Destructive testing.

[TimMc]

I've used rigging components made in the US, Europe, and Asia. As a general rule if you pay what it's worth you'll get what you expect. Things that seem be too good to be true usually are. If you don't think anyone outside the US can make a quality product consistently you'll severely limiting yourself to who you can purchase from and probably spending more money than necessary to do it.

I think the important part is to be aware of the level of quality one is buying. That's why we submitted a sample to the architect to forward to the engineers. We never saw a report, only that the sample was acceptable for use - so we did.

There's something about handling and using "better" hardware that seems satisfying. Compare the fine grain of Anchor forged shackles with most of the cheap imports and their thick coat of zinc. I suspect some of the price difference is in the forge...

That said, one can get any level of quality in China one is willing to pay for and if you'll buy enough of it.

 

[macsound]

That’s pretty a pretty harsh blanket statement. Why would a company making thousands a pieces a day that supplies a good chunk of the world not conform to some standard even if they changed material. Not only does that jeopardize them but the people using it.

Foreign or independent. You don’t set up an operation that big and not QC.

Furthermore if you are being cheap and expect quality product well good luck.

But

Every good big or small factory will gladly answer your questions about material and QC. The ones that don’t well don’t buy from them.

As someone who works with overseas factories, this happens all the time. I've also heard stories from other people with my job for other companies in totally different sector.
We have employees who's sole job is to go overseas to ensure what the vendor (who manages the factory) says they are shipping is real. Lots of times the production sample we are sent, saying this is mass production, is a hand crafted "perfect" sample that is far from the tolerances the manufacturer can actually hit.

Dilute the paint so it goes further. If no one notices, they dilute it a bit more and get a raise for cost effectiveness.
Use a little bit thinner metal so at the end of the day there is extra. Then after everyone else goes home, stamp out 100 more using the extra metal without the company logo, and sell it to the grey market.

They can say there is QC, but the samples being used as the quality check are hand picked, just like what gets shipped to our office in SF.
Not that its usually this severe, but you catch some small things happening and the factory fixes it. You find some larger issues and they take financial responsibility for the whole lot.