[Hancha Group]

Dear FT86ers,

Over the last few days, there was a series of incidents where I, Earl (earlqhan), overstepped my bounds and put my nose where it didn't belong. This matter has really been gnawing away at me. In my over eagerness to defend our engineering principles, I unintentionally sparked a wild and raucous argument. It caused other vendors to become involved, and to the vendors involved, I apologize. I really am embarrassed that this happened. It raised questions about other vendors' products and their design, engineering, and manufacturing, when I was never questioning that in the first place. I feel I unknowingly and unintentionally slighted them. For that I apologize as well. In defending our product designs, I may have come across as elitist and trying to make our product seem superior and others inferior, and so for that I apologize as well.

My intention was to help inform consumers. We, as manufacturers, have to make compromises each time we create a product, based on our niche market. Hancha has chosen to try and be on the cutting edge. Does this make our products better? No, our products will always be in uncharted territory, meaning there is more risk involved. This is why I wanted so badly to defend our engineering principles, to put potential consumers' minds at ease. That I have thought out details that most consumers never even question. However, our product is outside the reach of the average consumer's budget. I'm sorry our products are not meant for the average user and that some may never get to see our designs and quality, but this is how we have to price our products to survive.

Now does this mean our products are better than other manufacturers? Does it mean product from Brand A through Brand X are less valid? No, absolutely not. I want consumers to buy the product that they are most comfortable with. Whether that decision is based on outright performance or lowest price or somewhere in between. There is no such thing as a perfect product, if there was, we'd all be making the same thing. We, as manufacturers, all make compromises based on our intended market. We have chosen to sacrifice cost and durability, to create a lighter and stiffer part. Others may chose to sacrifice ease of adjustment for cost, or weight for strength, or stiffness for durability. I do not know, nor do I claim to know how manufacturers make their decisions. Just know, there is a reason behind the decisions we make: to try and earn your business.

I want to tell you that I'm sorry for my behavior and if you felt it compromised my integrity. I hope to one day earn your trust and hopefully, your business. My goal here is to help inform consumers so they understand what goes into manufacturing a product so they can better make purchasing decisions. Armed with information, you can demand a better product from us, the manufacturers.

Sincerely,

Earl Han
President