Citizens of this great nation have been bombarded with news that United States manufacturing is atrophied, if not on an outright spiraling decline. Though this may in fact be true in certain part of the country in specific industries, it is certainly not the case everywhere – and most definitely not the case in the Seattle area!
Pat attention Detroit! Tactical Tailor and the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC) are at the spearhead of a nascent renascence in American industrial manufacturing might.
In order to keep up with military contract requirements and citizen demand, we have vastly increased production times, with commensurate supplementation of quality control and supervisory measures. Tactical Tailor’s factory and assembly areas are now running 6 days per week—12 hours per day during the week and 8 hours on Saturdays.
The factory was previously running just 0630L to 1430L Monday through Friday.
Tactical Tailor, which recently earned the prestigious PNDC Member of the Year Award, will continue to run lean and build mean. We will maintain the same Kaizen and Kaban/JIT Lean Manufacturing Techniques and Advanced Quality Planning Control Processes, known colloquially as Control Plans, First Article Inspection and Process Capability. We will continue to keep the lessons of Clausewitz, Sun Tzu and Maurice Sendak in mind and most of all we shall remember, regardless of our ops tempo, that American Warfighters’ lives may depend on the quality of our work once they step outside the wire.
For you knuckle-draggers, that means everything still gets fit tested with a mag, radio or dummy grenade and thoroughly QCed before it goes out the door. Rest assured if you’re Joe Snuffy, rifleman, last man on the left flank and the last one to be issued something, your gear will always do what it’s designed to do with bomb proof Tactical Tailor quality that is guaranteed for life. Savvy?
Check out the Tactical Tailor website (www.tacticaltailor.com), our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TacticalTailorInc) or YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/tacticaltailor).
Professional Regards,
Bob T. Tailor
Tags: Tactical Tailor
Tactical Tailor’s prices have gone up 33% on average over the last few years. This has made me stop buying their kit.
And yet, they remain some of the most inexpensive yet readily available products on the market.
Damn Tactical Tailor for trying to employ Americans and producing gear that is both awesome quality and still generally priced better then the majority of others out there.
If you don’t follow it the price of raw materials has gone up quite a bit in the last five years.
Maybe he can purchase his ‘tac gear’ at Walmart.
I love how you often bash people for negativity in general and yet lay down a comment like this. I am trying to have a real conversation about this, not be rude.
I’m curious what brands do you support?
I own 17 Tactical Tailor items and love them. I also own Defcon5, TacGear, Tasmanian Tiger, TAG, Aites, and others. Tactical Tailor is my favorite, but 33% can not be justified no matter how you look at it. They sell direct for the most part as well, so more profit.
Ok, let’s break it down.
Aites went out of business years ago.
Defcon5 and Tasmanian Tiger are made offshore.
Only TAG is an American brand.
If you are going to compare apples to apples, you might be able to with TT and TAG, but I know TT’s pricing was lower than everyone else’s for years. Additionally, they’ve made some major design changes.
Perhaps you should share with everyone the actual price changes in numbers.
zipper utility with front pouch ’07 ish $24.50 now $34.50 29% increase
large utility was $25 now $34.50 28% increase
Canteen utility was $20.50 now $30 32% increase
univer. mag was $17.50 now $26 33% increase
only one that has changed much at all in design
So in almost 7 years, they’ve raised their prices nominally?
Let that sink in.
30% or so is not nominal, you lost this battle, let that sink in.
Pretty sure SSD won that one. Of all the place you compared TT to the only one that can compare in terms of manufacturing local (USA) and actually being in business is TAG, and TAG has known QC issues and does nothing in the way of innovating new designs.
Try comparing TT to the real giants; LBT, BFG, Crye, etc. TT strikes a great balance of quality kit and pricing.
TAG is owned by a non-profit organization. Even with TT’s buying power, materials costs have risen and sources have shrunk. Additionally, the cost of living now is higher than it’s ever been. Holding price year after year is almost impossible, because the cost of raw goods goes up every year, without fail. I’ve been in the industry about ten years, and in purchasing for two. The only way to affect that increase is to buy in bulk, which TT is already doing; they typically have about a million dollars of raw goods in stock to meet demand. As a competitor of theirs, I’m impressed that they have held the line on prices as long as they have. their systems are pretty damn efficient for a sewn goods manufacturer.
Believe it or not sewing is actually a skilled trade, you wouldn’t want some hack working on your plumbing or fixing the brakes on your car. Why would you want a piece of gear you rely on in combat made on the cheap?
x2
I’d rather pay the slightly higher price and be sure of the background and quality, than try to save a buck and regret the purchase after product failure.
This is a pricing perception as compared to what like or equal? I would love to hear this from Zach himself, Zach, please send me mail at gw@tacticaltailor.com. I am the pricing demon. Based on your willingness to talk about our pricing structure here, I hope that you will contact me so that I can explain the facts as they pertain to this American Companies’ mission and manufacturing realities.
Consumers have the right to buy the product that they feel gives them the best product for the money. Many people arms themselves with Highpoint Pistols, and there are some that buy the best semi auto that they can find. As long as the consumers expectation on performance meets with the price of the piece, there is harmony. that’s why Highpoint and STI both have a viable business.
I love this kind of conversation, thanks SSD for a venue to illuminate issues that we may not talk about otherwise.
I’m a fan of Tactical Tailor. In mid-November last year I contacted them for a custom pouch. They produced exactly what I asked for. The price was more than reasonable and they got it to me before Christmas. That’s top notch customer service. Obviously other places make quality gear as well, but not too many are still willing to do the “one of” work like that. My hats off to the TT Team.
Zach sent me an email, we have had meaningful dialog.
Please share.
Might I suggest we make this less about Zach (who remains entitled to his opinion)…and more about the original post?
GW has given me a very detailed email on pricing background. He is a very tactful professional. I love their kit and know that few companies compare regardless of where the production is done. Even at the current pricing you are getting a great deal, that I never denied. I was simply concerned about the increases and reasons for them. I had no intention of upseting or offending anyone.
And you didn’t Zach. You engaged in a meaningful discussion with the information you had available. Nothing wrong with that…
It’s how we LEARN things. We discuss, not insult.