Not long ago, it was common to see the "Made in the USA" label on consumer goods. That suggested that buying a product with this label not only delivered superior quality, but also that it supported families in the U.S. The slogan was associated with unions that promised family wage jobs. In the ten years or so, though, the slump in U.S. manufacturing has been dramatic, as companies outsource to China and other low-wage countries. Is it still important to try to buy exercise equipment made in the USA?

Many American have become accustomed to the idea that they can get good quality and save money by buying foreign-made products. Japanese auto companies have led the way in this change in attitude. Much of the reason for this change is the realization that many large companies truly are multi-national. With Toyota and Nissan being made in America with American parts by American workers, it's tough to hold a grudge. Foreign exercise equipment manufacturers do virtually no manufacturing in the U.S., but at least one major American brand was recently bought by a Chinese company. This also makes it difficult to determine just what country your equipment is "from."

It is quite common that exercise equipment sold by an American company is manufactured largely in China. This is different than buying a Chinese company’s products in the U.S. because the U.S. company can have its products made in China to its American specifications and standards. In this way, the company ensures at least as much quality as a U.S.-made product, but a substantially lower cost. Even some of the most expensive exercise equipment is now made in Asia.

It may still be a good idea to support American families by buying American, but it may also be difficult to find any exercise equipment made purely in the U.S. There may be foreign brands that are made overseas that are of inferior quality, but those are typically not name brands seen in stores and on popular websites. In any case, those foreign brands are not significantly less expensive than the recognized brands, since they share similar labor costs. What they don’t offer is the same strongly-backed warranties that the U.S. companies do. So it turns out that concerns about quality can be addressed by the warranty of the American company. Because the details of construction can be so difficult to sort out, it seems that most of us have given up on the idea of trying to buy American.