(Hypothetical) New Hardware

[Jules]

I made a post and or video a while back about the price drop of the 3000 series hardware when the production shifted from Germany to China. It was a substantial price drop, while the quality stayed consistent according to those who had/used both. An exception would be the lack of the rivet on the snare basket which was due to a change in production methods, and not necessarily a country of origin issue. The Chinese 3000 also had the solid steel rivets which have been a recurring feature of Sonor's high end hardware.

So, with Sonor's well established lines of Asian made gear, including all the metal work for all lines of drums and hardware, is there a virtue in this day and age in sending components to Germany for final assembly for the sake of being able to print Made in Germany on the hardware boxes?

I have been on both sides of this in my years as a Sonor enthusiast, and owner. Part of me wants to see the German factory as well staffed as possible, with the best gear on the planet being produced there in perpetuity. I think there is an attention to detail on the design, engineering and build of the shell/final assembly that would never be possible elsewhere, particularly a high volume factory.

But when it comes to hardware, is there an advantage to German assembly for the consumer? This is a totally subjective question.

But, let's look at it like this rolling back the calendar a few years;

If you were ordering a high end Sonor set and had the option of brand new in the box German 3000 series hardware (I should take the time to price out a realistic set up both ways) or the same hardware brand new in the box from China for about 1/2 the price, what would you choose?

I am SURE there are those who would have enough disposable finances to swing the German products and would go that route. From, from a more practical standpoint, you could quite possibly add a high end snare drum to the mix with the savings of the Chinese set while not compromising on fit form and function.

Now, back to today:
If Sonor released a new line of their most flexible line of hardware with all the bells and whistles available that other companies already offer, but it was all made in China while maintaining the high standards we see on all the metal components, Kompressors snares, etc., would you be happy to save maybe 1/2 the money of a German assembled counterpart?

[SonorBart]

I have one 3000 cymbal stand from Germany. I have four single and two double 3000 cymbal stands and a hi hat stand from China (I got them from my local music store for cost after they went unsold for a couple of years after a Steve Smith clinic). Because of the solid rivets, the Chinese are every bit as good as the German made. Those stands are my go-to for rock and I even sold three 600 double cymbal stands recently because I wasn't using them any more. I would have no issue with Chinese hardware as long as it has all the top end features.

[Scott_M]

If Sonor released a new line of their most flexible line of hardware with all the bells and whistles available that other companies already offer, but it was all made in China while maintaining the high standards we see on all the metal components, Kompressors snares, etc., would you be happy to save maybe 1/2 the money of a German assembled counterpart?

As much as I would like to support the staff in Germany, my finances don't allow for unrestricted 600 series hardware investments. For the demands I have for their hardware (snare/cymbal stands and Basic Arm components), I'd have NO problem with them being made outside of Germany and available at a lower price point under one condition - The quality (including design, materials, and manufacturing) does not suffer.