I debated the merits of their decision with one of their salespeople (the owner's daughter, maybe?). We went back and forth several times and her main point was that the UL rating maintains a universal standard and it doesn't matter where the product is made. As long as it's rated, it's good enough.
That's not exactly true. The UL standard is not "a" standard, or "the" standard. It is the minimum standard. For example, you could have two TL-30 safes submitted for testing. One could last 30 minutes and one second, and the other could last 50 minutes. Both would still get the exact same label.
Just because two safes have the same rating, does not mean that they are equal.
As has also been pointed out, the rating is strictly for the resistance to burglary at the time of manufacture. It has nothing to do with the quality of the safe, or how it will stand up to everyday use and abuse.
She said they sell a lot of these to the diamond district in New York and that most of the jewelers are moving away from expensive European safes and going to these Chinese Originals.
I wouldn't say that "most" jewelers are doing any such thing. There is certainly a percentage of them that want the lowest price safe they can get. They understand that their insurer doesn't care what it's in, so long as it has that UL label. In their eyes, it's not worth spending anything more than the bare minimum to meet the requirements. We sell a brand that's in a similar price point, but made in South Africa.
On the other hand, you have jewelers that actually know what quality is. They want the best money can buy, as they know it is often a one time expense. I deal with several jewelers in the St. Louis area, and not one of them uses an Original. In fact, the only Original I have seen locally was one I installed in a house. I feel it is a decent product at a good price point, but it is certainly not a substitute for a higher end unit.
