Axminster search facility

[PAC1]

Does anyone else find the search facility on the Axi website infuriating. As an example I searched for a Bench Brush. I got 683 hits. Not 683 bench brushes but what some techie thought were all the possible permutations of what i might of meant if i could not spell or really meant to ask for something completely different. It is really not a helpful facility in its current state

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I must say whilst I hate being critical of Axy because their customer service is so darn good, in this case I'm inclined to agree. It's bad for their business because it makes finding the thing you might want to buy quite difficult. On more than one occasion I've got so frustrated with the search process I've given up and (strike me dead where I sit), gone to Rutlands!

 

[RogerP]

I just finished search for a 2 morse taper blank arbour. Easily found on three websites but not Aximinster.

There I'm offered three quite different quite wrong arbours before it quickly wanders off to taped shovels, pen blanks ,a £3,499.96 lathe and further 3086 irrelevant results.

 

[Argus]

I think you've hit the nail on the head. The search index is frustratingly imprecise, to be kind about it.

In every other respect Axy are excellent, even though their prices are not always the keenest and I've been a customer since the 1980s, when they worked out of an Aladdin's cave of a shop in Axminster.

My personal solution is to use the paper catalogue to find what I want, then put the part number in the web site.
If I'm really, really, stuck a phone call to the technical guys will sort it. I have always found that they are very knowledgeable, or will find out and call you back.

All best

 

[Rhossydd]

It's as good as any other search engine on the internet.
Type "bench brush" and you'll find they don't sell anything with that description, type bench brush and you'll get anything related to bench and to brush, of which there are hundreds.

If they don't sell anything called a bench brush it's no surprise it offers something vaguely similar. Like most internet related queries, the quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question.

 

[PAC1]

It's as good as any other search engine on the internet.
Type "bench brush" and you'll find they don't sell anything with that description, type bench brush and you'll get anything related to bench and to brush, of which there are hundreds.

If they don't sell anything called a bench brush it's no surprise it offers something vaguely similar. Like most internet related queries, the quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question.

They do sell a bench brush and a very nice one. So what term should I have typed and how would I a none techie know the correct question to ask. Surely the website should be optimised to the type of user most likely to ask and know if I type bench brush that is what I mean. I do not want various planes and other tools. Other websites do this far better.

 

[carlb40]

I find it easier to just look through their paper catalogue than use that ' search function'

 

[pcb1962]

I just finished search for a 2 morse taper blank arbour. Easily found on three websites but not Aximinster.

You can use Google to search the Axminster (or any other) site.
Just enter "site:axminster.co.uk 2MT arbor" in Google and the arbor you're looking for is the 5th result on my screen. Doing this also gets you the benefit of Googles fuzzy spelling engine, so you'll get more or less the same result whether you spell it arbour or arbor.
FWIW I prefer http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk for stuff like that.

 

[flh801978]

screwfix, rs components, farnell and maplins seem to use the same search engine
ebay and amazon seem to know exactly what you want

 

[RogerS]

It's as good as any other search engine on the internet.
Type "bench brush" and you'll find they don't sell anything with that description, type bench brush and you'll get anything related to bench and to brush, of which there are hundreds.

If they don't sell anything called a bench brush it's no surprise it offers something vaguely similar. Like most internet related queries, the quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question.

I'm afraid that I don't agree with that. I've just tried using it and it really is pants. It redefines the term 'Not Fit For Purpose'. I was trying to track down the shaker style router cutter set. Hopeless. To make matters worse, you see them actually suggest something approaching what you might be looking for and it comes up with a whole host of unrelated stuff.

Google is spot on and that suggestion by pcb1962 hits the mark bang-on.

 

[Rhossydd]

I'm afraid that I don't agree with that.... .... I was trying to track down the shaker style router cutter set.

So why did you search for shaker door set of spindle cutters ?

Like most internet related queries, the quality of the answer depends on the quality of the question.

it comes up with a whole host of unrelated stuff.

