Thoughts on "Made in China"

[trevlor]

YYF started doing this a while ago. Mostly made in the USA and then they started producing certain yoyos in China to cut costs in order to get more throws into peoples’ hands. Still have their USA/premium yoyos, but also budget friendly yoyos that play great. YYR is a super popular company turning out incredible yoyos and they have recently released their Rebellion line on YYE and they look great! Steve B. posted something about a discussion about the idea of a CLYW made in China.

What are y’all’s thoughts on this?

I like the way YYR did it with the whole, “by yoyorecreation.” It is directed by them, but doe not have much to do with their premium yoyos. YYF is getting good yoyos into people hands which is awesome. I definitely remember when yyf started this though, I noticed a decline in their overall quality, and their prices were not as good as they are now. They have definitely figured it out.

I am a HUGE CLYW fan, and think the company is amazing! I love the partnership with OD, and think they turn out the best yoyos/return tops ever. I do worry a bit about a China made CLYW, but would not mind, necessarily, them directing a new line.

BUT! I like that every CLYW is special and premium. I feel like the Rebellion line takes a little away from the allure of a YYR. Maybe I am crazy (most likely am…themrcrawfish on youtube /shameless plug) but I like CLYW exactly how it is, and I am wondering if any big YYR fans feel Rebellion has taken away from YYR or if it is fine.

Thoughts!? =)

[mrciurleo]

I’d embrace it if it was an extension of CLYW, similar to YYR like you said. Kind of like how Lexus owns Toyota. Luxury vs. budget. I think it would be cluttered with their top tier stuff combined with Chinese products.

That being said, most people are under the false assumption that China has poor quality. China does make very good parts. As a way to spread the love to those who can’t shell out $150 each release, it’d be cool to see some budget metals.

[Marcius]

The place of manufacture doesn’t affect my buying decision (unless workers are paid/treated unfairly etc etc), the end-product quality does. If CLYW (or any other yo-yo company) can get high quality yo-yos made in China and sell them at a lower cost, I’m 100% all for it.

[GoCrazyForYoyo (Amplified)]

We are part of a global economy. Since I accept this as a fact of life, I don’t care where things are made.

Unless we’re talking sweat shops. That stuff ain’t cool.

[Songwind]

It doesn’t much matter to me where quality is concerned. Chinese plants are just as capable of producing quality goods as anyone else. And I think a premium brand that moves some production over there is going to require the same level of QC as usual. If not, that’s more on the requesting company than the location doing the work.

I have reservations about the continued relegation of the Chinese factory worker to a substandard environment, though. But that’s a huge problem, far bigger than premium yoyos, and difficult to avoid at best.

[Erik_kerber]

I wouldn’t mind it. I really like the premium qquiality of CLYW but if the added a budget yoyo to there line up I would be all for that.

[LeChuck]

Makes business sense to me…They can keep all the clamor of “premium” CLYW releases while the subsidary/budget line sells volume.

[mrciurleo]

However, when there were 3 peak halves made in China, the specs were right, but the profile was lost in translation. There’d have to be some test runs first.

[kadabrium (Draupnisfrœðingr)]

as long as they still do the anodizing by themselves i dont care

[kadabrium (Draupnisfrœðingr)]

@trevlor

Steve B. posted something about a discussion about the idea of a CLYW made in China.

show us where?

[Nemyo (Owen)]

This would be a good move for CLYW. No doubt people would keep buying the real CLYW’s, but making some lower-end’s in China would allow people to have a trial run of sorts; which may lead them to buying a more expensive CLYW.

Basically, this would get a CLYW yo-yo in more people’s hands. I support the premium companies making non-premium yo-yo’s as a subset company.

[GoCrazyForYoyo (Amplified)]

@kadabrium

show us where?

Ask.fm

[Gambit]

^ Who on earth is going to waste their time scrolling through page after page of Ask.fm answers to find the ones in question?

Me, that’s who.

so if/when you start production over seas, will they only produce the more budget friendly return tops and the higher end ones stay in north america still or will they produce everything? i don’t care who produces either way as i’m sure you will still accept only the best anyways i’m just curious.

