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Scotty,
Forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know, but most of the big optics companies have a US based distributorship, like Leica USA or Nikon USA, I don't know if those distributors are US ownd subsidyaries(sp?) of the parent company or not, but for sue the parent company is foriegn. When I read Meopta USA, I'm assuming that is their US based distributing company and assembly plant. I still think the parent company is Czech, could be wrong though.
John
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These Zen-Rays and their sisters-under-the-skin aren't made by an American company or anything like it. It's ridiculous to think so. They are made by a large Chinese optics factory which is certainly government subsidized and run wholly according to its policies. Are the products of this factory used to surveil Taiwan or carve up Tibet? How could that be surprising? All a company like ZR or Promaster does is place an order for products with certain specifications from the factory's menu of choices and then distribute them here. It's a no-brainer that Zeiss, Swarovski, Nikon and Leica each employ far more Americans than Zen Ray.
Last edited by Fireform; 02/05/10.
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This is getting sort of pointless, but. Steiner is owned by Burris, so does that make them American. Oh..wait Burris is owned by Beretta, so does that make Steiner Italian?
Meopta originated in Checkoslovakia. For years (as Optoteknia)they were the prime optics supplier for the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. When the iron curtain came down they became Meopta and took off into the sports optics business. They still make the glass in the now Czech Republic. So Meopta has a presence in the USA. They will take Czech glass and assemble it here in the US. OK they are an American company. You win.
What happens if Leupold decides to buy a factory in China. Supervised by Leupold engineers who are US citizens building Leupold engineered designs. What is the deal then? Oh...wait Steiner already has a big manufacturing facility in China...Does that make Burris Chinese? Does that make Beretta Chinese? Does that make China Italian?
EDIT: I have no clue as to what lines from Steiner have any Chinese in them. However I'd bet their top stuff is German all the way. That is unless it is either US or maybe Italian.
Last edited by SteveC99; 02/05/10.
Steve
Theodore Roosevelt: "Do what you can where you are with what you have"
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So if they start building scopes you guys are gonna snatch them up and mount them on your rifles? My original point was I work HARD for my money. I want to spend it on a company and product I can count on. mtmuley
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So if they start building scopes you guys are gonna snatch them up and mount them on your rifles? My original point was I work HARD for my money. I want to spend it on a company and product I can count on. mtmuley I will hold my judgment until I see their scopes first. If it is the same build quality and clarity as their binoculars with fraction of alpha price, I will grab one for sure.
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Scotty,
Forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know, but most of the big optics companies have a US based distributorship, like Leica USA or Nikon USA, I don't know if those distributors are US ownd subsidyaries(sp?) of the parent company or not, but for sue the parent company is foriegn. When I read Meopta USA, I'm assuming that is their US based distributing company and assembly plant. I still think the parent company is Czech, could be wrong though.
John John- There could be a US owned portion of the company and a portion that is still Czech owned, but from what it looks like the sport optic division is American owned. As I already linked direct from Meopta's website: (Seems like pretty straighforward info) Meopta is an American owned company specializing in world class research, design, engineering, manufacturing and assembly services, as well as premium grade, high performance optics products for the industrial, military and consumer markets.
A company with a broad global reach, Meopta operates technologically advanced, state of the art facilities in both the United States and Central Europe. This unique structure allows us to respond to our customers' needs quickly and effectively. It could be this is the US based Meopta company owned by TCI and that Meopta/optika is still Czech owned, but in any case, the US end of the deal seems to be more complex than most simple US distributors of other optics companies. Another google search hit: MEOPTA OPTICS
A friendly and familiar face greeted the writers and editors of Primedia Outdoors when Walter Seace ventured to the podium to start the Meopta Optics presentation. Seace had been to Roundtables previous to this one, but as a sales representative for Primedia Outdoors. Seace is now the National Sales & Marketing manager for Meopta and was meeting with his former collogues from the other side of the table.
Meopta Optics is an arm of a larger New York based worldwide company called TCI, which manufactures cinema projectors, photographic enlargers and lenses, medical and laboratory microscopes, astronomical telescopes and a complete line of sports optics.
The sports optics division was originally started by demand rather than choice. The company opened in 1933, manufacturing cinema lenses and products. After Nazi Germany took control of the country in World War II, it was decided by the invading power that the company was to start manufacturing riflescopes and binoculars. Post World War II, the Soviet Union kept the company in the sport optics field in addition to allowing them to return to their photographic roots. At the end of the Cold War, the company began to branch out into other areas of industry.
You might not know Meopta Optics is the largest sports optics company in Central Europe, which includes Germany and Austria. However, only five percent of TCI''s sales are U.S. based, a percentage Seace hopes to increase over the next several years.
Last edited by scottryan; 02/05/10.
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[quote=Mule Deer]
As a side-note, one of the reasons German products cost so much is that they are in many ways a socialist country. The standard German work-week is 30 hours long, and normal vacation time is about two months a year.
Wow! Your sure about that?
Bretton
Winston Churchill: "We shall never surrender"
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Check out this link on average working hours in countries around the world if it is of interest to you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_time
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If I were to buy a pair of Zen-Ray binox, I'd want to know a little more about the business relationship between the Chinese company making them, and Zen-Ray USA. Someone mentioned that there were 3, or 4 guys that comprise Zen-Ray USA. How do the USA guys buy a particular pair of binox from the Chinese company making them?
