# Veritas Planes on Brimarc site



## Alf (6 Apr 2004)

At the risk of doing a Neil :wink: Veritas planes at Brimarc. Of course, Brimarc being Brimarc, the picture links don't work... :roll: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Philly (6 Apr 2004)

At last, the Veritas planes in all their (text only) glory!  
And Neil, At long last you've become a "Verb"-congratulations! :lol: 

Regards,
Philly


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## Alf (6 Apr 2004)

LOL! :lol: All right, all right, so I'm assuming at _some point_ the pics will work. In the meantime, drooling here will have to do.  

Now, I wonder if they'll offer the chamfer guide for the block planes soon... 

Cheers, Alf


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## Aragorn (6 Apr 2004)

How do the Veritas planes compare to the L-Ns and the Clifton's??? Or is this just a matter of owning at least one of every plane known to man?

Cheers
A


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## Alf (6 Apr 2004)

Aragorn,

Well, it depends... The Veritas' are unique really, quite different from any of the others. The scraper plane is apparently better than the L-N, as is the shoulder plane. Their bench planes are probably around the Clifton mark I think, but without trying one... Their block planes are very popular, not just because the price over the Pond is so much better than the L-Ns, but also because of the ball handle and chamfer guide options. I think it really comes down to whether you like how different they are. They do sort of grow on you  

Of course you also probably need an example of every plane known to man too... :wink: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Anonymous (6 Apr 2004)

As someone dedicated tp the LN cause it pains me to say this but I can confirm that the veritas shoulder plane is both cheaper than a LN and at least as good if not better due to it's lateral adjuster screws. :wink:


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## Midnight (6 Apr 2004)

> As someone dedicated tp the LN cause it pains me to say this but I can confirm that the veritas shoulder plane is both cheaper than a LN and at least as good if not better due to it's lateral adjuster screws.



Speaking as someone who's just wiped the manufacturers grease offa his first shoulder plane (Clifton 3110)...... that comment has me worried...

Tell me I haven't bought another lemon....


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## Alf (7 Apr 2004)

Midnight":2z3z8jgc said:


> Speaking as someone who's just wiped the manufacturers grease offa his first shoulder plane (Clifton 3110)...... that comment has me worried...
> 
> Tell me I haven't bought another lemon....


Not a _whole_ lemon exactly; just a slice maybe... :wink: Nah, the Clifton's are fine, and based on a darn good model originally made by Preston. It'll look better with the traditional looks of your L-Ns anyway.  

Cheers, Alf


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## chiba (7 Apr 2004)

I have a Veritas number 4 smoother, a low-angle block plane, medium shoulder plane and their excellent wood handled spokeshaves. To me the LV stuff just feels like a modern interpretation of the classics. Kind of like comparing a new MX-5 to a new Morgan. Both new, so hopefully no maintenance hassle, and both good fun, but for different reasons. I also like the level of service that Lee Valley provide - and I'm used to good service on a daily basis. Just got the chamfering gadget for the LA block plane - nice bit of kit. Oh, and their dovetail markers. And honing guide. OK, OK, I'm a big fan. I admit it. No point trying to be impartial!


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## Philly (7 Apr 2004)

Chiba with the Lee Valley Gloat! :shock: 
Nice going, it's good to hear an opinion from someone who owns the tools.
regards,
Philly


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## Rob Lee (7 Apr 2004)

Philly":u3xx95ky said:


> Nice going, it's good to hear an opinion from someone who owns the tools.
> regards,
> Philly



Hi - 

I have some too... 

Cheers - 

Rob Lee

(Here I am popping up again Alf!)


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## Alf (7 Apr 2004)

Eeek! :shock: Is nowhere safe?! :lol: 

Welcome to the forum, Rob. The shoulder plane is #1 on my list of things to see at Yandles show next week btw, Brimarc willing. :wink: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Rob Lee (7 Apr 2004)

Alf":1otr6pvj said:


> Eeek! :shock: Is nowhere safe?! :lol:
> 
> Welcome to the forum, Rob. The shoulder plane is #1 on my list of things to see at Yandles show next week btw, Brimarc willing. :wink:
> 
> Cheers, Alf



Hi - 

Hope he has some - we ran out a week ago, and just got more castings for another run...been busy with some other stuff (as you know!). Should be back in stock here in about a week.

