Hello VRC Competitors, EPs, and Mentors,
there’s a multitude of reasons why we shouldn’t support vex at the moment. however, the content in this post will be useful not only to people who want to take a moral stance against IFI and VEX but also to those seeking discounts for commodity parts.
“It is not a man’s duty to devote himself to the eradication of wrong, but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it and not to give his support.” - Henry David Thoreau
As has been the case for previous seasons, VRC teams are allowed to purchase certain parts from third-party sources. In light of the recent “boycott” of IFI proposed by community members, we wanted to create an easy way for VRC teams to avoid purchasing parts from VEX while still competing. Hence, the Alternative Supplier Sheet.
In this sheet, we provide teams with quick access to Non-IFI sellers of common parts, including but not limited to
- Screws
- Nuts
- Spacers
- Standoffs
- Pneumatics
- and more
We highly encourage everyone to share this sheet with teams, coaches, and mentors in their area! Almost every part on the sheet is purchased by IFI to be resold on their website, so not only do you avoid buying parts from VEX, but you’re likely to save money from it too! Additionally, although we also linked major, national suppliers on this sheet, never underestimate your local hardware store.
If there are any concerns, thoughts, or suggestions about the sheet, feel free to reply to the thread, or forward them to kapri#1691 on Discord.
Thank you,
Kapri O. & Ryan L