Quality... what do we expect!!

[McGirr]

It will be interesting to know what people's expectations are.

We all buy gear for camping, buy campers and 4wd equipment. Depending on price , the product and the brand what expectations do people have regarding quality and how long they expect the product to last.

A lot of people shop on ebay and also buy from reputable companies for their gear. I don't want brands rubbished but more your thoughts on what your expectations are.

I know this can vary depending on the product and the cost involved but it would be interesting to know. Yes you can get a bad batch or a Friday afternoon made product.

Do we all want a bargain or would be happy to pay extra for a local made product. I think the days are gone where what we buy will last longer than expected.

Just curious. 

Mark

[alnjan]

I would prefer to by Australian but sometimes you just can't get it.

I would prefer to pay for quality and have something continue to work as good as for a long time rather then continually paying for cheap rubbish that doesn't work, or work for only a short time before you have to pay out more money again to get another one that doesn't work.

[nick_4x4]

Had this discussion with my wife today while getting a UHF antenna.

Both products were quality but one being a named brand v a no named brand, (also had help from evo on this) we ended up picking the named brand in this case a GME over the cheaper one.

I am the same with cheap eBay items, if its not there to save my life then im happy to pay less and expect it to last long enough for a few uses, if cheap enough ill buy 2 or 3 items, like my iPad holder ive got 3 of them cause first one broke and the next two were for spares.


I love my bargins but as said if im looking for it to one day save me then ill buy quality be it Australian made or not.

[Beachman]

When I buy cheap items from Ebay I expect to get average quality, but what I hate is buying something expensive locally which turns out to be rubbish while my cheap Ebay item is still working fine.

Years ago I had a friend who sold hats which were handmade. These hats were sold at the local markets for $20 each.  First couple of weeks only sold a handful, so she gave the markets a break for a couple of weeks and when she returned she increased the price to between $40 -$50 and sold out each weekend.

People thought $20 was cheap rubbish and thought $40-$50 must be quality gear – All for the same product   

[McGirr]

Years ago I had a friend who sold hats which were handmade. These hats were sold at the local markets for $20 each.  First couple of weeks only sold a handful, so she gave the markets a break for a couple of weeks and when she returned she increased the price to between $40 -$50 and sold out each weekend.

People thought $20 was cheap rubbish and thought $40-$50 must be quality gear – All for the same product   

Yes it's funny like that. We all see value differently. If it costs more it has to last longer and be a better product.

So the interesting fact is if it cost more it has to be better.

Mark

[chester ver2.0]

I suppose i look at it on a sliding scale

If it is there to save my life or could be a trip ender if it breaks or premeturerly fails i will always buy and pay for top of the line quality

If the failure results in a minor inconveniece then yes i will go for the cheaper option if avaliable

[elle.mac]

If it is to be for a short period of use happy to save dollars but if you want something to last then buy once and spend that extra for it.

Also I tend to price check alot when buying online and quite often I can get the exact same item from overseas posted here cheaper then buying it here - best example was a tackle box I bought overseas still saved over $50 compared to an Australian store.... it just pays to do your research.

[Swannie]

Guys, I generally like to buy once and pay a bit more upfront:

i:e
1: Most of my handtools are either Sidchrome | Repco | Snap On ( Had 10 plus years)
2: All my cordless tools are Milwaukee ( Had 5 plus years)
3: All my house garden stuff is Honda ( Had 5 plus years)
4: Camping Gear I try and buy stuff like canvas products and cooking gear that are australian made where possible generally at a more expensive price to an import product

Yes I'm probably a brand snob, but I like to know that it will work when I need it to and that I have a tool that fits its purpose, I also generally buy on what friends etc use and like

Not knocking any of the cheaper products and don't care what anyone uses its just my thoughts on quality vs cost


And I Bought a JAYCO, Knew it would have issues but still thought value for money and resale was worth a chance. I always wanted a Goldstream but just couldn't afford one, Jayco was the next option that suited the family need
swannie


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[Top.ender]

It will be interesting to know what people's expectations are.

We all buy gear for camping, buy campers and 4wd equipment. Depending on price , the product and the brand what expectations do people have regarding quality and how long they expect the product to last.

A lot of people shop on ebay and also buy from reputable companies for their gear. I don't want brands rubbished but more your thoughts on what your expectations are.

I know this can vary depending on the product and the cost involved but it would be interesting to know. Yes you can get a bad batch or a Friday afternoon made product.

Do we all want a bargain or would be happy to pay extra for a local made product. I think the days are gone where what we buy will last longer than expected.

Just curious. 

Mark

for me it depends on what I,m buying eg:I,m an electrician so any tools I purchase for my trade are going to be quality, however if I,m going to make a set of drawers out of timber a GMC circular saw will do just fine..Camping gear is definitely in the quality basket....cheap stuff drives me made when I,m out on the road..

