Gear clones - like generic drugs?
- Thread starter joeabroad
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jasonong99
Registered
David Wilson
Contributor
The complexity of who owns what design and who actually does the manufacturing can be illustrated by the following example.
The retailers
The long-bladed full-foot fins above are retailed as Gear Sub Stream Fins here:
Sub Gear Stream Fin | Snorkelling Fins | Simply Snorkel UK
as Sopras Sub Full Rubber Fins here:
Sopras Full Rubber fins
as Gs Rubber Long Fins here:
http://www.scuba-tw.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=102_157&products_id=1839&osCsid=1131346fd76a9acf7aac29aaab65569f
and as Problue Rubber Fins here:
Adreno Spearfishing | Speargun & Wetsuit Online Megastore | Spearfishing | Freediving | Snorkeling | Brisbane | Australia
If you follow these links, you will notice what are essentially cosmetic differences between the various offerings: different logos, for example, and in the case of the Problue fins, a variation in colour. However, there is another, more significant, difference between them. Gear Sub and Sopras Sub's versions are only available in three sizes, M, L and XL, covering the shoe size range US 7-13, the Problue version also comes in size S, extending the range to US 5-13 but the Gs version has an XS version, extending the range even further to 3-13. Freedivers often complain that they can't get long-bladed fins below US size 5. The problem is that the Gs version of the fins only seems to be sold by a Taiwanese online retailer. There's a bit of a price difference too. The different versions of the fins retail from US$ 90 in the case of Gear Sub to US$ 165 in the case of Gs, so the cheapest version is retailed in Europe, while the most expensive version is sold in Taiwan, where the fins are actually manufactured.
The manufacturers
It's hard to track down who actually makes these fins in Taiwan. One candidate is Lung Win International, which showcases them as Diving Fins-702:
LUNG WIN INTERNATIONAL.CO., LTD.
Another is Gaw-Shiuan Diving Equipment, which calls them F307 (Rubber Diving Fins):
GAW-SHIUAN DIVING EQUIPMENT INC. Website
Another is Aropec Sports Corp, which names them F-JS702 Close-Pocket Fin:
AROPEC SPORTS CORP.
Yet another is Problue Diving Equipment, which calls them F-745 Rubber Full Foot Diving Fins:
PROBLUE-Diving Equipment
So which of these Taiwanese manufacturers actually makes the fins, or do these companies exchange the fin moulds among themselves? A very complex supply chain.
The retailers
The long-bladed full-foot fins above are retailed as Gear Sub Stream Fins here:
Sub Gear Stream Fin | Snorkelling Fins | Simply Snorkel UK
as Sopras Sub Full Rubber Fins here:
Sopras Full Rubber fins
as Gs Rubber Long Fins here:
http://www.scuba-tw.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=102_157&products_id=1839&osCsid=1131346fd76a9acf7aac29aaab65569f
and as Problue Rubber Fins here:
Adreno Spearfishing | Speargun & Wetsuit Online Megastore | Spearfishing | Freediving | Snorkeling | Brisbane | Australia
If you follow these links, you will notice what are essentially cosmetic differences between the various offerings: different logos, for example, and in the case of the Problue fins, a variation in colour. However, there is another, more significant, difference between them. Gear Sub and Sopras Sub's versions are only available in three sizes, M, L and XL, covering the shoe size range US 7-13, the Problue version also comes in size S, extending the range to US 5-13 but the Gs version has an XS version, extending the range even further to 3-13. Freedivers often complain that they can't get long-bladed fins below US size 5. The problem is that the Gs version of the fins only seems to be sold by a Taiwanese online retailer. There's a bit of a price difference too. The different versions of the fins retail from US$ 90 in the case of Gear Sub to US$ 165 in the case of Gs, so the cheapest version is retailed in Europe, while the most expensive version is sold in Taiwan, where the fins are actually manufactured.
The manufacturers
It's hard to track down who actually makes these fins in Taiwan. One candidate is Lung Win International, which showcases them as Diving Fins-702:
LUNG WIN INTERNATIONAL.CO., LTD.
Another is Gaw-Shiuan Diving Equipment, which calls them F307 (Rubber Diving Fins):
GAW-SHIUAN DIVING EQUIPMENT INC. Website
Another is Aropec Sports Corp, which names them F-JS702 Close-Pocket Fin:
AROPEC SPORTS CORP.
Yet another is Problue Diving Equipment, which calls them F-745 Rubber Full Foot Diving Fins:
PROBLUE-Diving Equipment
So which of these Taiwanese manufacturers actually makes the fins, or do these companies exchange the fin moulds among themselves? A very complex supply chain.
Last edited:
Ed Palma
Contributor
In terms or regulators and other equipment, check out Ocean Diver's Supply.. I'm sure you'll recognize a regulator or two...
That's in fact incorrect. There are certain Apollo mask selling here in australia which are also branded as IST and is infact the same mask. The final nail in you coffin? It's a tusa visualator copy....
And further to the point they are not IST mask....they are Problue
Pretty much every manufacturer has a TUSA Liberator mask clone.
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