Is it just me or have we lost quality in our daily lives? For example; I was talking with a client on my cell phone and found that in spite of the great folks at Apple’s best efforts, I was experiencing poor quality in the connection. It made me think I was on a transoceanic call to my folks back in the 1970’s (they lived in Switzerland for several years)! There were a lot of echoes and static, but the client and I were just a few miles apart.
Last month I was reading a trade journal article about the problems being experienced with upholstery foam used in furniture made in China. It seems the foam is off gassing very high levels of formaldehyde which is not a very healthy thing. The furniture is produced with high levels of this chemical to keep the price low.
The article went on to explain that many furniture items being marketed and sold as being leather upholstered are in fact hardly leather at all! The use of leather fibers mixed with vinyl, called “Bonded Leather,” is common and is a trick used to sell leather-like vinyl upholstered furniture at price points well below what actual leather upholstered would require. The U.S. has rules concerning how much leather fiber must be in the mix. The Chinese manufacturers have no such regulations. The “leather upholstered” furniture in question was completely devoid of any leather fibers.
Then recently while cutting parts for a piece I’ve been commissioned to build, my very large and very expensive band saw began to develop a serious vibration and seemed to be trying to shake itself to pieces! Well, after a few hours of disassembly and inspection, I discovered the main bearings were the culprit. The bearings are of a sealed double race ball bearing design. Once I determined they were indeed shot, I pried the seal off one side and discovered that there was not one speck of grease to be found! I know I am responsible for maintaining my machinery, but sealed and shielded bearings are designed to last a very long time. The grease is supposed to be sealed inside the bearing and all the crud that likes to destroy bearings is sealed out! There was not a speck of crud and not a speck of grease. My conclusion is there never was any grease in the bearing to begin with!
Let’s all set out this week to be more ethical and demand quality in everything we do! Thanks for letting me grouse a little, I feel much better now.