The best analogy I can provide is something I've gone through with aluminum this year. There are a lot of suppliers, and a few different brands available. I wasn't specifying a particular brand and was mainly focused on cost. Aluminum has gone through the roof this year and as we use a thicker aluminum than most it has been a difficult pill to swallow.
About 6 months ago I got a shipment in that was imported vs. milled in the U.S. The variations in tolerances, impurities in the metal, exterior cleanliness of the metal, etc. was awful. I was still able to produce the same molds, but I had to clean the exterior, measure every piece, make adjustments in my milling to compensate for the different tolerances, toss a few pieces because they were so bowed, etc. Basically I had to baby sit every single piece I machined. Did I save what amounted to a dollar or two a mold? In aluminum yes, in my time and frustration, no way. I am 100% confident it cost me money in the form of my time.
We now have an agreement in place with one of the largest US based manufactures / distributors and only buy their product. Do I spend a little more upfront? Yes. However, I spend way less time once it hits my door fussing over it. I believe it saves me money in the form of my time. It also helps guarantee we are buying U.S. mfg product (we are really close to 100% in that regard which is important to me).
Is Crystal Clear going to be the best or right plastic for everyone, no. There is no such thing. We never set out to create the be all end all of plastic. If you use a Zorn injection machine you can get by with a much lower grade of plastic because you are not as exposed to it. Our plastic is designed for people who hand pour, hand inject, or want a higher quality plastic. Am I saying it's better than Calhoun, for me - absolutely, but maybe not for everyone.
If you break it down and include shipping the cost difference is pennies a bait. That will work well for some, if you are making hundreds of thousands, or millions of baits it wouldn't.
There are decisions that we all have to make, and money definitely plays a part in it. One last thing behind why we went the route we did with the plastic. Since we use plastic daily to test molds, pour samples and for our own use, I wanted a plastic that I would enjoy using every day. That I guess is the true measuring stick that was used in it's development.
Jason
