What's the reason for this? Is it because they're making most of their money selling to kids that don't really want to build chutes? As far as I can tell, they're only company that includes plastic chutes already prebuilt, am I right on that?
Just Curious Why Estes Pre-builds ALL Their Chutes
- Thread starter markschnell
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Assembling parachutes is the second worst thing about building model rockets.
The worst is sanding.
The worst is sanding.
shockie
High Plains Rocketeer
I wish they would use thin mil rip stop PRINTED pre-made chutes on some of their more expensive rockets.
That skull and cross bones chute is neat on the new Der Red Max
That skull and cross bones chute is neat on the new Der Red Max
I would say that their labour costs are so low it just makes sense to have them pre-assembled. Prolly adds almost nothing to the manufacturing cost of the kit.
I don't especially *mind* assembling my own chutes, but there's certainly nothing enjoyable about it. I do appreciate, though, the ability to make sure everything is done carefully by doing it myself.
I feel like the shroud lines on the Estes kits are cheap. That being said, I don't remember every having one break on me.
I'd like to a video clip of the machine that puts them together.
It can not be cost effective to have each one done by human hands!
It can not be cost effective to have each one done by human hands!
I dunno. Sanding is like knitting. I don't know why my paternal grandmother did it but I REALLY liked the knitted "footies" she made for me and the rest of the family for years before she passed.
(Besides being able to cook up a storm like 1st Gen Italian grandmothers could do!)
Look at sanding as working up to a crackerjack paint job until one realizes the fins especially are going to get dinged to no end being dragged across a plowed cornfield in wind! ;-) Then....... Adjust one's habits accordingly.
Kurt Savegnago
I'm not sure about that. I've been to China and seen 10 year old children making shirts and then selling them for 5 Yuan (about a dollar).
Pre-assembled ‘chutes have been in Estes kits since the late 1990s (even before kit manufacturing moved off shore generally). I expect it was done to make the models easier to build. Remember the hobby was created as a youth activity, even though many of us who were in the hobby as youths are now have grey hair.
I’m with kuririn that assembling ‘chutes is not my favorite part of the build, even though I appreciate neil_w’s comment about being sure it’s done correctly.
The current shroud line material (current patterned ‘chutes - after about 2013) is strong and doesn’t burn through readily (unlike some earlier versions tended to).
I like that they are done this way.
I’m with kuririn that assembling ‘chutes is not my favorite part of the build, even though I appreciate neil_w’s comment about being sure it’s done correctly.
The current shroud line material (current patterned ‘chutes - after about 2013) is strong and doesn’t burn through readily (unlike some earlier versions tended to).
I like that they are done this way.
I fixed the first problem by using nylon chutes that come preassembled.
"I would say that their labour costs are so low it just makes sense to have them pre-assembled. Prolly adds almost nothing to the manufacturing cost of the kit."
That's the advantage of cheap Chinese labor. But there are cheaper places in Asia to have them assembled, like Malaysia, if Estes chose to take advantage of that.
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shockie
High Plains Rocketeer
cheap Chinese labor is going to be the death of America yet.......I fixed the first problem by using nylon chutes that come preassembled.
"I would say that their labour costs are so low it just makes sense to have them pre-assembled. Prolly adds almost nothing to the manufacturing cost of the kit."
That's the advantage of cheap Chinese labor. But there are cheaper places in Asia to have them assembled, like Malaysia, if Estes chose to take advantage of that.
