| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: | July 9, 2008 |
For more information, contact:
Steve Dowden, Vice President – Sales & Marketing
e-mail: sdowden@hi-lift.com Tel.: (800) 233-2051 ext. 16
They say "imitation is the greatest form of flattery", and for years companies have tried to "flatter" the Hi-Lift Jack Company. The late Philip John Harrah invented the Hi-Lift® jack (then called the Automatic Combination Tool and Handyman®) in 1905. For over 100 years, companies have tried to copy the jack that was originated and still manufactured in tiny Bloomfield, Indiana by the same Harrah family.
"Many companies offering knock-off jacks have come and gone in the past 100 years", says Steve Dowden, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "More recently, the trend is similar to what most US manufacturers are seeing, more and more companies offering cheap, import knock-offs at low prices. There has been a recent influx of cheaply manufactured Asian jacks being private-branded for companies in our market. They try to hide the fact that they are Asian imported products by sticking their brand name on them, but there is no hiding the differences in the product." Mr. Dowden continues, "Sure, the consumer can buy the cheap knock-off jack for less money, but for a retail item that is already less than $100 – the consumer will get exactly what they paid for… a cheap product that may leave them stranded when needed. We won't ever be able to compete with cheap Asian import products on price, nor do we want to. We are set on making high-quality, dependable jacks that truly represent the reputation of quality and durability that has come to be expected from anything bearing the Hi-Lift® name."
The Hi-Lift Jack Company provides the following points as to "why a Hi-Lift® jack is better than an imported knock-off jack":