Axminster price increasing
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Phil Pascoe
Established Member
I remember spending the better part of a Monday morning ringing around for prices because our boss wouldn't allow us to use our intelligence and experience to just go out and pick stuff up. The system reverted to the status quo ante when I told him I'd spent the morning saving him three pence.
Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
Had much the same experience with MOD "Smart Procurement". This was the idea that each repair workshop manager (SNCO) would be given a credit card and allowed to source off the shelf replacement parts from whoever they could find cheapest. As it was public money accounting you were required to provide at least 3 quotes every time you ordered something. It worked great for the first 6 months then all the companies realized you never actually ordered anything from them as obviously you would buy the cheapest, so refused to give a quote. Started to make life very difficult for us.
Imagine if we'd have had to pay first world residents to produce them in the first place. Remember your parents and grandparents hobbies? My dad's dad listened to sports on the radio because it was free and my mom's dad cut and split wood to sell.
When my dad and I started to play golf at the cheapest public course in the late 80s, they considered us huge money wasters.
My mother painted and my dad prepped wood for her to paint... All sold. No expensive tools, they were trying to make money. We are very entitled without much physical evidence as to why. My mother's father worked 6 times as hard as I do all his life and took a lot of risk and died with few physical assets. The only thing he had higher grade than me was his chainsaw and log working equipment as it was feeding him and needed to work.
If you take out competion, ie other suppliers then you have free reign over what profit margin you decide to take and is why competion is important, not only for cost but product development and a process of continual improvement.
Doug B
Shy Tot
The bottom line is Axminster have always had large price rises despite Brexit, exchange rates, China or any other pet subject folks want to blame it on. Its been a running theme as long as I’ve been on the forum, a quick search brings up many results on the matter here’s one from 2012 Axminster price increases? long before the pandemic or Brexit.
billw
The Tattooed One
I remember spending the better part of a Monday morning ringing around for prices because our boss wouldn't allow us to use our intelligence and experience to just go out and pick stuff up. The system reverted to the status quo ante when I told him I'd spent the morning saving him three pence.
When I was contracting at HBOS I had to spend about 4 days trying to find out who posted a £10 charge into our accounting ledger and why they'd done it. The tolerance for error was zero, so even it had been 1p I'd have had to go through the process. At my day rate it would have been cheaper to write the money off after about 15 minutes
Droogs
Not the Sharpest Moderator in the box
But up until the last couple of years that increase in price has in no way been linked to a increasing deterioration of componant/or build quality as it does now
Doug B
Shy Tot
I’m afraid I’d disagree there Droogs, the last Axminster own brand machine I bought was 10 years ago & I stopped at that point because of the drop in quality this coincided with them launching their perform range which from my point of view was when the rot set in.
There is a massive shipping issue at present..Container cost this time last year 3000... same container this month 13500... sadly this will get reflected in pricing until things get rebalanced.
rafezetter
Troll Hunter
I'd have to agree - late 2018 I bought a 2nd hand Axi 200mm tabletop saw being advertised here, that was only a couple of years old and had seen almost no use "because I couldn't get on with it", I looked it over at the sellers place, but didn't give it a white glove inspection - It's an axminster right so should be just fine.. how wrong was I? I paid top price too for the same "it's an axminster" reason.
The fence WILL NOT set to 90deg to the table no matter what I do - I don't mean parallel to the blade, I mean the vertical face of the fence, it's off vertical by maybe 5 deg, and this is thier so called "improved" fence design over the old one copied from Kity (which btw is very good) - seller also confessed it was the SECOND cast iron top as the first one was warped and had to be replaced, and lastly the central blade aluminium cut out... doesn't even fit very nicely. The oval shape isn't oval, it's rough as though the person hand finishing (I can see the file marks on it) it didn't give a monkeys, and the holes drilled to screw it to the cast iron top are misaligned, therefore the screws do not bed properly into the countersinks, so screw heads are sticking proud of the bed, right where you would push the wood through. No wonder the original purchaser "couldn't get on with it" and not his fault he was a novice who didn't really understand the issues to get them fixed after purchase.
It's a "tablesaw shaped object" (so I can't even in good conscience sell it on again and keep my Kity 419 instead of replacing it) and I've so far yet to use it while I have a Kity on hand. I bought the axminster as I thought it would be superior to the Kity, and it is in two ways - a separate handle for the tilt mechanism (the Kity one is prone to issues using one handle for both operations and a plastic handle that loses grip) and a quieter motor, but the issues with the axi (especially the fence) will require more money and time thrown at it just to fix the issues that should not even have passed quality control.
This experience alone means I'll not be buying anything of "axminsters" - sorry, chinese rebadged - machines anytime soon, if ever.
Oh and their "Guranteed flat for it's lifetime" (according to the sales page) laminated plywood, formica covered router table top - wasn't flat - edge to centre there's a 3mm camber, not 0.3mm, 3mm according to thier own axminster, certified steel straightedge, which is one of the few things I've had from them I'm happy with.
This one - £200 and it's ffing WARPED UJK Professional Laminated Router Table Top
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Lonsdale73
Established Member
Prices are on the rise everywhere. Boss had their eye on something for their birthday; it jumped from £130 to £180 overnight. Something I'd been contemplating jumped from £88 to £103. I've noticed amazon are not only no longer the cheapest place to purchase items, they can be considerably dearer. Something costing £99 at Screwfix is £172 on amazon. I queried one seller as to why they were asking 12.5% above manufacturer's RRP and their response was the manufacturer doesn't have amazon fees to pay. Nor, it seems does the seller as he is passing them onto the seller. Don't get me wrong, I hate seller's fee when I use ebay but it's my choice to use their facility so have to "lump it" with regards to paying their stiipulated fees for enabling the sale.
