If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is! The market is being flooded with new Rock Exotica Unicenders at unbelievably low prices.
Kevlargaffs has the Rock Exotica Unicender on eBay for AU$240 (NZ$331). By comparison, Treetools has the original Morgan Thompson Unicender listed at NZ$680.00!
But there are disturbing reports coming out of the US which suggest Rock Exotica may be experiencing premature wear issues with the newly launched, multi-colored Unicender.The original Unicender, in natural aluminum, was hand-made by its designer, Morgan Thompson, and careful attention was paid to potential wear problems.
Treetools can vouch for the life expectancy of the original Unicender. We supplied the first Unicender commercially available in New Zealand to 'Uni maestro' Johno Smith . Johno used his Unicender more than most and he got just over 13 months before it was finally replaced (his original is still being used today but only on a thicker diameter rope).
The rumor suggesting premature wear on the Rock Exotica product makes sense. After all, why heavily discount a desirable product designed specifically for a very narrow niche market?
Let's speculate for a moment and put yourself in Rock Exotica's shoes.
Rock Exotica marketers find premature wear in their new product. The excessive wear does not render the Unicender unsafe but it does mean legitimate retailers are unwilling to stock the item in fear of future warranty issues.
The question is: how do we get rid of the stock already manufactured without any come-back? Some bright spark in the marketing department suggests eBay and voila - exactly 100 units end up on eBay, sold all over the world to very happy punters - who have no hope in hell of claiming premature wear when the time comes.
The interesting thing is, neither Rock Exotica nor kevlargaffs are willing to supply the Unicender to Treetools - even at this new low price.
That in itself is a little odd - simply google search Unicender and you'll find plenty of references to Treetools. Most suppliers would walk over three miles of broken glass for that kind of free advertising - except perhaps those with something to hide.
Typical wear to expect on the Unicender seen above. The wear on the bar is obvious but its the barely visible wear on the 'fingers' that presents the biggest problem. After excessive use the hole ends up 'enlarged' and distorted which translates to slippage on narrow diameter ropes making the Unicender very unpredictable in less than expert hands!
