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perfectlight's avatar

all i can say is: you did your MATHS and that is an ART 😁

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Gettin' Some ~ Jim Golden's avatar

At least the Speedos are somewhat consistent, the Paul C Buff is a joke in that department. Then you get to Profoto and Bron, and realize everything else is a waste of time. I do like the MITUSA when i can and it makes sense.

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JB's avatar
Apr 12Edited

Very interesting read. I try to support American businesses as often as feasible. Hopefully there will be some serious deregulating over the next 3 years, making a US manufacturing resurgence possible.

I want to give a shout-out to an American owned photography business based in Nashville, TN

https://www.paulcbuff.com/

I've owned 10 of their mono lights over the years, top notch products and top notch service. If you call them, a person actually picks up the phone. They make the lights in their factory in Nashville and they outsource the accessories is my understanding of their business model.

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Bill Sawalich's avatar

Oh good one. I hadn’t realized they were made here.

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Bill Sawalich's avatar

Update: Google tells me they’re manufactured overseas.

Don’t fret though. This is actually pretty common, in my experience. Companies get a reputation for made in USA and don’t actively dispel it. Or they used to manufacture here and then stopped. Either way, it’s why (if you care, I mean) it’s important to read labels. No USA manufacturer isn’t promoting that fact hard.

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JB's avatar

Their FAQ suggests a mix of home and abroad, so either they are actually machining some stuff in Nashville or they are pulling wool, it's hard to say. "Component parts" seems a very elastic term. Either way, they're a great company and one of the few American companies that can say that Frank Zappa sorta kinda was "instrumental" in it's history. :)

Q: Why does Paul C. Buff, Inc.™ not sell directly to international customers?

A: Paul C. Buff, Inc.™ is a unique American company with a very successful and evolved manufacturing and marketing strategy. Unlike almost all competitors, we manufacture our core products here in the United States and sell directly to our customers located in the U.S. and Canada. This eliminates all the middleman profits other manufacturers must include in their end user price. (Of global economic necessity, many of our accessories and component parts are manufactured offshore to our specifications, as is typical of all American and European manufacturers.)

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Bill Sawalich's avatar

Oh interesting. That’s very different than what I found. Thank you! I don’t want to blaspheme actual American made goods.

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Trish Hamilton's avatar

If I were independently wealthy…

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