[JRTJH]

Keystone's "mantra" is that they're the biggest RV manufacturer and they buy the most components of any RV company. They say "This gives us the opportunity to buy in bulk at highly discounted rates"..

Most people look at that phrase as meaning: We can buy 1000 microwaves at a reduced price over other manufacturers who only buy 100 microwaves.

In reality, IMHO, what it really means is: We can force most manufacturers to produce a cheaper product by buying so many at a time....

Sort of like the "WalMart influence": We'll negotiate with any manufacturer to build a product that meets our price requirements, even if it means building it without the features that have been standard in the line for years....

As an example, back when GE was making the "Space Saver" appliance line, the ones that hung under the top cabinets in the kitchen to save counter space, we bought a replacement coffee maker from WalMart when ours failed. The first day we used it, we came home to a burned up coffee maker. Why??? WalMart's version did not include the automatic off feature. In fact, when I took it back and checked all of the appliances, none of them had any of the "safety off features" that were standard on all GE Space Saver appliances if bought from other stores. That's how WalMart was able to sell them $10 cheaper than Target or KMart….

It's the same with Keystone. Buy in bulk, buy cheap, force our price structure... The result: Cheaper, "quality free" components..... YMMV