SUPERFASTRACING Diesel Fuel Filter Water Separator

[Soo-Valley]

Something that may have faded into history. Made in Japan, they reverse engineered most things, made them as good or better and at a lower price.

Made in America used to mean something, now you can stamp it made in America if final assembly or even packaging is done in the US. It is not a big leap to wonder if some of these filters arrive in bulk, get labeled original (since they are built to spec), put into a nice box and sold at the inflated prices.

Case in point. I almost bought a Lehr propane OB. Then I found out they went out of business after hundreds were sold with components Made in China to increase the profit on saved labor costs. Too bad quality control was not involved by Lehr.

[Alaskaflyer]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

This is one of those times where it would be worth buying one just to tear into it and assess the build quality (especially relative to the name brand). Sometimes the cheap knockoff is junk, other times it's actually decent.

I’ve watched some youtube videos showing technicians and reviewers doing just that to the Chinese knockoff diesel fueled forced air heaters similar to the Webasto AirTop and the like, which are so popular right now due to their pricing. Quite illuminating. Are the corners cut ultimately critical to the application however? Hard to tell.

I’ll just say that you’d be well advised when wiring some of these units to take care to fashion a drip loop into the run.

[Steve DAntonio]

Originally Posted by Soo-Valley

Something that may have faded into history. Made in Japan, they reverse engineered most things, made them as good or better and at a lower price.

Made in America used to mean something, now you can stamp it made in America if final assembly or even packaging is done in the US. It is not a big leap to wonder if some of these filters arrive in bulk, get labeled original (since they are built to spec), put into a nice box and sold at the inflated prices.

Case in point. I almost bought a Lehr propane OB. Then I found out they went out of business after hundreds were sold with components Made in China to increase the profit on saved labor costs. Too bad quality control was not involved by Lehr.

On that subject https://www.smithsonianmag.com/trave...ter-180950189/

Japan didn't have to copy US products for long, they quickly found their own, and often better way as we all now know.

[Soo-Valley]

Imagine if China decides to have quality control.

[O C Diver]

Don't underestimate the Chinese. They are capable of producing 1st quality products at competitive pricing. More often than not, an importer tells them what they want and the price point. Doubt me? Where do you think IPhones are made?

Ted

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Don't underestimate the Chinese. They are capable of producing 1st quality products at competitive pricing. More often than not, an importer tells them what they want and the price point. Doubt me? Where do you think IPhones are made?

Ted

That's exactly it. They're can make plenty of good products, but not always much cheaper than elsewhere. But they're also good at making crap really cheaply.

[Beverley Ferguson]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Does it matter to you if the product is produced with slave labor and inferior quality materials, or is it all about the price? Would you buy Chinese knockoff prescription drugs sold on Amazon?

Ted

I applaud a person who factor ins a the social aspect when making a purchase. Today Price, price, seems to be the major factor when making a purchase. Human rights, quality of life and freedom should also be factored in. Mysplendido

[ronobrien]

Originally Posted by Steve DAntonio

On that subject https://www.smithsonianmag.com/trave...ter-180950189/

Japan didn't have to copy US products for long, they quickly found their own, and often better way as we all now know.

I have seen products made in China that were made to a brand name specification. This subject is focusing on replicas or knock offs which have their own spec. I haven't seen these knock off products compare to the brand name spec'd products regardless of where they are manufactured.

[backinblue]

Most buyers shop by price, and many name-brand products are made in China using their cheap labor and questionable practices. But don't blame the Chinese or the manufaturers. The buyers are driving the market. You can buy genuine Nike sneakers made in China for $60. Until the majority of consunmers are willing to pay $200 for the exact same product made in the US, that's not going to change unless govt. regulation forces it or makes it more costly to do business with China. Just be careful with what you wish for as the majority of products today are not manufactured domestically.