If we end up producing anything overseas, it will only be new models that we have designed specifically to be produced there. We will never move any of our current line away from One Drop, they do a great job why mess with it? -Steve

You guys should make one batch overseas and see what people think

We’re going to make more than one batch overseas, and people are gonna be just fine with it.
There is this weird backlash engine in the return top industry where no one wants to see a company succeed beyond a certain point. Everyone says they want to support player owned / player operated companies, but as soon as they start making money there is a huge backlash. I delete so many questions here from people who just want to trash-talk YoYoFactory because they are “too big” and then praise us because we are small and struggling. YoYoFactory is 5 return top players in an office park who learned early on that if you spend money on graphic design even a small company can look good…and yet people treat them like the anti-Christ because they do what? They teach a lot of kids how to play return top, and make low cost return tops that work really well so that lots of kids can afford them. Yep. That’s terrible.
For some reason there are a lot of people who a) don’t understand the reality of manufacturing overseas and b) don’t want CLYW to succeed. And when I say “succeed” I mean “have the money to send our players to lots of contests and for Chris & Steve to get paid and support their families”. We aren’t aiming all that high, folks. We want to make enough product so that all our fans can get what they want, we want to make the highest quality stuff we can, we want to have a couple of affordable models for new players to learn about CLYW, and we want to have a lot of fun doing all these things.
It’s amazing and sad to me that there are people who would wish failure on us just for wanting these things. Luckily, I think most of our fans TRUST us and know better than to think we’re going to cheapen the company and the brand. Anyone who has ever talked to Chris and I for more than 10 minutes knows that all we want to do is put return tops in players hands and have fun doing it. That’s IT. So if we can make a couple of models overseas and that helps us keep CLYW going and puts more affordable stuff in players hands…dude, what could possibly be wrong with that!? -Steve

Will you convince me that outsourcing is cool? Done gimme that, more yoyos 4 everyone line. We know, China’s cheap, you can make lotsa junk. Convince me it’s cool-art-boutique-highend. All reminds me of is YYFart…and underpaid people in hazardous jobs brainwashed just enough to not revolt.

You are rude. Maybe you should reconsider that.
There is nothing inherently “cool” about outsourcing, nor is there anything inherently “cool” about making things in the country you live in. There is, however, something inherently cool in having a vision and seeing it to fruition by busting ***, working hard, and making it happen.
You think that manufacturing in China is “cheap”, and you are wrong. I don’t blame you, you just don’t know anything about manufacturing. China is cheapER, for certain things, in certain quantities, but only because the US manufacturing industry has been dying a slow, miserable death ever since American consumers started insisting on buying everything a cheaply as possible. If you have ever shopped at Wal-Mart or Target, then you are the exact reason that it’s not only less expensive to manufacture some things overseas but it’s often better quality if you know what you’re doing. China manufacturing has surpassed US manufacturing in a ton of ways, and while price is the one that people most often talk about, quality is the one that’s the most important. Look at a company like C3yoyodesign. I’ve never once heard anyone refer to their products as “cheap garbage” because they are busting their butts and doing it right. If ever there was an Asian-based manufacturer that is the spiritual twin of CLYW, it would be C3yoyodesign. All made in Asia, all amazing quality.
Cool and artistic has nothing to do with price or quantity. Andy Warhol proved that. Boutique is all about the product, not where you made it. High end is a function of cost to manufacture and quality, not geography. You can talk all you want about “underpaid people in hazardous jobs” but if you think that’s exclusive to China you are naive to the point of insanity. Look no further than California if you want to talk about worker conditions and pay. CLYW does not, and will not EVER have products made in conditions that are dangerous to workers, but if you think all of China functions that way you are sadly mistaken. I have factories that I’ve been working with for more than a decade in China and they are quite exactly the same kind of small mom-and-pop shops that you find here in the US. I’ve sourced tons of designer toys from a factory that is basically the Chinese equivalent of One Drop only for vinyl molding, and they are amazing people who treat their workers like family and make beautiful products. Small, boutique manufacturing to high quality standards.
If you want to puff your chest out and tell everyone how awful they are for having a larger worldview than you, that’s totally your call but dude…don’t expect me to buy into it because I’ve seen and done a lot more than you and I actually know what I’m talking about here.
Thanks for taking the time to ask the question. I hope you have a clearer view now of where we stand. -Steve

If you make a budget throw dont outsource. I like supporting those who stay local/support their fellow community to the fullest. It’s part of cool integrity factor you and few others have, keep it. If I ask real nice will you guys realease splash scouts first? Solids=boring blue/lightblue

