I'm pretty picky when it comes to fasteners and there was a time when there were only a couple of trusted players in the game when it came to critical fasteners such as main bolts, main studs, head bolts, head studs, etcetera. The less critical, low load fasteners such as intake bolts, valve cover bolts, oil pan bolts, header bolts weren't as much a concern. (You don't need a 220,000 psi fastener to hold on an oil pan.) Even still, some people are picky about looks and would prefer the more expensive and well known fasteners even if they weren't necessary.There was definitely a time when offshore sourced products were considered sub-standard and in most cases that was accurate during that era. While I wish the days of all American manufacturing and steel production were in full swing, they're simply not and the initial point of origin for many products are far from the U.S., in fact, many of the well known American brands are sourcing their products overseas with the difference in standards for the final product being the level of final quality control and/or requested manufacturing process. (You can turn out several different levels of product quality from one facility.) To add insult to injury, many of these previously lower standard manufacturing facilities have modernized to levels far exceeding the older U.S. based facilities.In many ways I hate to say it but the truth is, what I'm seeing with this one simple order is what I believe to be a very strong contender in the fastener market. The bolts are top notch, the finish quality and thread precision are 100% on point, and sans brand marking, you would have a difficult time distinguishing these from the well known brands.Everything about the product says "I got my money's worth."-Professional packaging with a brand image.-Bolts and washers packaged individually.-A very generous sized package of bolt lubricant.-EtceteraI plan to research Xotic a bit more and will keep an eye on their additional products because they just may be one of the next heavy hitters in the automotive industry.
