I had contacted a Canadian Retailer who has a history of carrying PeachTree "BlackJack" products about whether the PaneMax was a rebadged Plano, and this was his response to me today:
Hi Kevin,
WOW you are very perceptive. Yes I have taken on several items that Peachtree has because I did the engineering on several of those items at the manufacturer's office in Taiwan. That was almost 2 years ago. The manufacturer and I had a falling out over something he promised and did not follow through with. So I'm not taking on new products from that manufacturer.
Regarding your question about whether the Panel Max is made by the same company as the PLANO... definitely not. The PLANO is still made in Europe to the best of my knowledge whereas I know the Panel Max is a copy of the PLANO. The factory in Taiwan that I just spoke of copies anything that is not patented. (insert descriptive adjectives here) The Plano's patent expired and they copied it within a couple months. I was just ending my time there when I saw them starting to copy the PLANO.
Since Peachtree is selling it, it must be a good copy. David, the owner of Peachtree, is a very detailed person and he will not sell inferior product. If this is the style of clamp you'd like to try, you are most welcome to order from Peachtree. They are great people. I've stayed in touch with them and hope to see them all again next month during a trip to Atlanta.
As you will read below, Christie has looked after your catalogue request so you should see something in the not so distant future.
Best regards,
Steve
Workshop Supply