TMJ or ARB snorkel? not buying cheap one.

[math]

The issue I think people are having is that we aren't sure if the ARB/TMJ one is actually made in Australia, or if they just get them from China and put their logo on them. Furthermore, I would conjecture that injection molded parts from China are much the same as those from any other part of the world. Please correct me if I am wrong.

That said, if they ARE made in Australia, then the reason they're expensive is because they're small-run injection molded parts. Injection molds themselves are not cheap. And in order to just break even (what with how much the mold itself must have cost, for a piece of this size), selling only a few hundred of them, they probably need to be about this expensive...

As for an answer to the OP's question, I sincerely doubt there's a lick of difference between the two at all. Both of them are going to be extremely good at what they're meant to do. I say buy whichever one of the two is cheaper.

 

[NLXTACY]

I might be crazy but I would almost bet $600 that all three came out of the same factory

ARB says on their site it's made in AUS. Unless there is evidence otherwise I will assume ARB's is NOT made in China.

 

[lugueto]

I refuse to open a 3" hole in my truck to slap a cheaply made piece of plastic. I've seen Safari snorkels standing tall after the vehicles theyre on got rolled at speed. The only two friends who tried installing the chinese copies had the same thoughts "Hey, its the same thing, the plastic is the same it looks exactly the same it even looks as if the logo was sanded down". Theirs is already sun faded while 10+ year old Safaris look like new except for a few scratches.

No, you're not paying for just a logo. I firmly believe you get what you pay for...

While you guys are at it, why not buy the Chinese version of the 80 series?? It looks very close to the real thing, I bet Toyota was just charging you for their name...

http://carfacts2013.blogspot.com/2013/11/land-cruiser-made-in-china.html

 

[rockstate45]

I refuse to open a 3" hole in my truck to slap a cheaply made piece of plastic. I've seen Safari snorkels standing tall after the vehicles theyre on got rolled at speed. The only two friends who tried installing the chinese copies had the same thoughts "Hey, its the same thing, the plastic is the same it looks exactly the same it even looks as if the logo was sanded down". Theirs is already sun faded while 10+ year old Safaris look like new except for a few scratches.

No, you're not paying for just a logo. I firmly believe you get what you pay for...

While you guys are at it, why not buy the Chinese version of the 80 series?? It looks very close to the real thing, I bet Toyota was just charging you for their name...

http://carfacts2013.blogspot.com/2013/11/land-cruiser-made-in-china.html

A lot of good points made in this thread but this one really brings it home. That thing is one of their better clones but I'm damn glad it's not in my driveway!

I can understand why the Op wants a safari brand snorkel. They have the logo, they've done the R and D km the product among other things. Is it more expensive than the Chinese made model? Yes. Is it his money? Yes

There are things that I would never buy made in China and there are things that I would (pens and things). This is one of those items that doesn't "ultimately" have a bearing on how the truck performs. I will say this... I would much rather trust my truck to an ARB safari snorkel than a Chinese made one under water and I base that on absolutely nothing other than preference. If I planned on doing water crossings, I would likely pony up the extra dough. I have two friends that have owned safari snorkels and they both look brand new after years of abuse on trees and other things

My two cents. Carry on folks

 

[Kuneefay]

Im happy to be rolling arb because its an icon of the community which makes it imo way more special than a chinese knock off. Besides just because its injection molded doesnt mean the quality of plastic used is even near equal. I've seen the arb's deal with some brutal s***.

 

[Luke111]

They all come from the same factory in China. Only way around that is with an OEM Toyota snorkel.

You sure about your profound statement?

This.
literally paying extra for a logo...
i just picked up the recommended "knock off" on amazon for $85 shipped LMAO! and it is identical in every single way to the safari that my pops has on his in south america...everything from material thickness to the fasteners...the only thing thats worthless is the template, but hey saving $300 is good enough for me to measure reallyyyyyyyy well

all you're paying for with those big brands is the development costs that it costed them to design the product until they are in the black on that particular product project, then its just great big profits for them...

Maybe this will set the record straight!!

http://www.dont-get-burnt.com/report.html

 

[Booger weldz]

Maybe this will set the record straight!!

http://www.dont-get-burnt.com/report.html

After reading that I will now be purchasing the ARB piece.

It's quite well illustrated that while traversing the south pole(-18C) a random penguin beak(the test dart) could inadvertently pierce the snorkel body(penguins can fly, right?). The safari brand clearly will perform better in these frequent scenarios.

The accesorizing freaks portion of the 4wd vehicle group always brings the most entertainment. Not unlike the eminen wannabe with the 1986 honda crx holding an oriellys gift certificate in the isle with the hood scoops and mood lighting and chrome 'turbo' stickers.

 

[VuickB6]

Some great points being made here. With respect to the OP and his desire to go with a name brand product, here is my .02 fwiw...

1) Are the snorkels made in the same factory and basically identical?

Nobody seems to know for sure. Even if they're made in the same factory, ARB could very well specify a higher quality standard. But following that same train of thinking through further, since OME shocks are made in a Monroe factory, does that mean OME shocks == Monroe shocks?

2) Are knock offs cashing in on someone else's hard work?

This is definitely true. Now, for sure, the R & D wasn't millions but no doubt the knock offs wouldn't exist at all if someone hadn't already created a product and brought it to market.

I'll venture to bet that ARB, while profitable, is not the kind of cash cow, profit-at-all-costs company some are making it out to be. They bring our community a lot of valuable products and innovations. That all takes money and that is appropriately priced into all of their products. And because they've generally done such a good job, they've earned the kind of reputation that equates their products with some known level of quality...which is worth something.

