Man, that Robert guy really knows how to start a thread!

In the interest of having a nuanced conversation that starts out with the assumption that we can all appreciate a good or even a low end bike from any country, I'd like to know what you all think are the highest end and lowest end of a country's bikes. Japan, USA, Italy, France and England come to mind as the obvious targets, but perhaps also Switzerland, any of the Nordics. Maybe even Taiwan made bikes in a large enough range in the C&V era to be considered.

I'll start.

Japanese High End:
Zunow
C.S. Hirose
Konno/3 Rensho
Cherubim

Japanese Low End:
Royce Union
Kabukis
C. Itoh
Any of the millions of entry level or bike boom bike from mass manufacturers.