Serious question on thumb drives (was Re: Maybe a deal on flash drives)

[Thomas Cameron]

On Sat, 2007-09-15 at 08:35 -0500, Aaron Konstam wrote:
> I have obviously unleashed a pack of hostility. 

Nah, there's always someone who is gonna bitch about something.  Don't
worry about it - I think your heart was in the right place and I'm not
burned up about it.  I wouldn't post something like that again, but
that's just me.

I actually do have a real question about USB thumb drives and the like,
though, if anyone who knows more about the actual electronics can
answer.

I see these 8GB and even 16GB thumb drives on eBay for really cheap
prices (a quick search finds a 16GB thumb drive for about $75 shipped)
and I wonder "what is the difference between a no-name from China and a
brand name from the US?"  I mean, really, aren't the "brand name" ones
really just using the same components as the cheap ones?

Seems to me that as solid state electronics, the USB drive is either
going to work or it's not, and if it works it's probably going to work
for a long time.  

So my question is, why would I spend a boatload more money on a supposed
name-brand US made USB drive when I can buy them out of China for a
fraction of the cost?

Thomas