This issue our Letter of the Month author is getting hooked up with some gear from Local Clothing. Local Clothing has beanies, shirts and hats that you can buy direct from, or you can buy from local retailers carrying the Local gear. Get yours by calling (707) 938-0407.
No Holiday Savings!
Dear Editor,
I enjoyed OFF-ROAD's recent article, Holiday Gifting Guide (January '10 issue).
My hat is once again off to the maker of the featured tree strap in the said holiday article. Once again, Warn has succeeded in offering a simple, typical off-road device (this time a tree strap) at a ridiculously inflated price. $82 for a tree strap? Yeah, good one.
The reason I thank them, however, is that, as a result of their corporate greed, other comparable, reliable and durable off-road products have sprung up all over the marketplace to offer the real-world wheeler competitive products at a reasonable cost. Example? How about a $300, 8,000-pound winch. Yeah, it's made in China, but so what? Everything else is, too. Smittybilt offers this series wound, high horsepower motor and fast line speed winch for a low price. I recently purchased one along with an Ultimate Air portable tank. Let's see, the savings here over Warn's PowerPlant? Oh, about $1,000.
As for tree straps, they're all over Ebay starting at $10. And we're talking brand names, here, with the same features as the Warn product. And have you ever priced a recovery kit? Take out a second mortgage.
Jason Treadaway,
Marietta, Georgia
Jason, I cannot answer or speak for anyone at Warn, but I can make an argument that, generally, the more money you pay for an item, the better quality the item is. Of course, that's not always the case, and there is the possibility of corporate greed adding to inflated prices, but you could also be paying a higher cost for a product made in the USA. It's too bad that many U.S. companies and industries have to have their products made overseas to stay competitive in the market, and I'm sure every one of them would rather sport a "Made in USA" label.
But no matter what, I'm all for "speaking your mind," so yours is our Letter of the Month and you're getting hooked up with some Local Clothing to help save some cash for those off-road parts!
Editor's Note: If you want to say or ask something, email Unloaded at jerrod.jones@off-roadweb.com or write: Unloaded, OFF-ROAD Magazine, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Ste. 1100, Anaheim, CA 92806.
Remember, we're giving away swag every month to the author of our favorite letter. Be sure to include your address, so we know where to send your goods. And because we lost our copyeditor, please know that we are not going to be copyediting your letter if you are going to be hating on us, so you better check it over well before sending it our way! Thanks!