Muzzle 'Band Adapters'

[AAA]

I've been trying to locate 'Euro type' speargun muzzle 'band adapters', used to 'tie your own' bands for use in place of the manufactured bands.

Can anyone tell me where I might find these items?

 

[andrsn]

411

AAA,

try updating your profile. there are alot of helpful people on this forum, but they're more inclined to help out those who are willing to identify themselves (ie, location, background etc.). i could give you several contacts regarding your question, but i have no idea who you are or where you are located.

regards and welcome aboard,
anderson

 

[Speardiver1]

14mm-1 Euro Muzzle Band Adapters.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

We have a similar product as well.. (at the MAKO direct price).

http://www.makospearguns.com/product-p/mma.htm

 

[Speardiver1]

We have a similar product as well.. (at the MAKO direct price).

What is a "MAKO direct price"? The wording implies that there is a higher price for the same item when buying it elsewhere. And that can only mean that MAKO products are sold somewhere else other than on the MAKO website.

It is conventional and ethical in almost all industries, that the manufacturer or source of the product never sells the product at a lower price than his customers do, which in this case would be a dive shop. A manufacturer that sells the same product directly to the end consumer, at a lower price than his customer the dive shop, is guaranteed to lose his customers and business partners; the dive shops.

It follows then that the "MAKO direct price" campaign is misleading on two fronts;
1. MAKO products are not sold anywhere else other than on the MAKO website. So the price is not the "direct price", because there is no other non-direct price.
2. Implying that MAKO products are sold elsewhere, when in fact no retailer will touch MAKO products precisely because of MAKO's unethical marketing strategy.

 

[Speardiver1]

and before there's more smoke and mirrors about the "MAKO direct price" being simply words describing MAKO's mode of operation (being a direct seller), here's a screen capture that clearly shows two prices on the MAKO product page, with the "Retail" price which is presumably the non-direct price available elsewhere being significantly higher.

 

[poildeq]

well that's 1 brand I will stay away from.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

@Speardiver1 - have you taken a look at http://www.makospearguns.com/the-mako-direct-story_a/292.htm

Think it tells the story pretty well and explains they sell online and through their own retail outlets.

 

[Speardiver1]

I read that fluff piece. It doesn't contradict anything I said in my previous post.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

@Speardiver1 not sure what you mean by fluff piece. You are questioning his business ethics about selling online - he states that he sells online as well as through his own franchise stores at the "mako direct" price. There is nothing unusual about that.

Do you have specific evidence that there is something fishy going on please present it.

 

[Speardiver1]

There's nothing fishy going on, just a see-through marketing campaign that's misleading on two fronts;

1. MAKO products are not sold anywhere else other than on the MAKO website/store. So the price is not the "direct price", it's the only price because there is no other non-direct price. This ploy is obvious and the proof is in the two prices stated on the product page.

2. Implying that MAKO products are sold elsewhere to give them validity, when in fact they're not sold anywhere else. No retailer will touch MAKO products precisely because of MAKO's unethical marketing strategy.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

@Speardiver1 why pick on Mako? There is nothing misleading in offering a "direct" price - it is clear on the website that they only sell online and through their franchises. That is a "direct" price - you see it all over the web!

If they were offering trying to compete with their own distribution network I could understand you having a reason to complain but since they ONLY sell direct I can't see why you are making such a fuss about it.

I'll be honest - as you are a manufacturer yourself this has all the hallmarks of being a troll in an attempt to create bad press on a competitor.

Note: As a means of being clear and disclosure - I met Dano (the owner of Mako) for the first and only time at the DEMA trade show on Saturday. They are not an advertiser nor is there any relationship beyond a brief discussion at a trade show.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

@Speardiver1 - I see now why you are doing this. On your own (competing to DB) forum you have a thread dating back to 2011 where you are on a crusade against Dano and Mako...

http://www.freedivestore.com/content/10-about-speardiver-gear

 

[Speardiver1]

There is nothing misleading about offering a direct or low price. It is misleading to word the direct price campaign in such a way, that it implies there's a non-direct/higher price available elsewhere, thereby confusing the customer into making the buy.

It is further misleading to attempt to give the products validity by implying that there's a distribution network, when in fact there is none. The only place you can buy Mako products is from Mako.

This is a 12 year old thread that I chanced upon doing a search on muzzle band adapters. Why did Mako post directly under my post with

We have a similar product as well.. (at the MAKO direct price).

. Is Mako a troll following Speardiver around? My post is simply a response to his post.

Why has Deeper Blue management taken such an interest in Mako? Are we seeing shades of Spearboard, where Mako is so protected that all mentions of a problem or criticism of Mako is immediately deleted?

