Another Zipper knock off

[ruff]

Nah. Haven't you noticed the personality change of late.
He's an altogether, aham..... changed critter.

Woof!?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Shouldn't that be a Taco Bell dog?

I liked that dude! Always holding the Mexican's down even their dogs!!!

 

[rick imby]

TO BE REAL HONEST HERE I DONT UNDERSTAND THIS AT ALL.

I don't think Erik has ever sold more than 400 of these any given year(could be wrong here) SO WHY THE KNOCKOFFS?

I doubt rotovic has sold more a few hundred of the bozos and how many did they get back?

i don't understand the financial drive to copy a tool that does not sell a great quantity of each year.

I know the whole, distributor network will help get more out, but how much more double? Still not a very high production total in my opinion.

It makes a ton of sense to Rotovac.

They can sell it in their Porty kit to a lot of the newby cleaners. I would bet with the volume they do the cost of the Bonzer is less than a 20% of the cost of their 360i.

The other big advantage to the Bonzer is they can sell the 15 gallon CFX that needs two cords and you don't need to find a third circuit.

And it goes along with their---it isn't a Scrub Wand moto also.

It is another step in their "Start Your Own Carpet Cleaning Company and make $50-250 per hour"---Just like Mikey.

Right now the Bonzer is selling for $1400 but it includes a free $400 upholstery tool.

As a retailer it is always nice to be able to put a low cost high value item into a package to help with the margins.

But as always I could be wrong..

 

[Desk Jockey]

Right now the Bonzer is selling for $1400 but it includes a free $400 upholstery tool.

gotta be a pile of them somewhere.

If you're gonna knock it off...make it better. That tool sprays a stream of water out of the center of the head when lifted off the fabric.

Cheaper ain't cheaper if you get less quality.

 

[rick imby]

Yes exactly a BETTER idea. No copy, no stolen idea. Erik had an orginal thought, imagine that.

I wonder would you be as cool and flippant if they stole your idea?

I sure wouldn't. But then I can be one mean vindictive summ of a bitch.

So I guess I better not use the charge card you used to buy that bicycle seat to buy a Zipper?

 

[Desk Jockey]

What you tawkin bout Willis?

I will flatten your tires!

 

[Nate The Great]

It makes a ton of sense to Rotovac.

They can sell it in their Porty kit to a lot of the newby cleaners. I would bet with the volume they do the cost of the Bonzer is less than a 20% of the cost of their 360i.

The other big advantage to the Bonzer is they can sell the 15 gallon CFX that needs two cords and you don't need to find a third circuit.

And it goes along with their---it isn't a Scrub Wand moto also.

It is another step in their "Start Your Own Carpet Cleaning Company and make $50-250 per hour"---Just like Mikey.

Right now the Bonzer is selling for $1400 but it includes a free $400 upholstery tool.

As a retailer it is always nice to be able to put a low cost high value item into a package to help with the margins.

But as always I could be wrong..

Poster boy of the Zipper loves and prefers his Rotovac Upholstery tool......

 

[ruff]

What you tawkin bout Willis?

I will flatten your tires!

View attachment 69159

That may be hard.
Imby posts from the Philippines. As a matter of fact he's siting next to Tri Pod Tod right now.

 

[Nate The Great]

That may be hard.
Imby posts from the Philippines. As a matter of fact he's siting next to Tri Pod Tod right now.

I thought he was 1 of the same....

Dude doesn't clean carpet but hangs on a Cleaning forum....

 

[Cleanworks]

gotta be a pile of them somewhere.

If you're gonna knock it off...make it better. That tool sprays a stream of water out of the center of the head when lifted off the fabric.

Cheaper ain't cheaper if you get less quality.

I was taking out the trash today and tripped over a mytee pile of bonzers.

 

[Erik]

Thanks everyone for all your support. I hope this thread didn't damage any friendships, but right is right! Thanks again Richard.

 

[rick imby]

Manufacturing is difficult. Marketing is even more so.
Eric had a decision when he started selling his tool. Do I put the extra 25-30% margin into the item so the distributors can sell the item or do I sell the item direct.

He knew it was going to hard selling a tool for $2k and at $3k he probably thought he would not sell any. I don't know Eric or what he was thinking---just guessing.

