Instroke case confusion

S

SPetty

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was at the store looking at cue cases. I saw several cases that looked like Instroke cases, but the emblem said something like "Stroke Sports". So I asked if it was an Instroke knockoff.

I was told that it was the original Instroke made in Germany. When Instroke and John Collins/Barton split, John got rights to the name Instroke in the US, so the German-made Instrokes had to change their name in the US.

So, is it true that cases that say Instroke are made in Taiwan while Instroke cases made in Germany are called Stroke Sports?

I'm so confused.

Are they essentially the same case made by different people? Are the German made cases any better or less better than the Taiwan made cases?
 
i can't answer that question..but...always a "but"..lol
i was at the BCA 8 ball tourny last year, just tooling around the venders. i went to the instroke booth and both guys there started talking in german about my instroke case. the one that spoke english told me it was a 1 of a kind, it is an artisan series, yellow and black. i didn't really understand him, something about the "leader" that they only did on 1 case, and i have it.anyways, these were 2 german guys in an instroke booth talking about my instroke case. the embalms on mine say instroke. John could probley answer this a lot better.
 
The short version goes like this:

I started Instroke in Germany way back when. I made cases by hand there. I took on partners and took the production to the Czech Republic in 1994. In 1999 I moved the wholesale operation to the USA. In 2001 I revoked the German partner's rights to sell "instroke" cases in the USA. I sued them. In 2003 I won the suit through a court-approved settelment. During the at time I built up a very good production with a Taiwan partner. In 2004 I sold the Instroke name to the Taiwanese partner. I am now completely out of Instroke.

The German company still exists under the name Stroke Sports. They sell cases made in the Czech Republic with the name "stroke Sports" on them. The Taiwanese company produces "instroke" cases.

The issues for me were quality, delivery and money in that exact order. The Germans stopped delivering the quality I demanded, i.e. cases the way I designed them. They stopped delivering the less-than-perfect cases on time so I couldn't supply my customers consistently. And then they had the "nerve" to ask me to pay for crappy cases that were delivered late. In other words there has been NO IMPROVEMENT that I have seen to date and conversely much deterioration in the quality from the Czech factory.

The Taiwanese by contrast made a signifigant investment in re-tooling to bea able to make a better case than I had designed, they have practiced constant improvement so that the cases they make are always the very best that they are able to. In the beginning I had the fear that they would not step up to the plate but the have hit home runs where the quality of the cases are concerned. The designed and invented the Diamond Latch specifically to stop the latch problem that plagued Instroke and other companies that copy Instroke's style.

So, in conclusion, this is one of the times when the stereotypical myth is busted. The Taiwanese family that makes Instroke cases is making the very best cases in the world. I have zero financial gain from saying this because I have nothing to do with Instroke. In fact, I am a bit estranged from them at the moment over, delivery and money :-)) Luckily for you players it's not quality.

Anyone that wants a more detailed version of the Instroke saga and how it all came to be can go to Seyberts board and search on Instroke.

Peace. Out.

John
 
Hi John,

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. So if I'm reading you right, you believe the Taiwan Instroke cases (which coincidentally you started, but then sold) are a slight bit better than the German/Czech Instroke cases (which coincidentally you started, but then sold).

I appreciate the insight and the time you took to answer.
 
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