So I am in farm and ranch country and try to market PCPs at a local level more than online. I've lost track of how many people have walked away from buying a PCP because they think their shop air compressor should be able to fill it. This is without a doubt the biggest problem I've had. They all describe how big their compressor is and I show them the proper compressor for the job. I explain its a PSI thing. Their shop compressor likely won't be able to exceed 175-200 psi and they just can't wrap their head around that.
As a dealer I want tell you the biggest hurdle people have with PCP's
- Thread starter Cody01
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It's a shame they don't make shoebox compressors anymore. Then you could simply say - yeah you should use that good shop compressor and you need this device to convert it from high flow / low pressure to low flow / high pressure.
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I hear ya. Every time I tell someone how much pressure these guns hold, their eyes bug out of their heads.
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Nice! I bet they look like your profile picture lol. I honestly get the same react or they look at me like I'm crazy.
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Yup, you can have large storage with a huge tank shop compressor but, it will only put out so much PSI.
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I hear ya and sympathize. Consumers struggle with having two important "things" IE: PSI and CFM tied to the same product.
Esp. significant when the pressure levels we routinely use are virtually unknown outside the world of scuba and bottled industrial/medical gas. It is a whole nother world versus shop air compressors.
Esp. significant when the pressure levels we routinely use are virtually unknown outside the world of scuba and bottled industrial/medical gas. It is a whole nother world versus shop air compressors.
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You'd think people with shop compressors would understand pressure as tire, paint sprayers, and several other tools require carefully controlled pressures. Or the proliferation or paintball. "Just like a paintball "nitrogen" tank.
Refer them to Amazon... What's another 160-250 if you're willing to invest so much in a PCP and glass for it.
Refer them to Amazon... What's another 160-250 if you're willing to invest so much in a PCP and glass for it.
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There is a business opportunity for you ... sell them smaller to mid size air bottles, and you fill for them per yearly membership prices ?
My very first year with PCP back in time I was visiting my dive shop 20 minutes away like every week, costed me $50 a year per bottle.
My very first year with PCP back in time I was visiting my dive shop 20 minutes away like every week, costed me $50 a year per bottle.
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It’s actually the pressure these guns hold that’s the turn off for the people I know that have asked about them. I got caught with my gun sitting on its bipod on the dining room table when the cable guy showed up with a new modem. He said what the heck is that. I just said pellet gun. He asked how much does that bottle hold. I hit him with bar because I’m not a PSI guy. He looked confused so I told him the PSI. He said F that.
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While air is definitely one turn-off, my experience is that the initial cost of a decent rifle is too much for most.
Adding to that, the air source and scope, and they run away like they're hair is on fire.
mike
Adding to that, the air source and scope, and they run away like they're hair is on fire.
mike
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I think the problem is more likely the cost of supplying air.
I don’t care what your budget is, supplying air is a far more expensive venture than anyone expects when investigating or buying a PCP.
Say you buy a $1,000.00 PCP. Great!! Joy Joy Joy!!! Happy happy day. What? An air bottle costs how much? Holy #@^*+ are you kidding me? Then it costs about $10.00 to fill it?
You have just turned a $1K air gun into almost $2K investment.
I know when I bought my first I was sooooo happy. Then the reality of supplying air hit. Thankfully it was within my means to buy a 98 cf bottle and I now have two of them, but if you are on a tighter budget that air tank is a deal killer.
Any sensible person can deduct that the working pressures might sound high but there are literally thousands and thousands of these bottles and they are not blowing up and taking out households.
The cost? Think back to your first PCP gun and tell me the cost of that first tank didn’t set you back on your heels a bit.
I don’t care what your budget is, supplying air is a far more expensive venture than anyone expects when investigating or buying a PCP.
Say you buy a $1,000.00 PCP. Great!! Joy Joy Joy!!! Happy happy day. What? An air bottle costs how much? Holy #@^*+ are you kidding me? Then it costs about $10.00 to fill it?
You have just turned a $1K air gun into almost $2K investment.
I know when I bought my first I was sooooo happy. Then the reality of supplying air hit. Thankfully it was within my means to buy a 98 cf bottle and I now have two of them, but if you are on a tighter budget that air tank is a deal killer.
Any sensible person can deduct that the working pressures might sound high but there are literally thousands and thousands of these bottles and they are not blowing up and taking out households.
The cost? Think back to your first PCP gun and tell me the cost of that first tank didn’t set you back on your heels a bit.
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.22l cf bottle cost me less than 100$ plus an 80$ drop block a little over half the price i got for my notos.. not everyone’s 1st pcp gun has to be $1000 dollar gun that requires a 500$ tank. i think tanks a convenience, not so much a requirement. many people still love their oem tube tanks. if i wasn’t so lazy i’d put the tube back on my notos and set the cf bottle as a portable quick charge tank.
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Our local store in Colville WA sells (well) used in cert scba and has a decent enough compressor to fill a single Large 6,000psi tank and sure enough has a but one here get ??? fills. Also had a new tiny little compressor and a larger maybe $1,000 compressor as well as 1-2 on commission units.
Dont know if you are that much of a store front or that available to your customer base . ecause air is easy to get here it seems many do get hooked on the new .510 rigs & such and once your hooked (and purchased all the gizzoms, reg... - or paid to have it done here-) you are too far gone and WILL buy that high QC compressor. Why and then why not buy just a few more pcp's since your all set up. Then your brothetin law who thinks your crazy stops by and shoots then thinks maybe he will buy one and on and on.
Does a take a bit of time.
John
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Perhaps you should show them a hand pump. Tell them it's like filling a bicycle tire.
Honestly, though, I think a lot of prospective customers would benefit from being presented something that can be filled with a hand pump at first. A 2 or 3K PSI tube reservoir with a volume of 250cc isn't a terrible chore to fill manually. The cost of the pump at $100 or less makes the whole thing a little easier to swallow.
I realize also that in order to get a shooter to spend money on an airgun, the tendency is to go for big power so they don't feel like they're giving up much by diverting funds from their powder burning budgets. That usually goes hand in hand with large bottle fed airguns that almost beg to be filled with a relatively expensive compressor. I should think, however, out in farm and ranch country the case could be made for less powerful and noisy airguns for eliminating smaller pests and game. These could keep costs down, allowing someone to dip their toe in the water. From there, they might blossom into a full on raging lunatic airgunner like the rest of us around here.
But they have to start somewhere and that might be a smaller is better approach. Just my $0.02...
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I offer hand pumps for $75. I've only ever sold 3 of them.Perhaps you should show them a hand pump. Tell them it's like filling a bicycle tire.
Honestly, though, I think a lot of prospective customers would benefit from being presented something that can be filled with a hand pump at first. A 2 or 3K PSI tube reservoir with a volume of 250cc isn't a terrible chore to fill manually. The cost of the pump at $100 or less makes the whole thing a little easier to swallow.
I realize also that in order to get a shooter to spend money on an airgun, the tendency is to go for big power so they don't feel like they're giving up much by diverting funds from their powder burning budgets. That usually goes hand in hand with large bottle fed airguns that almost beg to be filled with a relatively expensive compressor. I should think, however, out in farm and ranch country the case could be made for less powerful and noisy airguns for eliminating smaller pests and game. These could keep costs down, allowing someone to dip their toe in the water. From there, they might blossom into a full on raging lunatic airgunner like the rest of us around here.
But they have to start somewhere and that might be a smaller is better approach. Just my $0.02...
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Hand pumping isn't for everyone, you need to be in good physical shape.... When that criteria is met, then boredom sets in. LOL
I own a compressor and save my energy for sports!
I own a compressor and save my energy for sports!
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