More American-Made Wood Toys

We just went to a Halloween festival at Underwood Family Farms in Ventura County. They had lots of Halloween events, such as pony rides, pig races, and a bluegrass band. There was also a handmade toy seller that impressed me. Below are photos of Arlen Handberg of “Grandpa’s Toys & Crafts.” The products are quite reasonably priced and very well-made. We bought my daughter a race car ($8) and a marble dispenser ($15). I think that’s even cheaper than Chinese toys made with lead paint. Actually, Arlen said that the government is trying to shut him down because of the controversy over lead paint in Chinese  toys. He doesn’t use any lead paint, but because of the Chinese, all American manufacturers of any size are being forced to test their toys. This kind of onerous regulation will put many small manufacturers like Arlen out of business.  Tell your representative!

In the meantime, if you would like to get something from Arlen, his email address is arlenh@dslextreme.com.

Arlen Handberg with his wood toys

Marble Tree $15

Wood Racecar $8

Building a Made in USA Addition

We’ve started building an addition to our house right now.  We’re adding a bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms to our very cramped house.  So, of course, we’re trying to get building materials and fixtures that are made in usa when possible.  Not as easy as you might think.  Below is our experience to date with the various items:

Lumber – no problem, it’s all domestic.

Bathtub – we got an acrylic Kohler tub, made in USA.  Acrylics are usually made in usa but the larger cast iron tubs are usually Chinese.   We really tried to get the fixtures for it from Moen or Delta or from Newport Brass, which are supposed to at least be assembled in USA.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the right configuration for what we needed, except from Cifial, which is made in Portugal.

Tile – we needed to match travertine to what we had now, and this is Mexican.  Most natural stone appears to be imported.  I don’t understand why.  We’re also getting ceramic tile, which is Datile and is made in USA.

Vanities – We tried extensively to get made in usa vanities and sink fixtures, but we just couldn’t pass up really modern complete vanity sets with sinks and faucets for a tiny fraction of what we would have paid for such things ($1600 vs. probably $7000).  These are made in China.  You can’t always buy Made in USA.  I’m willing to spend 30-50% more for Made in USA, or organic, or whatever, but not 400% more!

Toilets – we searched in vain for made in USA toilets.  The only ones I heard of were Elger, but they were nowhere near here.  Kohler and American Standard are made in Mexico!  Toto, a Japanese company, I’ve read, has some toilets made in Georgia (ironic, huh?) but we couldn’t find any such toilets where we shopped.  So we got pretty cheap imported toilets from Kohler.

Drywall – the contractor is buying this, but I checked with him and he said it’s made locally.

Lighting – same issue as the vanities.  We could have gotten American made lighting from Americanmadelighting.com for roughly 3-7 times the cost of the made in China lighting that we ordered.  I can’t afford that kind of difference right now.  So we spent about $250 instead of $1200.

Windows – we already have Magic Windows in our house, which are Canadian, so we bought additional ones from them.  They are unique in having a roller slide out screen.  I know of no such American-made windows

We have yet to do the roof, drywall, and electrical.  I know that the recessed lighting is all imported too.   So far, not a very fulfilling made in USA experience!

Update 11/29/09:

We’ve gotten our roof – the shingles are all made in USA   The drywall is American-made also.  The wire mesh for stucco and house wrap are also American.  We just ordered stone fascia from Coronado which is also made in Southern California.  So we’re doing ok so far.

Red White and Blue the New Green?

I frequently have discussions with friends and colleagues about buying American cars.  I of course think that it’s imperative that we buy cars made in USA (not just made by American companies in Mexico).  Although study after study by the likes of JD Power equate the quality of American and Japanese cars and rank them above European cars, people still tell me that they think that American cars are of lower quality and refuse to consider the contrary.

As self-hating and anti-American as such sentiments may be, I cannot always convince them of their wrongness.  The issue is that someone does not want to compromise an inch in their pursuit of a particular product.  So let’s make an analogy.  What would we think if someone absolutely insisted on a fur coat from an enadangered species, such as leopard, and absolutely refused to settle for something less prestigious (in their mind)?  We would say that they are gluttonous and immoral, right?  What if they found out that their favorite tennis shoe is exclusively produced by child labor in India?  We would say that buying such a product is also insupportable, right?   So my argument is that buying American should be the new ethical imperative in our purchasing.  When we spend thousands of our dollars on expensive products, we should cut slack for the American ones, just as we would if they were made in environmentally-sustainable ways or supported fair trade for local farmers, etc.  I’m willing to go the extra mile just to buy American and will search around for the American-made version of something.  Will you?

