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A question of loyalty

5K views 31 replies 22 participants last post by  bangerblueed 
Gary,

I´m aware that I´m not from the group you intended to answer your question.

Still, personally, I avoid "Made in China" at all costs if possible, i.e. if there is a comparable EU or Swiss made model available, I buy that one.

I´ve written before on why that is, and don´t want to get into it much further - quality control, spare parts, better material being used imho etc. - and my current favorites are HAG of Switzerland and Trix of Germany (along with Gützold and Brawa as "orchid" manufacturers
). I´ve found Both Hag and Trix models to be a lot more rugged (at the same leve of detail as, say, Bachmann or Jouef, Rivarossi or railTop, just to name some Chinese made brands) and "solid" than the aforementioned competitors.

Not to put them down; I like my RailTop SBB Re 482 A LOT. But now that I have a Hag Re 4/4II, I tend to use that one more frequently than my Railtop. It has a greater appeal. And, in comparison, I´m glad I paid extra for it, for Swiss precision engineering, for being able to contact Hag (which I did) when the engine arrived with one window snapped out of place, and ask for instructions on how to fix the engine. NB: Good thing my mom is of Swiss heritage, as otherwise I would not have understood too much of the local dialect. However, try to do that with Liliput-Bachmann. Or Hobbytrade.

Althugh I´m aware that an engine such as the S2/6 would never have been feasible were it made in the EU, yes, Made in the EU or Swiss Made is worth a premium for me.

Or, what would you prefer: an IWC or a Longines timepiece, or some Chinese made watch? Both show the time, both accurately. Still...
 
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