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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

RED PRO Mattebox

Jarred Land said:
Carbon Fiber Top/Bottom Flag = 68 grams = $90
Aluminum Top/Bottom Flag = 122 grams = $40
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Not trying to bash in any way, I'm just curious.

Why is the mattebox so expensive, when carbon fiber panels can be produced relatively cheaply?
 
Michael Dearworth said:
Not trying to bash in any way, I'm just curious.

Why is the mattebox so expensive, when carbon fiber panels can be produced relatively cheaply?
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You can always make your own... :-)

Jim
 
Michael Dearworth said:
Why is the mattebox so expensive, when carbon fiber panels can be produced relatively cheaply?
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The mattebox has a lot going on - molded shape with angles, bends, curves, and corners. It also looks like there is something of a special finish on the interior of the MB to reduce reflections. Not to mention the fact that it comes with engineered filter trays, flag and rod hard points, and the lens-attachment mechanism. The price here represents the complexity of the item.

In contrast, a flag is pretty much a two-dimensional flat piece of material that has been cut to the proper size with proper mounting accoutrements - the price here represents the simplicity of the item.

--

A similar example - a piece of window glass can be had pretty cheaply. A good pair of binoculars (or a cinema lens!) is significantly more expensive because there is a lot more to it than just a flat piece of glass of the proper thickness and dimensions.

--

And if you can manage to produce an effect aluminum flag for less than $40, including cost of labor, then props to you! I can't work that quickly.
 
Received mine today.

It's about 1/3 the weight of the Redrock Micro Mattebox. And the shipping box is almost good enough to work as its case. Really well done.

For anyone asking about price, think of this as the MacBook Air of the mattebox industry. Worth every dollar if you are trying to keep your rig light and free for run & gun work. But strong enough to be the only mattebox you need -- in my opinion.

Thanks.
 
Michael Dearworth said:
Hmm, I guess that makes sense. If the market is willing to pay for it, you might as well mark it up.

Once again, not criticizing, just curious.
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Geeeeez, if you do a little research you'll find it's one of the cheapest matteboxes on the market -- yet all indications so far it's one of the most well-made available. High quality film accessories are nearly always produced in small quantities, with careful attention to detail, and built to last for a lifetime. Just like anything OConnor, Sachtler, or other top manufacturers make. In this business, you definitely pay for stellar quality ... Red just usually makes you pay less.
 
btw.. Mattebox is made right here in the good old U.S.A.

And this is real bi-directional layered carbon fiber with a custom surface texture that has with no filler.. not the cheap laminated carbon stuff you see some places. Since we dont laminate with poymers, epoxys, fiberglass etc, or use a janky clear coat, Ours does not get as brittle in the cold, nor does it turn yellow under UV/sunlight.
 
Don't feed the troll. He's either blatantly trolling or hasn't bothered to look at this objectively and/or shop around. If anyone thinks the RED mattebox is overpriced, they haven't shopped the competition yet. Sure, there are cheaper options... If you think that will work for you. Good luck with that.
 
Hey Jarred, how much are the extra attachment pieces to install the bottom flag?
 
Sorry, Jeff, I felt compelled.

img5643fl6.jpg
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Don't feed the troll. He's either blatantly trolling or hasn't bothered to look at this objectively and/or shop around. If anyone thinks the RED mattebox is overpriced, they haven't shopped the competition yet. Sure, there are cheaper options... If you think that will work for you. Good luck with that.
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Geez guys, I don't think I could have been any clearer. I was genuinely curious about what goes in to making this product. I never said this is overpriced. I don't think that it is overpriced. And no, I didn't shop around, because I'm not in the market to buy one.

I'm a beginner and my knowledge about these products is limited, so I was just trying to ask a question. Lesson learned.
 
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Michael Olsen said:
Sorry, Jeff, I felt compelled.
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LOL... It wouldn't be so funny if I had not had to do it myself. It's just one step better than taping the ND right onto the lens and I've done that too. ;)

Michael Dearworth said:
Geez guys, I don't think I could have been any clearer. I was genuinely curious about what goes in to making this product. I never said this is overpriced. I don't think that it is overpriced. And no, I didn't shop around, because I'm not in the market to buy one.
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Fair enough. The mattebox is made out of a molded carbon fiber hood. The rear filter stage and "bellows" section is machined aluminum and so are the trays and other components that offer additional structure to the system, allow you to attach flags, etc.. In addition to the materials cost, there are R&D expenses, the cost of tooling up an assembly line, the actual manufacturing process and more. It all adds up.

Some others have asked me to post a few pics or more info. I'm kinda slacking but will get to that as soon as I can.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Fair enough. The mattebox is made out of a molded carbon fiber hood. The rear filter stage and "bellows" section is machined aluminum and so are the trays and other components that offer additional structure to the system, allow you to attach flags, etc.. In addition to the materials cost, there are R&D expenses, the cost of tooling up an assembly line, the actual manufacturing process and more. It all adds up.
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Thank you very much. Sorry to cause trouble, but politeness is appreciated much more than snide comments. I've seen that problem in a couple different instances in this thread alone.
 
Michael Dearworth said:
Geez guys, I don't think I could have been any clearer. I was genuinely curious about what goes in to making this product. I never said this is overpriced. I don't think that it is overpriced. And no, I didn't shop around, because I'm not in the market to buy one.

I'm a beginner and my knowledge about these products is limited, so I was just trying to ask a question. Lesson learned.
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Michael... my bad. I thought you were jabbing at us. The rest of the posts probably came because of my apparent green light. I'm sorry.

There are lots of things that go into the price of something. Design (unless it is just a blatant rip-off), development, engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing. The actual BOM (build of materials) is only part of the actual cost of a product. Then comes quantity. The more you make, the less of a hit for all the other stuff on each piece. The converse is also true. For example... if you spend $100,000 to develop something and the BOM (actual cost to manufacture) is $100... what should the selling price be if you want to make a profit?

Tick- tock

The correct question before you can answer is "How many are you going to sell?

If we sell only one, we'd need to add the DEV cost and the actual cost and then mark it up. So $100,100 plus your profit. Pretty expensive stuff.

If we sell 100,000 units, then the allocation for development is only $1 per unit for a total cost of $101... plus profit.

If we sell a million units, the allocation for development is only 10¢ for a total cost of $100.10... plus profit.

In this case... the market size for this matte box is pretty low.

And profit? You need that to pay for marketing, packaging, accounting, legal, benefits, bonuses, building. lights.... and a bunch of other stuff.

This is simply business 101, but it all matters to us as we price our equipment.

Sorry again for the earlier blunt response.

Jim
 
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Hi Jim!

Wonderful explanation......
 
I'll also add to that... "The Gamble".

When pricing, you have to guess how many you are going to sell. What if you are wrong? If you sell a lot more than you thought... good. But if you sell less... the DEV costs hit harder on each unit and if you didn't add enough profit you will end up losing money. Trust me when I tell you this happens a LOT in the product business. We try to minimize this happening by making as good (and cool) of products as we can so the customer likes them... and sell them at a price that is better than comparable products on a price/performance basis.

I guess I have no secrets left. :-)

Jim
 
Jarred Land said:
Ours does not get as brittle in the cold, nor does it turn yellow under UV/sunlight.
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WE can attest to that with having already used under very Cold conditions ;)

Absolutely love the Red Pro MB, and have several already and will get one per each of every one of our cameras ;)

Thanks God the announcement came right before we almost pulled the trigger on half Dozen O'Connors MB's ;)
 
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