More Artisanal Skis: High Society
Mar 01, 2007 · 05:27 PM · permalink
Over at the Goat, Rocky has pissed some people off by suggesting that the small, hand-made ski manufacturers might not be able to create a product as good as larger manufacturers.
Obviously, he does not appreciate the joy of the wood shop with its scraped knuckles, sore feet, and sawdusty phlegm.
He has a point—it’s MUCH more economical to control tolerances and quality when you make 10,000 of something than when you make ten. My girlfriend is fond of pointing out that when products are marketed using phrases like “built to aerospace standards” it’s worse than meaningless: In aerospace they make one of something, they make it using the most well-worn (read: oldest) technology that will serve, and they tend to make things fit with shims, glue, and paint rather than precision. Why? Because it’s too costly and time-consuming to setup for precision. Want to make an impressive claim? “Built to automotive industry standards.”
But there are definitely some cogent arguments on the other side:
There is little to no rational to support Rocky’s comments on small ski companies. The big companies would like you to thinks they invest in technologies and R&D unattainable by other vendors, but in reality the technological advances have only reducing the barriers to entry for small ski and snowboard designers over the last 5 years.
Get Real!
No, really, I’m sure there are.
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