09-13-2009, 03:50 AM
Not that I know specifically about what you purchased, but there may be something to say for the quality of materials used in the products we buy. I have had a number of experiences where thinking I was saving at the big boxes, I ended up with stuff that looked, and initially, worked the way it was expected to, but in the long run wore out, or corroded, or something that suggested the grade of metal, quality of plastic, method of assembly, something! wasn't up to the standards that one would expect. I personally don't think some of the newer manufacturing economies have developed the expectation of quality that we have in the products we buy here in the USA. And we, the american consumer, have for a large part, been lulled into lowering our expectations of quality in exchange for quantity. But the cost of labor may not be the only thing that is being manipulated, may not be the only corner being cut, to create what seems like a better deal.