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by backinblue

Most buyers shop by price, and many name-brand products are made in China using their cheap labor and questionable practices. But don't blame the Chinese or the manufaturers. The buyers are driving the market. You can buy genuine Nike sneakers made in China for $60. Until the majority of consunmers are willing to pay $200 for the exact same product made in the US, that's not going to change unless govt. regulation forces it or makes it more costly to do business with China. Just be careful with what you wish for as the majority of products today are not manufactured domestically.

Yup, that's part of why I buy the New Balance shoes that are made in the USA.



Ted

[ronobrien]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Yup, that's part of why I buy the New Balance shoes that are made in the USA.

Attachment 124234

Ted

It's a shame that of all the athletes that have made fortunes in the USA, none endorse the only American made athletic shoe.

[Alaskaflyer]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Yup, that's part of why I buy the New Balance shoes that are made in the USA.

Attachment 124234

Ted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk0roE34zLw

[backinblue]

Originally Posted by ronobrien

It's a shame that of all the athletes that have made fortunes in the USA, none endorse the only American made athletic shoe.

They also make fortunes in China which is why none of them will say anything bad about the Chinese govt. All about the money. I guess people like Lebron don't have enough yet. But again, as long as most consumers prefer to buy Nike over New Balance, who is really to blame?

[backinblue]

Originally Posted by Soo-Valley

post 33 is worth repeating with post 34

Sorry for the unintentional duplicate post. We should probably get away from politics and back to boating. I wasn't the one who brought that into the thread, but it's hard not to comment when others suggest "buy American" loyalty.

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
No one forced American companies to move their manufacturing facilities off shore....or did they?

[Soo-Valley]

Originally Posted by backinblue

Sorry for the unintentional duplicate post. We should probably get away from politics and back to boating. I wasn't the one who brought that into the thread, but it's hard not to comment when others suggest "buy American" loyalty.

what duplicate post? The mods are at work
But the point was well made. MONEY rules.

[Capt Ray]

My annual fuel bill will be just under $10,000 this year, purchased from a variety of marinas all around The Loop whom I have never purchased fuel from before. I cannot check the local reputation of all of them before pulling in to take on fuel.

Why would I want to save $250 on a knock-off, unknown primary filter and element system for the lifeblood of my vessel through which all that fuel will pass?

[backinblue]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

Yup, that's part of why I buy the New Balance shoes that are made in the USA.

Attachment 124234

Ted

Not exactly true.....

From the New Balance website, you can do your own interpretation of what this really means:

We are proud to be the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA.

And also:

In the 2020 annual report, New Balance says, “We outsource the production of our products to independent manufacturers, which are primarily located in Asia.”

As usual, buyer beware and don't believe all the marketing hype.

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by backinblue

Not exactly true.....

From the New Balance website, you can do your own interpretation of what this really means:

We are proud to be the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA.

And also:

In the 2020 annual report, New Balance says, “We outsource the production of our products to independent manufacturers, which are primarily located in Asia.”

As usual, buyer beware and don't believe all the marketing hype.

Think you are misinterpreting their statement. The vast majority of all their shoe models are made overseas. The particular shoe I wear, is assembled in the USA (as is required by law to have the "Made in the USA" label). While I don't know how much of the "domestic value is at least 70%", includes materials, I'm making an effort to employ American workers.

My wife chooses to buy Toyota cars that are assembled in Kentucky. While the parts aren't all produced in the USA, the assembly plant and its workers are in America.

Ted

[Steve DAntonio]

To be clear, I wasn't denigrating Asian or Chinese manufacturing in any way, many yachts, some very high quality, high end, are made in mainland China. I've traveled extensively in China, having worked at many yards and equipment manufacturers there, quality runs that gamut from stellar to abominable, much like almost every other country that has a boat building industry.

Heck, so much of what we buy is made there, it's impossible to avoid it. What I was questioning about this product was its clear copy-cat nature, it is a textbook example of a knock-off, one that even uses Racor filter elements. Racor's product changes and improves slightly every few years to maintain the patent. They have invested hundreds of millions into design and manufacturing. The knock-off manufacturer hasn't done any of that, so I have to wonder about the materials, tolerances and manufacturing quality. Is this where one wants to economize?