Chord Buddy as seen on Shark Tank is American made

The guitar can be a tough instrument to learn but so many people want to play it.  If you find yourself in this position you should give the American made "Chord Buddy" a try.  Chord Buddy is a unique tool that helps people learn the guitar by simply pressing a button.  The Chord Buddy is attached to the guitar over the strings and instead of fighting the pain of the fingers on strings, you simply press a button.  As you become more comfortable with the guitar you can slowly remove buttons thereby exposing the strings and playing in a traditional method.

Travis Perry, the inventor of Chord Buddy appeared on Shark Tank and wowed the panel.  He received 4 good offers, and ended up taking a deal with Robert Herjavec who wants to be a rock star but had a tough time learning guitar before meeting Travis.

As is typical, Kevin O'Leary argued on behalf of Chinese manufacturing (he's certainly not wonderful).  Mark Cuban argued on behalf of social responsibility and the virtues of American made.  Travis wasn't about to sell out, he's only interested in producing his chord buddy in America.  They currently employ 15 people in the lower Alabama area which Travis affectionately refers to as "LA."

If you are trying to learn the guitar, the Chord Buddy is a must have... and it's made in the USA!  You can purchase the "Chord Buddy" on Amazon here.

Spirit Hoods made in LA (Shark Tank)

Spirit Hoods are faux fur fashion accessories to cover your head with warmth and animal patterns.  The faux fur designs are unique as they flow down to waist height.  Spirit Hoods were featured on Shark Tank however the sharks thought that the Spirit Hood was a fad.  Maybe it is, but that's not what caught our eye.  We were happy to see that these interesting head coverings were made in Los Angeles.

Spirit Hoods are proud to be made of faux fur, as they are a socially responsible company who likes American made and preserving the natural life in our environment.

You can purchase Spirit Hoods on Amazon here.

Golf Balls Made in America for 2014 Bridgestone, Callaway, Titleist

Callaway, Bridgestone, and Titleist are the brands to look for in 2014 if you want to play a golf ball made in America.

Manufactured in America:

• Bridgestone Balls 13 models: B Series, e Series, & Lady Precept
• Callaway Balls (some Supersoft made overseas)
• Many Titleist balls (some are Chinese and Thailand)
• Taylormade assembles some balls made of foreign parts in America.  

Titleist let us down for the first time in 2014 when boxes of Titleist balls hit the market with "Made in China" and "Made in Thailand" on them. Until this year every Titleist ball ever made was the result of US manufacturing. Bridgestone currently makes most of their balls in America, including all of their high end golf balls.  Both companies are headquar tered in Asia.  Titleist is now owned by Fila of South Korea and Bridgestone is headquartered in Japan.  Both companies are publicly owned.  

Callaway was founded and headquartered in the United States.  They are a publicly traded company and are producing all of their balls in the USA with the exception of a portion of their Supersoft ball. 

Bridgestone Golf 

In 2014 Bridgestone started an ad campaign promoting their increase in American production.  A commercial with David Feherty shows off the Covington, Georgia facility.  Bridgestone has produced balls in Georgia under the Precept and Bridgestone brands since the 1990s.

As of 2014, expansion at the plant in Georgia is complete.  This has allowed Bridgestone to move production of all of their premium models (13 models: B Series, e Series, & Lady Precept).  Prior generation models or product made prior to this transition might be foreign made.  Check the side of the box to ensure you're purchasing American!

The increase in production at the Covington plant comes as they celebrate an important milestone. In 2013, Bridgestone Golf completed manufacturing of the company’s 50 millionth dozen of golf balls. Since 1990, when Bridgestone began production of its golf balls in the United States under the Precept brand name, the company has produced more than 600 million golf balls at its Covington facility. If one were to line up 600 million golf balls side-by-side, the line of balls would cover 15,782 miles, stretching from Covington, Georgia to Tokyo, Japan and back.

Bridgestone has tried to carve out a niche in the ball fitting category however the process is rather easy.  Their best balls are the B series balls, and if you can't afford them, try the e series.

BUY BRIDGESTONE BALLS AT AMAZON

CALLAWAY GOLF BALLS

Callaway has brought much of their foreign production back to America this year after cutting 200 American manufacturing jobs in 2010.  They have sold their Chicopee, Massachusetts factory to a real estate management company but continue to rent from that company.  Callaway has plans to maintain the 150+ manufacturing jobs in Chicopee for at least the next 5 years.  This year Callaway has their largest American product line yet.  

The new Speed Regime golf ball is great, but I'm biased as I think that about everything that's American made.  It's super easy to choose which Speed Regime ball is right for you.

