Mya Saray/Chinese Connection?

[Lakemonster]

I've been pondering over the last few weeks about how Chinese made Hookahs like the Sultan series have striking simularities to Mya Saray Stems.......
If you look at a Sultan stem.. you will see that the hose connection and check valve are....... well........ identical in appearance to Mya stuff.
Now.... I have read where someone out there has taken a design or two to China where you can have items made to spec and jump over patents. (not something Im fond of)
So I started thinking....... maybe SOME of the Mya parts are made in China anyway.. I have no proof of that... it just a ponderment. Stuff like the acrylic bases... hoses and stems.
I guess the only reason I wonder about this is that I try to limit how much Chinese goods I buy.......... its a save US jobs type thing..... and I hate to see knockoffs ruin something that the original designer has created to be a high quality product......... then the market gets flooded with inferior, mass produced clones... basically spoiling the fruiits of the designers labor.
What do y'all think?

[mushrat]

Since the mya folks monior the forum..I suspect we'll be getting it straight from the horses mouth sometime real soon...

[ioannisds]

I think I recall someone at Mya saying that, in fact, some of their
hookahs are manufactured in China.  I know I might get flamed for
this, but who cares?  I have two Chinese hookahs (a Junior Modern
from Social Smoke, and the Stargate from Taqseem) and they are just
fine.  In some ways, they are better than the two Egyptians I
own. 

I used to feel the same way about buying Chinese goods, but I have come
to realize that we live in a global economy, and you are never, ever,
ever going to get away from that.  Quality control in China used
to be (and I'm sure for some products still is) TERRIBLE.  Then I
remember running out one day to buy a new Nikon lens for my
camera.  What I thought for sure would be a Japanese lens.  I
got it home, took some pictures, and sure enough, same fantastic Nikon
quality I was always used to.  Then one day I noticed a small
"made in China" sticker on the barrel.  At first I was
shocked.  But like I said, the quality was at the same superb
level I was always used to, so I said f**k it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that if you find a product you like,
and are happy with, forget about where it was made and go for it. 
Most people don't think twice about where their shoes are made (go
ahead, look), or whether or not they would buy a nice Benz, BMW, or
whatever, if they had the cash.  If you see a hookah you like, and
it comes from someone very reputable like Mya, buy it!  Your point
about saving US jobs does not really apply here at all because I can't
think of a single hookah manufacturer based in the US.  Maybe I'm
wrong.  And if you buy something from somebody that is crap, the
best way to make sure they stop selling crap is to not buy from them
again, and make sure your friends, family, girlfriend-on-the-side do
the same.          

[Lakemonster]

I hear what you are sayiong RE: chinese quality turning up good.
Ive used some chinese made stuff in place of Nikkor lenses that proved up to be just as good as far as what ends up on the print.... I have a Chinese Telephoto adapter that kicks ass. (IMHO) I have/use 2 old Nikon F2's and an F1, BTW.
I have 2 hoses that I suspect are made in China.. and they are much better than the ones I have gotton from some Middle east origin.
Ive also heard many people (on here and locally) having great comments on Chinese hookahs... I dont have any basis for comparison, myself.
I dont always buy American goods. If its a good American product.. Im gonna choose it first. I do choose other countries goods for certain things... I buy alot of Russian and old Soviet stuff because I prefer it, for example.
I could go for hours on a global economy thing.... theres alot of points for discussion there.

[Kiwini]

Good points, ioannisds.
The idea that 'Made in China = cheap knockoff' is not always true.My saxophone was forged and built in Taiwan (China), because the company could produce the steel there for a better price.  They then ship the saxes over to Salt Lake City to get fine tuned.  They are a great sax (I've been playing for 10 years), and their prices allow a person to get a solid horn for less than 2 grand.
Ioa has another good point.  Hookahs are chiefly made in the Middle East and Africa--a la Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, ect.  And within those countries there are different companies with different quality.  Some are cheap, some luxurious, and others inbetween.Some US companies produce cheap knockoffs, and so do some Chinese.
Rather than settling for a second-rate business just because of the country their product comes from, it may be better to stick with brands that have proven to be reputable.  Mya Saray, after reading numerous reviews of hookah buyers, seems to be a solid company with good hooks.  If you know someone who has definite experience otherwise, that may be a good reason to look somewhere else.
Rawk'n the Pullman and the greater palouse region since 2003.  -Kiwini

[ZAP]

Yes, Mya surely do make their parts in China but they are in no way bad quality.

My Mya is very strong and by far the bes i've had yet.

