Copied by Many, but NEVER Duplicated

Light-years beyond all others!

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SLIDER 2 SKY & TELESCOPE Test Report (July 2002)

Paul's Rules of Operation and Personal Pledge to YOU

I will serve with integrity & honor - I do not have a dissatisfied client - I will not offer a dysfunctional product - I must expose lesser products to all - I accept responsibility for my actions - I do, or do not. I do not try - Reputation is everything, no exceptions - Undying devotion, till underverse come - Functionality beyond all others - Structural rigidity is a VSI standard - My most difficult to offer, simplicity - The Toad always handles your load - Humor is a difficult concept. My humor is misunderstood by some - VSI’s only competition, wrong purchase decisions - Copied by all, but never duplicated - Forever build-quality, Made in USA - Zero flexure, defects & tolerance - Lifetime unconditional warranty - Call or email, you’ll always find me - First and foremost, you are my friend - Over 25 years of service to all........and to all, a good night! - Paul B. Van Slyke

So you think VSI prices are too high?

To the handful of uninformed people who don't understand VSI's product philosophy and extreme build-quality, I offer the following. Some think that VSI products follow the mediocre menagerie of others, and that VSI prices should be commensurate. They incessantly "comment" about VSI prices without ever having examined a VSI product first-hand. "Why should I purchase your spider for $1000 when I can buy one for $39.95?" Would you expect a Maserati for the price of a scooter? Both are viable transportation vehicles. See my SPIDERS link, scroll to the bottom of the page to Spider Dinosaurs from the Distant Past for more examples of my product design philosophy.

Contrarily, VSI prices are always below wholesale at manufacturer's cost direct to you - no middlemen or dealers. VSI products are hand built to "space station" standards for "down-to-earth" prices. Many aerospace engineers, involved in purchasing, have said that VSI products are ridiculously underpriced, considering the intrinsic build-quality. OK! Most mass-produced, commercial telescopes and accessories are "cost built" to the least expensive standards possible creating a product that is marginally functional, becoming dysfunctional after a predetermined time. Need I say premature obsolescence? VSI's Unconditional Lifetime Warranty should say it all.

Someone else would design a telescope mount using cheap Teflon bearings, instead of expensive [loadable] tapered-race roller bearings combined with [yet] another set of large-diameter, lateral thrust needle bearings (see my USER INSTALLATIONS link, scroll to the bottom of the page to A Unique 10" Fork-Mounted RC Scope). I can only build the latter, or nothing at all. VSI does not build a "cheapest possible" model (and why would I want to?), then build a hi-end, no compromise model. Let the myriad of others pilfer my exclusive designs and contemplate building a cheaper product using ideas obtained from others. In fact, I try not to look at other people's products when designing a new VSI product because it blocks my flow of pure creativity. I always strive to go where no man has gone before. My most important secret, and the most difficult, is simplifying a product to its most basic function. Simplicity, functionality and rigidity have always been at the heart of all VSI design criteria. This build philosophy is the reason VSI products literally last forever! For more details on VSI design policies, click on the POLICIES bullet above. - PBVS

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