Now that there are knockoffs in the market he could raise the price to $3k and sell through distributors.

90% or maybe more of the carpet cleaners out there have never seen or heard of the Zipper. I believe 80% of the people selling carpet cleaning equipment have never seen or heard of it.

To sell it you really need to handle one or have an amazing salesman like Saiger make videos for you.

Distributors hate dealing with a manufacturer that can and will sell for less direct---it makes them look bad.

If I were Eric I would have one last big sale at $2195 and quit selling them direct and sell through JonDon or Interlink--one or the other or both--- for 2995 or 3195 or 3495 ask Jondon what they need to sell it for.

Also I would spend a week with some really good video building/editing guy making some great videos.---

I would guess Jon Olson has been telling Eric the same thing....

I don't think Devastator Tom has priced to sell through distributors either and once 30% of the board boys have one the market will be pretty much saturated.

But as usual I could be wrong...

 

[Erik]

I like selling direct. All of our units are custom made for maximum performance on different machines. We offer so many different configurations most distributors would not be able to take care of the customer like I do.
They would sell a 15" 12 flow to someone with a Ninja if the CC went through. BTW, it's like pulling teeth to get paid from distributors.
There is a lot going on now that I can't talk about...
Not everyone wants to be a large company....

 

[rick imby]

Great points Eric. Rotovac at one time was your size also. They had the other goal of building a big business...and have done it...

 

[Mikey P]

do me a favor.


take your shit up to your room every night during ICE.




I don't want to know what the hell goes on in that trade show hall once they kick all you suckers out.




a knock off super spinner will kill some poor kid.


or kitten.

 

[Erik]

It may just be me.. I have a hard time finding good help and I'm starting to get a little burned out. A 20x20 in the woods would work for me. My kids are grown and I like the simple life..

 

[rick imby]

It may just be me.. I have a hard time finding good help and I'm starting to get a little burned out. A 20x20 in the woods would work for me. My kids are grown and I like the simple life..

As long as it has room service and Wifi...

 

[steve_64]

I watched a show about Kearn taking on the auto industry over his blinking eye wiper.

I'll just keep cleaning carpet and enjoy life.

 

[The Great Oz]

I'm confused about the length and depth of the outcry over Zipper copies. As this picture sure looks like an improved version of the 40+ year old Zinger, I'm not sure what needs defending. Why isn't anyone trashing the obvious Zinger/Zipper allusion? Would you be trashing Erik if the inventor of the Zinger were still alive and posting here?

Except for Steve Roberts, few people seemed too concerned about Tom Monohan coming out with another version of Steve's rug duster (which was also an improved version of a 40+ year old machine) so is the problem that a tool is being copied or is this just the desire to defend someone that seems like a nice guy? (<competitive advantage btw)

I'd counsel Erik not to waste any time responding to posts that make it seem like you're squaring off against other manufacturers. Spend time the same way other successful manufacturers do: branding, continuous innovation, cutting costs, and sharing some profit with salespeople. Focus on what makes your product a better buy and don't worry about anything you can't control.

PS: As pragmatic as all guys say they are, the vast majority will still make purchasing decisions on an emotional level. You have a handle on that, or you wouldn't have bothered with hex bolts and chrome-plated brass. Good luck!

 

[Mikey P]

Lockheart asked me why I wasn't as upset over the Rotovac knock off as I am over the Mytee.


They didn't jerk Erik off with friendly phone calls and deceptive truths and pretense to be his buddy while plotting for a year and a half to get into his (narrow) market share. They also didn't wait until someone else took the first blow.


Just erks the hell out of me, but nothing new, that's for sure, been done a 1000 times in 1 way, or another.

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

I love my new ss zipper I moved the lower handle to the front for me and changed the jets to 02. I cleaned two really trashed units yesterday. No power so a roto vac wouldn't work. But with the zipper the carpets cleaned great. Thank you Eric for a really great invention well worth the money. My back felt great after both jobs and that's saying a lot for my old body being 75 next week. jz.

 

[smart n kleen]

I'm confused about the length and depth of the outcry over Zipper copies. As this picture sure looks like an improved version of the 40+ year old Zinger, I'm not sure what needs defending. Why isn't anyone trashing the obvious Zinger/Zipper allusion? Would you be trashing Erik if the inventor of the Zinger were still alive and posting here?