Even I Got Burned By a Fake “Made in USA” Product

We were looking for a tricycle for my preschooler this month.  She was riding the ones in preschool and was really enjoying it, so we started to look online.  Naturally, I wanted to find one that was made in USA.  There were lots and lots that were made in China, so I skimmed over those.  I found one on Overstock.com (unbelievable, right?) for only $78.  It said, in big bold red white and blue letters, “Made in USA.”  (see the screenshot below, which is still up at the time of this posting).So we ordered it and it came in about a week.  And guess what ??  It said “Made in China” in big bold letters all over it!  I was so pissed!  On the other hand, I may be a made in usa die-hard, but there are limits to how much stress I’ll go through for that.  My daughter already saw it and was anxious to ride it.  So I said, “what the hell” and decided to put it together anyway.  It seemed a little cheap, but I figured it should at least work.  Nope.  It broke down in 1 afternoon.  I called up Overstock and they did authorize a full refund and gave me a free shipping return coupon.  I told them about the misinformation about the product on the web page, but so far, nothing has happened.  We also put up a nasty review on the product.

It’s really unfortunate that even when you’re trying to buy American, and the product even says that it’s made in USA, you can still get burned.  All we can do is be vigilant and hold retailers to account for the veracity of their made in USA claims.

Made In USA Breast Feeding Covers

Buying Made in the USA products is now a family affair…so when I found something I liked my husband encouraged me to post it on his blog here.  So here I go!

Having a new baby, I am always interested in baby products that make my life easier.  I recently saw my friend Kei’s breast feeding cover and asked her where she purchased it.  She told me that it is Made in the USA  (our friends know that we like that) and that she purchased it locally on www.jennofalltrades.com. This website features beautiful, well designed breast feeding covers, hand made by owner Jennifer Garland. Jennifer’s breast feeding cover is also half the price of similarly designed, imported covers.  Who wouldn’t want  a to support a local business and get a great deal at the same time? I emailed Jennifer and praised her for her work.  Best of luck to you Jennifer and all the other entrepreneurs out there creating quality, Made in the USA products!

Orb Audio – Super Made in USA Speakers

I have an old pair of Polk Audio speakers that I bought years ago in college.  They were definitely high-end when I bought them then and I paid for them with most of my high school summer job money that I had saved.  Those speakers were made in USA of course, but so were most speakers being sold in the 80’s and early 90’s.

I had recently become interested in buying a made in USA home theater speaker system.  I looked around, and it seemed like all the big names that I remembered – Bose, Polk Audio, KLH, Klipsch and others were being made elsewhere.  Polk, for instance, is manufactured in Mexico.  KLH is in China.  Bose, Mexico.  So I intensified my search online and did find a few companies still making their speakers in the US.  The one that really caught my eye was Orb Audio.

Orb Audio Set Up

First of all, Orb is a small company in Southern California that makes beautiful sounding and looking speakers.  When I saw them online months ago, I was truly surprised.  I had never seen anything like them before.  The speakers look like little orbs that can be separated or stacked together.  What also impressed me was the company’s dedication to making a high-quality product from design to the nuts and bolts, and doing it in the US at an affordable price.

So I decided to contact Orb and check out their speakers for myself.  I drove up to the unassuming store-front shop on Van Nuys Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, just north of Los Angeles.  I got to meet one of the owners, Gary, who showed me around their “factory.”  There were four people working there, assembling speakers.  There were boxes of speakers stands, connectors, drivers, and other parts all around.  Gary explained that what they were able to get locally, such as the laser-cut speaker bases and housings, they did.  A few things, such as the gold-plated connectors, are simply not made here at all, so they had to be imported from the Far East.  The speaker ball is made in New Jersey and virtually all the other parts are made within 60 miles of Los Angeles.  The ball or housing comes in multiple finishes, including black, white, brushed steel and brushed copper.

Crew at Work at Orb

I listened to the home theater in action there.  I must admit, I am not an audiophile, so I won’t pretend to be one.  However, the system was loud, precise, and sounded very high-quality.  I also took a pair of the speakers home for review, and they sounded quite excellent in my living room as well.  (see pics).

Speaker on My Mantle

Back of Speaker

Gary and the people at Orb really get it.  They understand that in the long run, your reputation is all you really have.  Making a product with innate value, sourced and manufactured locally, is the only viable future for sustainable American industry.  Gary explains ” when you move your production overseas, you don’t just lose the staff workers and all the other jobs associated with producing the 40 or so components that go into a speaker, you lose something far more valuable.  You are giving away the inventions, modifications and clever solutions, the actual innovation that happens during the course of problem solving.  Before you know it, the next generation of products is not even thought of in the USA.”  When asked about cost savings Gary replied, “labor is a major cost component of the speaker, but the savings you gain by selling web-direct as so much larger that after taking into account freight, import tariffs and lost quality control it just doesn’t make financial sense to build them in China.”

Orb Audio is an example of an American manufacturer making the right decisions about production and outsourcing.  I highly recommend their speakers.   Despite the flat or negative growth in the rest of the consumer electronics industry, Orb has continued 15-20% annual sales growth!

