bb
New Member
Posts: 36
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Post by bb on Apr 7, 2016 8:13:32 GMT -5
I seriously doubt we're responsible for that significant amount of increase. Distribution just changed hands to tw just before this site went live. We also have a broad range of international members and a just a small pool of regular contributors. I bet you the fog moves more mafell than we do. It's how's I found out about mafell I agree with the others, this site is a big factor for the growth of Mafell in N. America. Sure there are probably a lot of people that first find out about Mafell on the FOG, then they come here.
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Post by toomanytoys on Apr 7, 2016 9:03:48 GMT -5
Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been to the site much and overdue on some promises, but I've been dealing with issues after being Floxed by Leviquin.
I've had issues with TW pricing for some time. While Mafell seems to offer packages, TW does not, which makes purchasing more expensive and I often have wondered what TW does with these packages. But that's some conspiracy thinking. And of course they have never made changes due to the differing exchange rate as I've mentioned before, benefiting pricing in the USA.
TW is not a discounted seller from I can tell. For example, if you look to the Makita brand and check pricing on their 5104 saw, TW sells it for $510 while Tool Barn sells it for $456 and Amazon/HD sells it for $435. A brick and mortar near sells it for $490. Same is true for Makita's 1102BA planer which is log based. TW is higher even in competition with other timber framing tool outlets. So they are always going to have a higher margin then any other reseller.
On TW's site they mention they signed a long term contract with Mafell in 2007, but if that contract states they are going to be the one and only distributor, they hold all the cards.
After purchasing my MT55 and a few rails my next purchase was through a former co-worker in the UK who got me a 110 based P1cc which has worked fine. That's not a continuing pathway, more of a one time favor. I had him cut a few few things with it before shipment to make sure it worked ok, and was dusty as a used tool just in case of import issues. I've also purchased a long Bosch rail from the UK that TM just flat out would not consider. It came to me cheaper with shipping then what TM offered as an assembled replacement.
If I ever follow through with some Mafell big ticket favorites they will be 220v based. But as another has mentioned, my enthusiasm for acquiring other Mafell products has been heavily dampened by the pricing structure as a non- pro who cannot deduct the expense of the tool. A pro has better justification.
Now there may be good justification for the company's overall price structure, for benefits that I have not experienced. When I bought my saw they were responsive, explained why I did not need some items I placed in the order, but also did not have some of the options I wanted, the long track mentioned above. I revisited that a year later. Having one, and only one importer for products certainly limits any possibility of competitive pricing for consumers. And I'm sure TM in their viewpoint has reasons for what they do.
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Post by holmz on Apr 8, 2016 2:47:35 GMT -5
Lke I said yesterday... The TS55 is 1050 Aud with a 1060 rail. The Mt55 is 495 Eu with a 1600 rail and ~50Eu shipping if you throwing away the rail and just ship the tool... and getting a rail local is 160+ 30 shiping. Grand total is 725 +190 or 915 AUD for saw and rail. Then $5 for a plug or ~$50 for Nuetrix and some cord.
So I saved around $100 getting the MT55 in 230v and have better rails.
In the States the TS55 is cheaper and the MT55 in 110v is more. Getting a p1cc and a sander in 230v would be enough to pay for the transformer, but still probably less # to go FT or Bosch...
Basically I like the MT55 and the p1cc and the uva115e, and also the DEROS 5250 in 230v. It is enough saving to warrant getting a sparky to do the cords if you want those particular tools and are not adverse to 230v.
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Post by GhostFist on Apr 9, 2016 7:59:21 GMT -5
I seriously doubt we're responsible for that significant amount of increase. Distribution just changed hands to tw just before this site went live. We also have a broad range of international members and a just a small pool of regular contributors. I bet you the fog moves more mafell than we do. It's how's I found out about mafell I agree with the others, this site is a big factor for the growth of Mafell in N. America. Sure there are probably a lot of people that first find out about Mafell on the FOG, then they come here. I suppose it's difficult for me to see what effect we have. The site is maintained as a casual discussion forum and we've never tried to push anyone into buying in order to join our gang, Back to point, I seriously doubt that we will ever see significant price drops for festool/mafell/lamello or any other european high end power tool range. I could even see festool scaling back their efforts to penetrate the north american market due simply to company overhead and a lower demand for the tools based on price. IMO the average joe carpenter doesn't want to spend the money on higher quality tools here in North america. A cultural phenomenon that I feel reflects how the trades are viewed here in general. There doesn't seem to be the same air of pride and honour in craftsmanship overall. Of course there are those who certainly take a great deal of pride in what they do but overall that seems to be a niche group from what i've seen (I'm talking about site work carpenters here). If you look at the situation from this perspective, mafell's strategy for a single North American distributor makes sense financially for them. Big Box stores simply do not want to sell ultra high end tools, as I feel they don't respect the craft or even know enough about it. Unfortunately those stores end up dictating what dominates the market as they have the largest buying/distribution power. Again regarding TW's pricing, I have no comment really. I don't know how their business is run. I do know that they expanded to a second distribution location so it must be doing well. My personal dealings with them have always been very helpful and pleasant. Like any consumer, however, I have to agree that I don't understand the price difference and as a result would rather import from Europe.
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Post by holmz on Apr 9, 2016 8:10:04 GMT -5
Jez Ghostfist,, you are well rounded.... A gentleman, a woodworker, and the gift of prose like an academic.
Where does the "Ghostfist" moniker come from? What is the genesis or meaning?
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Post by GhostFist on Apr 9, 2016 8:24:09 GMT -5
"GhostFist" was born of the stupidity of the internet. It started with the release of Street Fighter 4, as I'm also a bit of a video game junkie. It also has to do with my martial arts background. Though being a rather busy old man, who's crippled from all my youthful adventures, I barely have time to play, and am rapidly accelerating to a state of feeble decrepitness. So the martial arts are out too.
I had a thing about maintaining the same moniker across forums for some reason, so when I joined the fog I logged in with "GhostFist". In order to be clear that it's the same mysterious idiot I used it here as well.
Short form of the story it's essentially meaningless but I keep using it.
Also message me if you want to fight on street fighter v, I'm horrible at it.
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