Why are some PCPs much more expensive compared to others? What sets them apart and drives the price up? What I don't understand is how an FX Impact, which is close to top of the line, is close to $1500 less expensive than a Daystate Alpha Wolf, for example.
What makes some PCPs so expensive?
- Thread starter Rob123
- Start date
I own both the FX Impact and the Daystate Alpha Wolf. And I submit the price difference is indeed justified.
The FX Impact is one fine air rifle, its accuracy and modularity is unquestioned. The Daystate Alpha/Delta Wolf takes the Impact's innovations several steps further.
For me, the onboard computer programming/tuning -- tuning storage -- and built-in chronograph alone justify the price difference. The Alpha Wolf is much more robust than the Impact, from the action to the barrel.
I would not doubt that the honchos at Daystate didn't take an Impact, go over its strengths and weaknesses and say" where can we improve upon this gem?". With the advent of the Alpha/Delta Wolf, Daystate hit a grand slam.
The FX Impact is one fine air rifle, its accuracy and modularity is unquestioned. The Daystate Alpha/Delta Wolf takes the Impact's innovations several steps further.
For me, the onboard computer programming/tuning -- tuning storage -- and built-in chronograph alone justify the price difference. The Alpha Wolf is much more robust than the Impact, from the action to the barrel.
I would not doubt that the honchos at Daystate didn't take an Impact, go over its strengths and weaknesses and say" where can we improve upon this gem?". With the advent of the Alpha/Delta Wolf, Daystate hit a grand slam.
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It is a culmination or the totality of the parts and pieces be it at any level of quality one gun to another.
Material / alloys used & quality of machining, fit and finish. Soft anodizing or Hard. Bare castings, Machined castings or Billet. Omitting less critical o-rings at minor seal points or having every pneumatic joint on an o-ring. Cheap barrel or higher quality. Stock being plastic, less costly generic woods, Walnut or laminated, Simple profile or complex, Checked via laser or cut etc. WHERE MANUFACTURED and there costs ALL relating to the above and labor costs to make it happen. Parts support or not as well customer support be it warranty access or a live person to speak too.
And there's more ...
Material / alloys used & quality of machining, fit and finish. Soft anodizing or Hard. Bare castings, Machined castings or Billet. Omitting less critical o-rings at minor seal points or having every pneumatic joint on an o-ring. Cheap barrel or higher quality. Stock being plastic, less costly generic woods, Walnut or laminated, Simple profile or complex, Checked via laser or cut etc. WHERE MANUFACTURED and there costs ALL relating to the above and labor costs to make it happen. Parts support or not as well customer support be it warranty access or a live person to speak too.
And there's more ...
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D
Deleted member 45749
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alot of the time its the little things that will drive up the cost alot , like the fit and finnish , the wood , balance of the gun and how well it shoulders and how much time they spend testing each gun and checking every part befor they put it together , that being said I still think that they do over charge when they think they can get away with it if people are willing to pay that much
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There is a lot of machining and parts that goes into something like the fx impact then the time to get everything to work correctly plus it's made in Sweden not China it is better in my opinion
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It's not a random 'some' that are expensive, and it's not because people are willing to pay it, it's because quality cost for anything. One of the only quality Chinese airgun, the Huben, cost the same thing as the other top tier guns from Europe because they can't make quality cheap either. If you really want to know why for yourself, if you get the oppurtunity, take one apart, or watch someone else and then take apart a $300 pcp and you will know why. You don't even have to shoot it, you'll know. What is amazing to me is how accurate the $300 guns are for the design they have.
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It’s like comparing a Hyundai to a BMW. The cost is justified through materials used, and fit and finish of the end product. You can make this comparison in almost anything manufactured!
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Yup .. people are paying for the brand .. only a usa hand made brand AAA has custom high tolerance machining.. every else is just high margin profits .. is a fantasy to think that they are really giving you more gun for your money
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So you’re telling me an air Venturi avenger is the same quality as an fx impact?Yup .. people are paying for the brand .. only a usa hand made brand AAA has custom high tolerance machining.. every else is just high margin profits .. is a fantasy to think that they are really giving you more gun for your money
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One of the things to consider also is the cost of material handling. The cost of handling the different steels that get delivered to say for this example, FX, the suppliers pass those costs to them.
