Mike

Mike is our head researcher and reviews tools, sporting equipment, and a variety of other products.

The Best Products Made in Oregon

By / States

Oregon has a rich history of providing great natural resources. Fishing, timber, and agriculture have long been mainstays in the Oregon economy. More recently, the state has focused on diversifying their economy to sectors like manufacturing and technology, in which they’ve grown tremendously. In the last 10 years, Oregon’s top export categories were computer and electronic products and machinery, totaling around $8 billion per year. We’ve come across so many great Oregon-made products over the …

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The Buy America Act: Full Analysis

By / Research

Over the course of our nation’s history, the federal government has passed laws that helps stimulate American manufacturers over foreign companies for goods and services. One of those pieces of legislation is the Buy America Act, passed in 1982 as part of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (more on that in a bit). More recently, the Buy America Act and others have received a heightened focus from President Trump and the Executive Branch as they …

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Spotlight Series: Amerisleep

By / Brands

We first came across Amerisleep while doing the research for our list of the best American made mattresses. We featured their versatile AS3 mattress (more on that in a bit) and wanted to reach out to the company to learn more about them. Our questions are marked with “AAR” in front of them and the Amerisleep responses are marked as “AS”. We really enjoyed getting to know Amerisleep and hope you do too. History of …

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Spotlight Series: Malpaca Pillows

By / Brands

We first got introduced to Malpaca when we were searching for the best pillows made in the USA. They really stood out because of the unique filler they use for their pillows: alpaca wool. We had to know more, so we tested out their pillows and were blown away by their comfort and natural, non-toxic materials. So, we reached out to Mary Anderle, their founder and only full-time employee, to learn more about how she …

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The Buy American Act: Is It Actually Effective?

By / Research

Over the few hundred years of our country’s existence, the U.S. government has frequently passed legislation that gives advantages to domestic companies to stimulate the U.S. economy. One of these pieces of legislation is the Buy American Act, passed in 1933. But are laws like these actually effective? We’ll get into all that and more as we break down the Buy American Act. What is the Buy American Act? The Buy American Act was passed …

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Best Tree Stands

By / Sports & Outdoors

During hunting season, a reliable tree stand is a must. Especially when you’ll likely be sitting up there for several hours each day. We set out to find the companies that are making the best tree stands right here in the USA. Below are our findings, including a ton of details about each of our top recommendations and all of the factors we considered in our research. Drop us a line if you have any …

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Best Razors

By / Home Goods

There are a ton of options out there for safety and straight razors. It’s an industry that is exploding with bespoke brands to compete with the large corporations, but very few of them are sourcing and assembling their razors in the states. That’s why we set out to find the companies that are producing the highest quality razors and doing all their manufacturing in America. Below, you’ll find lots of details about our top recommendations …

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Best Solar Panels

By / Home Goods

Solar is quickly becoming a popular alternative energy source for millions of households around America, surpassing 2 million American households earlier this year (in terms of residential solar panel installations). In addition, the solar industry is providing a ton of valuable American jobs – over 260,000 as of 2016. Solar energy can help you reduce your power bill over the long haul, even if they are a bit more expensive to set up initially. After …

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Spotlight Series: Co-Motion Cycles

By / Brands

Co-Motion Cycles came across our radar when we were looking for the best bikes made in the USA, and they stood out almost immediately as a step ahead of the competition. Since then, we’ve kept in contact with Dwan Shepard, the owner, and learned a lot more about Co-Motion and some of the other great bikes that they make in their Eugene, Oregon facility every day. Soon after, we knew we had to get the …

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Best Hunting Bows

By / Sports & Outdoors

To have success hunting, you need a quality piece of equipment – which isn’t always easy to find when looking at products manufactured overseas. We’ve done the legwork to find the top hunting bows made in the USA. Below are our findings – complete with our top recommendations for major types of bows, tons of details about each one, and the factors we considered in our research process. Our Findings We had no problem finding …

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