DBV made in China. SSV made in USA.

[lwien]

I heard that the DBV was outsourced offshore, but then I went to 7th floors site and saw, that it was in fact, made in China and is probably one of the main reasons why the SSV, which is made in the USA, is more expensive.

My question is, is this a concern for any of you?

I know that 7th floor has many controls in affect that are not in affect by many of the Chinese VB knock-offs that are being exported, but, it still comes as a bit of surprise, no?

 

[Pseudonymous]

It doesn't concern me and it shouldn't concern anyone. If anything, it should enforce how good of a buy Da Buddha is when coupled with the tonnes of positive reviews it has been given.

 

[lwien]

Maybe I should reword this.

Being that the SSV is made in the USA and the DBV is made in China, would this sway you into possibly purchasing the SSV and help you to justify the price difference?

I know that there have been many questions in comparing these two vapes, along with why one is more expensive than the other, but the origin of manufacture has never been mentioned before.

 

[DevoTheStrange]

if they were a new company just starting up I would consider where the product is being manufactured. In a pre-existing company that has good reviews and offers quality products, if I had heard something is being manufactured in a country known for not caring about what they put in their products, I would want too know if said company is aware of the quality of parts in their product.

 

[Happycamper]

I noticed this a few days ago regarding the dbv as well. Im sure that the comparison page said until very recently the dbv was made in the US.

The dbv is the next vape i had kind of decided on getting. Im sure i still will. The thing as well, with where the air goes when you draw on the unit, I dont think it passes by any electric parts. It has a clean path (glass??) or something i heard?

 

[max]

I see that the DBV is now assembled in China. That wasn't always the case. TokinGLX has previously posted pics of DBV components in varous stages of assembly, sitting along side SSV components in the CO factory. I'm sure the current 'assembled in China' deal is a result of vastly increased demand for the DBV. This doesn't mean the vape now compares to the generic, cheap vapes made in a Chinese factory where they put different names on the same vape and ship 'em out to distributors and resellers with no warranty. I'm sure the components and other materials for the DBV are the same as they have been. I know that was the case for the brand new DBV that I had for evaluation about a month ago.

As for the reasons for the price difference between the two units, I'll give you the info straight from an email that Steve (the owner/designer), sent me in Oct. of '08. In addition to the reasons listed, he also said the SSV bag cost was 5 times that of the DBV bag. There have been a few bag changes through the years though, so I don't know for sure it that's up to date or not.

The SSV costs more in production time. More cuts, sanding and filing. The base on the SSV is made out of metal not plastic. This costs almost 4 times more than the DBV plastic base. The SSV is also a powder coated base adding to the cost. Also, the glass- The knobs take about 15-20 minutes to make. They are not cheap to make. The DBVs knob is about 1/30 the cost of the SSV konb. All glass costs more. Also, for some reason the SSV takes way longer to produce.

The heating element and electrical components are are the same for both units. If you cut corners here, you risk losing your profits (and reputation) to warranty repairs/replacements.

 

[Hennessy1414]

^^^^^^^^ can we put that at the heading of the SSV/DBV thread....what you underlined. That question keeps popping up every once and a while.

 

[lwien]

Yeah, I mentioned this Chinese outsourcing about a month and a half ago in post #142 in this thread: http://www.fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?id=201&p=6

Also, if the heating and electrical components for both the SSV and the Buddha are the same, than I would assume that they are both outsourced in China for it would make no sense to send these components to China for assembly.

In that prior thread that I mentioned above, I was accused of implying that the Buddha was no better than those cheap Chinese knock off vapes ,which could not be further from the truth, but to clarify again, this is not my intent.

I'm just posting this up because I believe we should all be aware of how and where our vapes are manufactured so that we can all make informed decisions on our future purchases. Some may consider the above information totally innocuous and that it would not sway their decision one way or another in their purchase of a Buddha. Some, however, may. But I do think that because the Buddha is assembled in China, that the assembly costs are less than it is for the Surfer and is reflected in the price differences.

Max, I would think that the communique from Steve in Oct '08 stating that the SSV costs more in production time is magnified now with the DBV now being assembled in China versus the SSV being assembled in the US, eh?

