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Discussion: Manufacturer? or Big Distributor?
I know i've been posting a lot today; but this is an important topic I'd like to discuss, namely:
How do you feel about buying equipment directly from a manufacturer (Reyes, Fairtex, Twins, Windy) or from a large distributor (Ringside, Title, Combat Sports International)?
My two cents:
I was told in 2006, after a bad experience with 2 pairs of Reyes gloves bought through ringside.com that Reyes purchased in Mexico had a different log, different leather, and a different fit. I was told I'd be much happier if i went to mexico and got the real deal.
In early 2007 I purchased some Windy gloves; again from Ringside, they were total, bulky, high density garbage. They felt like the cheapest generic glove from Title with a hard fill. They started falling apart after the 2nd or 3rd use. I do muay thai and had always heard good things about Windy equipment, but these gloves really turned me off to the company.
In fall 2007 I ordered some Twins gloves from Title.com. Twins had always been my favorite Thai equipment maker in the past. I used to own a pair of 14oz gloves & wanted a more protective pair of 16s. The Twins gloves available through title had only an elastic wrist strap, not velcro like my old ones, and thus worse support for my wrist. The leather & fill both felt different as well. The fill is a higher density than the foam in my 14s (felt like a whole different type of foam). The leather felt cheap and not as smoothe as my 14s, it also didn't have the glossy finish.
On the other hand, it appears Grant is using Ringside as their main distributor now. Ordering from the actual Grant site will generate an email from Ringside.com. I think it's pretty safe to assume the Grant products from Ringside are legit.
I can honestly say that for certain equipment companies, i will buy directly from them (or a small distributor for them) instead of a large distributor if I want the real deal, especially companies outside the US.
I'm curious (excuse me while I coin a phrase) exactly "how deep does the rabbit hole go?"
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