I'd a pot of Osmo arrive in today from Axminster, along with their ad flyer showing current 'Deals'
Front top was their hobby 254mm saw bench in its basic format, with small side extension, which is about 1/2 the width of the old models side extension.
Cost £799
That has to be a sick joke. The cost of it in 2018/2019 was £499. Mine in 2012 or something was £450, and with the bits-side extension and sliding table came to under £650.
EIGHT HUNDRED QUID, FOR A BASIC HOBBY SAW BENCH ?????. So with sliding attachment and full width side extension were now over a thousand pounds. Bloody outrageous.
Front top was their hobby 254mm saw bench in its basic format, with small side extension, which is about 1/2 the width of the old models side extension.
Cost £799
That has to be a sick joke. The cost of it in 2018/2019 was £499. Mine in 2012 or something was £450, and with the bits-side extension and sliding table came to under £650.
EIGHT HUNDRED QUID, FOR A BASIC HOBBY SAW BENCH ?????. So with sliding attachment and full width side extension were now over a thousand pounds. Bloody outrageous.
I had to build a new computer a few months back.
I had three parts in an amazon cart, but purchased them elsewhere.
I try pretty hard not to use Amazon, so it was only yesterday that I logged on again.
"Important information about items in your basket"
(I might be mis quoting)
Anyway, the three lines, a case, some memory, and some other part, had ALL risen in price.
Not by a small amount either. 10% or so.
I had three parts in an amazon cart, but purchased them elsewhere.
I try pretty hard not to use Amazon, so it was only yesterday that I logged on again.
"Important information about items in your basket"
(I might be mis quoting)
Anyway, the three lines, a case, some memory, and some other part, had ALL risen in price.
Not by a small amount either. 10% or so.
Doug71
Established Member
I had similar a couple of days ago but the price went down. I put something in my Amazon basket (was about £40), I went to flick on the kettle for a coffee before I checked it out and when I got back I had "Important information about the item in your basket", when I checked it had come down in price by 2p!
clogs
just can't decide
I still think better to buy old than new...and spend a little time to fettle it......
rarely have I ever bought new machines as big as panel saw's and pl/th....except when tax deductable......
I always bought Wadkin etc.....I know they are not DIY machines generally but the smaller models are.....
If u have the room and can afford it buy one now and store till u can rebuild it....then sell ur AXI c*rp.....
Because as from anytime soon u'll be waiting till someone dies before they come back on the market...
From around 20 years ago pretty much all old engineering machines were bought up at auction and exported to the poorer parts of the world....by the container load.....
You want to try buying decent pre CNC machines now....rocking horse poo come's to mind......
Not mentioning any names but 2 of my metal work machines have genuinely doubled in value since I bought them 10-15 years ago....
and I paid a fair price for them, then.....
I have always said don't look at the shiney paint etc when buying new machines.....
even the so called prof machines are only just DIY qual with a few bits like cast iron beds to justify the price....
that's from the likes of AXI....
the only exception is a few Euro manufacturer's....
there was a programme I viewed recently about a firm in the States that make pl/th and panel saw's....cant remember the name...
a mum and dad business from years ago......from memory all the employee's have been there years...
the place almost looks Victorian....the onwner was asked if he should up-grade the place and change working practices.....
his answer was "we can sell everything we make and still earn a reasonable living, why change"......???
they have a full order book for the next 5 years, everything is made to last and built with the best materials....
the machine are anything up to 2-3 times the cost of anything available now......yet they can still sell em.....!!!!!
even the earliest machines can be repaired and replacement parts are available.....
they will even take in part-exchange one of their old machines against a new one.....
then they rebuild it and sell it on again....
but these are the exception than the rule.....
I blame greedy accountants trying to justify their salaries.....
incidentally when I was in business I would never knowingly work for an accountant.....
rarely have I ever bought new machines as big as panel saw's and pl/th....except when tax deductable......
I always bought Wadkin etc.....I know they are not DIY machines generally but the smaller models are.....
If u have the room and can afford it buy one now and store till u can rebuild it....then sell ur AXI c*rp.....
Because as from anytime soon u'll be waiting till someone dies before they come back on the market...
From around 20 years ago pretty much all old engineering machines were bought up at auction and exported to the poorer parts of the world....by the container load.....
You want to try buying decent pre CNC machines now....rocking horse poo come's to mind......
Not mentioning any names but 2 of my metal work machines have genuinely doubled in value since I bought them 10-15 years ago....
and I paid a fair price for them, then.....
I have always said don't look at the shiney paint etc when buying new machines.....
even the so called prof machines are only just DIY qual with a few bits like cast iron beds to justify the price....
that's from the likes of AXI....
the only exception is a few Euro manufacturer's....
there was a programme I viewed recently about a firm in the States that make pl/th and panel saw's....cant remember the name...
a mum and dad business from years ago......from memory all the employee's have been there years...
the place almost looks Victorian....the onwner was asked if he should up-grade the place and change working practices.....
his answer was "we can sell everything we make and still earn a reasonable living, why change"......???
they have a full order book for the next 5 years, everything is made to last and built with the best materials....
the machine are anything up to 2-3 times the cost of anything available now......yet they can still sell em.....!!!!!
even the earliest machines can be repaired and replacement parts are available.....
they will even take in part-exchange one of their old machines against a new one.....
then they rebuild it and sell it on again....
but these are the exception than the rule.....
I blame greedy accountants trying to justify their salaries.....
incidentally when I was in business I would never knowingly work for an accountant.....
