junius wrote:
John S. wrote:
The geographic location of the manufacturing facility is not the issue.

Indeed, geography as such isn't an issue. The fact that the product is
being put together by a manufacturer other than Tecsun-Degen could well
be.

The willingness of a marketing and distribution operation like
Eton/Grundig to pay for and insist on strict quality control and good
quality components is really the issue.

Shifting operations to Bharat Electronics Ltd could well be a part of
an Eton/Grundig insistence on a higher level of quality control where
this model is concerned.

Their track record of
haphazard delivery schedules and poor quality in prior products does
not give me much assurance with this latest round of receivers.

Thus far, their track record with quality control in this unit seems to
be a break from the ineptitude with the Satellite 800. Admitedly, the
delays on the release of the E1, on the other hand, were annoying and
certainly gave reason for pause.

Maybe
things have changed, but I would not gamble that much money at this
point.

Admittedly, the degree of risk aversion varies from consumer to
consumer, so I can understand if someone in the market for a premium
portable decided to wait it out a bit longer on this one. I've done so
myself, despite the fact that I was quite impressed by the sample I
borrowed from a friend.

The Tecsun-Degen group are capable of producing good quality radios,
but quality costs money that Eton apparently was not willing to invest
in the 800 project.

Maybe the Tecsun-Degen group are capable of putting together a decent
under $100 throwaway...I don't really know. Given their track record
in partnership with Eton/Grundig, I'd be extremely cautious with regard
to any premium set that they might put out.

I've got a $60.00 Degen DE1103 that has had no QC problems - it works
every time. Indeed it is finshed well and the parts fit tightly. At
half the price of a Sony it is a steal. The memory system has some
limitations inherent with the design, but it works.

OTOH I have an Eton hand crank generator radio that feels downright
flimsy considering it sells for $40.00 Whether it is of Chinese or
Indian origin isn't as important as the wobbly grindy crank generator
which feels like it could come apart at the wrong time.


Junius