Nationality of manufacture isn't an issue if the product works and the quality is there. The first is obvious necessity for things like compasses. At the end of the day if the compass you use works, as in points reliably to the north and functions as required it is good no matter where it comes from.
As far as writing off stuff made in China because some toys had lead in the paint well that is ridiculous. With brands where the manufacturer isn't the one making the goods it is still the responsibility of the brand to ensure manufacturing meets the codes and regulations of the destination country not the manufacturer. It is the brand in USA or UK or wherever who stands the cost and implications of goods that they have not ensured the quality of. They design and specify everything about THEIR products. If they don't fully specify it and lead based paint is used because that is not banned in China then it is not the manufacturer's fault. It is not good and highly expensive and embarrassing to the toy brand but their fault. As far as dodgy toys reaching the market or knock-offs then that might be China now but it was Taiwan, Korea, India and various other places before and probably still.
It is also the case that the majority of big brands who get their products made in China have quality systems capable of ensuring their products. They also work with the highly respected Chinese manufacturers. You think Specialised or other well established bike brands are dodgy because they or part of them are made in China? In my business some very large and established companies regularly use Chinese companies and joint ventures. GE, Siemens, etc. If China is such a dodgy manufacturing country then why do they have joint ventures and use Chinese companies for their systems? The company I work for buy a lot of our products from Chinese companies. It is cheaper and better quality and more reliable in supply and price than the equivalent from European countries.
In my experience the majority of prejudice (and it is prejudice) against products made in China is all down to the tiny minority of dodgy stuff that gets blown up out of all proportion by the media. Yes! Dangerous toys from China being sold as well known brands on the market stall or the odd case of a product recall for lead paint (error due to different environmental regulations and prohibited materials not picked up in the western brand's quality systems) is bad but not representative. As far as the Silva compasses in the USA being rubbish (which is kind of what comes across) then that is down to the parent company specifying it as that. If you earn the same money whether you make a quality product for a brand or a dodgy one and you make a loss with the quality product and a profit with the dodgy one then if the brand specifies the dodgy product you aren't going to go against it no matter where you are.
Sorry for the rant but I think we need to accept that the quality of products has little to do with country of manufacture but to do with the specifications, design and quality control. YOU as the end user need to assess anything you buy as to if the quality is to YOUR satisfaction. That should be done on the product not the country of manufacture. An example of that is the British made cars in the 70s and 80s under the "Made in Britain" days. They were totally carp but the Japanese and German cars (even the Damn French cars - sorry to any French on here) were better. Heck cars went out with cans in door panels, buttys in other cavities and numerous other cases of slack manufacturing. Correct me if I'm wrong but American cars at one time had similar problems. I've seen documentaries on Motor City's downturn and how there was aggression towards Japanese cars about how bad they were yet at the time American made cars were coming off the line unfinished. They had cars going out to dealer half finished. At the same time the Japanese were making cars faster, more efficiently, better quality and better performing at the time. Things are not quite like that now of course but it is an example of how competition from other countries drag domestic manufacturers to up their game. We can still do it but so can they.
Sorry for my rant, I just feel strongly that quality does not have a regional correlation even if it suits you to think so.