Thanks for the feedback, but we have made the decision to add overseas manufacturing to our supply chain. We’ll continue manufacturing everything we can in North America, but there are just some things we can’t do here and if we want to keep growing CLYW it’s gonna have to happen. I hope you can continue to support a tiny two-man company that is just trying really hard to make the best return tops it can.
Solid Scouts are releasing first. A whole lot of people seem to disagree that “solids=boring”, including me, so sorry about that. -Steve

[Totalartist]

I buy yo-yos no matter where they are made, the United States of America, Italy, Germany, Canada, Japan, China or wherever. Especially, if it has one of my favorite brands’ stamp of approval. For example, some companies visit the factories used to make it’s products. And, we should never assume that every single factory in China handles business the exact same way. I’m sure many of them have great standards. I think it’s good to diversify the production and find a business model that works. Getting in on the budget metal market, when you make yo-yos full time, is definitely a smart move.

I would certainly be fine with CLYW branching out to explore factory alternatives. And, I think that budget metals are fantastic. It’s good for every brand to have variety, and appeal to people no matter how little they can afford to spend. You can have something for everyone, from collectors of limited rare high end throws, to the kid looking for budget yo-yo to beat up. If diversifying production at a Chinese factory is the best way to achieve that range, I’m all for it. Especially, when the lines are now blurred, and there is a chance you might enjoy your budget metal more than your high end throw. We want our favorite companies to make great yo-yos at a cost that allows them to remain in business. For example, made in the U.S.A. is great, but not at the expense of going out of business. You can make some in the U.S.A, some in China, diversify production, lower the cost of business, and appeal to more consumers as well by offering value.

It’s sad, if the best thing or worst thing we can say about a company, is where their throws are manufactured. I’m over the “where was the yo-yo made” thing, and choose to focus on other things. The vast majority of consumers are just looking for a product that looks great, and performs great, especially at a great price.

If there is any business that is not at least considering diversifying production, and what “made in China” has to offer, I wonder how many yo-yos they plan to sell, and for how long. YoyoFactory has got it figured out, and more should definitely follow their lead. CLYW would have my support.

[kadabrium (Draupnisfrœðingr)]

is the cyborg 2 made in china

[Morgoroth]

I would love to try some CLYW stuff that is more affordable.
It might lead to some bigger purchases later on.

[wishiwasayoyoexpert]

I’ve never understood why people care where something is made. YYF is probably the most successful yoyo company next to duncan. People still buy more of their made in china throws than they buy of any other companies made in America. Making stuff in China is a genius business decision since you can get a bigger profit margin, make more throws, and make more money allowing you to increase the size of the business. The current throws made in China don’t play any better or worse than ones made in America. Most of the yoyo companies that currently make stuff in China are making more money than multiple other companies combined. People are still buying them and they still play great. I guarantee that if you didn’t know whether or not a throw was made in china, you wouldn’t be able to tell by throwing it. If you can, then I want to make a superhero movie about you so that I can make a boat load of money (assuming people would watch it)

[Anthony_Frandi]

let me clarify this, actually the quality of something made from china or anywhere is about the same.
But,China has cheap human sources so most company produce their things in China. The owner of the brand only need to tell them what material to use. Even your iPhone is made in China. Hope you understand my broken English

[kadabrium (Draupnisfrœðingr)]

i m still yet to see a China made yoyo with the same blast finish modern US manufacturers can do. C3 is the closest but still not quite the same level

[Nemyo (Owen)]

Honestly, the only reason I prefer buying made in USA things is patriotism. I get a nice feeling when I say “Made in the U.S. of A.” Perhaps this is a character flaw, but I know that many people share the same flaw.

      A common misconception is that because something is more inexpensive, it subsequently becomes cheaper in quality. I have used countless Chinese-made yo-yo's that have outplayed countless USA-made yo-yo's. I think that the fear of yo-yo's made overseas is based mainly on ignorance. People fear stuff they don't know. When the average person thinks about manufacturing in China, they generally think about some kind of crappy work conditions where people just pump out the one-dollar yo-yo's for the dollar store without caring squat about the quality. The only time that this thought would be justified would be if the person thinking this had first-hand knowledge of this actually existing and being prominent.

People really just don’t know what it’s like over in China-manufacturing-land, which leads them to make stuff up. They don’t know where the yo-yo came from, so they don’t trust it.