea of a deep-fried Mars bar would be, especially at the end of a night out. She replied "Yes, but you're ganna be throwing up anyway".