Mental note for future: Don't type something this long on my phone!

 

[ranma21]

Not buying cheap one, but thanks!

Looking for opinions about the two I listed.

I am in the process of importing the Toyota Genuine Snorkel kit, let me know if you are considering the Genuine Toyota Snorkel and I can get one for you, can't beat the quality of Genuine Toyota parts!

 

[Duiser Offroad]

ARB and they are not the same. I did a comparison here somewhere. Inferior finish, missing pieces, terrible template. AND no logo.

GO ARB.

 

[2MinutesTurkish]

That factory has no reputation to uphold. No customer service department you can call. But ARB does.

You do realize that the "profits" get moved over to pay for bumpers?

^ These two points exactly.

 

[Duiser Offroad]

Here is another way to look at it, there are very few companies that even make anything for our land cruisers. Why not support them??

 

[sleeoffroad]

I could EASILY be wrong and will fully accept it if I am but TJM is a fairly new company from what I can tell. I can't see ONE thing they do that is unique. Everything seems to be a copy cat of someone else or reboxed/OEM'd. I feel the same about IRONMAN. I hate IRONMAN because of the stupid logo/green goblin/whatever-the-**** that thing is...and they are no different than TJM. Again, would love to be educated about the superbness of either of those brands.

Actually TJM has been around for a very long time. They are not like Ironman at all. They used have a range of very unique low cost bumper products that no-one else had. Old T17 bumpers for 4Runner etc. However they have been plagued with trying to get back into the US market. This is their 4th attempt.

Unfortunately they have lost a lot of the drawings and details on the older stuff due to a floor or fire (can't recall the details). The parent company has also had it's own share of owner changes and all the turmoil that comes with that. Hence the lower presence in the US. However they do make uniqie products, do their own development and productions. But like Ironman and a ton of other companies, they also do some private labeling of very generic products like tire repair kits and other 4x4 doodads.

 

[UnderDawg]

Actually TJM has been around for a very long time. They are not like Ironman at all. They used have a range of very unique low cost bumper products that no-one else had. Old T17 bumpers for 4Runner etc. However they have been plagued with trying to get back into the US market. This is their 4th attempt.

Unfortunately they have lost a lot of the drawings and details on the older stuff due to a floor or fire (can't recall the details). The parent company has also had it's own share of owner changes and all the turmoil that comes with that. Hence the lower presence in the US. However they do make uniqie products, do their own development and productions. But like Ironman and a ton of other companies, they also do some private labeling of very generic products like tire repair kits and other 4x4 doodads.

I noticed Summit Racing is carrying TJM products now so I guess thats a good sign for them.

 

[lugueto]

I've heard good reviews about both. On a performance and quality basis I suppose they would be pretty much the same. I don't like the looks of the Airtec (TJM) snorkels vs. Safari or Ironman. I think the swept back, smashed-against-the-body look of the Airtec looks weird...

 

[half k cruiser]

My truck is getting pummeled by 10 miles of santacruz mtn dirt road (drought) every other weekend...

So I'm giving into the 'Dorkle' accessory and fresh windshield wiper blades and pump for the washer.

Try getting one of these for your Dorkle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GUY4SAI/?tag=ihco-20

I think they are made in Germany by the same company that supplies the ARB one.

 

[half k cruiser]

Also, has anybody tried this amazon dorkel http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZMRNHE/?tag=ihco-20 already has a pre cleaner with it. I'm not sure if its the same as the other dorkel, maybe they just added the pre cleaner. It does say ABS plastic, which i'm pretty sure the other doesn't. Just curious if anybody knows anything about it. I have no idea where it is made, most likely not the US.

 

[canman]

We are all screwed. Within the next couple of years China will have the largest economy in the world. Think about it. This all happened within the last thirty years. I remember my dad telling me back in the seventies how a big delegation from China had come over for a special visit to the General Motors Diesel Division plant where they built locomotives. They came over under the guise of purchasing a bunch of locomotives, but in reality all they came over for was to spy on the production facility. I could go on with another dozen similar first hand stories. Yes, we all buy sh$$ from China, but there are consequences for us all in the end. Sorry for the rant.

 

[slopoke]

Great posts here. I tend to agree, most of us have become focused on the cheap and quick, it has permeated our society...(Walmart, Levis etc) I am guilty of it too, though I am trying to be better by supporting the local guy and small businesses where I can. I think it is worth it in the end. Investing in my country's future etc.
/rant

Now, I have purchased both a safari and knockoff. If I am honest, I will not likely be using the snorkel for water crossings in my 80, but I do like the look. If I get benefit from colder air intake temps then great, same for less dust etc. So for me, I thought why not a cheap amazon snorkel, trying to keep investments at a min for the 80, but as it relates to quality though I did not have high hopes.

I have a safari on my 40, and you can tell there is a difference in material and the actual head design. The cheap knockoff appears to miss some critical design criteria on the head. It appears to me that water drainage is not so good on the knock off. They are similar but not equal. When I get home I'll take pics. I am travelling in NC right now.

Also from what I recall the hose clamps were pretty weak and as tight as I could get it on the head, I still could not keep it from twisting easily. The rubber connecting elbow was not of great quality either, it had a perma-dent in it. not a huge deal, but still

The template did not do well and the knockoff did not fit around the antenna, you will need to "modify" the snorkel or remove the antenna to get a good fit.

Full disclosure though, I am comparing a 40 safari from 8 years ago to a new knockoff snorkel for an 80 from China.

 

[1973Guppie]

I am particular to the OEM snorkels, I don't know why I just like their look. But they are expensive.