JDM that’s still JDM

Posted by: @blitzdr

I’m noticing a lot of baits that were manufactured in Japan are now being produced in China.  If I’m paying the price for Japan, I want it made in Japan.  I feel the same way about Revo reels.  I shouldn’t be paying premium prices for Korean labor when Japan labor is more expensive.

I’m not subsidizing management bonus packages.

Rant over.

Where do you draw the line though? What if its assembled in Japan but all the components are made in China? is it still JDM then?

I tend to focus more on the design than I do on the production and price. Most of the USA Products are also made in China or Korea. But what sets them apart from each other? Design and Quality control. 

That is why I tend toward JDM tackle, It's the forefront of Ideas and design right now. I also buy baits made from Italy, Germany, and follow a lot of Korean bass fishing.

Right now, a JDM company just released an all-Carbon fiber Swimbait. And another Company has an All-Metal Slow Sinking glide bait in the works. I try to focus less on where its made but more on the design and concept behind it. 

Posted by: @blitzdr

I’m noticing a lot of baits that were manufactured in Japan are now being produced in China.  If I’m paying the price for Japan, I want it made in Japan.  I feel the same way about Revo reels.  I shouldn’t be paying premium prices for Korean labor when Japan labor is more expensive.

I’m not subsidizing management bonus packages.

Rant over.

Very well, I’ll keep the rant alive for both of us. It is unfortunate how ‘Japanese Domestic Market’ has come to be interpreted as ‘Made in Japan’. Not the same, and like most here I am proud to spend what I deem necessary to obtain quality and I feel your pain. I agree with you and feel there is no shame defining our personal expectations. I too have been forced to recon with what I find acceptable, and admit I’ve been dupped more than once the last few years.

Personally, I’m okay (not happy) dropping coin for what I hope turns out worth my expectations though. And usually (not always) I wind up pleased in the end. But what I will not, ever, find acceptable are the blatant knockoffs showing up more frequently. I’ve no intention of name dropping, but some manufacturers would be best served fighting this trend aggressively. Something simple as a purchase registry would fix the problem. An added expense I’m sure, but I’m an end user, not a manufacturer seeking profit. All I can state is that there are several manufactures I’ll no longer be buying from as a result of what we see today.