Research and development to produce an accurate, reliable and tough product was both comprehensive and time consuming.  

A number of different materials were tried and rejected.  Eventually a plastic used in the aeronautical industry was chosen because of its stability, durability and the fact that it is non-hydroscopic.  Most plastics over time will absorb a small amount of water.  In most applications this would not be material.  With the Fisch it would alter its weight and tip accuracy. The molds for each different Fisch require specialized and precise design and skilled manufacture that incorporates an allowance for the unavoidable shrinkage of the material when it cools.  Again, time consuming and expensive.  This cost has to be built into the price of every Fisch

The Fisch is not a mass produced item.  Although produced using mass production machinery, the Fisch cannot be “mass produced”.

Here is why: The injection molding machine is a state of the art machine but with our production still requires constant adjustments to maintain the accuracy of the Fisch.  

This is what is monitored when making the Fisch:

 Temperature – the factory temperature and the operating temperature of the machine affects the shrinkage of the slot, recess and the whole gauge

Pressure – the force at which the material is injected into the mold affects the weight and hence the tipping weight    

Cycle Time – the time each Fisch remains in the mold before ejection affects the speed of the cooling which impacts on the shrinkage.

When production is being run, I constantly monitor the end product, measuring and weighing hundreds of gauges.  It is not possible to set up a machine and just let it run.   I am fortunate that the factory owner allows me to have the run of the factory and his factory manager who personally oversees production, making adjustments to the injection molding machine as needed. 

Small runs and a product that is difficult to make means lots of machine time. This is the most expensive part of production. 

Mass production, in any event, needs big sales volumes. The Fisch is a specialized product serving a small market.  Even if it could be mass produced, there is not the demand to take up 100’s of thousands. I run as much production as is practical to bring down the unit cost however there is a limit to the inventory I can hold.  But it is measured in years.

After production each Fisch is hand checked: 

The slot for the thickness and diameter

The recess for the diameter

The weight for the tip

and then hand finished.

If not 100%, it is scrapped.

The Fisch is a precision, quality product produced with care.  This is why it is still selling after 43 years and is used with confidence by dealers and investors in over 70 countries around the world.  

The Fisch only need to detect one fake gold 1oz coin and it pays for itself many times over. It is insurance against buying a fake gold coin.  All types of insurance can be viewed as “expensive”, if you never need to make a claim. But it suddenly becomes cheap, if you do need to claim.