Patriotism or pool?

hang-the-9 said:
But many of the best cues in the world are made in the US. Probably the only thing you may argue about is balls and tips (let the jokes commence).

Does Brunswick make their stuff in the US? Centenials and GC is nothing to be scoffed at.

I can't think of any top tips made in the US to compete with the prestege and probably quality of the Moori, Kamui, etc... Maybe there is some guy in his garage pressing ultra quality tips out of home-grown leather in Kansas?

I do have to say, for now at least, I'm away from US made cars. And half of those are made on a European designed world platform anyway. Oh, and KIAs, never ever buy a KIA, they must have gotten the 3rd rate engineeres that failed school in Japan and stole a spec sheet from Toyota, but the product comes out like a fake iPhone that works half the time and works like crap the other half.
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Hey, there's nothing wrong with Kia! They are making some seriously competitive cars now. Kia and Hyundai will go from strength to strength, and good luck to them: they know both the customer and the market, at least here in europe.
 
FWIW, Ford owned Volvo from 1999 until recently, when they sold off Volvo cars to avoid bankruptcy.

JAM said:
But have you driven a Ford lately?

I have owned five Volvo cars, love Volvos, but my next vehicle will be a Ford.:cool:
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ctyhntr said:
FWIW, Ford owned Volvo from 1999 until recently, when they sold off Volvo cars to avoid bankruptcy.
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I knew that. I definitely noticed the difference between my 1998 Volvo and my 2004 Volvo. The leather used for the seats were different quality.

I wouldn't buy a Volvo today. I currently have a 2007 Volvo with -- if you can believe this -- only 7,500 miles on it. I don't go anywhere anymore. :embarrassed2: Used to be a pool soldier, and now I'm again a workaholic.

I really do not need a new car at this time, but I am toying around with the idea of getting a new car mainly because of the price of gas. I want a car that gets better gas mileage. I like the Ford Hybrid or the Flex.

It's a shame that Volvo doesn't even make a hybrid car or one that is good on gas.

I'll give you a little tip, though. I just finished a huge job about flex fuel and ethanol. If I was a gambling lady and had some extra dough, I'd be pouring my cheesenips in corn. There is currently some legislation in the works that could change things for the better when it comes to corn. ;)
 
JolietJames said:
X2 I'm both as well. Long time pool player and long time supporter of American business. We're the only country that does nothing to protect it's companies from unfair trade practices. Back in the day Japan used to sell steel to the US at a loss. Our gov't never stepped in to help and we lost 90% of our steel mills. Once our mills were gone, Japan began selling for profit. If we want jobs in America, we need to buy the products those companies sell.
If you never look to see where products are made and shop at Wal-Fare you are THE problem.
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Your assertion that the US is the only country that doesn't indulge in protectionism is simply untrue. America protects herself all right - there's no danger about that. Mainstream media is great at mudslinging, but is a little reticent to apply the same principles when looking in the mirror.

Your assertion that you are the problem if you never look to see where products are made is also flawed. That mindset will see you sinking into the quicksand faster than you already are.
 
TheThaiger said:
Your assertion that the US is the only country that doesn't indulge in protectionism is simply untrue. America protects herself all right - there's no danger about that. Mainstream media is great at mudslinging, but is a little reticent to apply the same principles when looking in the mirror.

Your assertion that you are the problem if you never look to see where products are made is also flawed. That mindset will see you sinking into the quicksand faster than you already are.
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One big, big, big problem I see is that the United States doesn't charge huge tariffs to other countries that import their goods to the United States, but these same other countries charge us HUGE tariffs.

Korea loves our beef. I think we should charge them the same tariffs as they charge us.
 
I like a cue from China that will show a substantial warp within 60 days. That excessive curve in the shaft will help, when you want to load the cueball up with juice and send it dancing and spinning off 4 or 5 rails for position.
 
And another thing, why in the hell are we still paying Egypt hundreds of millions of dollars every single year, just so they will be our friend? What's up with that?
 
The Chinese industries don't have the same rules and regulations as American-made goods, and there's stuff in children's toys that are made in China that are toxic and have the potential to kill American babies.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Chinese-made cues causing medical problems in American pool players, like arm atrophy or something.
 
FWIW, most cues made in China is from wood imported from the US and Canada. Rock maple doesn't grow natively in China.

Wood warp issue goes both ways. A local cue dealer told that he heard Southwest sold overseas will start warping withing 6 months.

