Hi everyone, with copies of our Air Locker product becoming available from China and on some Australian forums, I wanted to clear up a few myths to ensure potential buyers are getting the full picture.
Firstly, despite claims that the Air Locker copies manufactured in China are 'exact copies' of the genuine Air Lockers, they're not.
- The gear design is not the same
- The manufacturing processes are not the same
- The materials used are not the same
- The heat treatment process is not the same (if it's used at all)
- The tolerances are not the same
- The compressor used to activate the locking mechanism is not the same
- In fact, nothing is the same
When it comes to reliability and longevity, these differences are crucial, particularly with regard to the materials used in vital components like cross shafts. ARB has invested heavily in materials research, machinery and manufacturing processes to ensure the genuine product is manufactured to the highest possible standard. The design of the internal components is just one part of the overall equation and is generally the only part of our product that is copied in the counterfeit versions. All of our Air Locker products are manufactured in Australia (at our head office in Kilsyth) using Australian parts. We'd be happy to give a group of forum members a guided tour of the factory to show them our state of the art facilities.
The other myth I'd like to dispel, is the claim that genuine Air Locker parts are interchangeable with the counterfeits. This is simply not the case. Spare parts from our Air Locker range WILL NOT fit into the counterfeit products. This is an important point to remember when considering the after sales backup and support offered in Australia, or anywhere in the world for that matter.
When you buy genuine Air Lockers, you'll be supported by over 120 authorised outlets around Australia who can all assist you on the rare occurrence that you experience an issue with the product. The last thing you want on your next big trip is to have a vehicle disabling failure with no parts or service backup available to get you on the road again. It's in these situations that the few hundred dollars saved to buy a counterfeit product over a tried, tested and supported product will seem like a pittance.
Despite our best efforts to find a statistically significant volume of real world feedback on these counterfeits, the fact is that there just isn't enough of them on the market to provide any sort of long term, real world evidence as to their longevity and reliability. Genuine Air Lockers are backed up by a 2 year warranty and are trusted and used in over 100 countries around the world.
Finally, it's probably also worth noting that we currently have a promotion running on our Air Lockers which substantially reduces the cost difference between the genuine and counterfeit products. Check out our website for details.
Cheers, Sam.
