dinog3

Whew! It seems like i have stirred the pot a bit. Ok i want to be crystal clear on this one. No where in my post did i ever mention that the wings container was unsafe, or did i say that the wings container would fail. If anyones rig was unsafe to jump it would not have a TSO. The fact is there are differences in production costs that dictate the price of the harness container system. That is what i was trying to convey to Pilot Dave by presenting fact. In no way is presenting fact, slandering or slamming another manufacturer. Anyone who knows me or has dealt with me or my company knows i have never talked another product down including my friends at Relative and Sunpath. Pointing out factual differences is not poor selling techniques. One more thing to be clear on as well is the container working 100% of the time. The point is the container system has to work 100% of the time and people seem to shop for the cheapest container when they will spend more on a main which has a higher rate of malfunction. Once again, when the ____ hits the fan i feel more comfortable knowing i spent the extra money for a higher quality product.

No, not less safe. They have a TSO process like we all do. But the fact is that they use less stitching in the rig. My point is that there are reasons why some products are more expensive than others. JT

Well Dave, all personal opinions aside, as one example of Mirage vs a wings container. The wings has a stitch count of 5 per inch where Mirage has 12 per inch. Also Mirage uses a 40lb reserve spring where wings uses a 25lb. Seems there is more cost in manufacturing which would make the rig more expensive. The fact is we use more flaps, more cordura, more stitching, more parts, higher quality hardware, stronger stiffening plastics, secured cable housings topped with cast stainless end fittings as opposed to the wings. And i do not mean any disrespect to Henry or any of his people. Beleive it or not, profit margins are less than you think in this industry and we don't come up with the price of our rig because we want to gouge the skydiving public. The pricing is based on us being able to purchase the higher quality of materials, and keep a profit margin that allows us to keep the doors open. Could we offer rigs for cheap? Sure we could but at what cost? And to who? Would you feel comfortable jumping your Vector which is a great rig knowing that they lessened their stitch count or removed your secondary riser covers so the rig could be less expensive especially when the container system has to work 100% of the time? Well i guess you would make that decision for yourself. If you are ever in Deland and would like to get a tour here, you might have a better idea on what i mean. Oh yes and last time i checked the ODyssey was 1899 and the V-3 was 1716 + options. TheG-4 1849 and G-3 1649 + options. JT

Hello, some of our customers have taken advantage of our gear financing program. Maybe you should try also. Call me at Mirage Systems and I can get you pre-qualified. Justin@miragesys.com

Hello Darcy, If you need any help or questions answered, please call me at 386-740-9222 or e-mail at justin@miragesys.com. Thank you. JT

***no disrespect intended, but it's in no more bad taste than having a currently running mirage ad featuring john matthews flying on it. he hasn't jumped since his accident in november of 2000....(sorry justin) Hey Arlo, believe me there is no offense taken here. The photo is spectacular and the fact that John is injured does not take away from him endorsing our product when he was still jumping. And we do not see anything wrong with displaying him in all of his glory in an ad. We also think it is good to remember someone who was a great sponsored jumper and extremely talented athlete that still has value. We give him the utmost respect. JT

To all, we are putting the finishing touches on the site and it will be done very soon. You know us, fit and finish are very important. We want to make sure it reflects our quality and workmanship. JT

How about when you fly in a commercial airliner and you keep looking at your wrist to check your altitude and you remove you seatbelt at what feels like 1000 feet. JT

***Wings offers the same service. I think it kind of sucks. Let's say I order a rig with a est. delivery time of 8 weeks over another company who is 12 weeks. Delivery time between these two manufacturers is the deciding factor in this case. I have no use for it before 8 weeks because my DZ is down for the winter. Now just when they get ready to start cutting my rig(mabey the container is built but not the harness), they get a bunch of orders for RUSH delivery. Next thing it is 14 weeks because I get knocked out of line. I should not have to pay for rush service just to keep my place in the line. Rush service should be on the manufacturers time(strictly overtime), not on my time(waiting) Should I be penalized just because someone is willing to pay more to cut in line? I totally agree with your statement. I now have the job that Bill had here at Mirage. If you read the part it being very expensive, it generally deters people because we also have short delivery time. I heard that Wings will do a rush for 150.00 which is cheap and more people take advantage of it but it pushes everyone elses order back. By having quick delivery times and an expensive rush price, it keeps evryone happy. JT

QuoteMore questions.....will there be a registration fee? Will there be a special rate on jumps? reply] Yes, one on one coaching jumps with Nathan will be 24.00 for both slots and his fee of 30.00 which is a good deal for world class coaching. If anyone has questions, they can contact me at justin@miragesys.com

I beleive I talked to you on the phone this week about a container system. Although the Icon is a good deal for the money it is still made in South Africa and Aerodyne can only make some repairs on the container in the US. Any major repairs have to be done in South Africa. They cannot beat the delivery time and service we can at Mirage. JT

I wanted to let you know Mirage is running 4-5 weeks. JT

A line was caught under a main container groomet couple of years ago, if I recall correctly. There was an article in Skydiving Magazine about it. Anyone remembers more? No, that was a Reflex

Actually Sunpath has a predetermined harness size such as a C-19. When they dermine measurements, they match the predetermined harness size with the customer. It is a good system for them and is efficient. Our system here at Mirage takes longer and maybe is not as efficient, but we take the time to size each harness individually like getting fitted for a nice suit. We feel the end result is much better. JT

I wanted to comment about the mesh vs meshless pilot chute as well. I read Bill's post and he definately explains why his design works. The problem is that the PC has to inflate through the hole in the bottom which takes longer and when it inflates because of the design, air cannot spill off the sides and exits back through the opening which causes partial collapse as well. A mesh pilot chute will not do this. JT