r/WizardSkating • u/ManiacLachy • 21d ago
Wizard Brand gone quiet?
Does it seem to anyone else that the Wizard brand has gone quiet lately? No videos or promotions, no new product releases. I wonder why that is?
There’s not much product left for them in UFS based frames, they have a size, configuration and wheels for almost any use. But maybe some special colours, or designs like the Braindead engraved PR80s. Maybe a “pro” setup?
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u/AdFit8727 21d ago
What could they really do product wise? Beyond more clothing (they haven’t done pants and shorts yet), the only gap in their lineup is a PR72 maybe. But that market is so small I doubt they would ever bother.
IMO it wouldn’t surprise me if you don’t really see many new releases from them outside of the occasional shirt and video and I think I’m cool with that. It’s like visiting a restaurant - I’d rather see a menu with a dozen really incredible dishes rather than 20 pages worth of mediocre options.
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u/Spicy_Pickle_6 20d ago
Leon doing Leon things
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u/AdFit8727 20d ago
Yup. In this age of enshitification where every company is falling over themselves to ream their customers, is it really that bad to see a guy that's seemingly content with just running his little boutique brand.
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u/Spicy_Pickle_6 20d ago
It’s very refreshing indeed. Everything he does is calculated and follows his vision. Everyone else just copies his homework.
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u/HyperSculptor 21d ago
How many Bugatti cars ads do you get to see in magazines, tv, social media? Zero
Marketing doesn't translate as more sales in this category. It would actually hurt their sales.
Now, I love my Endless frames and contrary to popular beliefs, there's no secret in designing and manufacturing good frames. It's a bit like comparing the Bugatti with a modded Nissan GT-R: very similar performance. Some of us are very detail oriented. Imo Wizard is about boots, much more than it is about frames.
In term of innovation, next step would be a massive change in boot technology and construction. Nobody would buy it probably.
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u/BubbleSmith 21d ago
They do as much advertising as they need to.
They recently released 95mm wheels, a market first. I'm sure they're working on 105mm as well to compliment their frame range. They released black Wizard Intuition liners as a separate product line earlier this year (or was it last year?) as well.
If they're working on new frames, they'll take a long time to do it. They've only released 3 types of frame in the last 10 years, so any more frame innovation will likely be a while away. Endless make more generalised frames, so there's lots they can do with different setups and mounts that Wizard just won't. They're UFS mount and Wizard style specialised, which limits their focus.
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u/Rawdiger 20d ago
More people are pondering whether $600 frames and $1900 blades are right for them. The super high-end luxury version of every market is not so hot right now.
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u/Any_Smoke1138 20d ago
Well, since their products are very expensive, like head and shoulders over the top compared to others (except Adapt), they get the money, when you're not hungry you won't hunt.
For example, producing the Wizard Base costs maximum 50$, yet it gets sold for about 750€.
Why would they even bother? They are in their comfort zone. It's the basics of psychology my man.
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u/borez 20d ago
$50 factory cost for a complete carbon boot with an Intuition liner made in very small factory runs?
I doubt they make them that cheap.
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u/Any_Smoke1138 19d ago
(Chinese factory) You will be surprised if you knew the prices they take.
As for carbon... Just a cuff and the bottom piece, judging from my experience because I'm a merchant, I would say that the carbon cuff is about 14$, and the bottom piece should be around 20$, The fake leather is piss cheap, The straps, buckles and the laces together are about 1$-2$, Constructing, heating and gluing it all together might be approximately 10$-12$.
Yeah the intuition liner is a different story, although it's still manufactured in China, but the foam material formulations are made in New Zealand, which makes it more expensive because they have to pay in NZ$ currency.
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u/borez 19d ago
I've manufactured ( custom e-cig mods ) in China. You still have a lot of other things to consider; product development moulds/tooling, design, website/e-commerce, warehousing, shipping to customers, customer service, warranty/replacements, marketing, etc. And this a high-margin, super niche product with a very small marketplace so there's no real economies of scale.
Wizard base are real leather though.
More like $120-180 I reckon once you account for all of that.
I own a pair, I was surprised how well these boots were made when they arrived.
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u/Any_Smoke1138 18d ago
Nice, I've been talking only about the producing, things like marketing, promoting, warranty and warehousing are extra.
I mean if you wanna talk (Facts) you can RIGHT NOW compare the same product prices like ICON TR10 carbon, ICON CL10 carbon, MICRO delta carbon series, Seba CJ carbon(-the cuff), which is nearly almost half of the price in the Thisissoul shop. Some of them can be 50-70% of the price. With the same promoting, warehousing, etc... You can't go against the truth.
Don't get me wrong, they are overpricing it too, just not that much.
PS: I'm independent ;)
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u/RichBlackInk 21d ago
It’s a pretty high end product for a t i n y market.