A little Kamakura anecdote... (1 Viewer)

So I needed to get my Tract Toric 10x42 repaired (it's having an issue with "focus drag" where one barrel lags behind the focus point when turning clockwise, but it focuses fine going counterclockwise)....

I reached out to Jon L at Tract, and he directed my to send my Torics in for service... when I looked at the address, I noticed it was in San Diego, so I figured I would just drop them off vs. paying for shipping.

So when I pull up in front of the repair facility, I see a truck parked in front with a big "Maven" sticker and a Maven license plate. It was early, I was not fully caffeinated, so for a moment I had a bit of cognitive dissonance as I wondered whether I had the correct brand of super high value direct-to-consumer optics :eek!:

Then, of course, I realized that both Maven and Tract are Kamakura produced, and sure enough the name on the repair shop is "Kama Tech".

Not that there is any mystery about the origins of these two brands, but just in case anyone didn't believe it....

eitanaltman said:

So I needed to get my Tract Toric 10x42 repaired (it's having an issue with "focus drag" where one barrel lags behind the focus point when turning clockwise, but it focuses fine going counterclockwise)....

I reached out to Jon L at Tract, and he directed my to send my Torics in for service... when I looked at the address, I noticed it was in San Diego, so I figured I would just drop them off vs. paying for shipping.

So when I pull up in front of the repair facility, I see a truck parked in front with a big "Maven" sticker and a Maven license plate. It was early, I was not fully caffeinated, so for a moment I had a bit of cognitive dissonance as I wondered whether I had the correct brand of super high value direct-to-consumer optics :eek!:

Then, of course, I realized that both Maven and Tract are Kamakura produced, and sure enough the name on the repair shop is "Kama Tech".

Not that there is any mystery about the origins of these two brands, but just in case anyone didn't believe it....

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I think everybody knows Tract and Maven are made by Kamakura. But that should be more than enough evidence to convince the non-believer's.:-O

Thanks for sharing and enjoy sunny San Diego. Maybe you should start your own brand and call it Laguna or La Jolla Optics?

eitanaltman said:

So I needed to get my Tract Toric 10x42 repaired (it's having an issue with "focus drag" where one barrel lags behind the focus point when turning clockwise, but it focuses fine going counterclockwise)....

I reached out to Jon L at Tract, and he directed my to send my Torics in for service... when I looked at the address, I noticed it was in San Diego, so I figured I would just drop them off vs. paying for shipping.

So when I pull up in front of the repair facility, I see a truck parked in front with a big "Maven" sticker and a Maven license plate. It was early, I was not fully caffeinated, so for a moment I had a bit of cognitive dissonance as I wondered whether I had the correct brand of super high value direct-to-consumer optics :eek!:

Then, of course, I realized that both Maven and Tract are Kamakura produced, and sure enough the name on the repair shop is "Kama Tech".

Not that there is any mystery about the origins of these two brands, but just in case anyone didn't believe it....

Click to expand...

A couple of years ago I also had a problem with a Tract Toric 10x42 set that I owned at that time, and called Kama Tech. The person at the other end, who was a member of Kamakura family (no surprise there as the four principal managers of the parent company Kamakura Koki Co. Ltd. are all Kamakura's), was not very helpful and kept asking how I got his phone number like if he managed a covert business. I hope that they treated you well and fixed your Toric.

Kamakura is B2B, they don’t sell direct to consumer. They manufacture and service binoculars from other brands. They are likely only operating as a subcontractor with the brand they support, and are not used to getting direct calls from consumers! Normally you would contact Tract, and they would be the ones communicating to Kama Tech to arrange service.

What other brands does Kamakura make? They make Vortex's too don't they?

[email protected] said:

What other brands does Kamakura make? They make Vortex's too don't they?

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And some Opticron?

To my knowledge:
Bushnell
Kite
Minox
Nikon
GPO
Zeiss Conquest
and some more

Gijs van Ginkel (that is my name, not a binocular brand)

dipped said:

And some Opticron?

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Forgot about Viking Optical for some scopes and previous/current? range binoculars.

Some Bynolyt models are probably also made by Kamakura.
Gijs van Ginkel

Gijs van Ginkel said:

To my knowledge:
Bushnell
Kite
Minox
Nikon
GPO
Zeiss Conquest
and some more

Gijs van Ginkel (that is my name, not a binocular brand)

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Hi Gijs,

If you decide to start your own brand I suggest you call it GivanGi (not to be confused with Givenchi).

