What he said. To a point at least. I think adding a small aux fuse panel to a Centech makes it a doubly nice setup. But there are legitimate reasons the Painless costs more.
So here I go, putting on my politician's hat to make them all sound good!%)
But no matter what, here are a few things off the top of my head that I think make the Painless justifiably more expensive.
1. Ford colored wires (lower volume costs more)
2. TXL wire (smaller and lighter costs more) (more on this below)
3. Bigger/Better fuse box (weather resistant and more circuits costs more)
4. Glove box included
5. More complete parts supply than in most cases (more parts cost more)
6. Very complete instruction book (Eric's labor costs more;D)
7. More circuit options within the stock purview (such as the different alternator options included)
8. More additional add-on circuits (way more in some cases)
9. Even includes a block-off plate to cover the firewall holes left by the old '70 and earlier harness plugs (a nice bonus you don't have to come up with on your own)
10. Manufacturer with wider "traditional" distribution. (Bingo!)
That last alone is practically a reason for higher pricing all on it's own. The other companies sell in 1-step (direct to consumer) or 2-step distribution (retailer/jobber - consumer) while Painless sells in traditional 3-step manner (warehouse/distributor - retailer/jobber - consumer) with price controls that dictate that direct customers do not give it away at fire sale pricing (thereby underselling their own potential customers) and bypassing the network. More people might get a smaller cut, but it still adds up.
It just costs more to do business that way, but if you've got a good product that people like and want, those people will still buy at the higher price. I would.
Painless knows that too, which is probably why they include more premium upselling items already in the box than most of the others.
But the price and options are also why we sell four different brands with multiple choices each! They're all good, and any given one might have features/options/capabilities/looks that just appeal more to a given person. Whether the end-user or, if different, an installer.
The advantage to the smaller TXL wiring is the size helping keep the bundles smaller. But that advantage kind of goes down the tube when it comes to the printing on it being so small you need a magnifying glass to read it! However, to some that smaller size bundle is an installation benefit and selling point all it's own. Trade-off then, but can go either way.
I happen to love the Centech fuse panel myself, but it's definitely got the fewest circuits, the least weather resistance and can be the most finicky to install.
It just looks so cool in an EB glovebox!
Paul