[ioannisds]

[quote name='Lakemonster']I hear what you are sayiong RE: chinese quality turning up good.
Ive used some chinese made stuff in place of Nikkor lenses that
proved up to be just as good as far as what ends up on the print.... I
have a Chinese Telephoto adapter that kicks ass. (IMHO) I have/use 2
old Nikon F2's and an F1, BTW.
I have 2 hoses that I suspect are made in China.. and they are much
better than the ones I have gotton from some Middle east origin.
Ive also heard many people (on here and locally) having great
comments on Chinese hookahs... I dont have any basis for comparison,
myself.
I dont always buy American goods. If its a good American product..
Im gonna choose it first. I do choose other countries goods for certain
things... I buy alot of Russian and old Soviet stuff because I prefer
it, for example.
I could go for hours on a global economy thing.... theres alot of points for discussion there.[/quote]

Yeah, you never can tell what you are gonna get, so I totally
understand all your concern.  I just wanted to let you know of my
experience with the Chinese hookahs, and that it is a positive
one.  Good cameras you've got there by the way.

[brother812]

as far as hookahs go i have yet to find one made in the states and i have looked. but i have to disagree with the whole global economy theory. when you or one of your friends lose your job because the company you worked for decided to relocate to (insert low wage and lax labor laws country here) or the company you work for tells you that you have to take a 10% or more cut in pay to compete with the ones that have relocated then your point of view may change a bit.
i will admit i have allot of things in my place that are not American made but i do go out of my way to try to find American made products. and their are things out their if you want quality you just cant buy the American equivalent. i know i would not give up my Dunhill pipe for any amount of Dr. grabow or Kaywoodie's. but hay i am union so i have had buy American pounded into my head for years.
but more back on topic i see hookahs like i see my pipes they are more art than they are function so go with what looks good to you and disregard country of origin. the hookah is a very simple tool it is very hard to screw it up.
oh and yea my Red wings and cape boots are made in the U.S.A. as well as all my Carhartt cloths and coats .

[Lakemonster]

As for American pipe quality.... check these out.... I make about 10 pipes a year.

 

 

[mushrat]

Woa! Nice pipes man!
Just had to have my poor calabash repaired...cracked the gourd. *sigh*

[Lakemonster]

Broken gourd..... I wouldnt know where to begin trying to fix that..... good thing you found a repairman that does. The only thing I would know to do is cut it down and re- thread for the shank extension....Yipes!
If you are interested in seeing some more of my stuff.. heres a link to an index of more of my creations....
[url="http://www.patriotnetwork.net/pipes/"]http://www.patriotnetwork.net/pipes/[/url]
Now. as for American Hookahs...... Im working on a few designs.... completely re-inventing the wheel... but trying to hold on to the classic look. One thing Im working on is a different kind of purge valve.....a sort of sleeve designed stem that makes a shorter hookah smoke like a tall hookah.. that and "no solder" construction. If I can help it.... most of the parts would be made from lathed and milled billet instead of cast. I really want to use REAL stainless steel for the inside sleeve that runs from the male bowl seat down into the water.
I got lots of things running thru my head. I made my first hookah stem 2 days ago.. and If I can ever find the damn cable for my digi-cam...... I get some pics up.
 

[mushrat]

I have a local tobacconist with a devious mind and a steady hand...Plus i didn't mind a slight grey seam at the break. I'll pm you a picture... The break was too far down to rethread. Worse thing is i have a calabash that the bowl broke for. Heaven forbid the bowl on one matched the gourd for the other.. *sigh*
Loog foreward to seeing your hookah work.
 

[mopower84]

Hey Lakemonster, nice pipes.
I too, look forward to your Hookah craft.
Just a suggestion for the stainless steel sleave, have you though about some stainless steel automotive brakeline?

I have used 3/8 diameter brake line for the homemade hookah that that I
smoke pretty much daily, and plan on using some more on the other 4
models I'm working on.

[MR Bubble]

You never know what you're going to get these days. My new Charbroil BBQ grill is made in China. Now BBQ grills is an american tradition, in my mind, but China?
Happy to report my machines are made in Egypt. Nobody can match Egyptian quality, except maybe for my 4 year old.
MR Bubble

[ioannisds]

[quote name='MR Bubble']Nobody can match Egyptian quality, except maybe for my 4 year old.
MR Bubble[/quote]

MR Bubble, thank you very much for my first laugh of the day. 

[SMOKE~N~BUBBLZ]

[quote name='brother812']as far as hookahs go i have yet to find one made in the states and i have looked. but i have to disagree with the whole global economy theory. when you or one of your friends lose your job because the company you worked for decided to relocate to (insert low wage and lax labor laws country here) or the company you work for tells you that you have to take a 10% or more cut in pay to compete with the ones that have relocated then your point of view may change a bit.
i will admit i have allot of things in my place that are not American made but i do go out of my way to try to find American made products. and their are things out their if you want quality you just cant buy the American equivalent. i know i would not give up my Dunhill pipe for any amount of Dr. grabow or Kaywoodie's. but hay i am union so i have had buy American pounded into my head for years.
but more back on topic i see hookahs like i see my pipes they are more art than they are function so go with what looks good to you and disregard country of origin. the hookah is a very simple tool it is very hard to screw it up.
oh and yea my Red wings and cape boots are made in the U.S.A. as well as all my Carhartt cloths and coats .[/quote]
Just to follow up on that......if Americans just bought product from the USA, and every country followed, what would happen to you export business......how many jobs would be lost then......dont blame the companies for moving , blame teh government for over inflation and taxations, i mean they have to pay for their defence bill some how!

