Hot deals from Steel City

[Nancy Laird]

http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/homepage/Announcements_a.pdf

Steel City has announced discounts on all of their current models, as they are getting ready to bring in new inventory. Of particular interest should be the cabinet saws which are all discounted $400 or more. They are moving inventory to bring in the riving-knife and granite-top models.

The 18" band saw is now at $1300.

The link above is to a 6-page flyer announcing all of their reductions.

Happy shopping!!!!

Nancy (45 days)

[Chris Friesen]

Unfortunately us Canadians are still getting hosed. For example, the 8" industrial jointer is $1049 in the US, and $1300 in Canada, even though the Canadian dollar is now trading at $1.08 US.

The difference in the list price for that same jointer is even more crazy: $1350 US, vs $2250CAD.

Do they think we're all morons up here?

[Jay Kilpatrick]

Unfortunately us Canadians are still getting hosed. For example, the 8" industrial jointer is $1049 in the US, and $1300 in Canada, even though the Canadian dollar is now trading at $1.08 US.

The difference in the list price for that same jointer is even more crazy: $1350 US, vs $2250CAD.

Do they think we're all morons up here?

Well Chris, All I can say is convert $1350 CDN into appoximately $1350 US (8 cents on the dollar for conversion?), buy yourself the jointer, and save $833 CDN or approx. $900 US... Then you can ask them who's the dummy ;) ?

[Rod Sheridan]

Unfortunately us Canadians are still getting hosed. For example, the 8" industrial jointer is $1049 in the US, and $1300 in Canada, even though the Canadian dollar is now trading at $1.08 US.

The difference in the list price for that same jointer is even more crazy: $1350 US, vs $2250CAD.

Do they think we're all morons up here?

I don't think we're all morons, however it would be interesting to see the actual figures of the wholesale cost in both countries.

Perhaps the machinery comes into the USA, then is shipped here to a distributor, with perhaps some import duties attached.

It would be appreciated if someone from Steel City could comment on the above to explain the price difference between the two countries.

Regards, Rod.

[Greg Cole]

Not sure what duty would account for that high of a price difference... the duty taxes should be in the neighborhood of 3% if applicable at all.
I would guess much of the price difference would be due to motor freight from the US. I am assuming SC imports container loads of machines from the Pacific Rim factories and warehouses them in Tennessee and then ships to the distributors north of the border.....
Fuel surcharges these days are right off the map, and I heard some blabbering this morning about gas going up to the $4 range sooner n later & the national average here is $3.05 today.

Greg

[Greg Cole]

Thinking a little more, there's still no frieght that would bump the prices up as much as listed above.... just doesn't add up on the jointer pricing example. Maybe the SC network doesn't have pricing set by the OEM and the dealers can set their price points? Ah well....
I hear good things about SC stuff and had the 16 or 18" BS on the short list to replace the G0513 I pawned off on my old neighbor for every penny I had into it. Anyway, the replacement for the G0513 will homefully be on the dock at work by Friday :D :D :D . Less than a stealthy gloat?

With the rebates the price on the 16" BS isn't bad, but I wanted more resaw and a little more umph never hurt.

Greg

[Brian Weick]

are insanely congested - that's good for us new yorkers as far as inflow of positive cash coming from the Canadians. but the retail stores there are suffering in Canada - works out in the end- it always sways one way or the other as far as the exchange rates. who knows what it will be in 6 months.
as far as that 18" band saw- does anyone own one? I am thinking of purchasing that at $1299.00 + NY tax and I get 3 free blades with it.
If you have the 18" can you elaborate on what you like , what you don't like/
Thanks
Brian

[Nancy Laird]

Maybe the SC network doesn't have pricing set by the OEM and the dealers can set their price points? Ah well....

Anyway, the replacement for the G0513 will homefully be on the dock at work by Friday :D :D :D . Less than a stealthy gloat?

Greg

Greg, SCTW machines are fair-traded, which means that SCTW sets the prices at which they will be offered for sale in ads, etc. This doesn't mean that the individual dealers can't discount them, and some of the dealers do so, but they can not advertise them at lower prices and it only cuts the dealers' profits--doesn't affect SCTW unless SCTW itself does an across-the-board sale, like this one, or offers rebates like are going now. Does that make sense?

Which band saw did you get???

