Anyone know why DGX has dropped the HOG line?

[Dr. Lecter]

more likely they have gone to the same or similar overseas manufacturer and struck their own deal. This is being done with increasing frequency and really pisses off the folks who did the R&D to design it. No one manufactures anything here in the US anymore. And trying to get exclusivity from an overseas manufacturer is tough. I know Jakub at Golem has been fighting this for years.

I'm playing the world's smallest violin. If you choose the cheap manufacturing costs of Asia, don't expect to also get the IP and contract law protections you'd have with a US factory.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

If their prices have been raised I wonder if they will still be the "best regs on the market." You cant even ask about brand X regulator without the thread being flooded with HOG recommendations.

Yes, they do have a very enthusiastic customer base here.

They are very good regs, and were offered at great prices. Many divers snatched them up, and are very happy with them.
I will add that HOG isn't the only company that makes parts kits available. Dive Rite has been doing that way before HOG was even a brand. I have enough Dive Rite parts kits for 1st and 2nd stages to last me a long time. Dive Rite even makes PDF available for those that want to service their own.

HOG came out with very low priced regs, and got a lot of customers because of it. They then started filling out their product line with all of the other gear. The now closely resemble Dive Rite, in my opinion.

Over time, they seem to me, to closely mirrored Dive Rite's entire product line.

My previous comments were mainly about HOG positioning themselves a a discount brand. Which they are in my mind. They are very much a "Discount Brand". I have friends that have HOG gear and love it. They chose HOG based on price only. They needed gear, and were on a limited budget.

HOG should be cheaper. They emerged on the market as a "cheaper" brand. That was they sales angle they used for their products. If most everything in your catalog is made in China, then customers are going to expect lower prices.
Which is HOG's niche.

If something is made in the US, then I expect to pay a bit more for it. Which I do.

Some companies, like Dive Rite, have some of their gear outsourced, and other items made in the US. That's just the reality of doing business in a global market.

For me....when I see China manufactured products that have their prices raised to match that of US manufactured items, then I fail to see any advantage in buying the China made product. I'm not bashing China made products either....I just won't pay top dollar for them; I expect them to be made to a price point.

If I am buying a made in China item, then I reasonably expect to get it for a cheaper price. If they raise prices....then I take them off of my short list. It's the same with the Name brand stuff (most regs are outsourced)...I don't pay retail for them either.

That's what branding is all about. Some brands are worth more, and positioned higher than other brands. It's just the way it is.

Which is why, for example, REI branded outdoor clothing is established as a cheaper "house brand" than brands like Patagonia.

Or Hyundai is lower than BMW.
You get the idea.

Diving brands are no different.

 

[mmadiver]

I called DGX to ask why they stopped carrying HOG. They explained it was solely a business decision to go with the RG3. They were adamant that it had nothing to do with the quality and performance of HOG equipment and they still fully stand behind all of the HOG equipment they have sold.

As always DGX was extremely friendly, helpful, and a pleasure to speak with.


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[rhwestfall]

I called DGX to ask why they stopped carrying HOG. They explained it was solely a business decision to go with the RG3. They were adamant that it had nothing to do with the quality and performance of HOG equipment and they still fully stand behind all of the HOG equipment they have sold.

As always DGX was extremely friendly, helpful, and a pleasure to speak with.


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Wookie WINS!

 

[Pullmyfinger]

They explained it was solely a business decision to go with the RG3.

Of course.

I like DGX very much. The also ship to FPO addresses.

 

[mmadiver]

Wookie WINS!

Huh?



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[rhwestfall]

Huh?



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see post #6.................

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Wookie WINS!

 

[Colliam7]

Side question: I've always assumed that Dive Rite is not only carried by DGX, but is in fact owned by the same company. A few ppl recently told me that wasn't true; that DGX is a totally independent store that just happens to carry a lot of DR inventory. This thread seems to imply that the former is true, not the latter.

Good question, and I do not have a 'factual' answer, merely an opinion based on observation.

At one time, the organization was called Dive Rite Express. At that point, I thought it was simply a company that sold predominantly Dive Rite, and chose the name to reflect that,presumably getting some kind of favorable pricing from Dive Rite. Then, the name was changed to Dive Gear Express ~ 3 years ago (but may have been before that, so don't get hung up on the '3'). At that time, I understood that the name was changed to avoid the implication that there was a specific ownership relationship with Dive Rite.

All of this understanding is based on second-hand information, observation, rumor, and speculation. - very much like what elected government officlals, news media personnel, and investment brokers routinely do.

Now, your post has me wondering if, in the past, there was more of a 'joined at the hip[' situation than I understood.

Irrespective of the relationship, I will echo one sentiment expressed above by mmadiver. I have done business with DGX online, and in person while diving in FL. They are superb to do business with.

 

[Wookie]

The business was started by Mark Derrick in maybe 2000 or so as Fill Express in Pompano Beach, FL. As time went on, Mark found that he could sell more than just gas, so he made a deal with Dive Rite (Lamar Hires) to sell overstock, closeout, and other Dive-Rite gear, giving Lamar a place to get rid of stock. Mark named this new business Dive Rite express. That's when I came in contact in 2005 to do my AN/DP, tech DM, and normoxic trimix course, in his classroom at the shop, but not with him as an instructor. When I saw his fill system, I drooled a little bit, adn decided that I would have a boat mounted trimix system as nice as Mark's system is. I have suceeded, although I make nitroc by membrane instead of CBing it. Anyway, some time later, Mark wanted to go online, and sell other brands. He renamed his dive shop Dive Gear Express, although he still carries the closeout and overstock Dive Rite line.

Sometime around 2010, Mark Derrick found Mark McAlprin and Didier Follian-Grisell to buy out Fill Express, which is a full service dive shop with awesome gas blending capability. They are friends of mine, Mark Derrick (who I know well enough to say 'Hey Mark' if we pass in the street) still owns and runs DGX on a day to day basis.

Chris Richardson (cerich on this board) was a honcho at one of the big California manufacturers before he decided he could build a better mousetrap. He is the owner and janitor at HOG/EDGE.