DJ ... there was another similar product out there (Laker Stick Guard). I've probably still got some in my tackle, and I've used them before. I wasn't real thrilled with them, which is why I quit using them. Two problems that I had with them, were :
they tore easily, where the hook enters ... rendering them useless after only a few fish.
they were soft, and therefore bent easily ... allowing the hook point to come into contact with objects the jig was being pulled over.
I went to weedless jigheads, first using Oldham's "Sure-Lock" weedless jigheads .. then to the custom made Y guard jighead by Grousefly ... and haven't looked back. I originated the use of the Y guard, through Grousefly, as I was not a fan of the brush fibers style weed guard. And while the Y guard is still my preferred weedguard, I've since come to successfully use the fiber brush style, as well.
Another "supposed" weedless trick, is to use dental (braces) rubber bands ... slipping one end around the jig's line eye, and the other end behind the hook barb. Sounds good in theory, but doesn't work well with smaller jig sizes in my personal experiences.
While I did use Oldham's Sure-Lock weedless jigheads for many years, successfully ... one of the downsides to them was the weedguard itself. It was a thin wire loop, that slipped under the hook barb. And, not only did it easily get bent out of shape, but it also had to be placed back under the barb often ... as it often "tripped" while being dragged through brush. They have since been discontinued being manufactured by Oldham's, in favor of the larger "Bass" size versions. But, just a year or so prior to the discontinuation of the Oldham's, I contacted Grousefly about reproducing a weedless jighead that I had purchased from a local source. That source had dried up several years prior, but I still had one of these (Y guard jigheads) left lying around. I had successfully used them for several years, prior to starting using the Oldham's. I had only purchased about a dozen of these jigheads, and seeing as how they had lasted me for so long ... and the increasing price of the Oldham's ... I was looking for a custom jig maker to reproduce them. Grousefly was one of the sponsoring contributors to the former Spring Fling/Fall Brawl Crappie.com Tourney series that I helped start/run ... so I contacted him, and the rest (as they say) is history. They became popular enough that other custom jig makers also started making/carrying them.
Sorry for the long winded story , but I said all that to say this : a jig, that is "built" weedless, works better, lasts longer, and is less hassle to deal with than a jig that has to have an added accessory put on it to make it weedless.
Now, some will say ... "well, that's all well & good for a jighead/plastics combo, but what about a hair/feather jig ?? These "add-on" guards take care of that style of jig". To which I say ... while that may be true, it's also true that hair/feather jigs can also be made with a weedguard !! And, again, you're not constantly having to put a guard on, or resetting it, instead of simply casting/dropping it back into the water !!
... cp