Blue is Me

Tag: products

  • Why do Chinese consumers seem more accepting of copycat products than Western consumers?

    Different mentality. You’ll notice the concept of patents and copyright being a very Western thing. Westerners like to reward inventions and innovations by giving the creator more exclusivity to that creation. This ensures that the creator reaps the reward of innovation more directly.

    In Chinese and Asian culture, when someone invented something it is generally shared amongst everyone. The creators and inventors are not as keen on taking credit for things they made, seeing it more as beneficial for everyone. Thats why a lot of Chinese inventions you rarely hear about the inventor themselves. Out of the four great Chinese inventions – paper, compass, printing and gunpowder – only paper (Cai Lun) has a widely known inventor – and it’s not like he kept the paper making process exclusive to himself either.

    So Chinese don’t see copycat products as an issue because they see them as just products that are taking advantage of technology and making that technology available to everyone whereas Westerners see that from a standpoint of “stealing” from someone who rightfully deserves to have sole exclusive use of that technology.

  • Will Canadians still buy American products?

    I live in Vancouver but I can tell you people are trying to avoid buying American as much as they can. Boycott American, buy Canadian goods. Which is fine because thankfully our country is big enough where we have a decent amount of natural resources.

    The Okanagan Valley in BC produces great produce and wine, on par with anything from California.


    PEI potatoes are just as renowned as Idaho potatoes. And McCain and Cavendish already make the best frozen fries in the world.
    Alberta beef is just as great as Texan beef.


    We already have the superior meat packers. Avoid Johnsonville and Oscar Meyer. Buy Maple Leaf, Schneider’s, Pillers etc


    Canadians might not even be aware we have some of the purest tasting bottled mineral water – Montellier, Eska, Whistler water etc


    I’ll be eating at Harvey’s, Mr Sub, Boston Pizza and Swiss Chalet (already better chains to begin with) instead of McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut and KFC


    Tim Hortons (or Second Cup) is already better than Starbucks.
    Don’t forget Canadians make the best potato chips out there! Hardbite, Miss Vickie’s, Covered Bridge, Dutch Crunch etc


    For clothing brands.. Canada Goose, Arcteryx, Moose Knuckle, Woods, Roots, Baffin boots.. Canadians specialize in outdoor apparel


    Traveling soon? Buy Monos luggage carriers and Nordace backpacks they’re great


    And there’s more Canadian brands of electronics than people think. For example Danby and Instant Pot for appliances, Godin for guitars, NAD for stereo amplifiers, Traynor for guitar amplifiers, Paradigm / Kanto / Totem for loudspeakers, Anthem for receivers, Fluance for turntables, etc
    Just recently bought all my bedsheets / comforters / pillows from Silk & Snow, all high quality bedding materials.


    Mattresses? Try Endy or Douglas
    I encourage fellow Canadians to support our domestic economy as much as possible! Buy Canadian! 🇨🇦

  • Why are Japanese products considered to be good and reliable? What makes them different from other countries’ products?

    Kaizen. It’s a japanese philosophy referring to ‘continuous improvement’. This is the reason why Japanese products are so reliable and continue to be so reliable; because Japanese obsessively make continuous refinements to their products. This differs from Western philosophies which is to make better products for the next cycle, or to just rely on getting it right the first time (Germany).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcBXtwGexNchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LfbsW-5tAk

    Whenever Japanese see flaws they try to improve on it right away. You’ll often see mid model cycle revisions and improvements to their products, often without much fanfare or advertisement at all. They have even kept improving parts to their products even after they get discontinued.

    What I have seen from Japanese companies is:

    • Continuous refinement to their products. They know a product can always be improved. This contrasts with Western companies where they often release a product that they think is ‘good enough’ and stop there, or wait until the next release cycle to release a better product.
    • More money spent on R&D, less money spent on advertising. This is why most Japanese products tend to be low key. They often do not pay for celebrity endorsements or advertisements. This contrasts with Western companies who spend substantially more percentage of their budge on marketing and advertisement and celebrity endorsements.
    • Focus on reliability and functionality over features. They focus on making existing features of a product work as well as it should rather than introducing some new feature and marketing and advertising the hell out of it like Western companies do.
    • Japanese companies are less prone to milking or ‘nickel and diming’ as much as Western companies. This is related to Japanese customer first mindset.
    • Japanese products are expensive because of craftsmanship and materials. Not because they need to make back a % of their marketing budget. What I’m saying is the profit margins are much higher for Western companies because they spent less on making the products and more on advertising and yet still charge premium prices.