Cheers - 

Rob


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## Aragorn (7 Apr 2004)

Oooo look everyone - it's Rob Lee, president of Lee Valley!
<point> <point> <snigger> <snigger>

Have any of us mentioned recently how FAB Lee Valley are!!??

A!


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## Adam (7 Apr 2004)

Looks like these two (Rob Lee and ALF) are in regular correspondence with that "as you know" comment. Any interesting things in the pipeline we should know about? :lol: :lol:


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## SimonA (7 Apr 2004)

Aren't there always "interesting" things in the pipeline where Robs concerned!!

Nice to see you on the forum fella  I hope we don't give you too much grief!! 

SimonA


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## chiba (8 Apr 2004)

Come on Rob, I think it's time LV reinterpreted a combo plane for the 21st Century. Now *that* would be cool... 8)





Rob Lee":ro2lo6g4 said:


> Alf":ro2lo6g4 said:
> 
> 
> > Eeek! :shock: Is nowhere safe?! :lol:
> ...


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## Alf (8 Apr 2004)

Well Rob let the cat, or rather bull, out of the bag on Wood Central so I _suppose_ I can let you plebs in on it too... :wink: Next one's a bullnose plane, and very promising it looks too. (Not that we're in regular correspondence btw; I just say rude things about the appearance of his products and he trawls luscious "coming soon" tools under my nose as pay back :lol: )

Er, um, and there's been a small development down here at Alf Towers.  In a way I'm hoping Brimarc _don't_ have a shoulder plane 'cos I've just gone and blown my tool budget in a big way. :roll: One of those once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated things which I'll probably be gloating about for years. No goodies from Yandles for little old me. Still, there's always Christmas eh...?  

Cheers, Alf

P.S. Chiba, I'm right behind that campaign


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## Noel (8 Apr 2004)

OK Alf,

What is it, what did you buy? Not that interested, just getting in early cause no doubt the rest of them will be asking the same question....

Rgds

Noel, who doesn't usually feed the trolls


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## trevtheturner (8 Apr 2004)

Yeah, I'm not really interested either, Alf, but you can't get away with starting a gloat without telling us what it is :!: :shock: :shock: 

Trev.


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## Rob Lee (8 Apr 2004)

asleitch":2v3cb8zu said:


> Looks like these two (Rob Lee and ALF) are in regular correspondence with that "as you know" comment. Any interesting things in the pipeline we should know about? :lol: :lol:



Nope - just the usual.... the #90 variant in May, the LA Jack in June, and the large shoulder after that....

Oh - and some spokeshave related stuff...

Pretty quiet here....

Cheers - 

Rob

(if you go to our website, and search for "AFD", you can see and April Fool's Day version of the LA Jack)


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## Alf (8 Apr 2004)

Noely":2v3kxxlz said:


> OK Alf, What is it, what did you buy? Not that interested, just getting in early cause no doubt the rest of them will be asking the same question.... Rgds
> Noel, who doesn't usually feed the trolls


Well I dunno, Noel, for a beginner you're pretty good. :wink: 



trevtheturner":2v3kxxlz said:


> Yeah, I'm not really interested either, Alf, but you can't get away with starting a gloat without telling us what it is :!: :shock: :shock:


Well I'm not sure exactly what I've got myself yet, if truth be told. But if you fancy an appetizer:





Amazing what you can fit into a Scenic when you really want to.  

Cheers, Alf

Who may have discovered a hitherto untapped talent for tantalising woodworkers. Must have learnt a thing or two from a certain Canadian... :lol: Although don't imagine too much; no infills or ivory ploughs lurk therein. :roll:


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## Aragorn (8 Apr 2004)

Hmmm..... Well I'm none the wiser!!
Tell me. Do you guys have a photographer following you around! You seem to catch every moment!!  