Not really, what you've asked is to find anything connected with;
shaker - hence the books
door - anything to do with doors
spindle - anything related to spindles
cutters - all things related to cutters
Set - everything in a set

Hardly a surprise you get over 7000 hits really. Just searching for "Shaker style" or even "router cutter" (NOTE THE QUOTATION MARKS) would drastically reduce the volume of results and improve their relevance.

 

[RogerS]

I didn't. I initially tried shaker router cutter without much success. Then shaker door cutter. The Axminster site converted the latter to shaker door set of spindle cutters. I had no choice in the matter. Leaving that aside, look at the search results....

The first search with shaker router cutter (at least that has one of your pairings) gave me 1018 results.

Please spare me the Tales of Grandmotherhood. I am quite capable of understanding where Axminster results are coming from.

Now, using a PROPER search engine like Google, and typing in site:axminster.co.uk shaker it is the first item.

God knows why you are sticking up for the naff Axminster search engine. Perhaps you implemented it?

 

[Doug B]

I was trying to track down the shaker style router cutter set. .

These any good Roger. http://www.wealdentool.com//cgi-bin/ss0 ... TB=A&SHOP=

I've not bothered with Axminster for about a year now, they really need to buck their ideas up before I'd return with my business.

 

[RogerS]

HI Doug, thanks for the suggestion. Actually I've got a set..just that I needed reference of what thickness they'd go down to (18mm is the answer).

 

[Geoffrey Laycock]

The Axi search does behave in a typical way so no surprise you get masses of results not truly related to what you want, BUT, I do think it is at the more extreme end of similar sites. Much worse since the launch of their new website and frustrating they no longer have a 'show all' ability so a maximum of 60 items per page, WHY?

What I find more frustrating are the manufacturer 'shops', as an example Festool. You click on Festool but then it's a nightmare to find what you want, and if you use the search ............

I must say the Axminster customer service is excellent but I buy less and less from them. Sadly, shopping around for high quality hand tools and power tool, they are no longer good value. Festool is again a good example and there are several other big suppliers that are much, much cheaper.

You may notice all sellers of Lie Neilson tools have the same prices for some reason, mmmm. As a matter of principal, I no longer buy LN from Axi, just to pass some of my hard earned cash to smaller businesses.

 

[Rhossydd]

The Axminster site converted the latter to shaker door set of spindle cutters. I had no choice in the matter.

Wrong.
The site offers alternative popular similar search terms to the words typed into the box, but you don't have to accept them.

Now, using a PROPER search engine like Google, and typing in site:axminster.co.uk shaker it is the first item.

So Google, worth $400bn dollars whose primary technology is search engine technology, delivers better answers than a small outfit in rural England with six shops ? Gosh what a surprise.
Like any tool, use it ineffectively and you'll get poor results.

God knows why you are sticking up for the naff Axminster search engine. Perhaps you implemented it?

Two clicks of the mouse would answer that for you, but as you haven't grasped the importance of quotation when marking internet searches I'm hardly surprised at the daft assertion.

 

[Walney Col]

I have to say I'd be a lot more inclined to buy more from axminster if (for example) the first half a dozen item you were shown when entering LATHE into the search box were pictures of lathes rather than books.

 

[Rhossydd]

...I'd be a lot more inclined to buy more from axminster if (for example) the first half a dozen item you were shown when entering LATHE into the search box were pictures of lathes rather than books.

Scrolling down to item 7 of 30 makes you buy less from a supplier ? bizarre.
Choose what sort of lathe you want, woodworking or metal, and you get the machines on line one. How psychic do you expect these tools to be ?

 

[Walney Col]

I do actually buy from axminster but their site search is pathetic and there's no getting round the fact that they badly need to prioritise their keyword algorithm.

 

[RogerS]

I do actually buy from axminster but their site search is pathetic and there's no getting round the fact that they badly need to prioritise their keyword algorithm.

It's perfect, according to Rhossdydd