Axminster Tool Catalogue - then and now!

[Matt@]

I've been having the Axminster catalogue for must be 15 yrs now. New one has just popped through the box and for once I took an interest. Very, very noticiable how Ax have bought their own products to the fore. They seem also to be aligning more with industrial users with prices to match. Such a shift in strategy compared to years ago when you could select from Startrite, Multico, Sedgewick etc. No stanley planes now - replaced with Rider which seem to get rave reviews and at a good price as well. Plus some well thought out nifty products scattered throughout the cataloque. Good to see a company moving forwards with the times or is this not the case?

 

[Scouse]

It is good to see a company move forward and with some success.

It is, however, also somewhat regrettable that a company would choose to put prices up by almost 20% on selected items, for example the AW106PT2 planer thicknesser, which has gone from £850 to 4 pence short of a grand, over night.

I admit it was a bargain at 850 but that's still a bit of a hike.

 

[Walney Col]

Having bought several machines from them I regret to say that Axminster are on the verge of pricing themselves out of my custom.

 

[Steve Jones]

Having bought several machines from them I regret to say that Axminster are on the verge of pricing themselves out of my custom.

Col,

Axminster priced themselves out of mine and a mates custom sometime ago.

When my mate receives his new yearly catalogue now it gets filed under 'B' and I always search elsewhere when I'm on the look out for a machine. In fact I've just bought a Chester DB7 metal lathe from Chester machine tools and after visiting them during their recent open week I can highly recommend them (they have a limited range of woodworking machines but are mainly metal).
I also purchased a new mitre saw blade recently, whereas in the past Axminster would have been my 'go to' place this time I bought from FFX, again excellent service, which goes to show there is 'life after Axminster' !

Cheers

Steve

 

[John15]

I paid £665 for my AW106PT2 P/T in May 2013 and as Scouse says it's now £1000. That's a 50% rise in 19 months - scary.

John

 

[iNewbie]

It is good to see a company move forward and with some success.

It is, however, also somewhat regrettable that a company would choose to put prices up by almost 20% on selected items, for example the AW106PT2 planer thicknesser, which has gone from £850 to 4 pence short of a grand, over night.

I admit it was a bargain at 850 but that's still a bit of a hike.

Every year I notice huge price rises on some items. I'm not sure if they're covering themselves as they keep the same price all-year-round.

The other week I went to order a drill from their clearance list and rang to confirm the price. She gave me a price and then included VAT. The VAT was already listed in my price. I told her this and she requested I send a screenshot of it. I did. Next day the reply says:

"They have advised this has never been a price on our website and we are not sure how this price could have shown. "

I think they called me a liar... - having sent in a screenshot clearing showing the price included VAT.

 

[ColeyS1]

Seeing all the recents threads regarding Axminster prices I'll defo be taking a closer look at other places. I've probably got lazy and used them for convenience instead of trying to find things cheaper. If anything I'm certainly more aware there's money to be saved

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I started buying from Axminster Power Tool Centre (as they used to call themselves) in the late 1980s, and at that time, they were about the only place in the country that stocked the unusual and high-quality lines and did mail order, though Tilgear had a few, and Tabwell Tools and a few others had the more basic stuff available. Axminster were the first people to sell Lie-Nielsen stuff, and the first to stock Clifton plane irons in the late 1990s (under their Victor brand - I'm still using that iron!).

Since the growth of several excellent specialist suppliers, Axi seemed to have steadily dropped the high-end niche stuff, and become more and more just another general tool and small machinery dealer. I think they're still basically a decent company, and I still buy the odd batch of consumables and bits and bats from them because I can get my full shopping list on one order instead of spreading several small orders round other suppliers and ending up paying several postage charges, but it's getting harder to justify.

Still - the world moves on. If it didn't, we'd still be buying boxes of screws from a brown-coated flat-capped bloke behind a battered old shop counter. Four candles, anyone?

 

[iNewbie]

Wish I could get some of those old type screws from Mr. Got-any-o's.. - cuz the steel has changed!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I rather hope that Axy's management read this thread because I too have started to not "just assume" they'll have the best deal and shop around more online now. It's kind of sad because I've had such fabulous service from them over the years and yet, in this day and age, most people vote with their wallets and lets face it the online universe makes that process so simple its scary. I hope they recognise that they're drifting in the wrong direction and if they don't get a grip, it'll all slip away. That would be bad.

 

[Selwyn]

Yeah I agree Bob. They are a good company with good products and you can trust them. No one wants the feeling of being ripped off though.

 

[Matt@]

Axminster obviously have a strategy ongoing for how to maintain and grow the business and would have had so for some years. With regard to their machinery my guess is that they have poured great effort and funds into developing and manufacturing their own ranges as this would make them more profit. Compare selling a Sedgewick bench saw etc already a dear product and making them a small margin, to effectively making their own machines and making large profits per sale because of that. Again, I guess the machines are made under licence for Ax. somewhere in the far east where as we all know products can be produced for peanuts. Also, pricing high can give the impression of quality. Better for them to make the same money selling 2 machines rather than 5.

Anyway, what is the white Axminster machinery actually like? I've neither bought nor used any of it!

