4 ms·
Most people don't want to try and make things, so they are unaware how incredibly f we are. Like I have little project and needed an enclosure made to order. N
by varispeed 4y ago
Most people don't want to try and make things, so they are unaware how incredibly f we are.
Like I have little project and needed an enclosure made to order. Nothing fancy. Tried three rather known Western vendors and none could manufacture it to an acceptable standard. It was also very expensive and customer service seemed annoyed that I even want to order anything. I lost a lot of money on this, simply because I didn't want to support China.
Unfortunately had to hold my nose and go with Chinese. It's a night and day difference. Customer service was helpful and guided me through everything - and the quality. Damn. All dimensions exactly on point, no gaps, no off angles, no chipped paint, just perfect. The price was very similar to what I paid to more expensive Western company, but the value for money - no comparison.
It's even worse with PCBs. There is one company in Europe that I could recommend, but they are rather expensive and I wouldn't use it for larger quantity - the cost of the end product would mean you wouldn't be able to compete.
So it's China again. Amazing customer service, advanced options, short lead times.
We are so f.
- jacquesm 4y agoIndeed. But thank you for trying!
- cpursley 4y agoAgree! I just ordered a custom made guitar ("NK headless guitars" on aliexpress for those who are interested). While's there's a bit of a language barrier, there's no way I could get close to the level of customer support and quality for the price ($500). You can't even start a conversation with a US/EU company for less than $2000k USD for a custom guitar build. This Chinese company started off cloning a well known brand (Strandburg) but eventually came up with their own very unique design. And not only that, they can customize things unlike the big brand. I just don't get the anti-China hate. Is it racism? https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101096166?spm=a2g0o.detail.100005.1.4fa75607tYJBJq https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101096166?spm=a2g0o.detail...
- jacquesm 4y ago> I just don't get the anti-China hate. Is it racism? It is 100% possible to see China as a long term economic (and possibly military but I doubt that) threat, abhor their human rights violations, love Chinese people and despise the CCP all in one go.
- augment001 4y agoSo true. Even the CCP wasn’t so clearly problematic until Xi.
- htag 4y agoThe CCP has been clearly problematic since Mao.
- augment001 4y agoIt seemed to be getting better between Deng Xiaoping and Hu Jintao. Obviously not great, but it took a much darker turn with Xi.
- kemiller 4y agoNot anti-China, anti-CCP. China has an amazing culture with deep history and they have shown themselves to be astounding competent. But autocratic systems are self-defeating. When leadership is sound, it seems like a great idea. But because power is absolute it just takes one wrong turn to wreck everything, which is what is happening now. Under Hu, Chinas ascendancy seemed inevitable. Not anymore.
- seanmcdirmid 4y agoHu Jintao was a pretty weak leader who satisfied neither traditionalists nor reformers. He opened up China for the Olympics than snapped it shut. Say what you want about Xi, but he is seen as a strong leader at least.
- type0 4y ago> I just don't get the anti-China hate. Is it racism? There are plenty of reasons for anti-China sentiments, some don't like to deal with China because of animal rights abuses, others because of mistreatments of the Uyghurs, what the CCP did to Hong Kong etc. I would rather buy the same item when it says Made in Vietnam/India/Thailand over the one that's made in China, and that's not because of bad craftsmanship or racism.
- cpursley 4y agoIsn't Vietnam openly (C|c)ommunist and Thailand authoritarian?
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- herbst 4y agoI never see people hating on Switzerland even thought it's effectively legal to eats cats and dogs in some places (and horses for my us readers) and its beeing done. One meal even named 'meow meow' Yet I never hear people cancel Switzerland for animal right abuse
- nokarmacamel 4y ago[dead]
- fbdab103 4y agoWell, Strandburg probably has some thoughts on why they dislike China.
- cpursley 4y agoThis builder creates their own unique design. And Strandburg used to open source their designs: https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/3lb8pm/strandberg_guitars_open_source_licenses_one_of/ https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/3lb8pm/strandbe...
- fbdab103 4y agoThat reddit link reaches out to a page [0] that puts the license as CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, meaning non-commercial. Looking at the updated strandberg site[1] and some Ali clones, they look identical[2]. Maybe there are tweaks to the design, but it sure looks like the IP has been lifted entirely. [0] https://guitarworks.thestrandbergs.com/ https://guitarworks.thestrandbergs.com/ [1] https://strandbergguitars.com/ https://strandbergguitars.com/ [2] https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-headless-guitar.html https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-headless-guitar.html
- cpursley 4y agoThe only similarity is that they are headless. The NKs are a pretty different body carve now.
- porknubbins 4y agoDoing business with Chinese counterparties you have to worry they will renege on contracts if the market goes too far against them and you will have no recourse. Sometimes you get great value like your custom guitar, sometimes you get screwed. It pays to be a little cynical when doing business with Chinese companies has such a variance.
- chii 4y agoHow do these non-chinese companies survive if their production is so bad, customer service so poor, and price is so high? Who are their current customers that are paying for their services?
- serf 4y ago>So it's China again. Amazing customer service, advanced options, short lead times. This falls apart quickly when you come up with a product that would profit others through mimicry. Those local manufacturers suddenly become a lot less expensive when you're cruising through Alibaba and you see the product you designed for sale in multiple colors at 2/3rds the cost you could have ever hoped to sell them for, through multiple vendors. tl;dr : I could tell my story, I could tell my dad's story from 30 years prior, but here's the moral instead : taking IP overseas -- especially should that IP require special tooling that gets shipped around -- is crummy for a lot of reasons that may or may not come back to bite you. Local manufacturing does have advantages, even if they may not apply to your specific needs.
- jacquesm 4y ago> Those local manufacturers suddenly become a lot less expensive when you're cruising through Alibaba and you see the product you designed for sale in multiple colors at 2/3rds the cost you could have ever hoped to sell them for, through multiple vendors. No need to look far, two comments removed from yours is this one: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35462164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35462164
- varispeed 4y agoThere are trade offs of course. But from mechanical point of view, my project is simple enough that I am sure someone determined could just recreate it in CAD in a couple of days anyway and send to manufacturer of their own. I think if product can be copied easily, then it will be copied. It's just a fact of life. What can't be (easily) copied is the firmware. Someone determined could still do clean room implementation anyway. The more complex and innovative your project is, the more time you can sell it for premium until someone copies it. On one hand this is good, because it forces people to innovate on the other hand it makes projects less profitable in the long run. That being said if you have your marketing and price right, your target audience is unlikely going to choose a cheap copy and those who do probably wouldn't be your customers anyway.