    In general I think Japanese products are very good and reliable, in fact I actually can’t think of the last time a Japanese product failed on me. The main issue with Japanese products is that because they don’t advertise or market much, as a result they are not popular with mainstream consumers and when mainstream consumers see the premium prices of Japanese products they balk at paying for them. Meanwhile they buy expensive Western brands because they were duped by the marketing. In addition Japanese products have a hard time competing with cheaper Chinese and Korean products. This results in lower sales for Japanese products and unfortunately to many Japanese brands exiting the global market.

    -Had a Panasonic plasma TV that has lasted for a good 13 years so far and still going. Meanwhile I’ve bought Samsung TVs and LG Monitors that have display issues, brightness issues, lines going across the display and defects like that within a year of having them.

    -Had 3 Sony Xperia phones (Z3 compact, XZ1 compact, 5 IV) none of them have ever failed. Meanwhile I’ve had 2 Google Pixels where the microphone malfunctioned, a Samsung Z Flip 3 where the microphone died, Samsung Z Fold 4 where the hinge broke, etc

    -Have a Rotel amplifier for 6 years and a Yamaha amplifier for 5 years and both going strong. Bought a LEAK amplifier (UK brand) not long ago, broke within 6 months (left channel volume imbalance).

    -Had Denon and Audio Technica headphones for many years no issues. Bought a Sennheiser HD800s ($1600 headphone) and the earpads deteriorated within 2 years and needed replacement (which can only be bought from Sennheiser for an extremely high price).

    -Owned PS3, PS4, PS5. No issues with any of them. Xbox 360? Constant red ring of death issues. Went through at least 3 different xbox 360s and all had this issue.

    -Owned Sony VAIO laptops which never had any issues. Meanwhile owned a Dell Inspiron with overheating issues, HP Elitebook with overheating issues etc

    -My whole family have owned Honda and Acura cars. Honda Fit, Honda Civic, Acura MDX and I own a Honda PCX scooter before. No issues with any of them. Meanwhile previously we’ve had multiple Ford cars that broke down constantly. My friends all have BMWs that all suffer from constant maintenance issues, coolant leaking, trunk opening by itself, etc

    lots of examples where Japanese products I’ve owned have not failed but had issues with competing non japanese products…

  • What are some best made in Japan things/products (including anything food, electronics)?

    1. Cameras – the majority of the world’s camera makers are Japanese. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Fujifilm, Pentax, Panasonic – all Japanese.
    2. Gaming consoles – Nintendo and Playstation (and formerly Sega) mainly.
    3. Clothes – Uniqlo is the big one but Japanese craftsmen make specialty leather, cotton and denim clothing of very high quality as well.
    4. Cars – Japanese are renowned for making highly reliable cars – Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Suzuki
    5. Motorcycles – Japanese are also renowned for making great motorcycles – Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki etc
    6. Musical instruments. Piano makers like Yamaha and Kawai, guitar makers such as Ibanez, Yamaha and Takamine etc
    7. Electronics. Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toshiba, NEC etc are a few of the big electronic companies in the world
    8. Audio equipment. Audio-Technica, Sony, Technics, Denon, Onkyo, Marantz, Pioneer, Yamaha, Nakamichi, Fostex, Accuphase, Luxman, and many others make high end headphones and amplifiers.
    9. Snacks and candy. Japanese gummies especially are known for tasting very similar to real fruit and Japanese potato chips by Calbee and Koikeya are known for not over flavoring their chips and instead focusing on the natural potato flavor of their chips.
    10. Instant noodles. Nissin invented instant ramen and Sapparo Ichiban and Maruchan are two other big companies in the instant noodle industry.

  • Why is made in Japan generally considered superior in quality as compared to made in China?

    Japanese distinguish themselves from other Asians in that they are craftsmen and care about the process in how they do things.

    Other Asians – Koreans, Chinese etc care only about the result of what they do.

    Japanese care about the process, the materials, the artisanship, the aesthetic value, the nature of what they do. It is not uncommon in Japan to find people who dedicate their lives to doing one thing whether it be crafting handmade swords or guarding temples and shrines.

