Polar* working on a drop in, fully mechanical gas box

[Horsem4n]

in a way. but tippmann's doesn't need an in line stabilizer.

[uscmCorps]

From what I've seen of how the US airsoft market works going from manufacturer to retailer ...

Asia factory price = A

Asia to US Importation costs = B

Distributor Pricing = (A + *1.3 or *1.4 which represents a 30% to 40% profit margin = C

Retailer/Dealer Pricing = C *1.4 or *1.5 which represents approximately a 40% to 50% profit margin (give or take after domestic shipping)

 

Hence an Asia made gun costing $200 to produce, can easily cost over $450 at the retail level.

 

That's how most Airsoft business models in the US work. Not sure about the UK and other regions. Interestingly, many HK distributors and retailers don't normally look at percentages. They mostly look at dollar amounts as their hope is to deal in volume. Plus their shipping costs are far lower as most of the stuff is made in Asia which is relatively local to them.

 

The cost and complexities of Airsoft related production in Asia has changed a lot over the last decade. China labor is not as cheap as it used to be. Both material and Labor costs have dramatically increased. HK labor costs are incredibly high. Taiwanese labor costs are high and have less and less skilled labor as many do not want factory jobs nowadays (it is a similar situation in China). China has also been cracking down more in the last year than even prior years making exportation from their even more difficult. Many factories no longer wish to entertain MOQs below 3000 units.

 

Something that is made in the USA has it's own set of financial difficulties. Labor cost is much higher. If a CNC company specializes in making automotive parts decides to make Airsoft products as well, it may possibly have higher tolerances but the labor costs are the same regardless of what they're making be it car parts or Airsoft parts. Every shop has different rates due to their own business model, cost of materials, and cost of labor. It'd be very difficult to take a part, get a quote from an outside shop to see what it costs for them to make the same part, and immediately assume the original company was overcharging. Plus, there's always R&D and tooling costs which can be exorbitant.

 

I don't own a Polar* but I've been curious about getting one. The price is high, but the performance is remarkable. As much as I loathe the inline setup, if the consistency, accuracy and robustness is there, it might be enough for me to cross that line and get one.

[amateurstuntman]

You should do it, I love mine.

If you are used to carrying your rifle slung then the hose is a bit of nothing.

The adjustability is fantastic, the consistency is incredible.

I have seen variance shot to shot of ±1 fps with a .2 at 350fps - 0.29%, I hypothesise that heavier bbs would reduce this effect further.