[02-SR5]

I buy the best I can afford.

I would love a Customline or a Trackabout, but I settled for a budget Lifestyle.

But, I do prefer a quality. Just because they sell something cheap, doesn't mean thay have to scrimp on quality.

Just look at my Aussie Made G!? Camper I had previously. The fkn thing should never have been on the road.

[krisandkev]

I hope after this Saturday we end up with some quality politicians running this great country.  Or am I just asking for too much?  Alas I am unable to shop elsewhere, have to pick from the current supply.       Kevin

PS   But at least I have the right to pick without fear of persecution....   

[Spada]

Ultimately, it boils down to a judgement call........ What are you buying, how vital is it that it performs, how much use will it get, how long do you want / expect it to last.

I was once looking for a new motorcycle helmet. Prices range from $100 to $1000, yet they all meet the same Aust standard for impact protection.

Wise man said to me.... In five minutes time I'm going to smack you in the head with a sledge hammer, but before I do, pick any helmet you want from the rack.........

Are you gunna pick the $100 helmet, or the $1000 helmet.

I apply the same principle to most purchases- Cost V's intended use V's consequences from failure.

[Chris-Vi]

I research what I am going to buy and always look for the best I can afford. I usually look at well known brands with a good warranty. I do buy from overseas if the same product is a lot cheaper. We bought a 12v fan for half the price they are here including freight. The same goes for mobile phones. 

[DannyG]

My expectations of an item is depending on what it is and what it cost.

One example would be perhaps my roof rack. The locally made one was around $1200 at the time and yes it's a quality item so at that price you would expect it to last many years lets say at least 20 years depending how its treated.
I bought one from china, and again I'm happy to admit it was probably rubbish in comparison to the locally made one but at around $180 my expectations were not high but I at least expected it to last a few years.
A few years down the track and its still fine and not looking like failing anytime soon, so it is exceeding my expectations. If it was too break a mount or something major while on a big trip somewhere now I'd still say it has met my expectations and only blame myself for being a tight arse.
It has been loaded to the hilt and used crossing the country several time, and a lot of it on really bad roads so its not like I've nursed it along.

However when I pay a premium price for a premium product I have high expectations and on the rare occasion I have been let down but as a rule most quality items I own are meeting my high expectations

[lino6]

For me its a about weighing up quality and use. No point me buying a Makita reciprocating saw to be used once every 2 years when a GMC will do. However I got a Honda fire fighting pump because I wanted something that would start when I needed and something the SWMBO could start when I am away. Sure I could have got 4 Chonda pumps for the price I paid for the Honda but I couldn't trust the reliability.

[FalcOn]

It's hard to justify the brand name when alternative products are considerably cheaper. I wouldn't risk some things but Chinese products are pushing the value equation. I got an air compressor recently off eBay, it was over 75% cheaper than the cheapest item in a shop. You could buy four at that price if they don't last as long. In that case I decided it wasn't a quarter of the quality and I haven't been let down. But I wouldn't have got it if it was only 25% cheaper, wouldn't have been worth the risk.

I suspect China can produce very good quality, they also can produce it cheap based on volume so that is their unique competitive advantage.

I wouldn't apply the same logic to something higher in value. As soon as I have to part over $1,000 its hard earned cash and I try to get the best quality and value possible

[Mace]

Yes I'm probably a brand snob,

But you own a Beefeater Bugg?

[02-SR5]

As somebody mentioned above.

If it is a one off, then I will purchase the cheapest and nastiest I can find.

If it is something I will use every day and other things depend on it performing, then I will save my money and buy the best I can afford.

If you look around, you don't actually need to spend a lot of $$$$ for a quality product.

[Swannie]

But you own a Beefeater Bugg?

And Al, its a great bit of gear...

Swannie


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[D4D]

I look at things with the view of being fit for purpose, how expensive it is and how critical it is to work as expected. I mostly buy premium brands as I typically have a buy once attitude, although I have bought some cheaper tools from Aldi and been surprised at how good they are. When it come to the Prado and camper, I always buy premium brands. I also factor into the equation is it worth paying the extra for a good warranty or will I throw the item away and get another if it fails.

[nbd73]

My expectations of an item is depending on what it is and what it cost.

One example would be perhaps my roof rack. The locally made one was around $1200 at the time and yes it's a quality item so at that price you would expect it to last many years lets say at least 20 years depending how its treated.
I bought one from china, and again I'm happy to admit it was probably rubbish in comparison to the locally made one but at around $180 my expectations were not high but I at least expected it to last a few years.
A few years down the track and its still fine and not looking like failing anytime soon, so it is exceeding my expectations. If it was too break a mount or something major while on a big trip somewhere now I'd still say it has met my expectations and only blame myself for being a tight arse.
It has been loaded to the hilt and used crossing the country several time, and a lot of it on really bad roads so its not like I've nursed it along.

