Louis Kreusel wrote:I believe the high cost for some rigs is justifiable. The prices pretty closely relate to quality. But there is more to it than that. I would rather buy from a local (usa or European in my case) designer/manufacturer and know that I'm getting great quality and helping good jobs to stay here rather than buy decent (or even brilliant) quality from Asia with no idea what the factory conditions are like and the prospect of more jobs disappearing here. For me, the extra cost is worth it. Still, I do buy a lot of used stuff off of Ebay to keep the cost under control.
I completely understand what you are saying, and I am a big believer in you get what you pay for... and of course supporting the workers here at home if I can. My wife and I try to buy quality crafted items and often seek out specialized artisans for various things. That's the thing though, when we pay higher prices for something it's because it's a small business with sometimes only one person making the item. Her Harp didn't come from a big manufacture who spits out 50 of the same design every day. She bought it from a guy who takes a few months on each one and only makes a few a year.
It cost more because there is a lot of personal craftsmanship and he spends a good amount of time getting the best materials. The same goes for my wedding ring, it was hand crafted my an Irish goldsmith in New York, and not some big engagement ring company. When something is truly handcrafted and it's obvious that not only good materials went into it but also many many man hours, then I have no problem paying high prices.
However, I just can't believe that the materials used and time in assembly justify the price on something like this:
http://store.zacuto.com/Target-Shooter.htmlmuch less some of the other rigs I have seen. This was cut in a machine and assembled in a few minutes. I wonder how much this thing actually cost to produce?
So I would definitely rather buy here at home, but I am also not going to pay a ridiculously huge mark up on something made on an assembly line that is priced that way for no better reason than that enough people will buy it at that price point. Of course maybe I am wrong, and it cost more to make than I think it does...