When I decided that I wanted to create this website, it was out of pure frustration. There are many companies out there making great products that are not made here in the US. But, what was frustrating is how many businesses seem to want to keep their manufacturing details hidden from the public. They will use terms that indicate they are US made, like “Designed in the US” or my favorite “Engineered in the US.” It is why mystery shopping has become a bit of an obsession for me.
I began a project vehicle, a ’22 Jeep® Gladiator® that will carry the site’s name and show off some of the great Certified American Original™ products I have found specifically made for my Jeep. I set out to only upgrade it using products that would meet the high standards we have set for that “original” tag. The vehicle is classified as a US made product, with 65% of the components coming from the US or Canada (I don’t know why the sticker on a new car gives a nod to Canada in that calculation. I suspect NAFTA has something to do with it.) but it would only meet Made in America classification on this site. Jeep, while an American born brand, is no longer an American owned company, and portions of the profits are going to head offshore.
I recently spent weeks working on a single item for the build, WHEELS. The market for wheels is crowded. The most popular brands are primarily built in China and shipped in to the US. But after and exhaustive search, I selected Weld Off-Road who offered a product indicated as US made, meeting the technical criteria required for the build, and a potential future Certified American Original candidate.
My order arrived this week, and the result was instant heartache and regret. As you can see from the label on the package below, and despite the claim made on their own website, these wheels were not made here. I am working to find out which products are actually made here. Their FAQ indicates that “WELD Racing wheels are made in Kansas City, Missouri.” That may be the key though. Is it the Racing line only that is made here? I have found this with other brands, like Fuel wheels. They openly share that Off-road wheels are not made in US, the performance (racing) line is.
So I return to the work of sourcing a new set of wheels that meet the high standards of this customer, and the requirements of my build.
Note: There are several other brands that sell US made wheels in a beadlock configuration. I just don’t need a beadlock right now, and the entry cost for these are around $1,000 per wheel. Additionally, in many cases even these wheels are cut from a blank that originated in China. It seems I may not have a choice.