Except for Steve Roberts, few people seemed too concerned about Tom Monohan coming out with another version of Steve's rug duster (which was also an improved version of a 40+ year old machine) so is the problem that a tool is being copied or is this just the desire to defend someone that seems like a nice guy? (<competitive advantage btw)

I'd counsel Erik not to waste any time responding to posts that make it seem like you're squaring off against other manufacturers. Spend time the same way other successful manufacturers do: branding, continuous innovation, cutting costs, and sharing some profit with salespeople. Focus on what makes your product a better buy and don't worry about anything you can't control.

PS: As pragmatic as all guys say they are, the vast majority will still make purchasing decisions on an emotional level. You have a handle on that, or you wouldn't have bothered with hex bolts and chrome-plated brass. Good luck!

WINNER

 

[BIG WOOD]

.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Some of us were not even alive to remember the Zinger. Ok ok some of them were not.

The rug duster? Who knew about it? Of those that did, there were too few affected in this group to really care.

I really don't know anything about the Zinger other than seeing ads when I was young. So I can't speak to the Zinger's alleged knock off...but I ain't gonna let that stop me.

So tell me ohhhhh Great and Powerful, who was hurt by Erik's alledged knock off?

This is seeming a lot like "Everbody does it" bs again. Oz you do have a soul don't you? Cause you're beginning to scare me.

 

[smart n kleen]

Some of us were not even alive to remember the Zinger. Ok ok some of them were not.

The rug duster? Who knew about it? Of those that did, there were too few affected in this group to really care.

I really don't know anything about the Zinger other than seeing ads when I was young. So I can't speak to the Zinger's alleged knock off...but I ain't gonna let that stop me.

So tell me ohhhhh Great and Powerful, who was hurt by Erik's alledged knock off?

This is seeming a lot like "Everbody does it" bs again. Oz you do have a soul don't you? Cause you're beginning to scare me.

Nobody is HURT by knock offs. Could you imagine if there was only one wand? People who want zippers will still buy them. People who can't afford them will buy the knock offs. Did anyone here invent carpet cleaning? We're all knock offs.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

The Zinger was more like the CX version, but motorized to spin against the jets. Drag back to clean. Made by Windsor, who was later a stablemate to Prochem. If it were a good idea I'm sure they would have pursued it. It wasn't, they didn't.

I'm sure Erik never reverse engineered anything from it, that's obvious.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Nobody is HURT by knock offs. Could you imagine if there was only one wand? People who want zippers will still buy them. People who can't afford them will buy the knock offs. Did anyone here invent carpet cleaning? We're all knock offs.

I don't really understand your argument but ok???

Your ethics are still questionable for your 50 years in business claim. You obviously have no soul!

 

[SamIam]

It's a risky move because people do
Like Erik and he does try to get the right tool in the right hands.

There maybe another patent or pre existing design and Rotovac is willing to go to court to find out if they infringed or not.

I say besides the handle and two back jets it's a complete rip off!

I know when the Rotovac XL came out there was talk it looked a lot like the hoss 700.

But they're two different beasts.

For me personally I liked John L when he was here!

He supported this board and took some shots on his products and kept his chin up.

He pulled out as a supporter and now he's public enemy #1.

Rotovac is a tight rope because they have their hands everywhere.

How many got mad at all the cool cuff knock offs?

Everybody hates Joe so it's Ok.

I look at it this way. I will support the first guy with the idea first.

I would still buy other Rotovac products also.

I see why John Olson gets upset he at least would like people to judge the product and see if this is a sleazy thing were led to believe.

Also is Erik looking into taking on Mytee on this patent infringement too?

Or is this a product that won't effect his market?

It would be intresting to see
It and try it to see exactly what they're after here.

 

[smart n kleen]

I don't really understand your argument but ok???

Your ethics are still questionable for your 50 years in business claim. You obviously have no soul!

My stepfather started this family business in 1967. Don't question my ethics.

 

[Desk Jockey]

My stepfather started this family business in 1967. Don't question my ethics.

You told me that and I get it. However potential clients don't know that. They assume you have been in business since 1967. I did. It says it on your trailer.

Anyway I don't get your dog in this fight. Can you explain it?