Echo PE-225

[Deltona_Dave]

For Father's Day, Wife gave me a nice gift card for H.D. She knew I needed a new stick edger, as I just blew up the "one season wonder" troy-bilt. Heck, it lasted 7 years with hard use.

Okay, I go to the Orange Box and buy the Echo PE-225 edger. I fuel it up and it runs great & strong, just like my SRM-225 trimmer. I look at the serial number for registration, and notice "assembled in China" What? Now I compare to my trimmer, assembled in USA.

No difference in build quality, a few cosmetic changes, but seems to be well built, just like the USA trimmer. It may be China made, but Echo still backs it with a 5 year warranty!

Today, I stopped by my local Echo dealer, which I bought the trimmer from, and they said, yes, Echo is building some products in China now, but the short blocks are still built in Japan or Lake Zurich, IL. Not to worry.

Will see in a year, if it holds up like the USA made trimmer. I am not griping, although I like to buy US products if I can.

Just my .02
Dave

 

[Hokiefyd]

That Kioritz engine is a sweet engine. It should last a super long time. The controls may be more suspect, though.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

The grip/trigger is a little different vs the us trimmer. I already broke the spring on the grip safety lever, when I strapped a zip tie to hold it down. Useless gizmo, but necessary for lawsuit preventions I guess.

 

[660mag]

Since they made the switch to China I haven't seen ant difference it the trimmer part. But I have torn down two short blocks that had both wrist pin washers on one side of the piston. Caused failure. And that was done right here in the good ol USA.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

I am not complaining, but it seems like even the best/reputable companies are going to China. I understand that several Stihl models are made there. As long as it performs and lasts like Japanese and USA made lines, I won't bash it.

Dave

 

[boraticus]

Briggs and Stratton and Harley Davidson have had engine parts made in China for a few years now.

Chinese production quality is steadily improving while consumer costs for their products continue to drop. However, there are rumblings that the cost of Chinese produced goods will soon rise to the point where it represents the true value of the product. You can see a bit of that now. As their stuff gets better, and demand for it rises, prices go up with it.

I own a couple of Chinese small engines. I'm impressed with both of them. The oldest on a pressure washer and is around seven years old. It's still running great.

I'm not crazy about shipping our manufacturing work to China but I'm certainly not concerned about the quality of the brand name products produced there.

 

[tomcat27]

yes, you have to step up the model chain to get one made here. There is a big difference in China quality depending on who is managing the plant. alough I heard today that some appliance mfrs are bringing assembly/production back here. GE, Whirlpool

 

[chevman4life]

Once prices go up in China, they will just find another third world country to build stuff in. People would pay more for stuff made in USA but no one listens to what we want.

 

[engineerscott]

Originally Posted By: chevman4life
Once prices go up in China, they will just find another third world country to build stuff in. People would pay more for stuff made in USA but no one listens to what we want.


China's average wages have come up enough that you are already seeing stuff moved from China to Vietnam and even North(!) Korea. Eventually wages in those countries will rise enough that they will move that production somewhere else, until there simply are no third world countries left. I suppose at some point Somali Pirates will be building stuff, though probably not next week. Once wages raise to a certain level in the last remaining third world holdout countries you'll see far more automated assembly going on. We actually have the technology already to do a lot more automation in manufacturing today, it just doesn't make sense to spend the capital outlay required to set it up when you've still got cheap Chinese and Vietnamese manual labor readily available. But, this will change.

 

[Maximus1966]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
Briggs and Stratton and Harley Davidson have had engine parts made in China for a few years now.


How about a verified specific example of a Harley engine part manufactured in China?

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: Maximus1966
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Briggs and Stratton and Harley Davidson have had engine parts made in China for a few years now.


How about a verified specific example of a Harley engine part manufactured in China?


Feel free to search for yourself. Better yet, ask Harley Davidson.

You may want to read the following:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1169970&page=8

 

[Maximus1966]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
...Feel free to search for yourself. Better yet, ask Harley Davidson.


Just wondering if you have some specific information to share or if you are just parroting internet chatter. Your reply makes the answer obvious.

 

[boraticus]

Originally Posted By: Maximus1966
Originally Posted By: boraticus
...Feel free to search for yourself. Better yet, ask Harley Davidson.


Just wondering if you have some specific information to share or if you are just parroting internet chatter. Your reply makes the answer obvious.


Why should I do your research for you?

If you want to know, find out for yourself. Or, are you afraid of what you might find?

 

[Maximus1966]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
...Why should I do your research?...


You made the statement so you must have done the "research" already, right? Why not share the source?

I'd just like to know if it's factual or if you made it up. It would be alright with me if the whole thing were manufactured in China.

 

[boraticus]

"It would be alright with me if the whole thing were manufactured in China."

Then why so much concern for Chinese content in HD?

Google Zongshen and Harley Davidson.

You can start with this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zongshen


Personally, I'd be more concerned about the quality of Harley parts coming from Mexico than China. Or are they just Chinese parts being shipped through Mexico?