Doorknob sku#009720 vs. Doorknob model #07504

[Moonman996]

Hi everyone. New here and new to the hobby. Bought my 6 year old some rockets/accessories from Hobby Lobby but let's be honest the gift was really for me. Bought an Alpha lll starter kit ($10.49!), Baby Bertha ($4!) Olympus, Porta-Pad E and an E launch controller. I will do all the building/setup and he gets to press the launch button.

I discovered small rockets are cheap and fun to build so now I want to build a stock Doorknob and launch it on E engines for starters. The
Pro Series II Doorknob Sku:009720 sells on the Estes site for $43.99 while the Doorknob model #07504 sells on Apogee for $71.25. My question is there a difference in these two models besides the price?

ttps://estesrockets.com/products/doorknob

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Model-Rocket-Kits/Skill-Level-3-Model-Rocket-Kits/Doorknob

 

[SolarYellow]

My question is there a difference in these two models besides the price?

No. Same thing. Apogee says it's made by Estes and those are all the Estes parts. If you look at other stuff, Apogee assigns their own part number to everything they sell, even when the manufacturer has a different one. That's reasonable, as it makes the part numbers in their system consistent, whereas different manufacturers have part number systems that are all over the place in formatting.

What isn't reasonable, IMO, is Apogee charging substantially over MSRP for pretty much everything they sell that is made by someone else. They are ONLY competitive in price with their own branded products, some of which are very nice and many of which are unique and can't be gotten from any other vendor.

For the Doorknob, buy it here:
https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-9720-pro-series-doorknob-model-rocket-kit

If you stock up on motors or other kits and accessories, they have free shipping if your order total is over $100.

or here:
https://www.hobbylinc.com/estes-doorknob-model-rocket-kit-skill-level-5-9720

Both of those places sell Estes motors at nice discounts.

 

[JimByrne]

Also check out Amazon--free shipping if you are a prime member.

 

[smstachwick]

No. Same thing. Apogee says it's made by Estes and those are all the Estes parts. If you look at other stuff, Apogee assigns their own part number to everything they sell, even when the manufacturer has a different one. That's reasonable, as it makes the part numbers in their system consistent, whereas different manufacturers have part number systems that are all over the place in formatting.

What isn't reasonable, IMO, is Apogee charging substantially over MSRP for pretty much everything they sell that is made by someone else. They are ONLY competitive in price with their own branded products, some of which are very nice and many of which are unique and can't be gotten from any other vendor.

For the Doorknob, buy it here:
https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-9720-pro-series-doorknob-model-rocket-kit

If you stock up on motors or other kits and accessories, they have free shipping if your order total is over $100.

or here:
https://www.hobbylinc.com/estes-doorknob-model-rocket-kit-skill-level-5-9720

Both of those places sell Estes motors at nice discounts.

I find the wealth of product information worth the price if it helped me pick it out. I’ll likely be ordering my L1 motor from them since their site helped me select the kit.

I also suggested their Apprentice beginners’ kit to a friend who was interested in building something simple but kinda off the beaten path. My club is typically overrun with Gnomes and Alpha IIIs, this will at least look a bit different.

 

[Moonman996]

I find the wealth of product information worth the price if it helped me pick it out. I’ll likely be ordering my L1 motor from them since their site helped me select the kit.

I also suggested their Apprentice beginners’ kit to a friend who was interested in building something simple but kinda off the beaten path. My club is typically overrun with Gnomes and Alpha IIIs, this will at least look a bit different.

I agree in paying a premium as their site is full of additional information and helped me make the selection. I try to be anti Amazon.

 

[Moonman996]

Also check out Amazon--free shipping if you are a prime mem

No. Same thing. Apogee says it's made by Estes and those are all the Estes parts. If you look at other stuff, Apogee assigns their own part number to everything they sell, even when the manufacturer has a different one. That's reasonable, as it makes the part numbers in their system consistent, whereas different manufacturers have part number systems that are all over the place in formatting.

What isn't reasonable, IMO, is Apogee charging substantially over MSRP for pretty much everything they sell that is made by someone else. They are ONLY competitive in price with their own branded products, some of which are very nice and many of which are unique and can't be gotten from any other vendor.

For the Doorknob, buy it here:
https://www.acsupplyco.com/estes-9720-pro-series-doorknob-model-rocket-kit

If you stock up on motors or other kits and accessories, they have free shipping if your order total is over $100.

or here:
https://www.hobbylinc.com/estes-doorknob-model-rocket-kit-skill-level-5-9720

Both of those places sell Estes motors at nice discounts.

Thank you for confirming the products are the same and the site suggestions. I bookmarked both those sites. $30 about the competition is pretty steep. Apogee's website is a pretty amazing resource though so I expect a markup.