It seems like anything made these days is from China. Why? Because Chinese products are drastically cheaper than their foreign counterparts. Sadly, some Chinese manufacturers have more lenient quality control standards than others. Given this seemingly unstoppable inflow of Chinese products into our markets, what can we do?
Do some reading. Check sites that host reviews about these products like http://alibaba.com/ and http://made-in-china.com/ or forums where people share experiences about them – if a company has a bad reputation, avoid it. It may take some of your time, but knowing a little more is a good step towards ensuring that what you choose is the best you can feasibly get.
Experience and a little practicality are an awesome combination. You know that a good $30 combination wrench should last for, say, 10 years. If a $10 wrench will probably last for just around half a decade then, in a span of 10 years, it will cost you either 2 $10 imported wrenches or just a single $30 wrench. It may be less durable but if it does the job and costs less in the long run then...
Read labels carefully. If it has a non-Asian sounding name, it is not necessarily made outside of China. Numerous companies in the US and all over the world have relocated plants to China due to lower labor costs. Hence, it doesn't make much sense to judge the quality of a product solely on how its name sounds. Even known tool makers like Kobalt and Craftsman have relocated a lot of their factories from the States to Beijing.
The primary source of China’s industrial strength stems from incredibly inexpensive labor rates, which is something that may take a while for the U.S. to counter via automation. In short, the influx of Chinese-made products is almost inevitable. Therefore, the wisest thing to do is to go with the flow, with due caution of course.
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