Cheers, Peter

Kamakura has a longtime connection with Fujinon, mainly MIL-SPEC binoculars such as M-22.

I never realized Kamakura made ALL those brand's. Even the Zeiss Conquest! Wow! They must be huge. That is how they make knock-off North Face apparel in China. They run the real North Face stuff on the day shift and then they run the knock-off North Face stuff on the night shift on the SAME line!

Now they just make the glass, right? ....or are they actually making many of the components?

Peter, post 11,
Thank you for the sugggestion, but my first interest will probably be the making of bicycles or iceskates.

In a flyer Kamakura itself published about its history and organisation it is mentioned that a large production facility of the company is located in China also.

Gijs van Ginkel

[email protected] said:

I never realized Kamakura made ALL those brand's. Even the Zeiss Conquest! Wow! They must be huge. If you buy a Zeiss Conquest you are getting a Maven clone. Probably made on the same assembly line on a different shift. That is how they make knock-off North Face apparel in China. They run the real North Face stuff on the day shift and then they run the knock-off North Face stuff on the night shift on the SAME line!

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OK, this is news for me.
The North Face knock off Night Shift.
Dennis, please explain

Jan

jan van daalen said:

OK, this is news for me.
The North Face knock off Night Shift.
Dennis, please explain

Jan

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It is true! Research it on the internet. Some factories in China run legitimate brand's on the day shift and knock-off's on the night shift. There is a ton of knock-off's on the market especially high end brand's like North Face.

[email protected] said:

It is true! Research it on the internet. Some factories in China run legitimate brand's on the day shift and knock-off's on the night shift. There is a ton of knock-off's on the market especially high end brand's like North Face.

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I believe it. Kipling (Belgium) brand handbags are made in China. I've seen the same bags without the Kipling logo on them available straight from China.
They appear to be the very same nylon bags and I always thought it has to be the same OEM that makes the Kipling bags offering the same bags under their brand name. Kipling bags have a distinct look and the Chinese brand seems to me to be the same bags and the same styles. I really think they're coming straight out of the same factory.

[email protected] said:

It is true! Research it on the internet. Some factories in China run legitimate brand's on the day shift and knock-off's on the night shift. There is a ton of knock-off's on the market especially high end brand's like North Face.

Click to expand...

OK, bin there, done it and worn the T-shirt.
What happens over there.
Contract factories have skilled staff. They have the right equipment to make the goodies, like Gore-tex taping machines etc. They have the production lines and brands hire production time.
On business fairs the dealers worldwide order 6 months in advance the samples, shown by them by the distributors/representatives of,in this example TNF, but every brand works like this. These distributors place their order at headquarter TNF. They bundle all worldwide orders, make sure their manufacturer get the right quantity and quality material needed to make goodies and pay in advance for the production time costs. Those smart manufacturers manage to cut the material to make, for example a GTX jacket, so efficient that they have material for spare. From this they make genuine items, sold on the "grey market".
TNF hires production time. Nothing less and nothing more. After TNF, jackets (or what ever) are made for Berghaus, Mammut etc. where the same happens.
These are genuine goodies. The same as "the originals" only (hopefully) not made in contract production time

On the same fairs earlier mentioned, Chinese and other Far East people make photo's by phone of these samples and send these to their factories where production preparation start the same day and often these counterfeits arrive earlier on the market than the originals. Your so-called knock offs.

Some time ago I was on holiday in Kathmandu Nepal and in the Thamel area the outdoor shops sell TNF, Berghaus Helly Hansen etc. goodies for 50 dollar where you pay 500,00 dollar for it in Europe.
In the industrial area of Kathmandu, factories make these things. They have the original trading catalogue of every brand. You just have to point out which item you want and on demand they are made in the required quantity. and shipped to the demanded destination. Your TNF jacket will cost 20 dollar.
It is your problem how to get them through CustomsB

Is there no Night shift production? Yes, it is a 24/7 operating business but not for your so-called knockoffs.

Jan

lmans66 said:

Now they just make the glass, right? ....or are they actually making many of the components?

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They make components for binoculars, complete binoculars in the customer's brand that get disassembled at the end of the line for re-assembly in the customer's country ("made in ..."), and complete finished binoculars packaged and all.

In Scandinavia and in South-Africa they also sell Kamakura-branded binoculars (or at least did so a few years ago when I last checked).