Latest Posts

• The Wonderful World of Testing

  • On Nov, 17, 2019
  •  Kyle

  Most people don’t know that the UL stamp that appears on a product is from a privately held company. I like most, was under the assumption that it was a government agency that was there to protect the consumer. The latter is true, but it is mostly out to make money. Having said that, let […]

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• A Case Study on Tariffs – Sparkfun

  • On Aug, 05, 2018
  •  Kyle

  For SparkFun, the story of tariffs is a story about managing uncertainty, and doing everything we can to keep losses to a minimum as we transition from 1-5 percent to 25 percent tariffs on a significant number of our components. For us, it’s not a story about manufacturing in America, or the threat of recession, […]

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• Technicians, So Engineers Can Have Heroes Too…

  • On Apr, 30, 2017
  •  Kyle

  That is a pretty funny saying but it is true to some extent. Being an engineer who has designed a few products I understand that it is easy to get wrapped up in your design and over look some basic problem. Recently I came across a problem with a coffee machine. The machine is a […]

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• I’m Getting Closer…

  • On Aug, 13, 2016
  •  Kyle

  I wrote a while ago that I would really like to replace my Casio Sea Pathfinder watch but since it still actually works I don’t feel justified in doing so. The reason I bought that watch was to replace a Suunto Vector that leaked while diving. I liked the ABC functions of the Vector but […]

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• Question and Answer Time

  • On Jul, 13, 2016
  •  Kyle

  After a recent meeting with a prospective manufacture I thought I would give the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions I get about overseas manufacturing. How much can I save? Possibly a lot, possibly nothing, it depends on what you are making. Plastic like ABS or Polypropylene are commodities and as such […]

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• Is American Watch Making Coming Back?

  • On Jul, 05, 2016
  •  Kyle

  For a while during American history watch making had a strong foothold in America. I am of course talking about pocket watches. Waltham, Illinois, Elgin, Hamilton and a slew of others actually produced from raw materials some of the most beautiful pocket watches made, anywhere. With the great depression of the 30’s and the invention […]

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• Brexit, Time to Take a Holiday To Britain!

  • On Jun, 25, 2016
  •  Kyle

  Well it seems that 2016 might be time to get a good deal on that luxury watch. With an average decline in sale of 11.9% since June of 2015 and the Brexit disaster happening in Europe ad the fall of the British Pound I think you might find some dealers trying to move some stock. […]

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• Trust, But Verify

  • On Jun, 22, 2016
  •  Kyle

  Yi dian dian is a Chinese expression meaning “a little bit”, which you often hear from Chinese manufacturers. I have heard this phrase used often during my working years as a sourcing agent for an U.S. importer. Once, I was told to source a Reacher that matched the requirements needed by the client. I did my […]

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• This Dam Casio Still Works!

  • On Mar, 25, 2016
  •  Kyle

  It may be going on 20 years that I have had this watch. I bought it in New York City on a trip with my wife and I must say it has served me well. The bezel fell off about seven years ago, I went through three replacement straps before I bought this NATO version […]

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• Can I Get Screwed By A Supplier?

  • On Mar, 02, 2016
  •  Kyle

  That’s not really the correct question. The correct question is “Will I screw myself? Possibly. In reality you are trying to make money, you want to get a product at a low price, mark it up and re-sell it for a profit, that’s how the world works. Guess what, your supplier is doing the same […]

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