 

[max]

I didn't think you were implying the DBV has devolved to cheap Chinese standards lwien. My comment was mostly to reassure the less informed forum readers. We get a lot of guests here these days. There are probably 10-20 non members browsing the forum at any time. One morning back in the middle of July we had over 800 guests on-line-something about a brownie thread linked by stumbleupon.com. vtac even said the server "tanked for a minute there".

I would assume that they are both outsourced in China for it would make no sense to send these components to China for assembly.

I don't know. The SSV site info still says 'made in USA'. And unlike the DBV, the SSV can't be completely assembled in China since you get some custom color on the heater cover, a custom knob, and the base is matched to the housing after you order. With the order options they now offer, it would be more difficult to have them assembled overseas than in the past.

But I do think that because the Buddha is assembled in China, that the assembly costs are less than it is for the Surfer and is reflected in the price differences.

Max, I would think that the communique from Steve in Oct '08 stating that the SSV costs more in production time is magnified now with the DBV now being assembled in China versus the SSV being assembled in the US, eh?

Again, I don't know. The DBV price is the same as it was when it was introduced last year. Don't have any idea of the cost of paying US workers to make it, vs. paying a company in China, and having them shipped to Colorado. There has to be an advantage, otherwise he'd have kept building them here. It's also possible that he's getting better assembly quality in China. Not only does QC enter into the equation, but you have to consider that a Chinese worker's job (assembling DBVs) may matter more to him/her than it does to a minimum wage earning kid in Colorado Springs (and the minimum wage comment is just speculation on my part).

I'll see if I can get some clarification from Steve. It's been awhile since I gave him the 3rd degree.

 

[lwien]

I didn't think you were implying the DBV has devolved to cheap Chinese standards lwien.

I know you weren't Max but Beezleb did in that prior post, so I just wanted to re-clarify my intent.

It's also possible that he's getting better assembly quality in China. Not only does QC enter into the equation, but you have to consider that a Chinese worker's job (assembling DBVs) may matter more to him/her than it does to a minimum wage earning kid in Colorado Springs (and the minimum wage comment is just speculation on my part).

Good point. Don't know how valid it is, but..........good point.

 

[Chubba]

I've been turned off 7th floor for a while now.

After the worst customer service in my life, I feel this company grew too big/too fast and money is the main (or ONLY) goal... maximum units for maximum profit.

Money makes the world go around... but once your customer service drops to non-existent and you start sending parts to China (wtf?), you have crossed the line.

I'm glad to know increasing production in foreign companies is more important then EVER responding to current customers that have been wronged. You know what I call charging someones credit card for parts never shipped/nor recieved while never responding to communication? Stealing.

7th floor, definitely off my recommended vapes list.

i agree with your words 'till the end man....that 7floor is buried for me too!

 

[VaporBud]

I have no issues with this being made in china.
Lot's of high quality retail product's are assembled in china and as long as they use the right materials there would be a hard time telling where the DB was made just by looking at it.

I do agree customer service should be the no.1 priority for any company that wishes to stay in business long term.

I ordered a DB last month and received the unit within 2 weeks so i was happy with the service and love the DB.

 

[Jedu]

Im gonna have to agree with Chubba here, bought a water filter (ice catcher with mouthpeice) from them that was apparently "from a company in denver" as quoted from their website recived it broken (and it hade made in china stickers on it...) called them told me to email them and they would replace it or refund the money; so i emailed them saying i wanted a refund and they are shipping me a new one with no refund. 100 bucks for a china "ass" catcher with a mouthpiece :/.

EDIT: that being said, i did buy an ice catcher from them that I enjoy very much...

 

[Mojave Mama]

I would prefer American made, but all other things on the comparison list made me tilt in favor of the DBV. As for customer service, I had an exceptionally fine experience. I was helped immediately, and even sent pictures to help ease my confusion. I contacted them three times, and each time, I had an immediate personal response. I'm sorry to hear someone had a less than good experience. I'd read good things about their service department, another of the many reasons I chose the DBV. Also, I ordered my vape on Monday, received it on Wednesday. Fast service, great product, helpful customer service is my experience.