Speed Regime 1: Driver clubhead speed below 90. (drives less than 240 yards)

Speed Regime 2: Driver clubhead speed 90-105 (drives 240-280)

Speed Regime 3: Driver clubhead speed over 105 (drives past 280)

The new Supersoft ball is an awesome, softer feeling ball.  It's for anyone of any speed, even though it's only a 38 compression.  It is highly recommended for seniors, ladies, and juniors.

Buy Titleist balls 

on Amazon

Please read the side of the box to ensure you are buying made in the USA. Titleist balls sold in America are now manufactured at 3 Massachussets ball plants: Fairhaven, North Darthmouth, and New Bedford.  Additionally they are made in Thailand and China.

Taylor Made Penta TP5 Cover and assembly in US
The 2013 version of Penta is "Lethal"

Taylor Made produces some of their lineup in America.  But they don't have any balls that are completely American made. It's important that you read the box carefully to determine if you are supporting American manufacturing and keeping more tax dollars and spending in the states!

As you can see in the above picture the Taylormade Penta TP5 has a urethane cover made in America and the ball is assembled in America.  4 of the 5 layers of the ball are made in South Korea.

There are websites claiming to be selling other brands of golf balls made in the USA. I have heavily researched every box, site, and golf product in the industry and find no reason to believe they are other balls being manufactured in the USA.

Check out our article about golf clubs made in America.

INVIS-A-RACK Truck Rack from Shark Tank

Invis-A- Rack was featured on Shark Tank a few years ago and it's owner/inventor Donny McCall walked out without a deal.  He could've had a deal however he stuck to one basic principle: Manufacture in America.  Invis-A-Rack is a patented truck cargo system that adds storage racks to a pickup truck with a transformer like method.

It was proposed in the Shark Tank by Kevin O'Leary that if Donny moved manufacturing overseas he would earn more and need to hire more people in America on the sales and marketing end.  Apple was used as an example of a company that makes product overseas to support a very large American staff.

Donny, a principled bible believing man stuck rested on his laurels.  He refused the Chinese production suggested by the sharks.  When the show aired, he sold through his inventory.  To help keep inventory levels in the correct territory
Invis-A-Rack is now manufactured by DeeZee.  It is of course, Made in the USA!

Thanks Donny for your dedication to American manufacturing.

Deep River Snacks are Made in America

Deep River Snacks are more than just a bag of chips.  Their snacks are all natural with tons of flavor. The entire Deep River Snack line is made from all natural ingredients, there are no dyes, no preservatives, no trans-fat, but still have amazing flavor.

Deep River is committed to only making snacks that are "certified" gluten-free. They recently went through the certification process to ensure that their snacks meet the government standards of being gluten free. Not only did they meet, but instead exceeded the standards and all of their products are 10 parts per million. This means that even people with very sensitive gluten intolerance can enjoy Deep River Snacks.

Deep River believes in keeping the American economy growing and that's why they make sure that everything they purchase is "Made in the USA". They've avoided the opportunity to save thousands of dollars by purchasing snack racks overseas. Everything from ingredients & packaging to the t-shirts that they give away are always Made in the USA.

h/t

The Little Giant Ladder

The Little Giant Ladder is the best ladder to use on stairs.  There are several versions of this ladder but the Revolution or Ultimate versions are all American.  There are inexpensive Chinese made versions of the Little Giant Ladder, but the 16 x 20 Ultimate available at Costco are Made in the USA.  You can purchase the USA made version right here on Amazon.

Little Giant is committed to creating American jobs.  All of the field reps for Little Giant must spend time in the manufacturing plant creating the ladders.  The Little Giant Ladder is made in Idaho or Indiana.

Putting Green, NCAA Golf Towels, and Practice Golf Mats made in USA!

Visit your local Golfsmith store or purchase from their website and you can grab some awesome golf items Made in America.  Looking for an American Putting Matt with ball return?  How about a golf towel or a practice mat?


SKLZ Accelerator Pro Ball Return Putting Mat (Made in USA)
The SKLZ Accelerator Pro 9' X 1' Ball Return Putting Mat lets you practice three key putting lengths with perfect strokes on a high-quality, true-roll, putting surface. The back and through-stroke alignment guides ensure perfect acceleration and distance control while maintaining a square face to the target.

Team Effort Towels  (Made in USA)
Team Effort Golf towels allow you to support your favorite professional or NCAA team while supporting the American economy as they're made in America!

Hank Haney Practice Mats
Plan to practice that golf swing from home?  Use a Hank Haney practice mat to get one that is Made in the US.