Maxpedition quality declined?

[marooned]

Just purchased the Maxpedition Fatty and Mini pouches after watching LOADS of YouTube prepping/EDC vids. Keen to get organising and thought I'd treat myself as all reviews of Maxpedition have been great (super quality, durable etc).

Well the pouches arrived and I have to say I am SUPER disappointed! I bought these from a well known bushcraft store in the UK so not expecting cheap knock offs. But the quality is pretty rubiish. I wouldn't be surprised if they were knockoffs except from the reputable retailer. The zips on the Mini catch on the inner lining and make a really awkward and definitely not smooth action. That's when empty so goodness knows how the zips will fare under the strain of a full pouch.

The material on both feels kinds of scratchy and cheap and they are quite rigid when empty. Does anyone know if their quality has generally declined or if some cheap fakes have infiltrated the mainstream market?

At over £50 I'd hope for a superior product. I'm inclined to return them and look to buy a no name cheapo off ebay.

I notice the logo patch on the Fatty has a hexagon logo whereas all older pouches seem to have the footprint and some have "hard use gear" on them. The Mini just says "Maxpedition".

 

[swyn]

Yes. Return with a note explaining why.
S

 

[Corso]

Quality went downhill from what it used to be 10 years ago.

They claim to have a lifetime warranty, for the lifetime of the product. They then pick and choose what that lifetime is. For 'hard use gear' a strap fraying or a buckle breaking 2 years after light use should not be considered lifetime.

lol

 

[daveO]

I'm sad to hear that their quality is declining but I can't say I'm surprised. I'm not fully blaming the company though because they've had to compete with other manufacturers making cheaper ripoffs for quite some time now and if people keep buying the cheaper stuff then Maxped will inevitably have to find some way to compete with them. The same is happening everywhere now. People no longer buy for life and it seem like you either have to pay through the nose for quality or accept that things you buy will break soon after the warranty runs out.
All my Maxped stuff is over ten years old now. My Fatty has been my tool pouch in my work bag for years with no problems. They fixed my rucksack when a strap came unstitched too. I think the only problem has been with my Micro organiser where something sharp inside wore through the divider fabric, but that's my fault really. It would be interesting to see some side by side comparisons of now vs then quality though.

 

[marooned]

I was happy to pay through the nose for quality but I didn't get it...

Interesting that others agree. Shame, I'll be returning them.

 

[saxonaxe]

I offer this tale just to provoke thoughts, I am not claiming this applies to Maxpedition kit, but the experience was an eye opener to me.
A few years ago I went to a large, well established battery supplier. I wanted a 12 volt 110 ah leisure battery to use on my boat. It would be in conjunction with a separate engine start battery for the Diesel engine.

In the Warehouse type premises I was faced with a wall of new, unlabelled batteries. I explained what I wanted and was taken to one section of the 'pile' and was given a battery. The assistant carried it to a bench and did a quick test on it, great, all in order.
On the bench was a broom handle with reels of names and signs, like big Sellotape reels. 'Heavy Duty' 'Long Life' 'High Power' and various stickers for capacity 12v 80ah... 12v 100ah etc:

I asked about the stickers and he seemed surprised that I did not realise that there was a 'base product' all made in the same or similar plant. Some items were manufactured with slightly different specs, but they were a still made under the same roof by the same workers/machinery.
Apart from the Amp Hour rating the batteries were all the same, I could have had one with a Marine sticker, a heavy duty..and so on.

I wonder if the makers of Rucksacks, pouches and similar kit employ the same tactics? Is the Gucci kit made in special advanced factories, overseen by eagle eyed managers, or is it a case of a few manufacturing plants and then pass me a label please, this ones for ....

For those wondering, the battery place is near Brighton & Hove football Ground...and it was a very good battery..

 

[daveO]

I bought a freezer a few years ago and, not wanting to risk losing all my stored food if a cheap brand failed, I opted to pay extra and get a good make. It was only after it was bought and full of food that I found out that it's actually made by one of the cheap brands who just bought the rights to stick another brand's label on the front. They use slightly better materials for the outside and drawers to make it feel like a quality product but in the back it's the same as a cheaper model.

 

[saxonaxe]

Just to support my earlier post about the common practice of labelling goods in a manner which often confuses people, and to show it was not just one of my rants about people being conned into buying what they believe to be kit which... isn't... I've just invented a new English Grammar phrase..kit which isn't..
Anyway enough...By sheer coincidence, a pair of 'work wear' jeans arrived today. They are made of tough material and of the type which can be fitted with protective knee pads and are intended for wear on my bike in the summer. I already have one pair from a German company which I wear when camping, wandering in the woods etc; I bought those because they too can be fitted with protective pads which I thought a reasonable precaution after injuring my legs. Unfortunately the German company no longer supply the same jeans, so I bought from an English Supplier.