 

[Mojave Mama]

Jedu, does the ice thingie really work? I don't find that my DBV gets hot at all, and I thought I would either run it through an ice bong or buy the $100 ice thingie from them. What makes it worth attaching an ice thingie? Not being contentious, just really curious since I considered buying one myself.

 

[Jedu]

@Mojave Mama, i don't have a dbv/ssv but i use it with my PD and it works great. Vapor is so moisturized and cooled after it passes through, also very low volume which is nice. I never use water in it though, only ice. (im talking about the little colorful ice bong thing with a carb)

 

[masejl12]

I too have to agree with Chubba, I ordered a 4 perc bubbler from their website last week and received it a few days ago. I ordered a clear one, the one that came is yellow, plus it had made in Chine stickers all over it also.
I emailed them on Wed when I received it and still have not received an email back even though they claim to reply within 24 hours, very disappointed.

 

[highendvapes]

Jedu, does the ice thingie really work? I don't find that my DBV gets hot at all, and I thought I would either run it through an ice bong or buy the $100 ice thingie from them. What makes it worth attaching an ice thingie? Not being contentious, just really curious since I considered buying one myself.

I have a ssv ice chamber, It rocks. It cools the vapor down so that you really have no idea your taking a draw until you exhale. I also believe that the ice helps condense the vapor somewhat. I've hooked it up to my PD too, kinda a pain to use, but nice and cool.

 

[Jedu]

I too have to agree with Chubba, I ordered a 4 perc bubbler from their website last week and received it a few days ago. I ordered a clear one, the one that came is yellow, plus it had made in Chine stickers all over it also.
I emailed them on Wed when I received it and still have not received an email back even though they claim to reply within 24 hours, very disappointed.

Yeah pretty disappointing. If they are comfortable supporting low quality chinese glass being sold as local glass it makes me think they wouldn't have a hard time skimping out on low quality chinese dbv parts...

 

[stinkmeaner]

Due to the demand they were probably forced to outsource some of the glass overseas, I hope all of the glass isn't made in China since the quote from the bottom of the Water Filter/Cooler/Moisturizer page on the Da Buddha site leads you to believe they are produced in house:

OK, you probably think these babies are expensive? Well yes! The reason is because the most simple WFCM takes a well over an hour to make and they are hard. That is if it makes it. I have many that do not make it. Maybe because I have not honed my skills enough, but even when we had another glass blower making them, he had much the same problem of 1 out of 5-7 may not make it. Some times the odds are better some times worse. These are more for glass connoisseur. If you want the something like the WFCM, you can get an Ice Chamber, they are 10 times easier to make. I could make clear WFCMs but I refuse, they do not stretch my skills. If you do decide to get one of these awesome products I THANK you very much! They are the most gratifying to make when they turn out

So I could see someone getting a suprise if you pay top dollar for these and it arrives with a made in China sticker.

 

[stonemonkey55]

They are referring to the bongs as opposed to the WFCMs. The WFCMs he makes themselves, I have one, it's alright, nothing special. The bong with all the perc's, I definitley recall some verbiage that it was from some glass provider in CO. Perhaps the distributor is in CO but it actually comes from China....who knows. I was curious why the tubes were as cheap as they are on the website.

 

[highendvapes]

I just recentlly got a ice chamber, and am pretty sure that it was made in house. I think the ones that are made in China are the ones with percs, but like sm55 said, its says on the website that it comes from Colorado. Very misleading if its coming in from China.

 

[NoSmoke]

I never thought the tubes were cheap, I can go to my local headshop and get a Roor or Medcali (much higher quality) for around the same price. I have never liked anything SSV has had to offer (tubing included) besides their vape.

 

[Jedu]

Yeah the ice chambers are defiantly not from china. I'm glad im not the only one upset about this I was afraid of emailing them thinking that everyone knew they were from china and i just misread the site. But I emailed them so hopefully they will give me a refund.... I would have never spend that much on crappy glass if i had known it was =/

 

[max]

7th Floor's glass is done in house. Always has been. It's custom stuff, and it doesn't make sense to import it. There's a lot of difference between having your units assembled in China and having glass blown there.