I think cobra can build high quality in quantity but brands ask best they can do for less money that's all, buisness. I bet brands pay board to cobra less than price a small shaper pay for materials (it's like that for surfboards). For sure a custom shaper can build a far better board (i speak construction not shape) than what brands ask to cobra but in small quantity without all the commercial work for sell.
Duotone is the new commercial way, after multiply brands to speak individuality (end 90's society), boards and more group (proprietary holding) now move to build a community under one same duotone label. You want to be a cool guy ? Come in the community, you will simply find everything you need even what to think!
Same for politics.
Well I'm clearly not in their demographic or world.. lol.
on the duotone website it actually says that their custom boards achieve better strength to weight ratio than generic construction. to that point they took their custom stuff away from cobra and built a new factory. Says it all.
Select to expand quoteGestalt said..
Well I'm clearly not in their demographic or world.. lol.
on the duotone website it actually says that their custom boards achieve better strength to weight ratio than generic construction. to that point they took their custom stuff away from cobra and built a new factory. Says it all.
Not every decision to move manufacturing is about QC. We all know all the boards that flow through the facility in Thailand.
Cobra would be a third party in the mix wanting to make their own mark up so it could be a P&L issue. The Duotone business unit might have reasoned to bring production in-house to control exclusive this or that they've discovered or simply to have greater control over the timing of output so they can tinker away on their own terms. There could have been an unacceptable breach of tech between brands, bla bla bla.
I recently rode some recent Cobra custom proto wave boards and the construction felt like the ducks guts underfoot.
From what I understand the proto / team rider boards from cobra are cnc milled so would fit what duotone refer to as semi custom. They only use this for small runs.
all other boards are molded. Sometimes 2 molds are used.. one for the foam and one for after the laminate. this is done to reduce costs. So in a nutshell all the boards being mass produced by cobra are molded and that process impacts strength to weigh ratio.
sounds like you may have got the lighter custom version which are pro models.
The thing about using a third party fabricator is you are kinda locked into their way of producing products. can't say I really know why duotone started their own thing however ai says it was so they could explore advanced construction techniques and technologies..
From ai..
Duotone started their own factory to gain complete control over product quality, R&D, and manufacturing technology, specifically to maintain high standards and pioneer new, innovative materials like
SLS (Strong Light Superior) and D/LAB. By moving to their own production facilities, the brand, under the Boards & More group, aimed to:
Ensure Quality Control: By controlling the entire process, they guarantee that every product meets their strict, high-end standards.
Accelerate Innovation: Owning the factory allows them to rapidly implement new ideas, such as specialized materials, that cannot be done with third-party manufacturers.
Maintain Sustainability Standards: They can directly manage the implementation of eco-friendly materials and reduce their environmental impact through their "Concept Blue" initiative.
Develop Proprietary Techniques: The factory specializes in specific, advanced techniques needed for creating high-performance gear, such as specialized layup techniques, which the brand argues requires up to 30% more work.
Me again.. as a side note. Having seen some boards here and there being repaired that came from cobra it's usually dry spots and excess bog I see. Sometimes it's layup but there has been some very public comments from starboard about materials being blamed when it was construction issues.
With their one label and growing community, direct sale increase, they probably find to do more profit with their own production factory. They cut some in between guys and gain flexibility. They improve their buisness but they need volume so an agressive commercial way.
Select to expand quotelemat said..
With their one label and growing community, direct sale increase, they probably find to do more profit with their own production factory. They cut some in between guys and gain flexibility. They improve their buisness but they need volume so an agressive commercial way.
Definitely more profit for them.. that's a good thing if it allows them to do things better.
if I was in Europe I'd just get flikka boards. cheaper than duotone, custom and clearly fantastic designs. I've bought some of their fins and really like them.
Select to expand quoteGestalt said..lemat said..
With their one label and growing community, direct sale increase, they probably find to do more profit with their own production factory. They cut some in between guys and gain flexibility. They improve their buisness but they need volume so an agressive commercial way.
Definitely more profit for them.. that's a good thing if it allows them to do things better.
if I was in Europe I'd just get flikka boards. cheaper than duotone, custom and clearly fantastic designs. I've bought some of their fins and really like them.
And many others, puls, mojo, rico composites, pc2, cs boards, bubblecustomboards etc... many custom board builder cheaper than normal shop prices. But nobody pay normal prices always discount. Guys want to pay brand that well scored in review...paid by brand 
