ditttohead
Water systems designer, R&D
And the equipment is often not the same on either side. We BDS for many companies, and some order high end equipment, others order the cheapest components that can be sourced with no consideration for quality, only price. Most, not all local dealers have to deal with after sale issues up close and in person, so they have a better incentive to make sure components are of the highest quality. The real problem with the water treatment industry these past few years has been this strange race to the bottom, both quality and price. Look at how many more knock off valves there are from China, absolute copies of the Fleck and Clack product line including copies of the 2850, 2900, 3900, etc. No R&D, no insurance, no liability, almost no testing, no innovation, etc. Fleck just released a new valve, and the knock off companies are already sending out feelrs to see if it should be copied, truly sad that some people support this type of business. These are the same people who buy movies at the swap meet with no regard to intellectual property or the amount of work that goes into developing a new product line.