I have long held a preference for buying locally-produced products whenever possible. It's nice to support the local economy, reduce transportation waste and often - in the case of many things produced in the US - obtain goods of a higher quality than that of may foreign imports.
Living in China has turned most of that reasoning upside down. Here, I often pay a premium for imported goods, whether they be of American, European or Japanese origin, with hopes of ending up with something that might last more than a few months, work as described and, well, reduce waste from continual replacement.
I don't mean to say that everything made in China is utter crap (although the vast majority of consumer goods sold here are inferior to things made or sold most anywhere else - including exported Chinese goods). There are a few manufactures who make things that are similar in quality to the output of foreign manufactures and brands; the challenge lies in discovering which things are worthwhile and which are simply a waste of funds.
Benro makes tripods that occupy one such grey area. Their sticks essentially rip off Gitzo designs but do so quite well, really, and at a significant cost savings. But is the short-term savings made when choosing a Chinese tripod over Italian worth it in the long haul?
