Disappointed guys.

[Bandit’s Lair]

I guess what I was trying to say is if I’m running a business putting out a product that is going to be seen by other potential customers I’m going to have my employees take the time to clean it up and give the best presentation possible. Even if it is raw and unfinished it should still be cleaned up. There’s a level of pride in craftsmanship that I’d want displayed to the public. It’s the whole “Broken Window” theory thing. If they don’t care to clean up even a raw and unfinished product, do they care to make sure the measurements are correct.

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[Mateo Bobcat]

I guess what I was trying to say is if I’m running a business putting out a product that is going to be seen by other potential customers I’m going to have my employees take the time to clean it up and give the best presentation possible. Even if it is raw and unfinished it should still be cleaned up. There’s a level of pride in craftsmanship that I’d want displayed to the public. It’s the whole “Broken Window” theory thing. If they don’t care to clean up even a raw and unfinished product, do they care to make sure the measurements are correct.

You're not wrong. The, "pride in craftsmanship" part is what I'm honing in on. I want to be proud that I bought a USA made product but I also want to be proud that what I get is what I paid for, and want the product to be exceptional because it is made here in the States. Hence the title of this thread is "Disappointed."

I'm not going to give you my money just because it's the charity "made in US." I'm going to give you my money because you make it the best. Simply not the case in this small anecdotal thread. Not saying it's always that way.

I do not feel I got what I paid for. Simple as that.

IMO American Adventure Lab isn't worth the price, based on MY experience.

 

[Mateo Bobcat]

Google Japanese cars from the 80s until now. American car manufacturers got lazy. Western culture will always find value.

 

[Mateo Bobcat]

UPDATE. Good and bad and meh. Upon further research, the long Allen bolts are stainless, as I suspected, and the short ones are non-stainless 10.9 grade. That's good, but I don't need that much strength inside the hood. Will be replacing with stainless. However, I was told by AAL (in writing) that my Badland disconnect switch would fit. It does not line up. Will have to make new hole or widen existing. 🫩

It's close, so I will widen.

 

[Metalhead]

I bought that same bracket only in powder coat finish. The bracket I got was good quality and no flaws. I ended up not using it and went with an 813 fab mounting bracket. 813 fab makes some good stuff.

 

[avere3]

I bought the black, textured version. It's been a few months since I installed it, so I just went out to look at it. The finish was good, with smooth edges. I'm all for saving a few bucks, but I'm glad I paid the extra for the finished version. They weren't kidding about yours being "raw". I was more disappointed that I had to slot the holes to make it fit with a Badlands winch disconnect switch than I was with the finish.

 

[Mateo Bobcat]

I'm glad you and Metalhead both had good experiences! I'm not here to crap on AAL, but only to share my personal experience (and maybe complain a little ). I had to make some adjustments where to put it, vs where it was designed to go because of how I wired it, but it's secure and it's better than a loose switch.

Maybe someone later will read this post later and decide to go with the finished version, based on my experience. . I. All actuality, I just liked the raw aluminum look rather than black, which will probably scratch.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Where I work, if a raw or unfinished part is under a truck and out of sight, we basically make sure it has no sharp edges and let it ride.

If its in a customer facing area we make sure the edges are smooth, slag is clean, and often give it a 'DA' finish so that it looks clean and doesnt have any scratches.

I think AAL would have an opportunity to describe the finishes here.

For example, they could simply point out that to them 'raw/unfinished' means off the table, no further prep work is done. Raw and unfinished to me means further processing is needed to make it presentable. Raw/unfinished to someone else may (and apparently) means its simply bare aluminum color vs black but otherwise clean and ready to use. I think that is fair, too.

The black parts other folks received that they said look nice likely went through further processing before paint.

I dont think this is a lack of pride, I think its a lack of clear presentation.

But again - just one fellas opinion on the matter.

 

[Mateo Bobcat]

This could very possibly be true. My recommendation for AAL would be a bigger price difference from raw to finished. Seems like a lot of extra time and $$ to finish for only a $5 difference in the cart. I should have just got the black version and taken some acetone to it! Lol.

 

[avere3]

This could very possibly be true. My recommendation for AAL would be a bigger price difference from raw to finished. Seems like a lot of extra time and $$ to finish for only a $5 difference in the cart. I should have just got the black version and taken some acetone to it! Lol.

Yeah, with only $5 more, the difference in appearance is crazy. If the raw one was cheaper and there was a middle option of finished but unpainted for just $5 less than painted, that would make more sense.

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