A


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## trevtheturner (8 Apr 2004)

Thanks for the pic., Alf. Doesn't 'alf look interestin'.
I'd love to have a peek inside that chest. :shock: 
Look forward to knowing what you have got.

Trev.


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## Rob Lee (8 Apr 2004)

... we'd have a hard time publicly requesting to 'ave a look at a lady's chest... 

Cheers -

Rob


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## Anonymous (8 Apr 2004)

come on Alf. What's in the chest???

Rob. The shoulder plane is superb and I love it :wink:


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## Alf (9 Apr 2004)

Aragorn":301h5xqg said:


> Tell me. Do you guys have a photographer following you around! You seem to catch every moment!!


Pesky paparazzi eh? They just won't be told... :roll: 

S'okay folks, you don't have to humour me. I won't bother you with any more pics. :lol: 

Cheers, Alf


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## DaveL (9 Apr 2004)

Alf":14td4qc0 said:


> S'okay folks, you don't have to humour me. I won't bother you with any more pics. :lol:


Alf,

You can't stop posting the pictures now, I need to know whats in the chest, as they used to say OPEN THE BOX :roll:  we will of course take the money :wink:


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## Alf (10 Apr 2004)

Dave and others,

I'll open the box on Tuesday when we're all back at work and need the diversion. Happy Easter!  

Cheers, Alf


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## Pete W (13 Apr 2004)

Well I've been sunning myself in the Caribbean for a week (can I claim that as my first gloat? ) so, it's now Tuesday and more pictures are expected... .


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## Martin Brown (22 Apr 2004)

Hi I am one of a team responsible for BriMarc service and I am very sorry we have had such bad press here. We all want to make amends as we know we give great service. Every complaint we get we investigate at the highest level and I'd like to hear from you. You can see my e mail address or come and see me on Tormek at the Mids show this Friday. 

I must say we've been slow on the great Veritas planes but are now ready to sell! E mail me personally for some of the service that our reputation has been built on. We are also keen to show that we have the prices right too.

It is clear there is a problem with the website. Apologies and red faces here. We edit it in house and there is clearly a need for more training. Even the darkest night has its dawn!

Martin Brown 01926 836918


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## Adam (22 Apr 2004)

Well I have the Lee Valley catalogue and it has some amazing toys and gadgets in it that just don't seem to be available here.

I'd like to see pretty much all of it offered over here ex-stock - otherwise you might as well order direct and get the benefit of good exchange rate, and if it's anything like my last order you also miss out on paying duty and VAT. 

Adam


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## Alf (23 Apr 2004)

Welcome to the forum, Martin, and what an excellent response!  I couldn't honestly blame you if you'd seen red, but you've obviously taken our, er, _robust_ comments  as they were meant - more in sorrow than in anger. Kudos to you.

Dunno about anyone else, but I see good tools not getting the promotion they deserve, and it pains me. I realise the Veritas line of tools doesn't lend itself as well to demonstration as the mighty Tormek and the Leigh (although the planes should address that problem I hope), but is there any way they can be more readily available to look at, hold and go "Ah, so _that's_ what it does" at shows? Even if, in these light-fingered times  , it means chaining saddle squares etc to the display stand it'd be an improvement over peering at them through blister packs or looking at the outside of white boxes. Heck, you've got some great products to sell there - flaunt 'em!  The website difficulties you're obviously aware of, although perhaps the email enquiry form failure may be unknown to you? It didn't work for me anyway, and I couldn't find an email address to use instead, fwiw. 

Oh dear, I've just read that back and it sounds like I'm grasping the chance to moan, but it's meant to be constructive. Honest. 

I'll go now, shall I? :roll: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Chris Knight (23 Apr 2004)

Martin,

Congratulations on sticking your head up above the parapet!

I shan't be at the Midlands show and of course I have no idea what you have planned in the way of a stand there but I should like to suggest that you equip it with the requisite number of staff to both demonstrate whatever you want to demonstrate and also to sell it. 

