It's Made in Taiwan

Electrical contact cleaner, Made in Taiwan

2010-03-03T03:12:00.001+08:00

My Dr. AV Electrical Contact Cleaner was Made in Taiwan

If you have any electrical equipment that uses a knob or slider to control the volume, it's bound to get dusty and/or suffer from corrosion over time. Either of these conditions will result in unwanted noise when adjusting the volume.

The volume pot (potentiometer) on my electric guitar had been having this problem for a while, but no amount of rapid back-and-forth turning would alleviate the situation, so I was off on yet another quest for something that was made in Taiwan.

Despite my earlier experience at TKEC (燦坤, the big yellow store), I stopped in again since it was along my way. When approached by a salesman, I explained what I was looking for. He said that the store didn't carry anything like that but suggested that I go to the electronics market near the Taichung train station (but far from my location at that moment). I thanked him for his help and left.

Fortunately, I had a destination in mind that was much nearer (less than five minutes on foot): the 振宇 (pronounced "zhènyǔ") hardware store. In a very short time, I had found what I was looking for. See below for more details.

Product info:
Name: 電子接點清潔劑 (Dr. AV Electrical Contact Cleaner)
Model number: 60 (NC002)
Universal Product Code (UPC): 4710918890452
Price: NT$199
Purchased from: 振宇五金 (ALD Hardware)

Bathroom scale, Made in Taiwan

2010-02-25T20:21:00.000+08:00

My Zoueshoai bathroom scale was Made in Taiwan

I'd been looking for a digital scale for a while to replace an old analog scale which never seemed accurate, but every single one that I'd seen in all the stores was made in China. Of course, I didn't buy any of those.

I was finally able to find one online which looked nice, was affordable, and was made in Taiwan. It was made by a company called Jaa Shian Electric Co., Ltd., which sells products under the brand name "Zoueshoai."

The scale (pictured at right) can display either pounds or kilograms and has an operating range of 2 to 150 kg (4.4 - 330 lbs), with a minimum measurement unit of 0.1 kg (100 grams).

I ordered it online last weekend, received a confirmation e-mail on Monday, and paid for it at 7-Eleven using iBon. It arrived at my place this afternoon (Thursday) via a private delivery service.

Product info:
Name: 《日象》薄型電子體重計-經典黑 (Zoueshoai thin electronic bathroom scale - classic black)
Model number: ZOW-8120
Universal Product Code (UPC): 4717154552601
Price: NT$599 + NT$130 shipping and handling
Purchased from: Twins Shop (on Rakuten [樂天])

Digital media player, USB charger, Made in Taiwan

2010-02-03T04:24:00.007+08:00

My wife's Transcend digital media player and Image USB charger were both Made in Taiwan

My wife asked me to get her an "mp3 player" for her most recent birthday, so I wanted to buy one that would be guilt-free. I often shop for electronics at E-Life Mall (全國電子) because I can frequently find something made in Taiwan (or at least not made in China) among the available choices. I was a bit surprised to find more than one digital media player there which was made in Taiwan.

One of the Taiwan-made brands I had seen earlier at the store I visited was made by a company called A-Jet, but I bought the other brand that was available.

The one my wife preferred was made by the Taiwanese company Transcend. It can play audio (.MP3, .WMA, and WMA-DRM10) and video (.MTV format), display photos (.JPG, .BMP), record audio (.WAV format), and lets the user read e-books (.TXT). It even has a radio built in.

So that she could recharge her new player when we are on vacation, I also picked up a charger with a USB port on it. There were two models available which were made in Taiwan. I chose the Image USB 充電鼠 ("recharger mouse," named so apparently because of its size, shape, and the way it's packaged) made by Shihlin Electric (士林電機).

Below is information for both products -- a twofer!

Product info:
Name: T.sonic 850 4 GB MP3 Player · Radio · Recorder · Video · Photo · E-book
Model number: MP850
Universal Product Code (UPC): 0760557814733
Price: NT$1,699
Purchased from: E-Life Mall (全國電子)

Name: Image USB 充電鼠
Model number: SL-BCUSB01
Universal Product Code (UPC): 4710636510809
Price: NT$270
Purchased from: E-Life Mall (全國電子)

xDendee Ni-MH battery charger, Made in Taiwan

2010-01-31T03:27:00.004+08:00

My xDendee Ni-MH battery charger was Made in Taiwan

I recently bought a wireless mouse for my computer, and I thought it would be a good idea to get a new battery charger and some rechargeables, so I went out looking.

I started out at TKEC (燦坤, the big yellow store) because it happened to be along my way while I was thinking about the purchase. The guy at the counter there showed me a recharger that was made by Sony, but it was made in China. Me: "Got any that aren't made in China?" Him: "No." Me: "Bye!"

I then went to E-Life Mall (全國電子) just a couple of blocks down the road, and the first few items I saw there were also made in China.

However, one brand -- xDendee (with the "x" written as an "infinity" symbol) -- had a couple of models which were made in Taiwan. The four AA (三號) rechargeable batteries included in the set that I chose were made in Japan. Despite the price being a bit higher than the others, I chose the xDendee.

Trivia
The name xDendee comes from the Taiwanese pronunciation -- no, not Mandarin -- of the word "battery": ㄉㄧㄢˇㄉㄧˊ (diǎndí, 電池). Extra points for Taiwan Pride!

Product info:
Name: xDendee 液晶顯示極速充電組 (xDendee LCD display rapid recharger set)
Model number: SL-BCRDENLCD3U
Universal Product Code (UPC): 4710636512223
Price: NT$1,150
Purchased from: E-Life Mall (全國電子)

55-in-1 card reader, Made in Taiwan

2010-01-30T06:50:00.002+08:00

My SohoUSB 55-in-1 card reader was Made in Taiwan

When shopping at NOVA last weekend for a card reader with which to upload images from my digital camera to my computer, everything I found there was made in China. I looked at more than 20 different ones trying to find one which was made in Taiwan -- or at least not made in China -- but to no avail.

One of the last salespeople I talked to insisted that I wouldn't be able to find one that wasn't made in China. He probably just wanted me to buy one from him, but I took it as a challenge to prove him wrong.

A short while later, I went home and Googled [讀卡機台灣製造 OR 台灣製] plus the specs of what I needed. Within a few minutes, I found one which met all of my prerequisites, including that it be made in Taiwan.

To top it off, I was able to order it online (without using a credit card!), have it delivered to a nearby 7-Eleven (where I could pay cash), and pick it up only two days after ordering.

Awesome!

Product info:
Name: SohoUSB 55-in-1 Victor II card reader
Model number: HRU-226AL
Universal Product Code (UPC): 14000073033
Price: NT$359 (including NT$20 handling fee)
Purchased from: Books.com.tw