How important is "Made in the USA" to you?

[uflnuceng]

I've had an awakening as of late to how important this country is to me. For reference, my mother emmigrated here in the early 1970's (legally...took her 3 years to do it) from England. You will never find a woman who believes so strongly in the American Dream as she does. I thought being a citizen, doing my part, voting was enough to give back to the country that has given us so much, even though we have had to fight for it every step of the way. (remember, declaration of independence says "pursuit" in front of the happiness... not something that was guaranteed)

What I have discovered though is that the wealth of a nation is not by the dollars that the Fed produces, but in our country's ability to produce consumer goods. I am shocked at how little is actually made in this country. The only sneakers made in america are New Balance 992 and 587. I found one dress shoe company that George Bush actually visited because it uses american compontents as well as being assembled here, Allen Edmonds. But 98% of foot wear is imported in the US. Bill's Khakis are 100% made in america as well as being made in my home state of Pennsylvania. The belt and holster I got from Bianchi also seem to be made in america thankfully, but it is so hard to find confirm if ALL of their products are made in the usa. K&D Holsters, the Beltman all use leather from american tanners, and are obviously produced in america, so I like that.

It might be interesting to note that "Made in the USA" is elligable for any product made atleast of 75% american components or production. I was shocked to find out that the iconic american sports car, the Ford Mustang, is only 65% american made. Its also difficult with clothes, as my Hanes socks are Made in the USA, but undershirts and boxers are not.

I'm having difficulty finding dress shirts made in america, and only the most expensive levi's are still made in america. I'm not sure of any other denim jean made in america. Keeping the american dollar in this country is so important to me now that I will only get gas at Marathon and Sunoco stations, regardless of price. Fortunately I have a decent enough income that I can be selective and pay a little bit more. But even when my wife and I go to Wal-Mart for groceries, I would say a good 98% of what we buy is confirmed "Made in the USA".

I know its difficult when it comes to weapons for us to buy "Made in the USA" as S&W, some Walthers, and Rugers are of the few made here, but the Sig I just bought isn't. My sollace there is that it was used so my money never really left america, or so I tell myself that.

Anyway... sorry for the rant, but how important is "Made in the USA" to you?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[SIXTO]

I wish I could say I bought everything USA made... but I dont. I buy the better product, no matter where its made. I wish the big three would make the best small car. I still think they make the best trucks, but cars are a different story.
Electronics... is anything made in USA anymore?
Guns... yeah, US companies do have some nice offerings in long guns, but the major market pistol selection is lacking.

[matiki]

I'm not going to share the gory details, but I just analyzed my attire today.

I'm wearing 12 items I identified for the purpose of this analysis.

Of them, 50% are made in the U.S. and 50% are made outside the U.S. - mostly from Asia (5/6 items).

The items made in the U.S. are 79.7% of the total cost of what I am wearing today.

I did not include tools, such as any weapons, keys chains, etc.

[aus71383]

I don't buy strictly U.S.A. made stuff - my money isn't worth enough to do that. But I do avoid products made in China. They are our economic enemy IMO.

Austin

[uflnuceng]

My socks, from what I wear today, is the only thing I'm wearing made in the USA, but typically everything I wore was made outside the US. I'm working on phasing that out. Got the socks, picking up Bill's Khakis this weekend after getting them hemmed to length, got my Biachi belt... shoes is my next purchase. As I said... dress shirts are hard to find.

[goldshellback]

I look for USA on the labels...but priority is bargin shopping, and that means forign stuff. I don't like it though.

[matiki]

My socks, from what I wear today, is the only thing I'm wearing made in the USA, but typically everything I wore was made outside the US. I'm working on phasing that out. Got the socks, picking up Bill's Khakis this weekend after getting them hemmed to length, got my Biachi belt... shoes is my next purchase. As I said... dress shirts are hard to find.

Do you wear jeans? Lightweight jackets?

