American (USA) made flashlights

[fresnorich]

From the Maglite site:

"Mag Instrument's Commitment to U.S.-Based Manufacturing"

http://www.maglite.com/Mag_commitment.asp

(edit: sorry, Art. I didn't notice that you had already posted this.)

 

[fresnorich]

From the Tektite site:

"We're committed to keeping jobs in America.​

Unlike many other manufacturers, Tektite brand lights are made in America, not just "Designed in the U.S.A." or assembled in the U.S. from foreign-made parts. We mold our plastic parts, assemble our electronics, and machine and stamp our metal parts in our New Jersey factory or locally. We include US-made batteries whenever possible (bulbs come from overseas). Whenever possible, we buy U.S. made machine tools and equipment for our factory, and we only buy trucks from U.S. manufacturers."​

http://www.tek-tite.com/home/usa.php

 

[fresnorich]

Fulton Industries

Added

 

[Brownstone]

Aren't we saying the same thing? I'm not sure what new information those two links bring?

MagLite does not make a "Made in USA" claim. They do not reveal what disqualifies them from that claim, nor do they have to.

Tektite does make a clear unqualified "Made in USA" claim. Look at the bottom page of this price list for example: http://www.tek-tite.com/info/download/Retail_Price_List_May_2006.pdf

Is an imported incandescent bulb sufficient to disqualify TekTite from an unqualified "Made in USA" claim? Apparently TekTite thinks not. I thought the proposal was to take the manufacturer's claims at face value?

 

[Amonra]

Is an imported incandescent bulb sufficient to disqualify TekTite from an unqualified "Made in USA" claim? Apparently TekTite thinks not. I thought the proposal was to take the manufacturer's claims at face value?

If the bulb is not considered an integral part of a flashlight, what is ?

 

[fresnorich]

Aren't we saying the same thing? I'm not sure what new information those two links bring?

I'm not trying to contradict anything you said. I'm just trying to provide information, which is why I created the thread in the first place.

 

[Brownstone]

If the bulb is not considered an integral part of a flashlight, what is ?

:shrug: I think the proposal on the table was to accept the manufacturer's claims. Apparently TekTite does not feel that the bulb is enough to contradict the FTC rules, as they make an unqualified "Made in USA" claim.
​

I'm not trying to contradict anything you said. I'm just trying to provide information, which is why I created the thread in the first place.

Ok, well if I get some pictures of the "fine print" on other flashlights I'll post them.
​

 

[Brownstone]

Fine print from an Inova X5:

Another "**" flashlight.

 

[jch79]

Wow, bummer that an Inova light says that! Thanks for posting that, Brownstone.
john

 

[Art Vandelay]

Are the "made in the USA" lights anymore "made in the USA" than the "assembled in the USA" lights, or is this just a reflection of the relative strength of their respective marketing and legal departments.

 

[fresnorich]

MagLites are not "Made in USA" flashlights. MagLites do not claim to be "Made in USA" flashlights. Anybody saying MagLites are "Made in USA" is putting words into Mag's mouth that Mag did not say.

MagLite does not make a "Made in USA" claim. They do not reveal what disqualifies them from that claim, nor do they have to.

Although I stated that I was not trying to contradict Brownstone in the above posts, I would like to point out this quote from the "Mag Instrument's Commitment to U.S.-Based Manufacturing" page:

[FONT=arial,helvetica]"So when Mag Instrument calls itself "a U.S.A. Manufacturer," what is meant is that its flashlights are made in the U.S.A. -- in a U.S. factory, by U.S. workers -- even if some components might sometimes have to be imported."

Another bold statement found here:

[/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica]"Mag Instrument is the only flashlight company with significant market share that still manufacturers its entire line of flashlights in the United States."[/FONT]

And another from their philosophy page:

[FONT=arial,helvetica]"Mag Instrument is proud to be a leader in the current renaissance in American manufacturing. Maglica himself, a fervent believer in the importance of manufacturing in the United States, insists that Mag remain a U.S.A. Manufacturer. He has dedicated himself to proving that American products can excel in the global marketplace by using technology to continually improve quality and reduce costs. Over the last two decades, Maglica's innovations have enabled Mag Instrument to offer consumers a consistently better value than the competition."

[/FONT]

 

[jch79]

iiiinteresting!!

 

[Brownstone]

Although I stated that I was not trying to contradict Brownstone in the above posts, I would like to point out this quote from the "Mag Instrument's Commitment to U.S.-Based Manufacturing" page:

Hi Fresnorich, I'm not trying to contradict you either, and we've both read the same stuff from Mag, but I'm still not sure if we are on the same page or not.

All the words Mag writes, to me, are a way of saying "we can't legally claim 'Made in USA' for our products, but look at all the stuff we do in the USA". Which is fine, and I agree they have every right to be proud of their accomplishments and the US workers they employ in California.

I think this is all leading back to the very first question I asked on this thread; "What definition of 'Made in USA' are we using?"

• If we are using the FTC definition, Mag products are not "Made in USA". They are assembled in the USA using US and imported components.
• If we are using some other definition, I'd like to know what it is.

Someone had proposed just accepting the what the manufacturers claim, which is fine with me, but is effectively another way of saying "use the FTC definition". Because if the manufacturers are in compliance with the law, that is the definition they will be using.

I just checked post #1 and there still isn't a "**" next to either Mag or Inova, even though I've posted documentation that they both use foreign parts. If nobody can agree what definition of "Made in USA" is being used in this thread, then I have no idea how you are making that determination or what information you want posted?

 

[fresnorich]

I'm going with what the manufacturer says, when I can find it. I've updated the first post with the info. that I've found so far.

I don't see the need for asterisks when the manufacturer's statement is provided.

 

[jch79]

+1 - if a manufacturer says "Made in USA", then it should be "Made in USA" in this thread.

If they want to provide an extensive amount of info regarding where everything came from, they should be commended for doing so.

However, if a manfr. says "Assembled in USA", or something similar, that's a different story.

Thanks Rich!

john

 

[Brownstone]

I'm going with what the manufacturer says, when I can find it. I've updated the first post with the info. that I've found so far.

:thumbsup::thumbsup: I think that is perfect - I didn't understand before that you were thinking of just putting an exact quote from the manufacturer.

 

[jch79]

:buddies: :wave:

 

[Blue72]

Terralux mag drop ins are made in the usa

 

[american lockpicker]

Eveready flashlights are Made in U.S.A. but the bulbs aren't.

 

[Marduke]

Eveready flashlights are Made in U.S.A. but the bulbs aren't.

Not all of them are made in the USA