That's poweriSer. And that is an image of the original first poweriSers. That FlyingLocust then stole to advertise their stilts.
Read the product description...
Manufactured by Hitech & C Co., Ltd. of KoreaNOT
FlyingLocust of China.. Hence, they ARE poweriSers, not poweriZers/FlyJumpers/etc.
You need to look beyond images and really read about what you are buying. Naz will probably kill me for this but meh, it's pretty much required otherwise you're not gonna understand. Infact Naz can't kill me, it promotes ProJump (Well the full version does anyway!)
1. Aren't all jumping stilts the same?
No, sadly they aren't. If they were it would make buying for the first time a lot easier! Currently, there are 5 "main" brands on the market, these are Powerskip, PoweriSer, FlyingLocust (projump, powerstrider, flyjumper), 7League/7Meilensteifel Pro and SkyRunner.
2. So what are the major differences?
PowerSkip are the "Original" jumping stilts, invented by Alexander Boeck in 1999, and patented in 2003. Manufactured in Germany, they cost around £750 ($1500), and there are 2 versions available, PowerSkip, and PowerSkip Pro (Pro's have a tilting footplate, and are designed more for running than jumping).
Alongside powerskips are Velocity Motion Stilts, by StiltWerks of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. They are very much glorified powerskips, which have been stripped down so they are slightly lighter and had features such as calf cuffs instead of kneebars fitted. Velocity Motion stilts retail between $1200 and $3000 depending on features and customisable options the buyer wants.
PoweriSer were the first "affordable" stilt on the market, appearing in 2002 and retailing at between £250 and £300 ($500-600). They are maufactured by a Korean company called Hitech & C, Co., although actual construction takes place in the Phillipines. They also manufactured the first Children's model of the stilt, and hold the patent on this.
In 2007, an updated model called "PoweriSer 2007" or "PoweriSer Advanced" was released. They feature new bearings, bindings and an alternative to the original kneebars, known as calf cuffs (Click the names to see the differences). These have been available in the USA and mainland Europe since Mid 2007, and are to be sold in the UK in Late 2007/Early 2008 under the name "PoweriSer 2008". There are NO differences between the PR2007 and PR2008 models, other than the names.
FlyingLocust are a China-based company, who began selling stilts in 2004, under a multitude of different names. Their current listing includes "FlyingJumper", "PowerStrider", "ProJump" (These are the 3 most common brands) "FlyJumper", "SpeedJumper", "AirRunner" and "JollyJumper". Currently, certain brands are sold in different countries, with ProJump and FlyJumper Prominent in the UK, FlyingJumper/PowerStrider more common in the USA, SpeedJumper in mainland Europe, AirRunner in Australia, and JollyJumper in Russia. 2 models of FlyingJumper/PowerStrider, SpeedJumper and JollyJumper are available, the original and "Pro", which has a tilting footplate similar to that on "powerskip pro" stilts. The original versions of these stilts are currently the most affordable on the market, retailing between £135 and £240 ($270-$480). "FlyingJumper" or "PowerStrider" were originally known as poweriZer, but under legal action from the manufacturer of PoweriSer have changed to the current names.
In 2007 FlyingLocust also released a new model, called "Upwing", "AirRunner", "SpeedJumper Redoxx" or "ProJump Elite". These have a new Carbon-Fibre Spring, and the ability to switch between a solid and tilting footplate. They also have a form of calf cuffs, but a different design to those found on poweriSer/Velocity Motion Stilts, although many people have been vocal about their dislike of the upwing cuffs due to their solid plastic design. As of May 2008 this design (Upwing) has been removed from the market due to equipment design failures, although there may still be some old stock left over and being advertised for Sale.
7League/7Meilensteifel Pro are manufactured by the austrian company "FutureTech".
7's, as they are commonly known, feature a different centre of gravity to other stilts, supposedly making jumping easier, and released a new, high-weight range model called the "S-Rex" in December 2007. This model comes in 2 versions, running (Type-R) and jumping (Type-X), with springs optimised for each.
They are currently only available in Mainland Europe and the UK from dealers, retailing for £240. However, they can be imported into America direct from the manufacturers, who can be contacted at jump-to-be
SkyRunner are manufactured by Bowei Powerwell of China, and are currently illegal in all countries covered by the patents. However, some are still sold in these countries, and they are very common in countries not covered by the patent. They are cheap in comparison with the other brands, and vary drastically in quality, so it's a bit of a gamble if you buy them whether the stilts you recieve will be good or not! SkyRunner also are sold (illegally) under the poweriser and powerskip names, with copied designs of the boxes and graphics. The easiest way to tell them apart is that usually skyrunners have gold, red or blue frames. PoweriSer are only solid grey.
And that's about it really, other brands do occasionally pop up, such as moonjumper, but we have very little information on them, other than that they are chinese and illegal in patent-protected countries. If you wish to learn more about the manufacturers, click on the brand names and they will take you directly to their respective sites. [links removed and a few bits modified otherwise naz WILL kill me ]
It's a little out of date but I can't update it on the uni network, i'll fiddle it this weekend when I get home as it's missing about the Pro series being discontinued, and a few new developments.