When I worked high-end retail, I found out that our shirts were made at the same factory that almost every other retailer made shirts at. Except ours had a different label, and ergo a different price in the US. Nothing really different about it at all.

Not to play Devil’s Advocate but: For the rising cost of US labor, has the quality risen accordingly?

My latest article in the paper was about the lamentable fact that in China, for the rapidly rising middle class, there is no education and no apparent interest in doing anything by hand. Shop classes are not taught in school. Children of the one-child policy are spoiled rotten by both sides of the family and would never lift a finger to so much as fix a flat tire or sew a button on a shirt, much less to craft something as complex as a motorcycle or any of its’ components.

There are skilled workers here, to be sure. They do what is commonly considered dirty, thankless labor for meager pay. No one I have met in all my time chooses to do manual craft work as a hobby or creative pursuit. A Techshop would be impossible here – no one would even get the concept.

But I recently raised this issue with my adult learners in an English class. They found it fascinating and they agreed with the frustration of not having any practical skills to balance out the mundane drudgery of daily office life. (Just like America!) Maybe they are a generation away from having the pendluum swing back again, back towards an appreciation for things well made by craftsmen and not robots. There is a feeling in the air that something has been lost in the financial boom in China, but it’s still fermenting I think.

And, yes, educated Chinese are all too aware that so many of their homegrown products still fare poorly in comparison with the best of Europe, Japan and the U.S. Even comparable Taiwanese-made products are more expensive and carry higher status.

My shop? Filled with Chinese tools. I’ve broken a few but actually if you know what you’re looking for you can get great value for money. Honestly, of most of the tools that I have, I don’t even know if they’re available for export. Sigh, I’ve been here too long….

As a result, I have a fair little shop that only started out as a desire to tinker on my own toys. Now, bike buds drop by on a regular basis day and evening for shop time. I even pick up a paying job from time to time! LOL,

The discussion, as I recall, was about TechShop, remember? I think any small group of guys that had a serious interest in wrenching at a level beyond the typical home garage could take this approach. It’s a little more time consuming, and requires someone with the property space for the building (or garage expansion), but it could be done just about in any community of enthusiasts. Maybe even a little crossover cooperation between a bike club and car club.

Anyway, the auction route for acquiring the machinery worked for me.

Did I mention anything about Chinese vs American tools? Nope, that wasn’t the original thread. I hate it when my wife goes sideways in a conversation…anyone want to start a conversation about that track?? Hehehe.