Has quality become non-existant?

I suppose I'll begin with my beard trimming experience this morning. The adjustable guard that fits over the blade is cheap plastic, and has (well, had) a grip on each side to lock it into notches on the blade attachment. A while ago one side broke off, so the guard basically only locked on one side. I've been using it like that because, quite frankly, it's good enough and I already had to hold the guard with a finger to prevent it from switching length settings as I trimmed. Well, today the other side broke off and I decided to work with it anyways. Instead of merely holding onto the blade guard, I now have to apply enough pressure to keep it from sliding up or down the blade attachment (which would obviously change the length). Bad idea! I have a nearly shaven spot on the left side of my face now! Essentially, I need a new beard trimmer.

Basically, I started researching trimmers with the intention of spending more money on a quality trimmer. I don't want to deal with cheap, made in China plastic that breaks again (honestly, how much stress is really applied to a beard trimmer guard that would make breakage likely?). So I looked at some Wahl models (since this brand is professional grade as opposed to consumer grade), and I couldn't even find any with solid reviews!!! Obviously there were reviews that gave 5 stars on Amazon (and similar ratings on other sites) because that's going to happen with almost any product. I usually just go straight to the 1 star reviews to see what problems could potentially crop up. Essentially, the sense that I got was that Wahl is "going downhill." It seemed like a lot of the negative reviews were from older people who had used Wahls in the past (for YEARS), and when they look to replace them they get junk. Everything on the market is nothing but cheap, made in China plastic. What the hell?! I could see this being the case for the majority of trimmers that people spend $15-$25 on, but why can't I spend $50-$75 on a high quality trimmer that will actually LAST?!?!?

Is our globalized economy really driving quality goods into extinction? I don't want a shitty trimmer that only lasts for a couple of years; it's insulting as a consumer and as an environmentalist.

I've heard similar things about hiking boots too; namely how Vasques used to be made in Italy, but now they're made in China (I'm pretty sure the switch happened fairly recently, too). And it terms of quality, I haven't been terribly impressed with the last two pairs of boots that I've bought (both Vasques). They're more comfortable and more waterproof (at first) than the last pair of cheap Wal-Mart hiking boots that I bought, but they're not really more durable. In less than a year the Vasque Rangers had holes straight through the leather at the stress point where the boot bends because of my toes, and the stress wore through the GoreTex as well, meaning that they were waterproof for less than a year. So I have to wonder, why exactly should I pay $100-$200 for boots that aren't that much better than $30 Wal-Mart boots? And if Vasque is now following Wal-Marts business model of using cheap Chinese labor to make their boots, why should I, as a consumer, still pay the higher price for their products?

What's frustrating to me is that I simply don't want to buy cheap shit from China! I don't mind paying more for goods, but I want the quality to reflect the price! I really wish that the global oil supply would just dry the hell up already, so using cheap Chinese labor is no longer a viable business strategy. Because that's the only way I see the trend changing. The majority of consumers don't care if their stuff breaks in a year; it's cheap enough to just buy a new one (never mind that the "old ones" all end up in a landfill somewhere, which is especially problematic for electronic devices *coughcellphonescough*).