The Cost of Quality.
At $35, some may consider our belts to be expensive. Rather than expecting our customers to accept that, we are going to get into the nitty-gritty and explain what goes into our belt pricing.
Before we jump into this head first, we want to share some interesting statistics.
- 70% of the clothing Americans bought in 1980 was made in the United States, whereas now it's about 2 percent. (In 1960 98% of our clothing was made in the U.S.)
- In 1960 10% of an average American's gross income went towards clothes, in 2017 that number was down to 3%.
- In 2016 the labor cost to manufacture a pair of jeans in Bangladesh was $1.80/hr. In America, it was $25.00/hr.
First things first, our goal is to make quality products that will last a lifetime. We get tired of hearing the phrase "they don't make things like they used to!" Our belt is designed to withstand everyday rigors for up to 30 years. We accomplish this by using the highest quality materials, entirely sourced from the USA.
At GRIP6 we have an amazing team of engineers that design and build a lot of the machines that make our belts. A key component of making a product that is designed to last 30 years is running exhaustive quality control checks on all of our products. Nothing leaves our shop without being individually checked for any faults, or defects.
It's challenging to make a product that will last a lifetime without being able to oversee its production. That's why we decided to make our belts in the USA. Not only are we able to maintain high production standards, but we are able to give back to the employees that make our products. We're a small business, but that doesn't mean we don't take care of our own. We pay competitive wages, offer health and dental insurance, and we are constantly ensuring that they have a safe work environment.
Speaking of the environment, we do all we can to utilize as much post-consumer product as possible. That includes everything from recycled paper packaging to soy-based inks for our dealer catalogs. There isn't a governing body that requires us to meet these standards. We set them ourselves and we do them because it's the right thing to do. They cost a little more money than using virgin materials but the long-term costs are too significant to ignore.
Every product at GRIP6 is backed by an unlimited lifetime guarantee. We refer to this is our A3 Guarandamntee. The A3 stands for Any Time, Any Reason, Any Condition. Whether you just don't like it or it was shredded while you were fighting off a bear (looking at you Leonardo DiCaprio) we'll take it back like a prodigal son.
Moral of the story?
Our craftsmanship is on trial with every belt we produce. We are responsible for making sure your belt works better and lasts longer than any other belt you've worn, and we do everything we can to ensure it will.
When you buy one of our belts you're not getting just a belt. You are getting our word that we have done everything we can to make this the finest, most functional belt you have ever owned. You are getting a promise from us that if your belt ever does fail, we will replace it, no questions asked. You are getting hours of research, design, and testing, along with our commitment that we will continue to responsibly produce quality products, right here in our own backyard.
96 comments
Timothy Vaughn
Worth every penny. Gladly pay a little extra for quality and made in America.
Tim
Love the idea and would love to use one, but shipping etc for overseas makes it even more expensive. Are there any plans to expand into the UK market?
Chris Haile
I have seven of your belts and buckles. They are a quality item and are worth every penny. So long to Leather belts If you don’t have a Grop6 product, why not? Too pricy you say? Stay out of Starbucks for a bit and save up a few scheckles and get one of these belts. You won’t be disappointed!
FRank
Do you make a buckle with the Vietnam Sevice Ribbon ?
Dan Carroll
I love your belts. I love your ethics even more. Your business is a throwback. Reminds me of an incident years ago when LL Bean still was solely a Maine businesss. My dad’s colleagues gave their retiring boss a gift certificate to get a fishing canoe. At a return visit to the store months later to buy fishing gear, he mentioned to a salesperson that he was having some stability issues with his LLBean canoe. That salesperson said let’s take a look. Went to the parking lot to see the canoe and said: “We sold you the wrong canoe.” He proceeded to have this scratched up canoe replaced with a brand new canoe of a different model. A3 at its extreme. A customer for life. That’s the dedication and ethics that Grip6 is trying to emulate. In my mind you a successfully doing that. Congratulations on your success. I hope 2018 is a great year for Grip6 and it’s employees.
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