At the last two shows where you have had a stand and I have been present I have thought to myself, "Oh I need one of those" but because the demonstrator was apparently also the designated seller of the item, there was no way to buy the thing when he was demonstrating and I was not planning to hang around waiting for the demo to end.

I can't remember what both items were but one was certainly a picture framing clamp (the nice Aussie one with a metal band) which I failed to buy at the last Axminster show and I think the other was Tormek related - a jig or summat but can't remember the show.

I have no idea how you calculate the space needs for your show stands but you need to figure in the cost of lost sales because of what I have mentioned and also because of the overall crowding that your stands seem to attract.


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## Anonymous (23 Apr 2004)

Martin,

I would echo precisely what Chris has suggested about the cost of lost sales. I've actually put stuff back onto the Brimarc shelves at two shows as a direct consequence of the length of queue to pay. I know that show logistics are a big challenge, but making it difficult to pay for things is a great way to lose custom.

As a suggestion, at the next show pick out a couple of customers who are browsing and just time how long it takes for them to get through to be able to view and then purchase their items. I tend to wait for up to about 5 minutes at most before I give up and rely on mail order, which because I'm an Internet shopper has never previously gone to Brimarc, so it's definitely revenue lost.

All the best with the new planes - I'm certainly excited at the prospect of getting my mitts onto some Veritas castings  

Cheers,

AG


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## Alf (23 Apr 2004)

Afterglow":2j0wmle2 said:


> As a suggestion, at the next show pick out a couple of customers who are browsing and just time how long it takes for them to get through to be able to view and then purchase their items.


Hmm, that's a good idea. Just need the spare bod to have time to do it... :wink: 

Chris, I think you're right there. I have managed to buy stuff on the stand before now, but it's always a bit of a struggle. The last time I was actually able to get some advice from them would be back at the last ever GWW show at Ally Pally (RIP).  

Cheers, Alf


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## Pete W (23 Apr 2004)

Just to chuck in my constructive tuppence, I'm in London and according to your website there are no dealers within miles. Of the couple of dealers elsewhere who have websites, none allowed me to find Veritas tools online.

As a consequence, I'm caught between buying from LeeValley direct, or buying Clifton planes which are at least readily available from a number of online retailers.

You have products I want; I want to give you money. It seems bizarre that in the 21st century we seem unable to do business!


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## Philly (26 Apr 2004)

Just as an update, as of today (monday) the pictures are now on the website. Nice to see action is being taken!  
Cheers Brimarc
Philly


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## Martin Brown (27 Apr 2004)

I will try and answer as much of the thread however if I don't reach a topic the I will reach it later this week when back in the office.

It is not hard to deal with us. We currently do not have have the facility for e commerce, however as we are predominately sell via resellers we have not had the need. Generally we have used our low call number to take orders. An e commerce site would put off potential retailers but we are considering this all the time. 

We answer the phones to hundreds of customers each week. 3 of my colleagues do it full time with support from everyone else. Everyone at BriMarc is responsible for customer service and will answer our telephone when it rings. We train every member of staff in our products in a rolling programme.

If you ring BriMarc we pass your order to a retailer in most instances. We generally only sell direct at the shows. 

Please call us and we would be delighted to do the rest. I'm away from my desk however in my absence my colleague Dave Whiteside is available on 01926 836911.

I guess you've never dealt with us so in case you are not sure.....

Everything we sell we are delighted to refund if not satisfied, used or not. No arguing, unlike some places where english anfd blarneyand spoken. We have minimal carriage charges and can despatch promptly if required.

We have all Veritas Planes today, except the P2901 Scraping Plane.

Sorry this is so long but the bouquet of previous posts left us looking a bit hopeless! We aren't great but we try hard.


