Skis made in China ARENT bad, unless under the following conditions...
Companies like K2 and Atomic have stringent QC (quality control) over every aspect of development and manufacturing. They maintain the highest levels of sterility (dust/hair/fingerprints can all screw up the epoxy, resulting in a ski more likely to delam).
Which brings in someone like Armada. For them to have their skis pressed in a small factory, away from the BIG GUYS, they are risking the QC to be dramatically lower, resulting in so-so skis that are more likely to fall apart.
Alot of the lower priced Asian factories pay workers a "per unit" rate, as opposed to an "hourly rate", meaning that the worker gets paid for EACH UNIT PRODUCED. Obviously, in this setting, quality gets put aside for speed, so the worker can make more money. This almost always results in a shitty product, as speed is the number 1 priority. When you pay a worker by the hour, it doesnt matter the quantity of skis produces, as he can take his time, knowing his check isnt determined by how fast he is.
Asian manufacturers were once known for Indestructable manufaturing. They took great pride in their product, delivering a supremely reliable product to the market. This bit them in the ass, as the "rebuy" rate (repurchase to replace a broken SOMETHING) deminished greatly. Its now common practice (in electronics / cars / ect) to build products to a "death date". The death date is the YEARS a product will exist. After that, the product is designed in some cases to basically kill itself. This allows companies to know that the demand for their products will still be UP.
So basically, for the smaller "core" companies not to have their skis manufactured in a LARGER companies factory, they are risking delivering a sub-standard product to the buying public.
In my mind, this makes Armada MORE core. It means they care about quality, and they care that the kid who buys a pair of AR6's is getting the best ski for his money. Taking care of the customers is "core", just as much as being independent is