Tools From Japan Order

[Charles Bjorgen]

I placed an online order with Stu at TFJ on Sunday, April 21. He acknowledged the order the next day and shipped it out either late that day or the following day with the usual info that it would arrive two to three weeks later. I was surprised to find it in my mail box yesterday, Monday, only eight days after the order was placed. Stu also refunded part of the shipping cost originally billed on the order. I mention this only because it reminds me that delays in shipping time from Japan may not be as great as it once was. My first order with Stu last year did take a longer for delivery though. Thanks, Stu.

[Chris Griggs]

Glad things are moving fast. I'm going to be placing an order with him this week. Stu is a most excellent tool dealer.

Charles I see you are in the Twin Cities, I grew up in the south burbs of St. Paul and attended the U of MN. Say hi to Goldie the Gopher for me.

[David Weaver]

If you get tracking on some of the orders (if you ever use EMS), you find out that almost without question, the delay is in customs on our end. I've ordered a bunch of things from stu, and sometimes it's literally only a couple of days and other times it's been a lot longer, but in the end, everything gets here - I've never had something not show up.

When stuff is delayed, and I've had tracking, to a T it is on our end of the process as you can see EMS saying that an item is literally in NY sitting at JFK 3 days after it's shipped, even when it's shipped from somewhere remote in japan and it takes an extra day to get on the plane over there.

With the exchange rate where it is, everything is suddenly 20-25% cheaper than it was a few months ago, and a lot of the stateside stuff still has the crappy exchange rates reflected in the price. I looked up a shapton pro 8k yesterday and it was $72 from stu, not that stu exactly loves shaptons, but he will gnash his teeth and put them in a box for you if you insist. The best stateside price that I can find is $99, and there are plenty of places going for $115 or so.

The exchange rate also puts a per-chisel average on the Koyamaichi chisels around $55 if you avoid the super huge chisels you never use (as in avoid the pre-defined sets, which for just about every japanese maker include two large chisels when you'd really rather have two less expensive and more useful chisels under an inch in the set). Anyway, $55 is as cheap as most of the western premium chisels, and IME, KI's chisels are the least expensive "proper" chisels for someone looking to try out a japanese chisel. They are fully hard and tough for their hardness.

[Sam Takeuchi]

Items going between Japan and US are almost always fast. Even the SAL parcel (surface air lifted, cheapest shipping option that flies) gets a package delivered to an US address between 10 to 14 days. Mail service between those two countries are nearly always good. I remember there was a problem a couple of years ago that the US customs not accepting packages more than 1lbs. I can't remember why now, but as far as I remember that was the only major disruption that causes anything noticeably problematic. Even when I lived in the US back in the 90s it was fast.

When it comes to sending stuff fast, Japan is obsessed with it. This is a country swarming with delivery and courier companies that are competing through the fastest logistics and delivery. Once items leave Japan though, of course everything is up to whoever picks it up.

[Charles Bjorgen]

Charles I see you are in the Twin Cities, I grew up in the south burbs of St. Paul and attended the U of MN. Say hi to Goldie the Gopher for me.

Yup, Chris, U of MN grad, 1961, which makes me an old fart. Our Gopher teams are trying to make comebacks but it's a tough conference.

[Rick Fisher]

So... What did you buy from Stu ?

[Harold Burrell]

So... What did you buy from Stu ?

And...of course...we will need pictures (or none of this really happened)...

[Dale Murray]

I am so lame, I don't know what STU and TFJ are. Somebody want to message me with the answer?

[Chuck Darney]

That would be Stuart Tierney (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?65576-Stuart-Tierney) at ToolsFromJapan.com.


I am so lame, I don't know what STU and TFJ are. Somebody want to message me with the answer?

[Charles Bjorgen]

So... What did you buy from Stu ?

No big deal...just a waterstone that I wanted. You all know what they look like.

[Chris Griggs]

I'm not the OP but I just placed an order with Stu for 2 Koyamichi parers and a Gyokucho Dozuki and Kugihiki (flush cut).

I had been debating getting the paring chisels for a while, then a month or so ago an another creeker (who shall remain annonymous) gave me a couple vintage western parers which I have fallen in love with...more useful than a block plane! That enabler totally pushed me over the edge and I just couldn't deny myself getting a couple nice japanese parers any longer....The currrent exchange rate did not help me resist either.

[David Weaver]

It's funny how prices go down and your wallet has less in it because of that.

I'll bet the intention of the vintage parers was to satisfy the itch, too.

[Chris Griggs]

I'll bet the intention of the vintage parers was to satisfy the itch, too.

Yeah, I'm sure he gave them to me so I wouldn't need to buy any, but for me it really was more about answering the question of how useful I'd find having dedicated parers. And boy did it answer that question!!! I'll likely still use the vintage too, and if not I'll just pay the favor forward and pass them along to someone else in need of parers.

[Rick Fisher]

Dedicated paring chisels are awesome.. Push only chisels.. Awesome ...

Stu is a good man ..

[Ron Kellison]

It's funny how prices go down and your wallet has less in it because of that.

Going broke by saving money... I'm quite familiar with that concept! :rolleyes:

[Chris Griggs]

Going broke by saving money... I'm quite familiar with that concept! :rolleyes:

"...but honey, with today's high western steel prices, we couldn't afford not to buy these Japanese chisels..." :D