Wanna bet? did you ever use an early Ionic pole??
Read my last post very carefully & understand each word- otherwise it's pointless responding.
Yes I did use an early hiddeous dead heavy Ionics pole. I couldn't reach the top two clamps with the pole upright.
Someone I worked with sometimes also bought one of their first carbon fibre poles and I think, but I could be wrong, he paid about £2 000 for it. Regardless of the actual price, it was to me, an incredible sum of money.
That was 2002, or 2003? I can't remember exactly but I'm certain Gardiners wasn't around then.
Anyway, the thing that the Chinese are incredibly good at is taking a product, copying it to an extent and then bringing out their own version that's cheaper because their costs are so much lower due to very low wages, etc.