daved Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Would anybody know the manufacture of silicone strips.I have lots of wholesale names but need the source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 As near as I have been able to find out, just about all of them come from Viet Nam. Go to www.viet-imports.com which is linked to www.glcfishing.com and dig around and see what you can find out. Not totally sure, but I think they supply just about all the major suppliers of skirts here in the states. If you do find an outfit stateside, please post it to let us know. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daved Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Thanks for the reply.We got a bunch in china but the quality is crap & prices keep rising,worse than north america Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowMaker Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Ive looked at some of the silicone materials made in the foreign countries. For the most part it tends to be very low quality and i personally cant see using it as a component for high quality MADE IN THE USA fishing tackle. This might not be the answer you are looking for but its the best info i know to give at this time. I know Dennis Hatfield buys the silicone directly from the manufacturer on large bulk rolls and cuts the tabs "in house" on his own press. This may be as close to made in the usa as you can get. He does an excellent job cutting the material and is easy to work with when it comes to placing an order. He also carries buzz and spinner bait blades, swivels/rings, wire forms and hooks. The last time i talked to him he gave me a full run down on all the silicone materials so far as what country(s) they were made in, who purchased the materials and who distributed them. He also mentioned several other domestic suppliers of silicone materials and he didnt downgrade them or attempt to attempt to talk me out of buying from them. For the most part he shot straight honest answers to my questions so if anyone has any questions about the skirt materials he is a good source for info. Hatfield Enterprises 15627 24th Ave. PO Box 338 Marne MI. 49435 Phone: 616-677-5215 Fax: 616-677-6012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted April 26, 2007 Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 Good info Widowmaker, I learn a little more on this subject every time I visit it. I concur on everything you mentioned about Dennis Hatfield, he is a top shelf businessman and much more. In a conversation I had with him several years back, I believe he said he got his roll material from Z-man, and yes he cuts his own in his shop. Now just trying to recall a post on this subject that mentioned that Z-man received their material from Viet Nam (not totally sure on this). Another large supplier, Skirts Plus, gets all their skirts from Viet Nam and they supply some big names like Terminator for one. I think that the product that Skirts Plus provides is very good and that is why I buy from them. I have tried to ignore the fact that they are made in Viet Nam, the truth is if they were made here in the states, we couldn't afford them. I am not interested in generating a discussion on global economy as that is a whole different bucket of worms with many opinions to be shared. I did my tour in Viet Nam back in the '60's. Didn't really care for it then and do realize that it is a changed and more advanced country now somewhat due to our influence. Still not crazy about it now . . . . but! Enough of my soapbox, sorry to be so windy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Anderson Posted April 26, 2007 Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 I buy my pads from Skirts Plus and have always got good service. Their prices are great, if you don't mind dropping the $100.00 minimum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daved Posted April 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 Interesting board.Thanks for the answers.I have been mfging for almost 30 years now & our shop could do 100,000-200,000 jigs a week.Most supplies we buy direct..Funny every skirt you buy in the US over the years all looked the same & i always new there was only 1 mfg.Yes it's vietnam.I already placed an order.If anyone is interested i will probably sell off our other skirts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinyard Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 I buy mine directly from GLC fishing. I had been buying them through Barlow's but the quality and price was unbearable. The ones I have bought from GLC have been very good tabs. Like reeves said if they were made in the usa we would have to charge double for our lures just to break even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 rsinyard, help me out with this one. Just where on the GLC Fishing website do you find the skirt tabs? I have hunted all over that thing and kept coming up blank. Will they send you a color chart and price list? Is there a minimun quantity to buy? How are their prices in comparison to say Skirts Plus or Hatfields? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinyard Posted April 29, 2007 Report Share Posted April 29, 2007 reeves, Here is the link to the tabs page. http://www.glcfishing.com/sampleproducts.asp?pCateID=73. I buy mine from Charles Hymes. His email is cfhymes at gmail.com. He will send you all the info you need. Also, they can make custom tabs as well. I have 4 or 5 that they didn't carry that they are making for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WidowMaker Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 I need to locate Pumpkin w Blue Flake silicone material. Anyone ran across any lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"#1"skirts-lures Posted May 19, 2007 Report Share Posted May 19, 2007 Please allow me to clarify the skirt manufacturing situation. Essentially, there are only 3 "turn-key" silicone skirt manufacturers in the world. Z-Man, GLC Fishing, and Skirts Plus. The Chinese make some skirts, but I think all will agree that they are crap, plus the Chinese don't have the capabilty for silk screening and printing. GLC Fishing and Skirts Plus both have factories in Saigon, Vietnam. They both compound/pigment raw Dow Corning, Wacker, or GE silicone using a roller mill, then run it through an extruder into small ribbons and then compression mold the ribbons (using a 200 ton press with heated mold set) into sheets. These sheets are then silkscreened, printed, or chrome foiled, if desired and die cut into tabs that are assembed into skirts. If you go on GLCFishing.com under the Gallery section, you can find photos of the entire manufacturing process. GLC is run by two American design engineers, and has developed 4 innovative patent pending skirt designs, the EZ Skirt (which Strike King uses as their Perfect Skirt with Magic Tails, also used exclusively on the original ChatterBait), EZ Band Skirt, CapWrap Skirt, and the SilaFlash silicone holograhing process. Z-Man is the only true "Made in America" manufacturer. They compound/pigment their silicone and process it into silicone rolls via a collander which is less labor intensive. They then us an automated slitter to cut the rolled material into strands. They even have automated skirt banding machines. Thus they can afford to manufacture in America through automation. All 3 of these suppliers are virtually equal in quality and coloration versitility, However I believe that GLC Fishing has the lowest cost production. They sell millions of sheets, tabs, and skirts to the US market primarily through Z-Man, with some tabs and cut skirts sold through Skirts Unlimited (Charles Hymes, cfhymes at gmail.com). Z-Man and Skirts Unlimited can then in-turn sell at or below Skirt Plus pricing. There is one other type of silicone skirting material made in America with an automated process, the round strand material. However, this material can not be silkscreened, printed, or chromed, and it does not have as good of a pulsating action on the lure due to the different hydrodynamics. Kinda like water skiing on a round ski versus a flat ski. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CullinHogs Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Glc has got it all going on! Hey D.G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piddler Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 what about Rat Trap skirts? are they still in business? i know they were starting to get some of their stuff from Nam but i thought they made some too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
