Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[ukdave2002]

Back in the summer of last year my Stihl chainsaw was sounding a bit rough, given that I've done nothing to it for 15 years except add fuel and oil I could hardly complain!

I went on eBay to look for a service kit, thinking I should replace the air filter, fuel filter, plug and fuel lines, and I came across the kit below and for £8.66 delivered, it had all the bits I required plus a few other "consumables"

A new carburettor !!!
An ignition coil module complete with LT & HT leads!!
Oil pipe
Oil filter

So for the hell of it I ordered it, took about 3 weeks to arrive.

Got the kit a few weeks ago, it all looked ok, fitted everything; the saw now runs like a dream!
Pic and link to the kit below...

My question is how do they even ship from the other side of the world for £8.66 let alone include parts that if I purchased from our local dealer would cost north of £100.
By the way the genuine Stihl parts come from China too!

Whether they will last 15 years remains to be seen..


https://cutt.ly/vrucZuZ

[alanb]

At that price if they only last a couple of years it's a bargain, it's surprising what a Chinese worker can do for ten yen a day.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Ray White]

The Chinese authorities have a casual attitude towards human rights. Just recently there have been reports of forced labour in concentration camps. The "re education" of Muslims is all part of it.

The cost of cheap prices is also at the expense of the natural world. Environmental degradation in China is sickening.

It is not my place to make judgements but the question was asked.

[alastairq]

Entire engines for log splitters, chippers, etc can be had for a mere hundred or so from China.
If they don't last, then the only real loss is downtime.

I believe China's Government subsidise carrier costs..?

But hey, for the impecunious, do moral issues really override financial issues?
I have long held the belief that many of today's moral issues can only be protested against by those who have the economic wherewithal to pay the cost of the alternative.

Moral issues of a similar vein could be laid at our very own doorsteps until quite recently......in my lifetime, at any rate.
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[mikeC]

My understanding is that the Chinese Government discounts the postage; but it's not just the Chinese! I recently decided to reduce my collection of books, and checked on eBay for the 'going' rate - some sellers were selling them, including postage, for less than it would cost me just for the postage, never mind eBay fees and a contribution for the book! They went to the local charity shop ...
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[Kenham]

If you are unlucky you will find out in a few weeks when the coil packs up and the fuel pipes dissolve in a gooey mess , if you are lucky then you have a good deal. Saying that though new stihl and Husqvarna saws look more Chinese than the Chinese copies, the quality of the plastic casings etc is appalling. A friend has had a new Husky saw , pro model at nearly £700 and within 3 months the piston and barrel have had to be replaced under warranty, they nearly scraped it and replaced it with a new one. Keep your old saw going for as long as possible as a new one will not be as good.

[Bitumen Boy]

Well, only the other week we found out how Tesco's "charity" Christmas cards are so cheap, and it left many people with a bad taste in their mouths.

[alanb]

We shouldn't judge other countries standards by our own, we have developed from standards no better than theirs and it took many decades, they will eventually catch up and their products will the cost the same as ours. We don't have to like their humanitarian standards or their harsh working conditions but boycotting their products will only prolong the problem.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Ray White]

[Riley Blue]

One of the things I like about this forum is the absence of politics - hopefully that isn't about to change.
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David

1963 Riley 1.5
1965 Riley 1.5

[V8 Nutter]

Moving away from politics. Some years ago one of my regular jobs was re-boring cylinders for the compressors on Cummings engines. The person we did the machining for would rebuild the compressors using Hepolite pistons made in this country. Here is the interesting bit. He would import the pistons from America, because even with the shipping and duty they were still cheaper than he could buy them in this country. How did that work?

[alanb]

Sorry I didn't mean my post to be a political statement.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Longstroke]

Very few people are prepared to pay the real cost of anything. By real cost I mean that made in a factory where personnel are paid decent wages and have proper worker rights. Turn over anything you've bought in the last twenty years and it's made in the PRC, India, Indonesia etc. How much is the real cost of a shirt (100% cotton, £90?), or pair of shoes (all leather, £200?) Even parts for our old jalopies are often made east of Suez. We're all part of the problem in buying all this stuff and it's encouraged blatant consumerism and the throwaway society eg look how many superficially repairable bicycles are at the bottom of the skip at the local recycling centre. Look how little our parents had, but also look at the quality. I've got some of my father's and grandfather's tools 'Made in England'; 'Made in USA' all very expensive at the time and good quality.

[lowdrag]

I've had a large Draper AF/metric socket set for 30 years and nary a problem. I recently decided to go modern and bought a 9-piece (1/4 - 3/4) Laser Tools AF ratchet and open ended set (made in Sheffield) for around £50 and they seem well made. Facom are THE make in France, and their equivalent is around £200 in the UK. I doubt that such as Laser could be bought from China much cheaper, if at all, and from pictures I have seen of Chines tools they seem to be made of chocolate.

[alastairq]