I've got some of the made in India OE pads on my '93 sedan right now, and I like them. I used PBR semi-metallic for years and I have also gone through a lot of rotors, so last time I switched to the OE pads (which I think are organic?).

I agree with Art that country of origin cannot tell the tale anymore. Heck, I have found a LOT of poorly made junk stamped proudly Made in USA; and I have been surprised by the quality of Chinese outsourcing. The deciding factor for me is usually company reputation and customer service.

It still irks me that something as American as union-made Red Wing Boots, the quality standard in work boots for the trades, has moved a lot of production to China; however, I have a pair of those Chinese boots which have lasted longer than the last pair I had Made in the US of A.

More to the point, I don't think even the now Geely (Chinese) owned Volvo would risk their reputation for safety by selling substandard brake pads. They seem fine.

I'm still using them. For the same reasons you wish to.

My opinion is the country of manufacture is not a reliable indicator of quality. The quality you wind up with depends much more on the attitude of operating management and their bean counters. Very good products can be made with inexpensive labor if quality is controlled. Whether building brake pads for 20-year old models give incentive for this or not I can't guess.

You can have valid reasons for selecting things by country of origin, but they would be political, not practical. The indicators are all gone, in my opinion.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.