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## Anonymous (29 Apr 2004)

asleitch":347n5d0h said:


> Well I have the Lee Valley catalogue and it has some amazing toys and gadgets in it that just don't seem to be available here.
> 
> I'd like to see pretty much all of it offered over here ex-stock - otherwise you might as well order direct and get the benefit of good exchange rate, and if it's anything like my last order you also miss out on paying duty and VAT.
> 
> Adam



I'd love to set up that sort of operation, Lee Valley only supplies us with Veritas lines. If you know anyone with a spare £1m I'd happily make a go of making a similar business. Remember though the average UK Woodworking magazine is read by only 36,000 woodworkers (compared to 400k for Wood magazine in the US) and that is quite a narrow base for a business.

I wont tell on the VAT and duty bit, promise.


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## Anonymous (29 Apr 2004)

I think perhaps the issue with 36,000 readers in the UK compared with 400,000 in the US is ignoring a wider opportunity. We're part of the EU, and have a huge number of potential customers out there. I think that there are already a number of multi-lingual sites for woodworking equipment, and a great store such as the Lee-Valley one could make a huge impact over here. Of course, it would take some vision, planning and investment to make it happen, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time until somebody chooses to take it on.

With the affluent market places of the UK, Germany and France for a start, there's good money to be made. And of course, a company with a website in English, German, French and Spanish would hit a lot more populations than just those. Obviously the costs and complexity are higher than for Lee Valley, but I reckon somebody will eventually pick up on this.

AG


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## Martin Brown (4 May 2004)

We will just have to wait and see, meanwhile.....

We have a number of the UK journalists coming to BriMarc in Warwick during the week comm. 10th of May. Any of the Forum are welcome to join them for a complete run through on the Veritas Planes plus the new Spokeshaves that are not yet released here and one or two other new lines. We really only have space for a few people a day however you can have the run of our very modest demo area. This will not be a selling event and your comments would be welcome.

Starts 10.30, ends after lunch.

We will also have any Veritas tool we have in stock available to show/demo to you.

Keith Birkett my colleague who looks after Leigh will be with you during the day. 

Martin Brown

If you want to join us for this informal day (we will be giving you lunch by the way) just call Sue on 01926 836915 to book.


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## Noel (5 May 2004)

I'm surprised nobody has yet responded to Martin's invitation. Or perhaps some have and not gone public. Free lunch, at least.
If I was more local I'd certainly be present but it's good to see that a distributor is making an effort to be more customer orientated.

Rgds

Noel


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## Chris Knight (6 May 2004)

Noel,
You are right, we should have at least said thank you to Martin even if we aint going. If I lived closer, I would certainly take him up on the offer.

Martin, thank you for the invitation, unfortunately, I can't make it.


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## Adam (6 May 2004)

Me too, I'd have liked to have gone, but it would involve a day of leave and a rather long trip.

Nice to see they are a bit more proactive though. I guess it means we'll be seeing some reviews in F&CM, GWW, NWW etc over the next few months.

Adam


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## Alf (6 May 2004)

Noel, you're right, it was a nice offer. Too bad it's where it is and I'm where I am.  

Cheers, Alf


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## Martin Brown (6 May 2004)

We are working on this issue and hope to have some more regional opportunities to see the planes. We won't please all thats for sure!

All the major shows will have the Veritas planes on display including Exeter, Harrogate, Stoneleigh NAC, Westonbirt (Aug Bank Holiday). If anyone is ever passing Warwick you can always pop in. We have coffee at 10.30 each day. 

Meanwhile remember we offer a complete refund on any plane purchased including collection costs if it is not as good (?) as you would like.

Martin


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## Alf (6 May 2004)

It's my own fault for living about 150 miles from the nearest Veritas dealer really. There's damn all market in Cornwall and no-one interested in stocking anything beyond the Toolbank stock lines anyway.  



Martin Brown":3bgcyd5s said:


> Meanwhile remember we offer a complete refund on any plane purchased including collection costs if it is not as good (?) as you would like.



Really? I didn't know that. Hmm... I may have to speak earnestly to TPTB 'cos the idea of waiting until _November_ is frankly killing me. Not that Mr Lee's helping the situation any... :roll: 

One thing I was wondering, Martin, have any of your resellers got the planes yet? Or is it still strictly direct at the moment? Just idle curiosity mainly.  

Cheers, Alf


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