Got a Master Forge Read-to-Rupture Gas Grill? You Might Want to Read This

I took a look at this post, before releasing it, and decided to leave it 'as-is.'

It's a bit more opinionated, and less lighthearted, than the Easy Griller likes these posts to be, but:

• You might have one of those ready-to-rupture gas grills
• I've got a cold
  • And that's making me slightly surly

Here's the start of an article I read today:

"Recalls This Week: Gas Cans, Grills, Computers"
Business, The New York Times (January 8, 2010)

"No-spill gas cans that don't quite live up to their name; gas grills with a hose that could melt and leak propane; and notebook computers with faulty wiring are among the consumer products recalled this week. Here's the weekly roundup...."

The outdoor grilling product is a Master Forge five-burner gas grill, imported form China by LG Sourcing Inc. of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. About 10,000 units are affected. The problem is that the gas tank hose can melt and rupture. Good news: no injuries have been reported so far. Bad news: there were two reports of melted and ruptured hoses.

LP gas rushing out of a ruptured hose, with an ignition source nearby, isn't something you'd want to be near.

The Times article gives contact information for people who have those grills:

• Call 800-444-6742
• http://www.cpsc.gov
  U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

While I'm at it, here's the whole list, summarized from The New York Times' article:

• Master Forge five-burner gas grills, manufactured in China and imported by LG Sourcing Inc. of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
  • Call 800-444-6742
  • http://www.cpsc.gov
• Military toy figures, manufactured in China and imported by Jide Trading Inc. of Commerce, California
  • Call 866-544-7822
  • http://www.cpsc.gov
• Acer Aspire-series notebook computers, manufactured in China by Acer America Corp. of San Jose, California
  • Call 866-695-2237
  • http://www.acer.com
  • http://www.cpsc.gov
• Ameristep Plastic Strap-On Tree Steps, made in China and manufactured by Primal Vantage Co. Inc., of Randolph, New Jersey
  • Call 866-972-6168
  • http://www.treestandcustomerservice.com
  • http://www.cpsc.gov
• Food Club Supreme Clean Clear Ammonia, made in the U.S. and manufactured by OnLine Packaging Inc., of Plover, Wisconsin
  • Call 800-398-8177
  • http://www.cpsc.gov
• No-Spill 5-gallon gasoline cans, made in the U.S. by No-Spill LLC, of Lenexa, Kansas
  • Call 877-928-0049
  • http://www.nospill.com/recall
  • http://www.cpsc.gov

There's more information about each product, in the article.

I couldn't help noticing that four of the six products listed this week were manufactured in China. And yes: the other two was "made in USA."

Don't get me wrong: quite a few things in my house have "made in China" stamped on them. It's a global economy: things get made all over. And that's okay. Still, China seems to be on a journey of discovery, when it comes to quality control. Or maybe China shows up in these lists so often, because so much stuff sold here in America is manufactured there.

I think that, if China's leaders would spend more time letting manufacturers in their country know that it's a bad idea to sell shoddy and/or dangerous merchandise, and less time worrying about students having computers: we might all benefit.

Not-quite-related posts, in other blogs.

• "China Protects Online Gamers: Another Dubious Idea"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (January 18, 2009)
• "Remember Melamine? It's Baaaack!"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (October 4, 2008)
• "Melamine,China, the 2008 Olympics, and Transparency"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (September 29, 2008)
• "China: Toxic Toys and Dubious Dumplings Aren't Signs of Terrorism"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (January 30, 2008)
• "China, Egypt, Iran Lead World in Blogger Arrests"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 17, 2008)
• "Better Ideas From China: Ban Computers on Campus"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (October 15, 2007)