Handpans are copies of the original HANG from PANArt. It is currently being legally clarified whether the production and distribution of Handpans is legal at all!
The last valid judgment from summer 2024 confirms that the HANG is a protected creative work, is the intellectual property of PANArt, the inventors, and handpans are therefore illegal plagiarisms.
A final judgment of the supreme court is expected in summer 2025 – which will most likely finally confirm the intellectual property of PANArt on the design of the HANG.
If you’re new to the fascinating universe of handpans, it can be easy to get a little overwhelmed at first with the information that’s coming at you and also with interpreting the handpan market correctly.
However, the following tips may help you determine which offers are fair, what determines the quality of a handpan, and how to find out which handpan and scale suits you best.
It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago it was impossible to buy a handpan. Manufacturers made instruments for customers who had put their names on waiting lists and were prepared to wait a year (or more) after payment to receive the instrument they had ordered.
Today, after the Handpan has gained an impressive popularity all over the world in a very short time, the Handpan business has become a million-dollar business. At least for a couple who strive daily to sell as many handpans as possible. Of course, the managers of these companies know very well that every boom will wane again. This is one of the reasons for increased aggressive behavior in the market. The number 1 psalm of the market economy, namely “time is money” is having a strong effect on the handpan market at the moment. The credo at the moment is: “Sell the handpan today! Because tomorrow, at the latest the day after tomorrow, it is already a potential shelf warmer”.
It is obvious that this attitude does not necessarily make the best and fairest offers visible on the market.
However, you can today still get good and fairly priced handpans if you follow a few essential ‘rules’.
Follow these tips and you have a very good chance to find a handpan that you will enjoy for a long time and where the price-performance ratio is balanced:
1) The production of Handpans is nothing special. It is a craft – which, like many things today, is accompanied by many automated processes at most manufacturers. Handpans are sold as ‘works of art’, a good marketing ploy
2) Handpans are instruments which can only be retuned by a specialist/tuner. If a seller can’t guarantee you a tuning service, forget the deal ! A non-tunable musical instrument is worthless !
Note: Even if a dealer can’t (or won’t) tell you the manufacturer of the handpan, you should look for a better offer.
3) Try handpans yourself to get a feeling for the sound and feel of the instrument. Watching videos is something completely different than trying it out yourself !
4) Remember: The scale you like to hear is not necessarily the scale you will like to play. Also when finding out which scale is the best fit for you: try it yourself rules! Just because everyone says that a “Kurd Scale” is good for beginners doesn’t mean that it is for you !
5) Buy, if possible DIRECTLY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. Fortunately, there are still enough handpan manufacturers worldwide who make handpans as a craft. You can only buy these great instruments directly from the manufacturer – who of course also guarantees a re-tuning service. Not having to pay middlemen also means a much fairer price for your instrument.
6) Local offers should be preferred. A handpan that comes from a workshop not far away saves a lot of resources – and having the manufacturer and master tuner of this instrument nearby is a big advantage.