When I worked for Bosch Power Tools, the flagship item was a jig saw with the 1587 as the current model at that time which happened to be built in Arkansas. When the 1590 was introduced, the 1587 saw a decline in sales and profits for Bosch and the retailers. So, the 1587 was outsourced to China and re-entered the American market with the same model number and at the same retail price. However, the quality of the China model was no where near that of the one built in Arkansas and Bosch made more profits from the resulting sales as did the retailers. I was sad to see the reduced quality and saw a large increase in returns I had to authorize for the newer version.
BTW The Bosch 1590 jig saw was being built in Switzerland prior to being discontinued. I believe the newer versions are also built in Switzerland.
What is the gist of this...I agree that I will purchase American when I can but it isn't always possible. The only thing I will positively refuse to buy or even consider is ANYTHING made in Viet Nam! I'll do without first! More than once I have handed (once thrown) an item back with a stern refusal. Petty? Maybe. After spending three tours there I can see no reason to buy anything made there.
