Anybody remember the August 24, 2015 Trans World Motocross article? That's when Asterisk announced the price of the New and improved Ultra Cell as $499.00. This article talked about why would you want to pay a middleman $200.00 more for their knee brace when you can just buy the braces from them saving you money. It would seem that the company reconsidered their new lower price!! The address below is where I found the article.
http://motocross.transworld.net/press-releases/asterisk-ultra-cell-knee-brace-now-499/#hEBMt8lYbpD7bDuY.97
Asterisk is excited to share the great news of a SUBSTANTIAL RETAIL PRICE REDUCTION on our knee protection systems!
Our mission, then and now…
Asterisk was founded for a reason—a reason we were, and still remain, extremely passionate about. Created in 1999, Asterisk’s focus was to supply a high-quality knee brace with functional protective features at an affordable price to consumers. In 2002, after years of design and testing, we felt we accomplished what we set out to do with the Cell knee protection system. The Cell Knee protection system was far less expensive than its predecessors and offered more protective features and adjustments than any other product, available, then or now. The beginning of our knee brace journey goes much farther back than that, though. Asterisk and the Cell™ knee protection system were founded and designed by Jim Castillo. Jim, also the founder of Innovation Sports (now Össur), designed and produced the C.Ti. knee brace back in the early 80’s. This brace revolutionized knee bracing, and quickly found its way into the sports world. Initially, people were seeking the C.Ti. knee brace to help support the knee joint from existing injuries, but it didn’t take long for them to realize that wearing these braces to help prevent injury, was a really good idea. After all, you don’t wait for a concussion to put on a helmet. This revelation created a market for preventative knee bracing. The problems were price and accessibility. The C.Ti. knee brace was a custom-fit, handmade carbon fiber devise—each one specific to its user. They were only available through medical channels such as doctors and orthotists, and the average price was in the $1,200/each range, depending on where they were purchased. The preventative knee brace market was born thanks to the success of the C.Ti. knee brace, but unfortunately they remained inaccessible to many consumers due to pricing and availability.
Fast forward to 1999… The inflating medical market and increased scrutiny and difficulty with insurance billing were making it that much more difficult and expensive to obtain a C.Ti., and thus the idea for Asterisk was born. We would design and manufacture a knee brace that was equally as good as, if not better than, the custom made knee braces. The brace was made more affordable, and was available in retail stores like most other protective equipment and gear. In 2002, under the Asterisk brand, we released the Cell™ knee protection system—a state-of-the-art, rigid and fully adjustable off-the-shelf knee brace. At a more affordable price of $549 per set (left & right), our lofty idea and years of design and testing resulted in a huge win for the consumer. The Cell™ knee protection system was a hit, and the need for quality, affordable knee bracing was filled.
image: http://motocross.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/441/files/2015/08/ultra-cell-side-600x400.jpg
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The mechanical hinge, sizing adjustment mechanism, and new full-coverage patella guard are the distinguishing factors that make the Asterisk Ultra Cell the number-one choice for knee protection.
Over the years, other companies have mimicked the Cell™ in look and feel, but failed to provide the mechanical features necessary to protect the complex knee joint. Today, these companies produce overpriced, glorified knee/shin guards that have flooded the market and dilute the design attributes that make up a true protective knee brace. They try to look the part, but lack any real feature of a ligament-supporting knee brace. At a retail cost between $700-$850, consumers are far overpaying for a set of these so-called “knee braces”. Asterisk prices have also climbed to as high as $700.00 per set in recent years, but that’s all about to change.
Asterisk still has the same mentality and the same general goal as it’s always had—produce the smartest, highest quality protection available at the most affordable price possible. We believe in our design philosophy, and are driven by our duty to share it with the sports we love in an effort to help protect the athletes and enthusiasts rather than just turn a profit. So, today we are going to make a bold move. Effective immediately, the new and improved Ultra Cell Knee Protection System will be priced at $499.99 per set!
How can we do this, you might ask? Direct to consumer sales. No more middle man.You know our products, and you know our brand. You don’t need to pay a retailer hundreds of dollars to order them for you when you have a smartphone, tablet, and/or computer right at your fingertips. Thanks to a volatile economy, dealers are less inclined to purchase and stock knee braces, which means they’ll likely need to special order them from us anyway. And even if they did have them in stock, why would a consumer want to pay an additional $200 more for our braces (or up to $350 more for other brands) when they can come straight to the source and get them delivered to their front door step as quickly as they’d like them?
Read more at http://motocross.transworld.net/press-releases/asterisk-ultra-cell-knee-brace-now-499/#pMFCrs4T3ZeVeO7I.99
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