[QUOTE="Mike"] Matt - you've been making some pretty big assumptions about QA throughout this thread. Where is the breakdown in QA in your mind? It's refined in the same plants. The distinction comes more at the packaging end of things. Sure - there is potential for problems at every step but those problems exist for everyone. Do you really believe that Mobil or any other supplier has a QA process that is so unique and so different from what Wal Mart or any other private label similar to Wal Mart has? I really doubt it.[/QUOTE] Yes, I do believe that. I've worked for 23 years in a Fortune 500 corporation and I know a lot of things I can't say in public that would very much surprise you about a lot of products you use every day. [QUOTE] There just isn't that much room in the supply chain as it exists, for huge disparities in QA like you're suggesting.[/QUOTE] Sure there is. Many people will sacrifice a lot of quality to get a cheap price. Many people won't. There is room for all, but to claim that all products are created equal is simply absurd. Do you really believe that Bose stereo products are no better than the no-name brands from China? [QUOTE] Besides - you've not documented any reason to believe that there even is a QA difference, so why do you keep mentioning the QA point?[/QUOTE] And you've not documented that there isn't a difference. [QUOTE] At some point, this kind of thing becomes what we call FUD - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. Most times, > Totally unfounded and only intended to smear a competitor or a[/QUOTE] product when no valid evidence exists. The key word is most times, and it isn't even most, more like some. Matt