Different advertising at point of sale, different price, different trade labels, different Country of retail supply. Apart from the colour and name tag they are identical. I would bet both are made in the same factory in Pakistan to a standard design and relabelled for the different bulk purchasers with their own brand tags.

YKK zips and generally very well made, no dodgy stitching, loose threads etc:

Even the same number of stitches to the inch...


The green pair are 3 years old, the black pair arrived yesterday , Friday 11th. The price differential wasn't huge, the black pair in a popular size were slightly more expensive but that method of price control is common anyway. I'm happy, the green ones have had a battering over the years, they haven't got little Foxes on but then again I didn't need a mortgage...

 

[MikeLA]

I offer this tale just to provoke thoughts, I am not claiming this applies to Maxpedition kit, but the experience was an eye opener to me.
A few years ago I went to a large, well established battery supplier. I wanted a 12 volt 110 ah leisure battery to use on my boat. It would be in conjunction with a separate engine start battery for the Diesel engine.

In the Warehouse type premises I was faced with a wall of new, unlabelled batteries. I explained what I wanted and was taken to one section of the 'pile' and was given a battery. The assistant carried it to a bench and did a quick test on it, great, all in order.
On the bench was a broom handle with reels of names and signs, like big Sellotape reels. 'Heavy Duty' 'Long Life' 'High Power' and various stickers for capacity 12v 80ah... 12v 100ah etc:

I asked about the stickers and he seemed surprised that I did not realise that there was a 'base product' all made in the same or similar plant. Some items were manufactured with slightly different specs, but they were a still made under the same roof by the same workers/machinery.
Apart from the Amp Hour rating the batteries were all the same, I could have had one with a Marine sticker, a heavy duty..and so on.

I wonder if the makers of Rucksacks, pouches and similar kit employ the same tactics? Is the Gucci kit made in special advanced factories, overseen by eagle eyed managers, or is it a case of a few manufacturing plants and then pass me a label please, this ones for ....

For those wondering, the battery place is near Brighton & Hove football Ground...and it was a very good battery..

I know food does eg the cheaper named cakes and those more expensive ALL the same product used to be in the 90’s made in the same factory, my sister used to be a company buyer

 

[moocher]

I know food does eg the cheaper named cakes and those more expensive ALL the same product used to be in the 90’s made in the same factory, my sister used to be a company buyer

I have worked in a coleslaw factory and a muesli factory they made products for supermarkets the cheaper products might just have less ingredients or different quantities .

 

[moocher]

Hennies are doing 15 percent off maxpedition atm

 

[gra_farmer]

Hennies are doing 15 percent off maxpedition atm

They have seen this thread and getting rid of them quick....

 

[moocher]

They have seen this thread and getting rid of them quick....

Tbh I did wonder if it was because of a decline in sales ?

 

[Jared]

Did notice Heinnie stocking MagForce products. They are a Taiwan factory & brand, which made Maxpedition products.

 

[moocher]

Did notice Heinnie stocking MagForce products. They are a Taiwan factory & brand, which made Maxpedition products.

I seen that an wonder what the quality and strength of the products are like ?

 

[Minotaur]

I bought a freezer a few years ago and, not wanting to risk losing all my stored food if a cheap brand failed, I opted to pay extra and get a good make. It was only after it was bought and full of food that I found out that it's actually made by one of the cheap brands who just bought the rights to stick another brand's label on the front. They use slightly better materials for the outside and drawers to make it feel like a quality product but in the back it's the same as a cheaper model.

Lots of those companies use the same parts and even are the same company. It like cars in that they try and build them using current parts first. I think at 1 point there was 7 cars on the road built on the same foundations.

I know food does eg the cheaper named cakes and those more expensive ALL the same product used to be in the 90’s made in the same factory, my sister used to be a company buyer

I have worked in a coleslaw factory and a muesli factory they made products for supermarkets the cheaper products might just have less ingredients or different quantities .

I had a friend who worked in a ready meal factory and it is basically the same stuff except they add ingredients to the more expensive ones.

A telling tale is the story of OriginUSA in that he started making a rucksack did the deal at a trade show and next year walked though a load of stands selling his design. Dave Canterbury has done a few videos about this to explain his pricing.

Think you all need to buy John Fenna's books and start making your own