[MR Bubble]

[quote name='ioannisds'][quote name='MR Bubble']
Nobody can match Egyptian quality, except maybe for my 4 year old.
MR Bubble[/quote] MR Bubble, thank you very much for my first laugh of the day.  [/quote]
No problem there. Glad I could be of service to your humor. In all seriousness, I think it's hard to beat an Egyptian machine. Their initial quality sucks most of the time. I swear, Egyptians will sell you a bucket with a hole in it because once you fix it up, it'll be just like new. So, once you tinker with different size grommets, find a bowl that actually is straight, and trade your paper hose in on a real air-tight hose, you will have an awesome smoking utensil you'll never want to let go of. As alen says: "Thighter than a virgin in a diving suit."
I would hate to see an American made hookah. Oh the possibilities are endless on this one. Let's run down a spontanious list of what one may be like:
Eddie Bauer signature series.
George Bush in his flight suit on the base
Black & Decker master series (which would be made in China anyway)
Harley Davidson Edition with steel braided hose (also has its own patented bubbling sound they claim Honda is illegaly trying to imitate) 
"For a limited time, the US Mint is re releasing the model used by Lewis and Clark. This durable life-like plastic shaft is the same material used by NASCAR for bundle ties, holding the foamy things on the roll cage inside Jeff Gordon's car!"
The hip-swinging Santa shaped Christmas hookah, rolled back at Walmart. Also seves as a crack smoking utensil. Has a stupid electronic japanese "beeping" thingy that plays Jingle Bell Rock. Or whatever that damned redneck santa crap song is. Bah-Humbug!
"With the purchase of 23 Big Macs, you recieve a disposable "Shrek II" collector edition hookah" that mounts on the center consol of your SUV!"
"Collect all your favorite action figure shaped nargiles from Sonic with the purchse of a betty crocker-N-Oreo turbo-delux, supersized power-aide extreme mega thirst quencher NFL charged slushy, with REAL BETTY CROCKER FROSTONG AND OREO CRUMBS INSIDE!!" Just gimmie a f^cking pita with goat cheese.
Looks like a half-ate rat for all you reality TV fans out there.
The Dale Ernhardt memorial plate holding hookah.
Ah, I could go on like this for hours, but I'll wind up offending someone here so I'll stop now and thank God we don't make hookahs here.

[Sariél]

OOO I want the Harley Pipe!

..and the redneck song you're looking for is "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer".

Wasn't someone selling hookahs shaped like armoured tanks a while back?

[mopower84]

Mr. bubble... LMAO

But on a side note, I like my hookah, It's American made. I know, I made it.

You are right though, I'm sure it is only a matter of time before we
see American hookahs, But I'm sure there will be that one American
hookah that will truly be a realy nice machine. I just hope they way
outnumber the ones with the #3 painted on the base, LOL.

BTW I am working on a hookah that will be safe for automobile use, I
just gotta figure out how to use the guts from a RV hotplate to heat
the ma'asell instead of coals(no, kidding)

Thanks for the great laugh

[brother812]

[quote name='SMOKE~N~BUBBLZ']Just to follow up on that......if Americans just bought product from the USA, and every country followed, what would happen to you export business......how many jobs would be lost then......dont blame the companies for moving , blame teh government for over inflation and taxations, i mean they have to pay for their defence bill some how![/quote]
get it right, nowhere in my post did i say to buy only American products my point was if everyone who lived here would make an effort to buy more American made products the country would be better off for it. and i did not blame the company's either it is just smart business to relocate to a place if you can sell the products for the same price yet it costs less to make. the blame falls solely on the consumers who do not make an effort to buy products made in the country they live in.
and as far as your comment on our defense bill goes ...well when you start paying taxes to the United States of America then i will give a rats fuzzy ass what you think about it.
anyhow if you would like to continue this discussion it should be done either in the serious discussion forum or in PM's. the fastest way to start a fight other than hitting on another guys old lady is to start talking politics.

[SMOKE~N~BUBBLZ]

 
Dude chilax(chill and relax).....christ/mohhamed/budda (just covering all bases) you take politics more seriously than i do, i was just saying, i must have misunderstood your post, calm down, take a couple of drags of your hookah and breath....there thats better. now lets get back on topic, what was the topic again?
Sorry if offended anyone.....i dont want to start anything ugly....