Indian-made closed-centre A7 wheel

[Stuart Joseph]

Good morning. When Dave Phillips of the Seven Workshop started selling the replacement reflectors they came in boxes marked 'Made in Taiwan, Not China copy' !

Stuart

[Duncan Grimmond]

I seem to remember seeing a documentary about the AK 47 which showed a street of workshops where work started on a length of steel, probably old railway line, at one end and finishing at the other with a replica Kalashnikov. Very impressed by the ingenuity of the makers working with very basic kit in a succession of workshops to produce the gun. The image of a lad sitting on the ground holding a part with his toes while filing it sticks in my mind's eye. Just as well there is only one moving part and the idea is to spray a magazine of ammo in the general direction and hope one bullet hits....

[Bob Culver]

Many Asian products are rubbish. Here there has been a spate of wonky Chinese trailers. Wheel bearings fail very early with lost wheels etc. Extremely dangerous but more likely to have an old car failed for a rust pinhole anywhere.
Colleagues have experienced overturned trailers when a spring broke. Very many trailers use single leaf Indian springs.....
In 1973 I bought a Chinese made chain block. For many years I used it with a bar and hooks under the bumper brackets to lift my Javelin for greasing and the very many other tasks which required attention underneath.
The certificate card with the chain block read like a leg pull but it is the absolute truth.
"At production, we use the most adaptable materials, and moreover, at the important part, we perform the peculiar heating work in accordance with its character of action; after strict examinations, we construct the product with kindness, politeness and confidence.
Besides, if you find any defect in it, please, offer to the nearest agent or shop by special contract without reserve."
Despite the words the device seems to be made entirely of mild steel and cast iron and is of vastly greater size than similarly rated products. It has given no trouble, and that despite being used in mud and mess to extract the roots of very large trees.

I have had other products I would like to have offered to the agent by special contract without reserve. Their pain would have been considerable.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

On the advice of a service engineer, I bought a Chinese sewing machine at about a third of the cost of one allegedly made in Europe.

It was well made, and ran like the proverbial for a month or two.

The the needle bar - the bit that goes up and down doing the actual sewing - snapped.

It had been over hardened, and was brittle.

Spares might be available in a year or so.

It took all my bodging skills to keep it running until then.

'Tis a pity, most of it was fine.

[Tony Griffiths]

Spares might be available in a year or so.....

I'm often asked which lathe, milling machine, bandsaw etc to buy. Having made some suggestions I tell the potential buyer, before parting with your money, ask if the machine can be supplied complete with some essential spare parts e.g. a cross-feed screw and nut; a couple of spare toothed drive belt (notoriously difficult to source); replacements for the plastic handwheels, etc. If they can't, don't bother - you're dealing with a box-shifter and not a proper machine-tool merchant.

[Bob Culver]

Built in specialised motors and suchlike are a major problem. Which largely explains the popularity of old machines. Most parts for can be made without too much trouble.

[Pearls not a Singer]

What no warranty! If bought from new you should get another brand new if the original can't be repaired.

[Dave Mann]

Ten years ago I bought a 24" bush saw blade from B & Q for £2.00, it was useless, I then bought a Bahco blade from a local engineers tool store for £8.00, it is still giving excellent service. About the same time we were given an electric kettle, which expired after a few months so I bought a expensive British made one which is still in use. Hornby Railways have had quality issues with some of their products which are made in China, one being failure of the mazak castings. So I am wary about buying anything made in the far east. My Singer sewing machine came from mother in law and is nearly twice the age of our Sevens and does what the makers claim.