Quote:
Originally Posted by aus
LMB, what were your concerns about those two companies? How they do business or how they make the wheels?
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It's nothing major at this point.
Not enough time has lapsed since each brand was created, so the jury is still out on the overall quality of these new wheels. (too early to make a call in my book)
Aftermarket wheels need to be on the market a while, to properly determine the durability of the product IMO. With every passing month, the story of these two brands is being written. How the wheels hold up over this time period is crutial.
Whether the wheels can take a sustained beating without failing, remains to be seen.
Street driven wheels are subjected to a lot of abuse on a day-to-day basis. It's very important that they survive this real world torture testing. (with flying colors)
The build construction methods used are important, but I don't use that one aspect as a make or break litmus test.
A poorly designed flow-formed wheel will fail, before a better designed low-pressure cast wheel design. It's not as simple as it looks. Wheel design and manufacturing methods will vary from brand to brand, but the premier wheel company's do EVERYTHING well. That includes all aspects of running a successful business model.
The ultimate quality of the products you produce...is only part of the story. You will be judged on how well you do these other things.
There are many other factors that I weigh, when I decide to buy a particular product. (or recommend that product to anyone else)
I contacted both Forgstar and Alufelgen directly, and I am encouraged by the response I got from both brands.
I compile a large database of information about a given company's marketing & advertising methods, access to information about your company's products, reaction and resolution to customer service complaints, response time to customer inquiry's/price quotes, QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control) programs that are implemented in-house, raw materials/processes used in the product manufacturing phase, and finally how well they respond to the desires of the market they serve. (building what the potential customers want to buy)
Spouting pointless BS, or wall papering every board on the internet with slick advertising campaigns...is a major strike against any aftermarket company in my book. (regardless of what you are selling)
Just tell me why I should buy
YOUR product over everything else that is currently available? That's all I really want to know. How does your product stack up against the established products in that same category?
Products that never address
the core quality aspects of the actual product drive me nuts.
