I shopped for new Swedish goggles last week for the upcoming summer outdoor and OWS. Amazon had higher-than-usual prices, swimoutlet.com was out, and other outlets were out or had very limited quantities and colors. I have NEVER seen this situation: those goggles have been cheap and plentiful everywhere for decades.
As I worry about the end of my favorite brand, and have ordered cheaper clones, I ask if anyone has seen or heard anything about this.
I know that there are quite a few clones and brands that have tweaked the original design. I also know that brands like Roka, Head, Jaked, and others also radical mark-up the prices ($17 for the EXACT goggle made by the same mold in the same plant as the $2.95 Sporti and Rise versions).
Did Malmsten finally decide to bail out? Is their patent expired? What’s the story?
As I worry about the end of my favorite brand, and have ordered cheaper clones, I ask if anyone has seen or heard anything about this.
I know that there are quite a few clones and brands that have tweaked the original design. I also know that brands like Roka, Head, Jaked, and others also radical mark-up the prices ($17 for the EXACT goggle made by the same mold in the same plant as the $2.95 Sporti and Rise versions).
Did Malmsten finally decide to bail out? Is their patent expired? What’s the story?