What documentation is involved in the purchase?
Last edited by DMB; 02/06/10.
Don Buckbee
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I guess you guys that are refusing to buy from China because of its gov't activities are also going to stop buying gas made by oil pumped in the middle east Muslim nations and Brazil........post some pics of your horses and buggies......hypocrisy at its finest on this post for sure......
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DMB,
No documentation required. Contact ZR, give them your credit card number and wait for big brown to stop at your door.
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
- Albert Einstein
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I guess you guys that are refusing to buy from China because of its gov't activities are also going to stop buying gas made by oil pumped in the middle east Muslim nations and Brazil........post some pics of your horses and buggies......hypocrisy at its finest on this post for sure...... ...or Nigeria, Mexico (might as well support the drug lords who own things down there), Venezuela..........It's much to logical of an argument skywalker. 
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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I guess you guys that are refusing to buy from China because of its gov't activities are also going to stop buying gas made by oil pumped in the middle east Muslim nations and Brazil........post some pics of your horses and buggies......hypocrisy at its finest on this post for sure...... I've got no dog in this fight as I'm not completely opposed to Chinese exports, but how can you possibly compare communist China with Middle East oil producing countries, many of which are our allies like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait? hypocrisy? Seriously? You seem to have a bit of a problem comprehending the logic being presented to you. Let's cut to the chase: With refined petroleum, we have no choice at the pump. It is what it is and the station down the street sells product from the same sources. No other option besides ethanol fuel if it is available in your area and if you have a compatible vehicle. With a consumer good such as optics, we are still quite fortunate to have many choices before us manufactured in many different countries of origin very unlike other some other consumer goods which are nearly all produced in China. It's about having choices. Where there is a choice available, some folks prefer to do their best to first support our country or at the very least that of our allies as opposed to a communist threat. Is that so hard to understand or appreciate?
Last edited by scottryan; 02/06/10.
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DMB,
No documentation required. Contact ZR, give them your credit card number and wait for big brown to stop at your door. That's not the issue. The issue is with what documentation do the 4 guys in the USA buy binox from an unknown outfit in China? It's not like they are buying binox from an established binox mfgr in Urp.
Don Buckbee
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You wanna start DMB Optics? Just get enough money together, contract with an OEM someplace (they are in Japan too) and talk it over and they will make you a run of what you want. The Visa card is the documentation. What will make it sucessful is whether or not you know what you are doing and if what ever factory it is figures you are worth their effort in the long run. There are a lot of established optics companies that do that very thing for their low price optics.
If you have enough optics design ability to design tou own, you can also get an OEM to make it for you.
Steve
Theodore Roosevelt: "Do what you can where you are with what you have"
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Oh, so now it is about choices....you do have a choice.....you do as you please and justify however you want.......but please don't play the communist gov't card when you will gladly go to the pump and finance terrorism......what a joke!
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I guess you guys that are refusing to buy from China because of its gov't activities are also going to stop buying gas made by oil pumped in the middle east Muslim nations and Brazil........post some pics of your horses and buggies......hypocrisy at its finest on this post for sure...... I've got no dog in this fight as I'm not completely opposed to Chinese exports, but how can you possibly compare communist China with Middle East oil producing countries, many of which are our allies like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait? hypocrisy? Seriously? You seem to have a bit of a problem comprehending the logic being presented to you. Let's cut to the chase: With refined petroleum, we have no choice at the pump. It is what it is and the station down the street sells product from the same sources. No other option besides ethanol fuel if it is available in your area and if you have a compatible vehicle. With a consumer good such as optics, we are still quite fortunate to have many choices before us manufactured in many different countries of origin very unlike other some other consumer goods which are nearly all produced in China. It's about having choices. Where there is a choice available, some folks prefer to do their best to first support our country or at the very least that of our allies as opposed to a communist threat. Is that so hard to understand or appreciate? I am more concerned about another 19 of our Saudi allies flying planes with explosives into population centers than I am about the communist threat. And as I mentioned before, I would rather buy a product from the Chinese than the Muslim sypathizer who took over Chrysler and GM.
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
- Albert Einstein
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[/quote] I am more concerned about another 19 of our Saudi allies flying planes with explosives into population centers than I am about the communist threat. And as I mentioned before, I would rather buy a product from the Chinese than the Muslim sypathizer who took over Chrysler and GM. [/quote]
Doubletap: Last time I checked, the US Government owns GM (which has no commeon stock outstanding) and Chrysler (most of their equity is in the form of US tax dollars). Are you calling the US Government a Muslim sympathizer?
Last edited by Oldtrader3; 02/06/10.
CDR3
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Oldtrader 3,
No, not the whole government, just the teleprompter-in-chief.
He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
- Albert Einstein
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Oh, so now it is about choices....you do have a choice.....you do as you please and justify however you want.......but please don't play the communist gov't card when you will gladly go to the pump and finance terrorism......what a joke! Finance terrorism?? Wow. You just confirmed what I already suspected- That you have no real grasp on global economy or world affairs and how they interact with one another. How about we let this one slide and get the subject back to optics. To the rest of the forum- Sorry to all if I got this thread sidetracked with my original remark on country of origin. I'll try to keep comments based on quality of optics.
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