Please help me get over my "fear" of stuff made in China

Can't speak for anyone but myself, but I fit into what you're saying. Now I don't fear everything from China. I don't fear my iPod, DVD player, and almost everything in my house. What scares me is when something is just incredibly cheap, I mean stuff that is cheaper than what it would cost me to mail to China from brands and manufacturers I know nothing about. Because it is coming straight from China, I forfeit any kind of import protection the government might provide. So it's more of a fear of the unknown and the understanding that when something is too cheap to even comprehend, that alarm bells should be going off.

But at really low prices, the risk seems pretty low. The worst thing (other than items being toxic or made from radioactive parts) that can happen is the thing doesn't work and I throw it away.

The reason I worry about radioactive parts is I visited a a place that manufactures reinforcing steel for concrete from scrap metal once (in Eastern Tennessee, not far from Oak Ridge where the first atom bomb was made). They said one time they had gotten a load of steel that turned out to be radioactive and it made all their equipment radioactive. So now they check all the scrap steel that comes in for radioactivity *before* they melt it. Suspicious of how China does business, I don't doubt that if some dishonest scrap dealer had a load of radioactive aluminum he would try to sell it to anyone he could and if he sold it for cheap to someone who was going to export all of it anyway, what would they care? Aluminum for half-price? I'll take it and double my profit. It's the same country that put poison in baby food in order to get the protein analysis up. Is radioactive aluminum a big stretch?

I once saw a program about where a lot of our recycled tube tv's went. I think it was put on barges and sent to China

I would also throw in solarforce-sales.com for anything solarforce. for $2 shipping it gets here quite fast and ive never received a defective item from them yet.

ever since i found manafont through BLF, ive never gone back to DX. every order i made with them, there was always something doa or defective after a few days of use.

Thanks to all the help I got in the AA forum I just bought this:

1 x Protected TrustFire 14500 3.7V 900mAh Rechargeable Batteries - Colorful (2pcs/set) $6.12
1 x Ultrafire U20 Cree XP-G R5 200-Lumen Waterproof LED Flashlight (1*AA/1*14500) (No Gift Box Package) $19.33

from Manafont. I am looking forwrd to my new toy.

Yeah, well i was on CPF LED forum wavelength. LOL! (not digging at any member, but just at all the discussions going on)

Well to add on to the thread in general, there are 2 types of goods. One meant for internal consumption, and one meant for export. And of course for those meant for export, the QC specced by the more well-known companies (esp international ones) would be good - you paid for it.

China is definitely capable of extremely extremely high quality goods. They still may lose out somewhat to the west for very niche/scientific stuff like military, space. But generally for consumer goods they are capable of really good stuff. Just a matter of how they spec it and how much you are willing to pay for it (most of the time not very much! So what gives? Laughing)

It is probably better to offer warranty and provide a "blanket cover", than to make something last for 10 years....with how fast things move nowadays and consumer spending habits.

Good choice in both lights and retailer. The U20 is excellent

:)

No, the elitists on CPF don't want commoners like us in their precious country club. Watch an old BBC comedy called "Keeping up Appearinces" and you'll see what I mean. So-called "budget" lights are for those on the wrong side of the tracks. That's why BLF is here!

Just stick here and read reviews and soak up info. That's how I learned this addictio.... er.. hobby!

China: You can't go wrong with Solarforce L2P's and many of the new Ultrafire lights are really nice. Just got the UF-980L and I love it... but most lights you'll have to tweak and tighten, clean, etc.-but ask questions here first before you jump. There is a lot of junk also so check here and choose wisely!

Rich

I found that show you mentioned on Youtube and it is funny. :) I will keep reading and asking questions. I am enjoying this site and also Flashlight Wiki.

Check out this thread; all three of these $8 hosts are excellent IMO

So just decide which batteries in you want to use, and pick a drop-in that matches. If you want the Manafont 3-mode XM_L, you will have about $25 total invested in the light when it arrives, plus battery. If you want to spend a bit more, get a solarforce host from Solarforce-sales.com along with a drop-in there.

And you need to get a new I.D. it is just too hard to address you as s1mp13m4n, what is that the password to get into Ft. Knox?

"And you need to get a new I.D. it is just too hard to address you as s1mp13m4n, what is that the password to get into Ft. Knox?"

Just call him "simpleman." (change the 1 to an i, the other 1 to an l, the 3 to an e and the 4 to an a)

Foy

You really should go and check out the Romisen lights over at ShiningBeam. Good, well built lights and all lights are tested before shipping so the risk of getting a DOA is small. And since the lights are shipped from USA you should have them in a mather of days, it usualy takes a week for the lights to get to Sweden.

True, SB is a bit more expensive then DX but the lights usually have better emitters and if not you still don't have to wait as long. Oh, and let's not forget the possibility to get neutral emitters.

http://www.shiningbeam.com

That username can from two songs of the same name. Lynnard Skynard and Charlie Daniels versions of different songs with the same name. It is the computer geek or as they call it "leet" version of the spelling of simpleman. :) using leet or 1337 speak does help make a strong password as well.

AH yes, I'm a little rough on my leet lately.

The fear is a good thing, it lowers your expectations to a level, where every half-decent light in that yellow padded envelope, is making you happy. ;-) That is the desired state to be in, when dealing with budget lights.

I have purchased an Ultrafire U20 from Manafont. I guess this is my test run. Now I wait for the thing to show up. From what I understand we are talking 2 weeks or so. I was also brought up a certain way by my dad, so I get it honestly from him about stuff made in China being junk. You know those cheap $10 toolkits that break on you and strip screws? I am not saying that he is right, but it was somewhat part of my growing up. I am excited about my new light and I am thinking that it will be a good one as people on this forum seem to like it.

Even though I know these guys usually don't ship the item for a few days and once they do, Hongkong Post will take a few more days to receive and ship it, and then you can expect another week for USPS to get it and deliver it to me, and I will have the light in about 3 weeks from the order . . . I still obsess about it every day and then hopefully wait for the mail thinking I could somehow miraculously get the item early. That's part of the fun and agony of ordering stuff from overseas.

so in other words just chill out. LOL :) Life will go on, time will go by, I will forget about my new light and be surprised when it finally does come. LOL :) But I want my new shiny toy....sniff sniff.

So, what do I win for getting it right?

didntknowIknewleetFoy

simpleman..

sounds like the mailman will be dropping a bin full of little yellow padded envelops off at your door soon, lol.

Lots of stuff coming your way in the coming weeks :)

Post ur loot as it comes in