In just about every activity known to mankind, there is the idea of prestige in material things. Big brands and big prices exist in the sporting goods industry in the same way they exist in the women's clothing industry.
Human beings tend to be name droppers. This habit shows up in all types of material related matters. A person who owns a Corvette automobile is just as pleased to tell people the kind of car he owns as he is to drive it on the highway. Some brands just carry status. This is true of price as well. People sometimes brag about the price they paid for an item. Although people respect a bargain, they are also awed to hear that someone has a $1000 dollar fishing pole or spent $100 for their bowling shoes. It is just the nature of the beast and big brands and big prices tend to go together.
A young lady once remarked that her dream was to save up enough money to buy a pair of Head Skis. When asked if she thought they would improve her skiing skills more than her present set of skis, she replied that she was not sure. "But," she said, "Everyone who is cool has Heads and they cost so much more. They must be better." This attitude sums up the attitude of many people about big brands and big prices. People associate higher price with a better product and many higher priced brands carry a "name value" that is totally unrelated to quality.
Well, to argue that "name value" and quality are not related is not entirely accurate. It may be true that you are going to be paying a little extra for the name on your equipment, but somewhere along the way, the name value was earned. Sports, on the whole, are result orientated. The big brands that carry the big prices did not get to their place simply by a decision by the manufacturer to charge more than anyone else. In the case of Head skis, it was countless successful skiers that made them popular with all the "cool" people in the first place.
Yet, variety is the spice of life and a boon to the sportsman, too. There is never just one brand that is going to be considered best by everyone. There will always be adherents to one or another even among the top professionals in any sport. Even in cases where one brand seems preferred by the majority, some rebels will be insisting a competing brand is better. They will, often, be producing results to back their claims.
So, don't be overly swayed by the big name brands or think the more you pay, the better the item you get. This is not a law carved on a stone tablet anywhere. The right piece of equipment is the one that works best for you and can be afforded on your own budget. Many brands have earned their popularity and their high price with proven results. You can take that into consideration, but still search, always, for what works best for you.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about sporting equipment for SportingEquipmentStores.com.
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