Buckzapper said:
I like a cue from China that will show a substantial warp within 60 days. That excessive curve in the shaft will help, when you want to load the cueball up with juice and send it dancing and spinning off 4 or 5 rails for position.
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Dartman said:
Agree.
And to think WallyWorlds corporate message during the Sam Walton days in the 80's was Buy American.
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Except it was a lie. They just said it whether it was true of not. In fact in one case they got caught selling imported stuff in a box marked "Made in America". The problem was, the only thing made in America was the box so they were not completely lying.
 
ctyhntr said:
How is it that Dale Perry stay in business selling cues (1/1) for $200 or less, and Viking had to closed shop? I believe bad management is a big factor. I see complaints about workers paid a living wage, but nothing about executives who make bad decisions and walk away with millions.

Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling and Enron comes to mind. Richard Grasso was awarded $140 million as 1 year's compensation for being the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE is a free market, what did he do that was so special and above the performance of the previous executives that ran the exchange for 200 years?

Carly Fiorina walked away from Hewlett Packard with a $20 golden parachute. Her lasting legacy at HP was the HP Compaq merger, which did nothing for the company, and $29 ink cartridges for consumers. A liter of HP ink is priced more than some vintage bottles of Dom Perignon.

Henry Ford's contribution wasn't just mass producing the automobile. He paid his workers $5 a day, and they became the consumers who could afford to buy his cars.
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There really does need to be a new age of philanthropy. Quite how the thieves you mention have been allowed to steal so blatantly is beyond me. Anyway, I don't know how Dale Perry has survived whilst Viking has folded, but I'm delighted he has. $150 for a decent cue sounds like a fantastic business model to me. Well done to him, and I hope his business model is replicated more widely.

People need to understand something: the world has changed fundamentally since the credit crisis, quite probably forever. The last decade or so was an illusion, and those clinging on to what they thought they had in the past are due for a rude awakening.

Innovate to compete.
 
Buckzapper said:
I like a cue from China that will show a substantial warp within 60 days. That excessive curve in the shaft will help, when you want to load the cueball up with juice and send it dancing and spinning off 4 or 5 rails for position.
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I've bought two American made cues - a viking and a mcdermott. Both shafts warped like crazy. I've bought a dozen or so Chinese made cues - every one straight as a die.

Sneering at the opposition does no good, and is ultimately counter productive. This goes to the heart of my argument.
 
JAM said:
The Chinese industries don't have the same rules and regulations as American-made goods, and there's stuff in children's toys that are made in China that are toxic and have the potential to kill American babies.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Chinese-made cues causing medical problems in American pool players, like arm atrophy or something.
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Ay Caramba!!!!
 
macguy said:
Except it was a lie. They just said it whether it was true of not. In fact in one case they got caught selling imported stuff in a box marked "Made in America". The problem was, the only thing made in America was the box so they were not completely lying.
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I recall seeing items marked Made in ROC back then so it was puzzling why they had the
Buy American signage hanging in the store.
 
Maxx said:
Maybe I'm slow, but what does that have to do with it?
I play pool and I am an American, that's who I am, and it will show in my pool forum posts (posted on a Chinese made computer).
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People come on here for impartial advice about pool. The advice they get is sometimes tainted - they are often pointed in the direction of American products, many of which are inferior to other brands. I don't see this as being healthy to pool players - wherever they are from.

That is all.
 
TheThaiger said:
Your assertion that the US is the only country that doesn't indulge in protectionism is simply untrue. America protects herself all right - there's no danger about that. Mainstream media is great at mudslinging, but is a little reticent to apply the same principles when looking in the mirror.
Your assertion that you are the problem if you never look to see where products are made is also flawed. That mindset will see you sinking into the quicksand faster than you already are.
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America does not do a very good job protecting it's companies from the unfair business practices of some other countries. For example, the US has lead the world in satellite technology and construction since the existance of satellites. Japan, by law, only allows Japanese companies to buy Japanese-made satellites. China puts limits on imports unless the companies move manufacturing facilities into China. China also makes it impossible for American companies to enforce patents and protect their intellectual property. In fact, when we go to China for business we are not allowed to bring laptops with encription software more advanced than their government has. Basically they're saying "If we can't steal what you know, you can't bring it in here." These are facts.
I don't watch mainstream media -that's all manipulated and we all know it. On what are you basing your arguements? How am I sinking in quicksand? Also, comparing top of the line products from the US and asia, the US products are better 90% of the time. That's not an actual statistic but rather based on my experiances buy hundreds of tools, pieces of furniture, etc.
 
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