    I always equate Japan’s craftsmanship to Germany’s – both countries are known for paying particular attention to the details of the design and engineering of what they make.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37JQSEEh-t8

    This is a high end Japanese pool cue made by Mezz/Exceed costing $2400. Again – this is a pool cue, an item that some others might find only as an instrument to play pool, the Japanese have managed to inject their craftsmanship into.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoRUlYzxGUA

    This is the Sony SA-Z1 near field speaker system costing $6k+. You can hear how passionate the Sony engineer was talking about this.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0hR9jagpSM

    These are the watchmakers working on a Grand Seiko – Grand Seiko watches cost upwards of $5k-$10k. Grand Seiko dials are known for having the best finishing in the entire business – better than even high end Patek Phillipes.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn-V3gWjAOc

    or the Urushi laquer that adorns the dial of the Seiko presage limited edition

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y_aoK0ZcB4

    For 5 years the disciple of a master Japanese swordsmith does nothing but craft Katanas. No salary, no days off, just complete devotion.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVs-Suu-ljE

    Manufacture of high end badminton racquets by Yonex the leading supplier

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la-VuEubHLE&t=467s

    Engineers of VAIO talk about the design of the laptop – again you can feel how passionate they are about every small detail of engineering.

    https://youtu.be/LjzBl2JACsk

    You can hear about the amount of detail and attention that it takes to make the flagship Fostex TH900mk2 headphones

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgQTaP1yCqU

    See how much the Tokyo restaurant chef cares about the ingredients, the process, the experience of eating? Not just the result of the dish itself but everything.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_CSLU28hCI

    This man has worked his entire life for the sole dedication of supplying a single vending machine in the countryside which he refills with fresh rice and curry every day.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LUz6Zhud_k

    Somewhere in a remote corner of Japan, a family has been dedicated making high quality ramen for generations.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCfhPias2aA

    Takumi – A 60,000-hour story on the survival of human craft – follows four Japanese artisans who are dedicating their lives to their crafts, including a double Michelin starred chef, a traditional paper cutting artist, an automotive master craftsman and a carpenter for one of the oldest construction companies in the world.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOV9W_7uQGQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbgODjNNRsM

    Stunning McIntosh level design and quality from high end Japanese audio companies like Accuphase and Luxman

    This is the special cultural element about Japan that other Asian countries or even Western countries don’t really have is their dedication to their craft.

    That is why made in Japan is considered much more prestigious than made in China or made in any other Asian country, is because Japanese have cultivated this reputation as caring a great detail about their craftsmanship, design, materials and artistry and this has reflected in their products. Although made in Japan usually costs much more than made in China – you get a product that is premium quality, was made with care and attention and will last a generation.

  • Do made in USA products actually have substantially better quality than made in China products?

    Hmm, it depends on which product.

    You see, in China there’s a vast array of different products manufactured to meet different price points. Most people associate Made in China with low cost products and if it’s low cost, then quality control and materials is bound to be lower as well. After all, there’s a reason why the product is cheap, and its most likely because cost cutting measures were taken into place.

    Now, when we come into the high end Chinese brands, or USA brands that are made in China – Huawei, Xiaomi, FiiO, Shanling, Oppo, Hifiman, DJI, Zhiyun are a few of the higher end Chinese brands, then when we look at USA brands manufactured in China like Dell, or HP, or Apple or Microsoft, then we can say the quality is pretty equivalent there. Generally the prices for USA brands manufactured in China tend to be higher than Chinese brands.

    But there’s also products that are made in the USA, and these happen to be very expensive, usually boutique brands and are usually limited to some space. Examples include Gibson guitars, Martin Guitars, Fender Guitars, Ayre Acoustics or McIntosh Power Amplifiers, Wilson Audio Speakers, Grado headphones, Audioquest or Kimber Kable cables, Custom guitar pedals, Oak and Oscar or Detroit Watch Company watches, Mission Workshop or Brown Buffalo or DEFY backpacks, Empire Ears or Noble Audio IEMs etc like very high end products and these usually cost hundreds or thousands of dollars more than the equivalent made in China product. Are they better quality then made in China products? Well yes in general they are, and they should be, because the prices are much, much higher and cost of labor is a lot higher in the USA. Are they worth the thousands of dollars of price premium over made in China products? probably not. I mean, you could buy 20 made in China acoustic guitars for the price of one USA-made Martin guitar.

    There’s also some bigger companies in the US that manufacture some lines that are in made in the US i.e True Religion Jeans or New Balance Sneakers – the made in USA line are their highest line and the most expensive and again – more expensive than the made in Asia versions by a considerable factor.

    The money you save by buying a high end Chinese or made in China product is probably a better value than buying a made in USA product, because made in USA products, although better quality overall and in general, are usually much much more expensive and I personally don’t feel that the difference in quality is worth the price premium, but it may be to some people (out of patriotism and thats why made in USA products tend to be very premium boutique brands.