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First of all I want to say thank you to those of you who have supported us up to this point. When things like this happen (and trust me I did see this coming) it makes me cringe at the site of those who say "it drives prices down and makes things more affordable for the customers." In some businesses I would agree, but in this business there's just more to it. Obviously this statement is going to look biased based on the fact that I work with Ash Powers, but some of the Z32 community is missing the point entirely. There are so few of these beautiful machines left in this country, and fewer companies yet that aren't just "re-inventing the wheel." Several of those companies or men that can call themselves innovators are building new products for this 20 year old machine making it capable of what it is today with their own personal incomes and on time that they can't really afford to give. They are giving up these pieces of their lives so that you all can continue to see newer, better products. I'm not speaking directly to ASH-SPEC alone when I say some of these companies/enthusiasts are spending sometimes thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours building these new products but don't have the overall capitol to send their products off to China and buy them in huge quantities to be able to offer the prices that other companies can. It's not that they are "ripping you off." In fact, most of us aren't making the kinds of margins that a business should, but are still offering these parts to the community for somewhat reasonable prices and living on smaller margins to make it more affordable for you. Some of you think you "know how much they cost us," but let me tell you, you really have no idea unless you're there building it yourself. These companies just can't afford to sell at the same prices as someone who has only paid for a mold or jig and spends no time/money on actual R&D. When a company comes along and carbon copies a product that someone else spent thousands of dollars and countless hours building so that the "customer can have a better price," it is slowly killing the companies who are actually building the new parts you guys all love to see. You may see the price cut as saving you a few dollars here and there (sometimes $100 or more) and completely overlook the fact that you're taking capitol from the companies who really are working for you. Even $100 may seem insignificant but trust me, in the grand scheme of things it all ads up. It's no wonder some parts are hard to get a hold of now for those of you who stay loyal (you can all figure out what parts I'm talking about) because the creators feel as though they offered something new, and the customers have stabbed them in the back by buying knock off parts. However, please do not take this as a "poor me" post in any way, shape, or form. Though the contents of my previous statement do make me angry to say the least, I'll always know we're one step ahead. You'll notice the pipe set you speak of looks "very similar" to the one on our website. Those of you who have our 2.5" Charge Pipe Set already know that it is not our CURRENT 2.5" Pipe Set, but rather one of the very first sets we built that A) didn't fit well at all and B) were lucky enough to sell one of those first few kits to the right/wrong guy all at the same time. The newer kit has several changes to it that put it one step ahead of all the other out there including previous sets that were too modeled after Ash's work. With the time it takes for any company out there to copy our work, we've already come up with something better. Even our MASSIVE V-2's are currently undergoing slight changes in the design of the end tanks. None of these companies will ever be able to keep up with the advances we're making because we will always have something newer and more efficient. These acts will happen with any kind of business known to man, to beat it you just have to stay one step ahead. In closing, all I have to say is to those of you who don't have the "ability" we'll call it, to come up with a product that is truly one of their own, HAVE AT IT. Pick up the scraps that are left in nothing short of pure greed. We will always be one step ahead. Cheers!
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