 

[James C]

I have an Axminster 4300 Bandsaw at school. It performs really well. It has a very good quality and sturdy Cast Iron table. The machine itself it made of steel but is well made.

The knobs and adjustment mechanisms are plastic but hard wearing and the extraction ports are well placed.

I can't find many faults with it. It was about £1000 ex Vat two years ago.

Can't comment on the blades as I already had Tuffsaw blades waiting for its arrival.

Again the only issue is that the same saw is now £1550 ex Vat.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

It reminds me of a software firm that used to be in one of my supply chains...they had a new sales director join and within 90 days a new "strategy" had been implemented which was basically price list plus 20%.

Oddly enough...he was found to be "pursuing other opportunities" within 6 months (after 2 consecutive quarters profit warnings)

 

[marcros]

Anyway, what is the white Axminster machinery actually like? I've neither bought nor used any of it!

I am only a hobby user, but I regard it as generally good kit to the point where I will see what axminster have for machines, and compare that with the branded comparable items. I have had a planer which was excellent and I would not have sold it if the capacity was greater than 6", a thicknesser and a bandsaw (i think the one mentioned in this thread). All would fall into the trade catagory of the new branding, and I would rate all at 5/5, 5* or whatever the scoring system was. I dont know how the hobby stuff rates- I am reluctant to buy any of it, because I think it would be hard to move on afterwards- it is probably comparable to triton, charnwood, draper et al, which I would compare it to.

There are 2 similar threads going about axminster, so this may be more relevant to the other.

All of my purchases for machines are on the secondhand market, simply to maximise what I can get for my money. As most people, I would expect to pay 1/2 to 2/3 of the new price. I am at the stage where having bought good solid machines, I am upgrading for a bit more capacity. On axminster stuff, the prices going up a few percent each year helps me, because I do not typically lose any money when I sell, having kept them for a couple of years. In terms of pounds spent, it is a minor consideration- I probably spend £100 a year there on odd bits, but they do get considered for most of my purchases.

I dont dislike axminster at all, but for me they are only another supplier that I check when I am looking for something. I research extensively when buying something- often eve on simple things, and then purchase based on the lowest delivered price to my door. I dont doubt the "great customer service", but they are not exclusive on this, and I would be unlikely to buy something that was not price competitive just for this. There are many good suppliers out there.

As for producing their own tools, then I don't blame them at all for this- they should make much more money doing so, and should have the opportunity to improve the models that they are cloning. Sadly, I don't think that they always take this opportunity.

 

[woodfarmer]

Axy may not always be the cheapest, but their after sales service has to count for something. The worst thing is trying to find something, I have several times given up and bought from other websites which I can actually use.

 

[Steve Jones]

Anyway, what is the white Axminster machinery actually like? I've neither bought nor used any of it!

Matt,

I've got 2 pieces of white machinery and also a yellow perform lathe.

The Axminster AWSBS2 Bandsaw I bought on offer years ago but for one reason and another didn't use it until out of warranty, I'm now kicking myself as I've had a few problems that needed sorting out but had it been in warranty it would have gone back, on the other hand my CT344 thicknesser is brilliant and given good service over the years so has the Perform CCBL lathe.

I should add to my post earlier in the thread that I'm in no way slating Axminster, like quite a few others I've received excellent service from them but personally I think they're pricing themselves out of the hobby market and dare I say becoming too big a concern now they're expanding with shops in various parts of the country. As I said previously they're no longer my 'go to' store and will stay that way till prices come down, if ever.

Steve

 

[Benchwayze]

Still - the world moves on. If it didn't, we'd still be buying boxes of screws from a brown-coated flat-capped bloke behind a battered old shop counter. Four candles, anyone?

Cheshirechappie,

I still can. It's a boon when you want just a dozen of those screws you're never likely to use again.

http://birmingham-mowerrepairs.co.uk/

 

[Stuart]

I am pleased this thread has been added as I am happy for any company to make a profit when I buy tools from them but dislike being taken to cleaners by them charging excessive profit on my purchases. I will be buying from others from now on.
I have old British, Luna and Kity machinery and am amazed when I read on the forum about the amount of "feteling" people need to do when they buy new machinery and when suppliers sell machine of this quality it is beholden on them to have good aftercare service as the purchaser is doing their job and doing both quality control and pre delivery inspection for them.
Does anyone think the CE mark on these goods is a fraud as some of the adoptions people have done to get them to work safely have been very involved , or it does not stand for European Conformity but China Export?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Still - the world moves on. If it didn't, we'd still be buying boxes of screws from a brown-coated flat-capped bloke behind a battered old shop counter. Four candles, anyone?

Cheshirechappie,

I still can. It's a boon when you want just a dozen of those screws you're never likely to use again.

http://birmingham-mowerrepairs.co.uk/

This place is a total and utter original fork 'andles. They still wear brown overalls and the worktop counter is so "leant on" over the years that the formica has completely worn away. You can buy one screw, nut, bolt, allen bolt etc and they have NEVER once failed to have in stock a match to what I'm looking for. Only a few weeks ago I had dropped a weird countersunk stubby machine screw in my lathe shavings Bermuda triangle for the cole jaws and they produced a replica in seconds.....24p I think it cost

I love this place.....until Travis Perkins buy it!!!