Upgradable arms cost

[swiggamortis]

I am about to pull the trigger on a WE Pro Pack but I am having a tough time figuring out why the upgradable arms aren’t included? There were tons of complaints with the older ones which are clearly inferior and I just don’t get why they don’t replace them with the new ones. The only thing I can come up with is greed to make more money but I don’t want to believe that is true. The WE is a superior sharpening system and I hear great things about the customer service.

[tcmeyer]

I think you’re selling the old arms a bit short.  There’s a lot of guys (including some professionals) who used them successfully for a long time.  Many still do.  The big improvement in the upgraded arms was not to correct some inherent design flaw, but to add the ability to make very fine adjustments.  Look at the two versions.  The difference in price is obviously a function of the difference in cost.  A big complaint among prospective buyers is the very high cost of the Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener when compared to competitors’ rigs.  To reach down to those entry level buyers and pull them up into the fold, it only makes sense to offer a lower cost version.

3 users thanked author for this post.

swiggamortis, Josh, Frans

[Mark76]

+1

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

1 user thanked author for this post.

swiggamortis

[Josh]

tcmeyer wrote:

I think you’re selling the old arms a bit short. There’s a lot of guys (including some professionals) who used them successfully for a long time. Many still do. The big improvement in the upgraded arms was not to correct some inherent design flaw, but to add the ability to make very fine adjustments. Look at the two versions. The difference in price is obviously a function of the difference in cost. A big complaint among prospective buyers is the very high cost of the Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener when compared to competitors’ rigs. To reach down to those entry level buyers and pull them up into the fold, it only makes sense to offer a lower cost version.

Good point Tom. If they included them then they would have to increase the price of the base model. I used them for a long time in a professional capacity until I finally upgraded, simply because it intrigued me. Turns out that they are much easier to use for quick and minor adjustments, however, there was nothing wrong w/ the old ones at all! When they first came out they had an issue w/ play, something the Wicked Edge team jumped right on and offered any customer who had an issue to send them in and they would retrofit them w/ screws instead of pins, so the joints could be just right but not too tight. I did this modification myself and, after 5 years or so of owning the Wicked Edge, STILL use the old arms for certain applications.

If it were me and I was going to buy a WEPS, I would consider this because it includes both the gen 3 vise and the upgraded arms.  Or you could get the pro pack II which does include them.

[swiggamortis]

I appreciate the information. I just hit the Pro Pack 1 today. I look forward to seeing what it can do!

[Author]

Posts