Why are Hogue G-10 grips so expensive?
- Thread starter Kazaam
- Start date
Mrgunsngear
New member
The market makes them expensive. R&D/material costs go into it but the driving factor is that people will pay that price...
It's like looking at a M&P45 vs a S&W 1911. Sure, the 1911 costs more in labor and material, but not double. But, the market says polymer striker fired guns sell for $450-$650 and all steel name brand 1911s sell for $800-1200. Just the way it is.
It's like looking at a M&P45 vs a S&W 1911. Sure, the 1911 costs more in labor and material, but not double. But, the market says polymer striker fired guns sell for $450-$650 and all steel name brand 1911s sell for $800-1200. Just the way it is.
Oh, blah blah blah. The grips in question cost a lot, because of MARKETING strategy and product alignment. This simply means, in this context, that they are made for a relatively expensive pistol......so Hogue can probably get more for them..... so that is what they charge. If they could get $1,000,000 per set for them, then that is what they would charge.
Like most simple manufactured products these days, they probably cost less than $10.00 to make. Interestingly, gross profit margins on the SIMPLE items, such as these grips, as a percentage of the manufacturing cost, usually far exceed the margins on complex products, such as the gun they were designed to fit.
But, in any case, it comes down to marketing.
Like most simple manufactured products these days, they probably cost less than $10.00 to make. Interestingly, gross profit margins on the SIMPLE items, such as these grips, as a percentage of the manufacturing cost, usually far exceed the margins on complex products, such as the gun they were designed to fit.
But, in any case, it comes down to marketing.
thatgrittyguy
Inactive
I'm a plastics engineer, I'll throw in my 2 pennies' worth.
CAD/CAM software costs can be mostly ignored. I say this because with the same license, you can design grips for any number of guns. You don't have to buy a new software license for each design effort.
Decent injection molding dies run between $50k~$100k. In the USofA, you need to amoratize dies within 2 years. My guess is that the sales volumes are kinda low and it may boil down to a couple of bucks per set of grips to pay for the die.
The molding machine can be had for cheap. They last forever. You can likely assume pennies per part go into maintaining and running the machine.
Material cost is also pennies.
Without knowing production volumes, my guess is that they cost 100 bucks because enough people are willing to pay 100 bucks. Supply and demand.
Again, my two cents worth.
CAD/CAM software costs can be mostly ignored. I say this because with the same license, you can design grips for any number of guns. You don't have to buy a new software license for each design effort.
Decent injection molding dies run between $50k~$100k. In the USofA, you need to amoratize dies within 2 years. My guess is that the sales volumes are kinda low and it may boil down to a couple of bucks per set of grips to pay for the die.
The molding machine can be had for cheap. They last forever. You can likely assume pennies per part go into maintaining and running the machine.
Material cost is also pennies.
Without knowing production volumes, my guess is that they cost 100 bucks because enough people are willing to pay 100 bucks. Supply and demand.
Again, my two cents worth.
Economics guy here. The answer falls into three parts(really collapsing this down, please don't get too affixed on the details just using rough examples):
1)absorbtion of fixed costs: when they decided to make a grip for any firearm they have certain up front costs (regardless of which firearm) these include things such as r&d, molds, production line space (oppurtunity costs) etc that have to be overcome before they turn a profit (ex: sell 25,000 units at x$ to break even.) So they would sell alot less of these "premium" firearm grips vs. Ones say for a 92FS, or S&W.40. As a result each unit must be sold at a higher cost to absorb the fixed costs as there is less of a market for said grips.
2)Luxury(premium) goods vs. common goods <price point strategy>: they are acessories for a top of the line pistol. Production doesn't change but the consumer base is decidely price biased (multitudes of research on this) for example, you may complain about the price but how many other buyers in the same category as you would "feel comfortable" with a $20-$50 grip on their pistol? When pricing for a target market you have to think how they react to your product, even if it is the same thing they would see it as subpar just based soley on price. A great example alot of grocery items: alot of the canned/frozen storebrand goods are actually made in the same plant as say green giant etc, even go down the exact same assembly line, just get a different label slapped on them but most people pay $.30 more for "quality".
And honestly #3 (my favorite) is because they control the market and they can because they know we will still buy it anyways
*not bashing just excited to get to use my degree in relation to my favorite thing in the world*
1)absorbtion of fixed costs: when they decided to make a grip for any firearm they have certain up front costs (regardless of which firearm) these include things such as r&d, molds, production line space (oppurtunity costs) etc that have to be overcome before they turn a profit (ex: sell 25,000 units at x$ to break even.) So they would sell alot less of these "premium" firearm grips vs. Ones say for a 92FS, or S&W.40. As a result each unit must be sold at a higher cost to absorb the fixed costs as there is less of a market for said grips.
2)Luxury(premium) goods vs. common goods <price point strategy>: they are acessories for a top of the line pistol. Production doesn't change but the consumer base is decidely price biased (multitudes of research on this) for example, you may complain about the price but how many other buyers in the same category as you would "feel comfortable" with a $20-$50 grip on their pistol? When pricing for a target market you have to think how they react to your product, even if it is the same thing they would see it as subpar just based soley on price. A great example alot of grocery items: alot of the canned/frozen storebrand goods are actually made in the same plant as say green giant etc, even go down the exact same assembly line, just get a different label slapped on them but most people pay $.30 more for "quality".
And honestly #3 (my favorite) is because they control the market and they can because they know we will still buy it anyways
*not bashing just excited to get to use my degree in relation to my favorite thing in the world
*
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Rifleman1776
New member
It is called 'price point'. That is the top the market will pay for a product. If they didn't sell at the $100.00, you can betcha bippy they would be $80.00 or less.
Wondering if part of the issue is the relatively small number of sales they might expect vs. the cost of design, materials and marketing ... if they planned to sell a million pair, they might cost $20 ... if you plan to sell 500 pair, maybe the higher cost is justified. Don't know how many of that particular gun have been sold, but obviously not every owner is unhappy enough with the stock grips to swap them out .. I spent substantially less (I think $60) for a fantastic set of VZ grips for my Kimber .. I love 'em and they were worth every cent ...
I promise you, the CAD program used to make those grips did not cost 30G's. If it was a thermodynamics/fluid/pressure/hydraulic/collision program what you said, MIGHT be relevant, SLIGHTLY. 30G's might sound a lot to you, but split that 1000 ways and it's 30 bucks. They're selling ALOT more than 1000 grips a year, they're also putting out a lot more than one product a year.
Sgt Pepper
New member
Question is whether or not I can make my own with a 3D printer?