All American Clothing

I also like jeans from these guys:

Texas Jeans

I feel you on the dress shirts... Most of mine are imports. That said, I did save up the $110 (each) for a couple made by a local custom suit shop. They are soooo much better than anything you can buy at the mens wearhouse, but understandably too rich for most peoples taste.

[azchevy]

I try to buy made in USA whenever I can. I find it getting harder and harder each year that goes by

[pgrass101]

We do not buy any products made in China nor do we shop at Walmart.

We do try to buy locally made/grown items. Food is easy, electronics is very difficult.

[Bumper]

I try to buy everything "American made", but it's just about impossible to do these days unless you live a mighty spartan existence. There's a link on the Texas Jeans site that matiki gave that looks to be a pretty good resource for finding American made goods, MadeInUSA.org.

[cmidkiff]

Guns? All of my handguns are American, with the exception of a Springer 1911. One of my Savage long arms was made in Canada, and I have a Taurus copy of a Winchester 63.

Clothing? I'm sure 90% of mine is probably from China. I buy most of it from Wally world. (anyone know if Wolverine boots are made in the US?)

I want the best balance between quality and cost, preferably from the USA, but quality and price come first. If there's a product where the best quality is foreign, that's what I'm buying. If the US product is significantly more expensive, without being much better quality, I'll buy the foreign product.

I drive a Toyota Tacoma... imported all the way from California (and containing over 80% US parts), and I take abuse from people who are quite unaware that their big 3 vehicle was assembled in Mexico, or that the engine and transmission are from Asia.

Over the course of a decade, I went through 6 minivans, from every US maker except Ford (shudder). All had major problems that left me with a very sour taste for minivans in general. I have 4 kids, and it's almost a requirement that I own a minivan, so when the transmission went out on our Grand Voyager for the 2nd time in less than a year, I bought the cheapest new van I could find... a Kia. 60,000 miles later, the only thing I've done to that van is change the oil, a new head lamp, tires, and fuel. None of my US made vans were even close to as trouble free as this one's been.

[goawayfarm]

When it comes to firearms I don't discriminate...I'm an equal opportunity owner. I have firearms from Italy, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Germany...etc.. & the US (love REMINGTON!)

My other dollars are also spread around the globe. I try to buy American first, but value wins out. I do try to avoid China as much as possible, but I don't hesitate to buy things from others like Japan.

Like it or not, we are in a global economy & there are places that can & do make things better & cheaper than in the USA.

[Wolf357]

I don't like to. But in this twisted world, it's kind of difficult to buy only American made products... Even our shower curtain was made in China.

As for firearms, my wife has a Taurus 9mm 24/7 DAO pistol, and I have a Taurus 62C SS .22LR carbine. From the positive experience we've had with these relatively inexpensive firearms, we consider them both to be excellent products.

[David III]

Yes, it's important to me, and I try to buy USA if possible. Some things are not possible, and sometimes, the very best tool for the job isn't made here (an example would be if you choose a Glock, although I don't know if they are all Austria or part Georgia anymore). My "US" truck is a Dodge made in Mexico.
Like many others have said, I do try hard to avoid Chinese products. Even that is difficult.
Isn't it amazing how hard we have to look for made in US items anymore? I can remember when anything not made here was pretty rare. Lord, I'm old I guess....

[ccw9mm]

How important is "Made in the USA" to you?

For me, only quality items are, in the end, worth considering. That goes for almost any type of product we can speak of, with a few exceptions.

The frustration and inability to trust an item's performance rarely is worth the "standing tall" to "buy local" or whatever others deem worth doing.

If a supplier or manufacturer chooses to have a range of products that suits my needs, great. If not, I go elsewhere. It's simple and fair. If a maker wants to sell me a product at a different price point, with different quality or a different combination of features, the solution is basic: offer one.

Now, that said, I'm all for selecting something that helps keep the dollars flowing in my own economy, instead of against it. But, increasingly, there are entire categories and classes of products where U.S. firms have vacated the playing field, or in which some firms have totally ignored quality or features. That's true of many firms in many industries from many countries.