I’m stubborn enough I’d buy the $3600 one
Just because
I should stay out of this, but...
Why is buying a Japanese DRO OK but not one made in China?
Just to muddy the water further, almost any moderately complex product incorporates materials from all over the world. The DRO's plastic case is made from petro-chemical products. Did they come from the Middle East, North America (where?) or some other oil field? The DRO contains computerized circuits which are made from some rare-earth metals. Did they come from Africa, Russia, or somewhere else? What about the machines and processes used to manufacture the DRO. Who made them? Where did their components come from?
Any product we buy, our money goes to a whole host of places. And they buy products designed or made elsewhere so the money just goes round and round.
There is no such thing as a self-relient local economy anymore. Cheap transportation (mostly oil powered) means that it matters little where the materials come from or where the labour is located. When oil runs out, there will be staggering changes.
[/Climbing down off the soap box...]
Craig