What's Wrong With This Picture?

[David Root]

I put the pic back in.

[Cliff Schecht]

The only thing wrong with the picture is you didn't turn the flash off before taking said picture. If you're referring to the made in China tag then don't expect to pay $20 for a transformer that's made in the US. I know for a fact that those Hammond transformers are great for what they are, inexpensive yet fairly sturdy parts made for more affordable builds.

[David Root]

Yeah I know about the flash. However they used to be made in Canada and still $20.

Earlier today I looked at a very similar filament transformer in an electronics shop here in Vancouver, also made in China. It was $5.50.
So now I have the privilege of paying four times the made in China price for essentially the same product. That sucks.

What adds insult to injury is I didn't buy one because I already bought two of these and they showed up in today's mail when I got home.

FWIW the quality of build looks good, but I don't appreciate being hijacked on the price and not told that I was no longer buying made in Canada product. Hammond has some work to do here in my book.

[Cliff Schecht]

I will agree that it is cheesy that they didn't update their information to say where it was made, but that wouldn't be a very good marketing strategy.. And at the same time, I'm sure they wouldn't be selling the transformers if they didn't hold up to the usual quality of a Hammond.

[Tinkerer]

I don't like buying Chinese either, but although the Chinese build cheap, they still build to a standard. The higher the standard, the higher the price. Their labour may be cheap, but they are shrewd businessmen.

Tinkerer.

[jjman]

Unfortunate but inevitable. Far too tempting for a brand like Hammond to at least try it. Maybe they'll come up with a snazzy name for the ones made in China. Like "Pro" or something else equally meaningless.

[Bear]

From an authorized dealer? Bootlegged product bearing unauthorized trademarks and the like has been known to happen, so that's why I ask. For example, I'd advise against buying a Shure SM-57 or 58 outside of the dealer network because knockoffs have become so commonplace. I don't know which is the less pleasant alternative, though.

[David Root]

Yes, I bought these from www.partsconnexion.com in Ontario, Canada. They are maybe 50 miles from Guelph, Ontario where these transformers used to be made.