 

[Speardiver1]

To be perfectly transparent, my name is Dan and I am the owner of Speardiver International - a spearfishing and freediving gear manufacturer, The Freedive Store - where Speardiver products and other brand name spearfishing and freediving gear is sold, and Speardiver forum. I certainly do have a problem with Mako for various reasons. But this doesn't mean the information I posted is biased, on the contrary I have a lot of experience in spearfishing gear and all information I present is factual. Also, my purpose here is not to come after Mako, but if Dano wants to tango posting right behind me, I'll oblige.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

There is nothing misleading about offering a direct or low price. It is misleading to word the direct price campaign in such a way, that it implies there's a non-direct/higher price available elsewhere, thereby confusing the customer into making the buy.

Whilst I hear what you are saying it is a common practice to label "direct sales from a manufacturer" as "direct"

It is further misleading to attempt to give the products validity by implying that there's a distribution network, when in fact there is none. The only place you can buy Mako products is from Mako.

How is it misleading when it is clearly stated on the "what is Mako Direct" page that they only sell direct or via their own stores

This is a 12 year old thread that I chanced upon doing a search on muzzle band adapters. Why did Mako post directly under my post with. Is Mako a troll following Speardiver around? My post is simply a response to his post.

Whilst I don't know this for a fact here is what I suspect - when you make a post it appears in the new posts section of DB. Most people use that page to find new posts of interest. I have seen Mako on the forums a number of times so I suspect they saw you post and did a follow up. I often see retailers and manufacturers post on the forums in follow up to each other so not something that concerns me.

Why has Deeper Blue management taken such an interest in Mako? Are we seeing shades of Spearboard, where Mako is so protected that all mentions of a problem or criticism of Mako is immediately deleted?

It is quite simple - the post was highlighted to me personally by a number of people as a potential breach of forum rules. Whilst no forum rules have been broken I am simply posting my personal opinions in response to what you are saying about a competitor to yourselves. I personally feel there is no justification for your attitude towards Mako and it feels (after reading posts on your forum and others) like a personal vendetta against Mako.

We run a simple set of rules - everyone has to follow the forum rules (shown clearly here: http://forums.deeperblue.com/faq/forum-rules.3/) - any breach of forum rules will result in posts and members having action taken against them. This action could be just deleted posts/threads, all the way up to a permanent ban. No threads or posts get deleted just because we don't "like" them or to defend an advertiser (in fact I have lost high profile advertisers in the past because of this). Every member has the option to "report" a post and have a formal investigation into it by the whole forum staff via the report button on the bottom of every post.

 

[Speardiver1]

Thank you for the clarification of the rules . It's good to see Deeper Blue maintain a fair and impartial stance.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

Hey Divers,
I saw my name mentioned here so I thought I would respond. I hope you don’t mind.
First, I would like to thank Stephan Whalen for addressing such ridiculous accusations about MAKO.
Thank you Stephan.
Secondly, I would like to apologize to the Deeper Blue members for this bizarre behavior you just witnessed.
The standards on Deeper Blue are, by nature, extremely high. It is very unfortunate that you had to see one manufacturer attacking another, and then, watch that same manufacture accuse the Deeper Blue Management of wrong doing.
Finally, I want to ensure the Deeper Blue members, you will never see me behaving in this manner. If I did, it would be very insulting to you and cause you to loose respect for me.
I have a very strict policy regarding our competitors:
“Unless it’s complimentary, a manufacturer must never mention the name of a competitor”.
This is an excellent policy for a manufacturer to have.
I am very proud of our record of adhering to this policy from day one.
It has contributed greatly to our success.
Thanks for taking time to read this.
Dive safe,
Dano

 

[Speardiver1]

Hey Divers,
I saw my name mentioned here so I thought I would respond. I hope you don’t mind.

More typical misdirection from Mako, always purposefully underestimating the intelligence of the dive community. Of course his name was mentioned in this thread.. by him, in his first post with his avatar, user name and signature. So why preface the post in a way that implies he wasn't aware of this thread until now? In fact Mako has been following this thread since my first post. Only after whining to forum administration about my post (wasting their time), and realizing that Deeper Blue treats members impartially unlike what Mako is accustomed to on Spearboard, did he come back with this last brown nosing gem.

I began as a freedive spearo and continue to be one first and foremost. I perceive ridiculous marketing strategies targeting spearfishermen as a freedive spearo, and for this reason take offense and feel the need to speak out. I take this one step further as a member of the dive industry, and make sure that I never make a diver feel like I'm underestimating their experience with my promotion, pricing, product quality and performance.

 

[Stephan Whelan]

Guys - I think this conversation has served its purpose. Can we stop from these posts as they don't serve the community in any way.