It’s Friday and this week is our third installment of our OEM Partner Series. We’ll take a look at an OEM company that FS has partnered with and the equipment they produce. Check out all American company, Shaw Concepts.
How did Shaw Concepts originate?
Shaw Concepts, LLC. started after emailing a custom gear maker (before the boom in gear markers this past year) to get a quote for a carrier I designed only to find out they wanted a thousand dollars to do it. I talked with one of the riggers at the paraloft who mentioned I could just get a sewing machine for that much and do it myself, so I did just that. I made my own carry and some other equipment and that generated interest around the barracks. So I made some gear for people around the barracks and sewed name tapes to cammies. Eventually I decided to make an Instagram page to showcase some of the work. On April 16, 2019, I started the IG page and that’s when it really started took off.
Why was the ARC series created?
The ARC Series of equipment started due to dissatisfaction with gear on the market and a belief that I could improve it. The ARC Carrier was the first product and was born from identifying some issues and missing features in other plate carriers. I created a carrier that featured solutions to the previous carriers challenges. Some of those issues were comfort, a lack of placard acceptability, maritime ditch capability, expanding plate bags and aftermarket adaptability. Other items joined the ARC suite that resolved other issues and bridged gaps in the market. The ARC Suite continues to grow today.
There are many options for private label manufacturing all around the world, how did you select FirstSpear?
I knew of FirstSpear already having used some of their equipment and during my search for a manufacturer was pleasantly surprised to discover they also offered OEM manufacturing. I was familiar with the quality of the equipment and wanted to find an OEM that would be able to offer consistent quality sewing. It also was great that FirstSpear has the FirstSpear Tubes™ as I am a fan of them and I use them in a good number of my products.
Why was made in the USA important to Shaw Concepts?
American Manufacturing is important for several reasons. The first is Berry Compliance to meet military regulations. Some may view it as an obstacle, but we believe the military should utilize American made goods as this is a supply security issue and a matter of national integrity. The second is the providing of good paying American jobs. This ties into the third reason, which is American Self Reliance. The world and especially the global market is extremely interconnected, which has left America extremely dependent on foreign goods and labor, which is a glaring security issue. This leaves us vulnerable to sabotage or simple bad luck as Shaw Concepts holds an “America First” belief and approach.
Why did you select Tubes™ as your fastener of choice for your carrier?
There are a decent amount of hardware options on the market and most of them are great at certain tasks. FirstSpear Tubes are another great option that are also unique in how they are designed and how they can be implemented. The key difference we’ve noticed is how minimal the distance is between the two items the Tube marries up. This can best be seen on cummerbunds and our RAID Pouch. Other buckles would leave a much larger gap and when it comes to gear the more real estate you can open up to be used the better.
Another aspect is the ease AND intentionality of connecting and disconnecting. Other buckles exist that can be easily disconnected but are difficult to reconnect. The impressive thing about FirstSpear Tubes is that they are designed in a way that requires intentional directional disconnection that is also easy to perform while also making it simple to reconnect one handed. There are some alternatives to FirstSpear Tubes that are more economically attractive but lack this functionality.
What sets your product apart from others on the market?
What sets Shaw Concepts products apart is a mix of personal investment in the quality of the equipment as well as unique designs introduced. Some ideas are based on a wishlist of items I wish I had at different points in Force Reconnaissance and other ideas are based on trying to make certain items more comfortable to wear or easier to use. We were the first to introduce the Tubed Hanger Pouch and have since been copied by other companies. The same goes for a good number of our other designs as well.
For more information about Shaw Concepts, check out: shaw-concepts.com
For more information about FirstSpear and OEMs, contact sales@first-spear.com.