However when I pay a premium price for a premium product I have high expectations and on the rare occasion I have been let down but as a rule most quality items I own are meeting my high expectations

This post is pure irony for me, as I have been stewing over the content of it, and also the OP, this last week: a couple of weeks ago I noticed rust at various spots on my 11 month old roof rack from Australia's Reliably Beaut 4wd accessory store, cost $1120 fitted, and thought "well if I bought a budget import for $400 and fitted myself well maybe, but not acceptable for the rolls Royce (pricewise at least) of roof racks". The issue has been resolved no problem, and is not the point of this comment, but merely to add to the discussion. In this instance I expected better.
Can depend on the product, sometimes more features can mean mean more $ without being a better product, particularly relevant for things like elec products, cars etc. But in general, regardless of price, we have become a throw away society and paying more does not necessarily guarantee a product will last longer. Exhibit B: my home solar system, paid an absolute premium as I was rolled by propaganda, and now less than 2 yrs after paying 3x the price of a budget set up the inverter is dead, the supplier (who also just happened to be the manufacturer) has gone broke and I am up for $2200 for a replacement.

[DannyG]

This post is pure irony for me, as I have been stewing over the content of it, and also the OP, this last week: a couple of weeks ago I noticed rust at various spots on my 11 month old roof rack from Australia's Reliably Beaut 4wd accessory store, cost $1120 fitted, and thought "well if I bought a budget import for $400 and fitted myself well maybe, but not acceptable for the rolls Royce (pricewise at least) of roof racks". The issue has been resolved no problem, and is not the point of this comment, but merely to add to the discussion. In this instance I expected better.
Can depend on the product, sometimes more features can mean mean more $ without being a better product, particularly relevant for things like elec products, cars etc. But in general, regardless of price, we have become a throw away society and paying more does not necessarily guarantee a product will last longer. Exhibit B: my home solar system, paid an absolute premium as I was rolled by propaganda, and now less than 2 yrs after paying 3x the price of a budget set up the inverter is dead, the supplier (who also just happened to be the manufacturer) has gone broke and I am up for $2200 for a replacement.

The important thing is the problems were resolved which is probably more than you would expect on the much cheaper alternative.

My son wanted a big flash gaming computer so after looking at the mega thousand dollar units at hardly normals, the much cheaper eBay versions of similar specs and getting quotes from the local smaller PCM shops we decided to go with the local smaller guy even though he was dearer than we could get online.

The reason we went that was that his service was brilliant, we knew exactly what we were buying and and of course he was local so therefore handy.

This mega dollar machine had what we thought was a graphics card failure only a few months into its life. The shop replaced it no questions asked. It turned out not to be the graphics card but the dvi input on the monitor. Not only did he replace the monitor but he didn't worry about the brand new graphics card he just replaced for no reason!

So sometimes it pays to be selective when buying some items

Principle Computers in Launceston by the way, for any taswegiens lol they deserve a plug.   

[DaveCQ]

For me it depends on the item. Anything that has to work, open and close or could give me grief, needs to be quality e.g car, camper, mower, whipper sniper, some tools etc. I don't have the temper for rebuilding something each time I use it.
If the item is fairly straight forward and won't set me off if it breaks,i.e some tooling for the shed which is rarely used, then I will buy the next tier of quality down.
I never buy s--t. If am about to buy a top quality product, I tell the salesman after his/her spiel that I expect the product to provide quality. If it doesn't I will be back to provide less than favourable feedback. My wife hates this and finds it embarrassing.

[ozstickman]

Sometimes big coin doesn't mean quality. I do research on just about everything I buy. Also like the camper I also buy for what follow up service you get. But like a lot of brands I couldn't get my hands on it but the swag I could and was happy with what I had seen.

Prime example is a truck dealer here RockVegas that after sale service is crap while another truck dealer which you do pay more for gives great after sales service. This also has a lot to do with the staff.

I'm like others with tools, I'm not a tradie so I don't use mine every day, most of my tools I have had for years and are of cheaper brand or ones that dad gave me (old makita tools). I have an old cheapy brand jigsaw that has done a Shit load of handy man work and not let me down yet but I also have a makita drop saw that when building the extension at home gave me all sorts of problems.

[prodigyrf]

What the others said and my philosophy below.
 
One thing I'd say about the Australian Consumer Law today is it makes many lazy consumers and penalises those NAME brand manufacturers/suppliers we can trust but who are under continual pressure to sink to the lowest common denominator. Personally I think we'd all be better off with no consumer protection laws and the public service salaries we all pay for it, but simply rely on contract law and the reputation of those we deal with.