Contact information for Orb Audio: orbaudio.com, phone: 877-672-2834

Speaker Bases

Back of Subwoofer

Shopping Site Specializing in Made in USA Products

Here is an email we got from a shopping website that has devoted itself to providing only made in usa products.  They also are giving our blog’s readers a 20% discount (see below):

Thank you for your response and interest in Luxe & Liberty!  Yours
is one of
the best blogs regarding Made in the USA, and we are excited to be
involved.

Like you, we are hoping to make a difference by offering an
accessible way
to shop for quality, domestically produced products.  We respect
your need
to ensure that we are exclusively selling American made products.

Over the past several years, we have extensively researched and
partnered
with some of the most reputable American vendors such as Calphalon,
Grant
Dawson Collection, Empire Silver, New Arcadia Studio, Mulholland
Brothers,
Caskata, Voluspa, Anali Linens and JK Adams.

In the case where a vendor, such as Calphalon, offers both
domestically made
and imported products, we have contracted to sell only the
domestically
produced items.

Each selection has been inspected to ensure quality and origin.
Also, we
offer a money back guarantee if an item is found to be made elsewhere.

Luxe & Liberty is dedicated to selling only American made products -
our
company is based upon this belief and our name depends upon it.

Keep up the great work and please let me know if you have any further
concerns or suggestions.

Thanks again,

Rebecca Orrel
Owner

LUXE&LIBERTY
1242 Fairview Avenue
Winter Park, FL 32789
352-256-2398
info@luxeandliberty.com
www.luxeandliberty.com

Diapers – Guess Which Ones Are Made in USA?

So you’d think that something like diapers would be made domestically, right?  So did I.  I just went shopping for diapers at Rite Aid for the first time in a long time (my second daughter was just born !).  They had Pampers, Huggies, and Rite Aid store brand.   I checked the labels and discovered that Pampers are all made in Mexico!  Who’d a thunk it?  Huggies and the Rite Aid store brand ones are made in USA.  Also, the price on the Huggies and the Pampers was exactly the same.

So if it’s cheaper to make diapers in Mexico, where do you think the extra money is going that Pampers has left over?  Not to US workers, you can bet on that!   Maybe to shareholders or fat executives.  I’d rather buy Rite Aid store brand diapers than Pampers.  Naturally, I walked out with the Huggies, not the Pampers.

Actually, we generally use washable diapers made by Bumgenius which help the environment and are made in USA.  A newborn goes through so many diapers that we’ll only start using the washables after a couple of months.  I’m very happy with the bumgenius diapers though – they save energy, money, and didn’t pile up as garbage.  We bought a set of 12 one and a half years ago for our first child and they are still going strong.  Check them out on the bumgenius.com website.

The bottom line is, if there are no large savings to us, why should any of us fork over our hard-earned money to the Pampers people?  Only if we live in Mexico!  Americans should boycott Pampers!

Made in USA Easels and Wood Toys

We just bought a new wooden easel for our 2 year old daughter.  She likes to draw at preschool and loves her crayons.  Someone had given us a huge easel-monstrosity that was plastic and made in China, and we returned it to Amazon.  Later, my wife was shopping online for made in usa easels and found a good deal on the Beka Easel.  She bought a wooden easel for just under $40 which is a pretty good deal.

Beka is made in St. Paul Minnesota. They really seem to get it: attention to quality, personal attention and pride in what you’re making, pride in the actual craft and production and the intrinsic value of the thing they make.  Contrast that with companies like Nike.  All they are is a marketing and branding company with a little design thrown in.  Here is their website: http://www.bekainc.com/

Below is information from their about us page:

We began producing specialty wood products in 1973, originally building hand weaving looms for sale through specialty yarn stores.  In the early 1980’s, our focus shifted to large scale creative play products for children.  The BEKA name is now known throughout the specialty toy market and school supply industry for high quality art easels, puppet theaters, unit blocks and other creative play products for children.

We describe ourselves as a “manufacturer” because we personally make the things we sell. Our unique modular designs give our customers great flexibility in choosing product features, but it is Select Hard Maple and Skilled Woodworkers that provide the backbone for the quality products we produce.  We combine the economy and efficiency of volume manufacturing with the personal service of a small, family owned business.  You’ll enjoy the Beka difference!

An Exemplary American Manufacturer – Midwest Snips

Madeinusablog was just contacted by a representative from Midwest Snips, a specialty maker of hand cutting tools, based in Michigan.  This is the first industry representative that has contacted this blog wishing to be listed as an all-American manufacturer.

I checked out their website and was very favorably impressed.  They were established 45 years ago and have gradually expanded their product line.  Their tools are used in aviation, construction, electrical work and more.   They have been private-label suppliers to such brands as Sears Craftsman but also sell under their own brand. Despite their success, they have resisted the cheap lure of outsourcing and have expanded to two manufacturing facilities, both in Michigan.  Their tools are high quality but not outrageously priced.

Midwest Snips deserves a hand for making a quality product and making it in the USA from top to bottom!