Pelican Isn't Pelican any more!

[Drew Bedo]

Well . . . Thats what I thought I was doing! I thought I had a made-in-America product from a top-end company of integrity.

[Noah A]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Pelican cases over the years. I'll have to check where my more recent ones were made, but they've held up fine. I don't see any soft cases on their website. That would be my first indication that, though it may be licensed, it's not really a Pelican case. I do agree that licensing your name to crappy products, regardless of where they are made, is a bad practice.

I now use a Zero Halliburton case for travel--it holds my tripod and my clothes and is checked through as baggage. I used to use a Pelican 1700 which was perfect but it looked too much like a gun case and attracted too much attention.

Zero Halliburton cases are still made in the USA, but they're not cheap.

[E. von Hoegh]

Well . . . Thats what I thought I was doing! I thought I had a made-in-America product from a top-end company of integrity.

I've found that I have to look and verify by the marking on the item itself. Most clerks are honest, but some will say anything.

[John Jarosz]

And yet, the customer support people assured me that my bag was a genuine Pelican product not some illicit boot-leg copy.

Well, then I would ask them why it's not on their website.
There is zero mention of the PCS line anywhere on their site:
Pelican site map

Something is not right, unless as you say, they are scamming on their name.

John

[Bob Salomon]

"Zero Halliburton cases are still made in the USA, but they're not cheap."

Some may be but Zero is owned by a Japanese company who uses the name Ace. Zero was sold to them 6 or 7 years ago.

Are you talking about Zero luggage or Zero equipment cases?

[Drew Bedo]

The bag I have is much like this one, but twice the size.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pelican-Soft...item45fc9286fd
I did not buy it on e-bay.



Again: The Pelican customer service people at (800)967-6492,told me that the soft-case "PCS" line are genuine Pelican products manufactured under license in Chinaê . . .then referred me to the importer, Omega. Omega customer service (the receptionist!) can be reached at: (800)777-6634.

[Noah A]

"Zero Halliburton cases are still made in the USA, but they're not cheap."

Some may be but Zero is owned by a Japanese company who uses the name Ace. Zero was sold to them 6 or 7 years ago.

Are you talking about Zero luggage or Zero equipment cases?

I'm talking about luggage. I needed a case for a tripod and clothes, not super-fragile gear. I'm aware that Zero Halliburton is a subsidiary of a Japanese company. My case, which came with a lifetime warranty by the way, was made in the USA, although that has nothing to do with my decision to purchase it. It seems that at least all of their aluminum cases are made in the states.

I had considered a Rimowa case, I thought they were all made in Germany but the Topas luggage at my local shop was clearly marked that it was made in Canada. That's not why I didn't buy it though, I just found it interesting.

Sorry, I know this is off topic but bob asked...

I don't really care where my stuff is made as long as it is made well. It's a shame that Pelican let some other outfit use their name. But my advice would be to avoid products that look vastly different from everything else listed in that comany's website or catalog. I have five of the real pelican cases, some new and some over ten years old, and I've never had any issues with them.

[falth j]

There is a newly built electrical generating plant down the road.


I had the opportunity to talk with a member of the electrical distribution company administration, and asked if they had an financial interest in the company, since it produces power for distribution in the generating plant service area.


The person replied, that “yes they did have a financial stake in the power plant“, but have since sold their interest.


Guess, who bought the majority ownership of this power plant?


Not a U.S. investor.

Not a U.S. owner,

but rather foreign interests, now own that power generating facility.


Better check around your area, and see who owns our electrical generating plants around our country.


Pretty soon we’ll have to rely on foreign owned power companies for our electricity, how do you think that will work out for us?



Now we have foreign interests buying into charter school ownership.


These for profit corporations fire or will not hire American certified teachers, but import foreign teachers that have no U.S. teacher training or certification, and who barely speak English to teach our kids with our tax dollars.


Guess again.


Those foreign “teachers” must “kick-back” 40% of their salary to the foreign owned charter school company, and the money goes to promote religious endeavors and take-over attempts of a secular countries' government.


How do you think that will work out for us, our tax dollars indirectly financing a foreign government takeover?


And, our leadership feels this is quite alright.

[JBAphoto]

No warranty against bears and 3 year old children I could understand, but this stinks - Remember that part of every cent spent on Chinese stuff goes towards their government's arms buildup and their creeping territorial aggression, now directed at islands just west of the Philippines

In Australia this is exacerbated by our government's fawning agreement to sell the best farmland to Chinese mining interests at subsidised prices

OK, a digression, but . . .

[Sevo]

Again: The Pelican customer service people at (800)967-6492,told me that the soft-case "PCS" line are genuine Pelican products manufactured under license in Chinaê . . .then referred me to the importer, Omega.

Well, I dislike the Jingoism in this thread, and don't quite see any rational reason to buy a product for being US made - it certainly is not the country I'd go to for excellent product design and manufacturing. As far as I am concerned, let them switch production to China, we'd see less flawed pieces and get them at true € rates where we currently pay at a €=$ exchange rate or worse...

The real issue is the switch of warranty and seemingly illicit product side line. Dropping a brand-building warranty on a series of moonshine products they otherwise attempt to disown to the degree of not even mentioning their existence is very ugly. And the sites with "pelican" in them that claim to officially distribute these look even worse, like a parody or a sloppily designed web fraud from the mid nineties. Overall the whole thing looks scary, almost as if Pelican was on the rocks or had been ripped apart and sold in pieces by the investment sharks - but that wouldn't really be a matter of China or not, but rather our US/European banking system at play.