Bait For Lee Valley

[outback]

Please don't lure them here, the prices will be too much. I can get stuff I want at a price I want and the shipping cost is OK. Much quicker than local outfits and nothing is on "back order!!!!"

I tend to agree.
I don't think the market is big enough to setup a "Lee Valley" in Aus. The thing we all like is the customer service combined with the lower prices we have to pay here.
The customer service comes from a philosophy plus the people. They can try and ingrain the philosophy, but the wrong people can stuff it all up.
As for pricing, I dunno what would happen.
It is much more likely that a sole distributorship would be granted, the profile heightened etc. etc.
What would happen if Carbatec got this right?

[burn]

It is much more likely that a sole distributorship would be granted, the profile heightened etc. etc.
What would happen if Carbatec got this right?

I'm not sure Carbatec have the right philosophy for LV. I consider Carbatec to be at the cheap end of the market - look at the manual you get for one of their $700 - $2000 machines and then find the equivalent at Grizzly and look at their manual. Either Grizzly has taken it upon themselves to re-write the manual themselves or paid the extra $2.00 or whatever for a decent manual from the manufacturer.

To keep what we have with LV now, I think GPW (Gary Pye Woodturning) would be the best .. they have good equipment and at a very competitive price.

Burn

[craigb]

Speaking for myself, I equate Mik with LV.

Not that I have any issues with Carbatec.

[burn]

Speaking for myself, I equate Mik with LV.

Not that I have any issues with Carbatec.

MIK is very good, but GPW started as a mail order house and appears, from it's prices, to maintain the philosophy of good product AND good price. MIK can be a little pricey on some items, but their service can't be faulted (at least from my dealings with them).

My main complaint about Carbatec is manuals. I purchased an air filter from them this week and the manual was a parts diagram - look at the Grizzly equivalent or even Jet's, and they have a manual. With the 8" jointer I picked up last year from Carbatec, it was the Grizzly manual for exactly the same item, that helped my assembly it properly, not the one from Carbatec. I think Carbatec really needs to address this - their manuals are CRAP.

[silentC]

Who reads the manual?

[burn]

Who reads the manual?

Me. It's my last resort when something is not working as I expect it to, for those things I think I know about.

But it's always my first port of call when attempting to assemble something that just cost a few months worth of saving or something I've never used before.

I think that Grizzly, Delta and Jet could do serious damage to Carbatec by just removing their online manuals. Because that's where I get most of my infomation about the equipment I purchase from Carbatec - I assume it's the same for most people.

In case you are wondering, we only have Carbatec in Canberra and for major equipment purchases, I am concerned about freight charges on warranty repairs if I dealt with companies in Sydney/Brisbane/Melbourne.

Burn

[outback]

Manual?

He's from Barcelona you know, not his fault, but you can''t expect him to know how to set up a table saw.

[Robert WA]

Has anyone considered the implications of duty on the total value of a bulk order from Lee Valley?
As at the last time I sent an order to them, the total was less than $500 and I was not obliged to pay GST. Since then, as I understand it, the limit has been raised but I don't know what it is now. Whatever it is, the extra 10% if it is exceeded needs to be taken into account.
My son, the maths wizard, once explained to me that a square is a circle with corners. He was 6 at the time.

[craigb]

If you are refering to the Bessey clamp thing, then yes, we all expect to pay 15% of the $A purchase price (10% GST + 5% duty) for goverment charges.

[DarrylF]

Yep Robert, duty, GST and customs charges were all part of the calculations.