To the point of the OP, if XOP comes out with a quality stand and sticks for less money than LW and can market it, they will become the leader in the cast aluminum stand market. No matter where the stands are made.
That's "my" belief Dan.... Andrea wasn't a product wh*** so he never marketed the stands when he owned them. He let the stands sell themselves, which they did. Once the company was sold it was on a lot of "big" name tv shows and all over the media world to attempt to flood the market. Whether or not they do this with XOP, I don't know or care honestly. I know they stated their show Whitetail Addictions back up and it airs on the Hunt Channel (Dish) but will be on a larger network next year, so I'm sure they will get their name out more that way. http://huntchannel.tv/portfolio/whitetail-addictions/
Like Rick James pointed out most of the issues didn't manifest themselves until the stands were outside being used for a period of time. The finish looked fine out of the box, but after a few days or weeks in the sun & weather that's when the problems started. When you've got stores and customers breathing down your neck to get orders shipped you don't always have the luxury of testing for something that had never been an issue in the past. Was it a poor decision not to test the products more thoroughly before shipping? Or to place to much faith in the company doing the sourcing work? In retrospect, yes. But hindsight is always 20/20.
The stand platform came out of the box with a poor finish. No testing needed to be done on them. They didn't change from sitting in the weather. The only thing that faded was the post and the sticks.
Eh, that's subjective. Kia can come out with a better quality luxury car for less money than Mercedes but Benz still has a name that has been built over years and years and people associate it with quality. The same holds true here. People associate price with quality - the more you pay the better the product. Right or wrong it's simply reality.
They didn't pull the stands because the casting had some blemishes on them. They pulled them because the posts on the stands and sticks were bending & fading, the washers were cracking and falling out, and the steps on the sticks were bending. Sure the castings weren't the best in the world but that's not the main reason they were pulled.
Eh, we shall see. A name only goes so far if a company becomes stagnant and non innovative. If Mercedes keeps building the same car year after year and makes no changes, people will wise up and realize they're only buying the name and could get the same quality out of a Kia for less money.
Maybe, but all I ever heard about was the poor finish on the stands. "The Chinese don't know how to make a quality aluminum cast."
Maybe this is where our opinions begin to differ. Sure he created the stand, which to this day is the best treestand in the world IMO, but he then sold the company to someone else. When you do that you're selling off your business and the products you created for it. At this point it's no longer "yours". You're not "allowing" anyone to do anything. You sold it, end of story. As the new business owner you shouldn't have to worry about creating all new products - that's why you bought an existing company in the first place. I like Andrae and have known him for years. I think he created the greatest treestand in the world and single-handedly popularized the mobile/run & gun style of hunting and has killed a pile of deer bigger than anything I've ever seen in the wild. Kudos to him on all accounts. When it comes to the Lone Wolf vs XOP matter it's all in the interpretation of the consumer. To each their own.
Let’s be honest. Most people know Andre is the one who built LW to greatness. And most people know he isn't running the show anymore but instead is affiliated with XOP. So to say LW will be able to simply stand on the foundation that Andre built is foolish. They will need to build a better product and beat XOP. Not continue to offer the status quo.
This is where marketing will come in. Who does a better job marketing their product to the consumers. This is where Mathews is better than their competition. They don't have any better bows that the other bow manufacturers, yet they have an almost cult like following. Why? Marketing and branding. Honestly, I think Lone Wolf will be MILES ahead of XOP on this front. Just compare both websites. Miles apart right now.
As the new business owner, there should have been a solid no compete clause, good will only goes so far.
As with patents, there is usually a time limit to no-compete clauses. If there was a no-compete clause, it can always be nullified by a judge if they feel that the contract was unfair or there was a severe discrepancy in bargaining power etc. The fact that XOP is just getting started and their website mentions something about a legal issue with LW suggests that something along these lines happened. Either a time limit expired, or there was some sort of legal battle. I also think that XOP stating that their current stands are a limited run, and are being replaced by something else later again points to legal disputes that were won by LW.
Lone Wolf Castings are what you are paying for when you get a LW stand. Nothing else comes close to the level of quality, safety, and longevity!
I just can't justify the kind of coin LW wants, I've hunted them and they are nice but not much different than many other stands I hunt for far less money. I would like to see the XOP stands maybe they will have them at the VA Outdoor Show next month, couldn't find a good price for them online and voicemail at the #?
I own 6 XOP stands and several LWs. The finish on the XOPs is not as good as the LWs, but the overall quality of the stands are about the same.
LW will still be able to produce the stands, but since the patent has run out, basically anyone can duplicate their designs. It's the same reason that Monsanto designed their newest Genuity line of Roundup ready seeds. The original patent was about to expire and they knew that other companies were going to ready to produce the exact same product. They designed Genuity to be better than the original, therefore still able to corner the market on genetically altered seeds.
