David Wilson
Contributor
But I want to have this post for what do you want or need to see from the companies that make our gear? what do you want to say to us?
I'm a snorkeller who prefers the kind of basic gear manufactured up to the mid-1970s, i.e. all-rubber full-foot fins, rubber-skirted oval masks etc. Although such gear remains popular, and continues to be manufactured, in the Far East (especially Japan), most, if not all, Western diving equipment companies seem to be in league with the petrochemical industry and just make fins with plastic blades, while Japanese diving equipment manufacturers continue to supply the market with classic all-rubber full-foot fins. What I'm saying is that diving equipment companies shouldn't confine themselves to their perceptions of what is national demand. Scubapro, for example, has an all-rubber full-foot floating fin in its catalogue for the American market, but doesn't allow it to be sold in Europe. Why?
Here are a few points to ponder:
1. When goods are unavailable in one's own country, make it easier for people like me to order goods from abroad in small quantities and without setting a minimum price for processing an order.
2. Consider always maintaining one classic item in your catalogues, such as Cressi's Pinocchio mask, retailed since the early 1950s. Some designs are eternal.
3. Far Eastern manufacturers in China and Taiwan often post images of diving products that they would be prepared to make. Sometimes western diving equipment companies pick up these designs and we can then order them. However, some designs aren't adopted and then any individual who would like to give them a try is expected to purchase 100 or more "pieces". Requests for samples from individuals are ignored, which is a shame and possibly an act of folly by the OEM, whose product may turn out to be popular. In other words, let's break down the old distinction between wholesalers and retailers. Cut out the middleman.
4. Make it clear what your products are made from, whether natural or synthetic materials, so that the purchaser knows what to expect.
5. In the case of fins, have a look at the German National Standard DIN 7876, which recommends which foot length should go with which foot width when designing the dimensions of foot pockets. These measurements are then embossed on the fin. Foot sizing in fins is a total mess at the moment. See how many ScubaBoard threads ask whether a certain foot size in a given model of fin will match a narrow or wide foot. Length and width dimensions in millimetres on fins would be a good start.
I'll leave it there for now, but am I too cynical in my expectation that diving equipment companies will simply dismiss my suggestions as too expensive, or that there's "no demand". Here in the UK a joke used to circulate about a typical shopkeeper who always said, when a customer asked for an item that was not in stock: "You're the fiftieth customer to ask for that today, but we don't stock it because there's no call for it".