How many times do you think a single impact gets handled by the time it gets to your door? I’m not including the carrier, so let’s say from Sweden to a vendor like Utah Airguns? It gets handled a bunch! Those all cost $$$, and the manufacturer will take all that into consideration when coming up with the price. So, yeah, a brand new M3 just in materials alone you might think $900, but what about the designer, the production/fabrication, the test team at Sweden, the shipping team, the harbor costs, ship fees, receiving costs and misc fees involved with shipping from overseas, delivery to FXUSA, FXUSA team checking and doing a final tune test, shipping to a vendor, vendor handling upon receiving, stocking, etc, etc. think about all the fuel involved from point A to Point B.
Yeah, material handling is always forgotten, and it’s a cost that MUST be passed on to the end user- us buying the gun.
Ask yourself this- you ever buy and unbox one of those budget friendly starter pcps’s and still think $400 cost too much for what’s in your hands? Well, that gun was probably a whole $100 in materials alone(and I’m being generous) but it’s all the other costs that come with material handling that brought it up to the $400 asking price
How many times do you think a single impact gets handled by the time it gets to your door? I’m not including the carrier, so let’s say from Sweden to a vendor like Utah Airguns? It gets handled a bunch! Those all cost $$$, and the manufacturer will take all that into consideration when coming up with the price. So, yeah, a brand new M3 just in materials alone you might think $900, but what about the designer, the production/fabrication, the test team at Sweden, the shipping team, the harbor costs, ship fees, receiving costs and misc fees involved with shipping from overseas, delivery to FXUSA, FXUSA team checking and doing a final tune test, shipping to a vendor, vendor handling upon receiving, stocking, etc, etc. think about all the fuel involved from point A to Point B.
Yeah, material handling is always forgotten, and it’s a cost that MUST be passed on to the end user- us buying the gun.
Ask yourself this- you ever buy and unbox one of those budget friendly starter pcps’s and still think $400 cost too much for what’s in your hands? Well, that gun was probably a whole $100 in materials alone(and I’m being generous) but it’s all the other costs that come with material handling that brought it up to the $400 asking price
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BECAUSE some people are willing to pay the higher asking price. Nothing more and nothing less, good old fashion economics.
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Many excellent points made here on the pricing and value between brands. The OP's example between a "high end" FX and Daystate is a good one to debate. Where these two companies stand today, in this industry, is a testament to their respective product offerings of, quality, innovation, marketing, dealer support, customer service and so on. Pricing alone has little to do with overall value when comparing these two incredible leaders in our industry. I can totally appreciate the many companies that compete for the same customer as FX and Daystate. We all win when we support these incredible innovators.
Patrick
Patrick
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Do you have a idea of how much marketing costs...does a Rolex is really that much better than a top of the line Movado... certainly not..but Rolex spent millions on marketing n that is what the buyers pay the prestige .. all the marketing of FX someone has to pay for it .. those YouTubers are not cheap..but people could think what ever they want..if they are happy I'm happy..So you’re telling me an air Venturi avenger is the same quality as an fx impact?
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Seems pretty clear in this post how many people have owned their own companies and how many have just received a check. The difference in perception is amazing.
I've owned several businesses in the course of my life and worked for others as well. People complain about the cost of Fiber Optic Testing without taking into account the $1,000,000 worth of equipment, training and time required.
At the end of the day, people will cover their cost add some for profit and it will either sale or it won't and other adjustments will be made.
So while on the subject - How much profit is to much?
Smitty
I've owned several businesses in the course of my life and worked for others as well. People complain about the cost of Fiber Optic Testing without taking into account the $1,000,000 worth of equipment, training and time required.
At the end of the day, people will cover their cost add some for profit and it will either sale or it won't and other adjustments will be made.
So while on the subject - How much profit is to much?
Smitty
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You didn’t answer my question!
Do you think and avenger (which btw, had a metric ton of marketing just like the FX), is the same quality as an Impact??
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