Nancy (45 days)

[Greg Pavlov]

http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/homepage/Announcements_a.pdf

Steel City has announced discounts on all of their current models, .....
Nancy (45 days)
It's hard to tell exactly what some of the "list prices" really mean, since the "sale prices" of various items, such as the drill press, are the same as they have been for at least the last 3-4 months.

[Greg Cole]

Nancy,
I was just sort of thinking out loud about the price jump, maybe it's a higher price in higher latitudes? LOL
I have a G0513X2 on the road from Springfield... and being in KC it MIGHT show up tomorrow or more likely Thursday. For $94 shipping I couldn't make myself drive the 3+ hours each way on a weekend day.

Greg

[John Thompson]

I just got off the phone with Scott Box (vice president of Steel City) and he has confirmed what Rod Sheridan was thinking. They aren't giving truck freight from the deep south to Canada away and there are duty taxes tacked on.

The Canadian dealers are given a fixed price, but there are some heavier rebates for them to help off-set the added expense of getting the machinery to them. Scott Box suggested actually contacting a Canadian dealer there and see what you can actually walk away with a Steel City machine for instead of reliance on the advertised price.

Hopefully that will help for you north of the border folks... ;)

Sarge..

[Bob Malone]

Chris hang in there!

I was at the WW'ing show in Calgary last week and was told it will take until February or March 2008 until things get straightened out price wise and inventory wise in Canada for Steel City. New models are arriving in early spring regarding the SC line - most notably the granite tops and riving knives on table saws.

With the introduction of the new models Nancy talked about, Canadians will see a SC 3HP table saw with full granite top, riving knife for and the industrial fence for approximately $1500 CDN. I cannot say what the US price will be, (I sure hope they are very comparable!) but for SC quality, 5 year guarantee and good local service, I am waiting to replace my older DeWalt hybrid with the newer SC table saws in the spring of 2008!

I think as the dollar goes higher, the pressure on all tool retailers in Canada will become more intense - the result will be prices in the comparable range with US catalogue prices. If the CDN USD price margin does not merge, I think Canadian retailers will feel the swift decline in tool sales as some pent up demand will quickly shift south. I have patientily waited for 6-7 months for old inventory to clear out, prices to adjust as old catalogue pricing is replaced and newer technolgy arrives regarding riving knives on table saws. By early spring, I will give every opportunity to local suppliers to get my business, but if the CDN USD prices remain insanely different, I will hook up the trailer and head south.

Waiting patiently in Calgary!

Bob

[Nancy Laird]

Gentlemen: I don't think that any of the SCTW owners are members here, so the request that someone from SC respond to Rod's post prompted me to send an e-mail to the US and Canadian VPs. The following response is pretty self-explanatory; you will note that he asked me to post this:

Nancy, I have noted the response from your Canadian contributor who thinks we are “hosing’ him on the 8” industrial jointer & the litany of replies he is receiving from your fellow members to his concerns. I would like to respond to this & hope that the following points will help clear up the topic for everyone.

The fact is we are the only machinery company that has done anything to try & balance the purchasing power between our two currencies to date. We did this in Canada a few weeks back by increasing the list of Steel City machines that come with a rebate as well as significantly increasing the dollar value of that rebate when the item is purchased from one of our Canadian Dealers.

The result of this move can be illustrated by using the 8” industrial jointer he uses as an example. The writer is correct in stating that this item has a US flyer price of $1049 & the Cdn flyer price is $1299. So why the difference????

All of the current inventory in our Canadian warehouse has been shipped here from our US facility. This means that additional cost such as freight duty & brokerage fees are incurred to get the product into Canada on behalf of our dealers & our end users. If we did not do this the dealer or end user would do it on their own.

If you take the $1049 US price one must add 6% or $60+ for Duty and (conservatively) $125.00 for Freight plus a Brokerage fee (minimum $40) charged for processing the customs documentation at the border crossing point. The net result is a final price to a Canadian end user of almost $1280.00----not too far off the $1299.00 selling price in Canada & a small difference for the peace of mind & convenience of purchasing from a dealer in the woodworker’s hometown (after sales service, parts etc.)

The List Price differential referred to really does not have any relevance. We published those way back in our May/07 Price Schedule when the Cdn $ was trading way below current levels. Steel City dealers on both sides of the border sell our machinery at the flyer pricing that is published at the time of sale & the Suggested List Price is only a reference back to the last printed Price Schedule.

As a Canadian myself I fully understand the concern that my fellow countrymen/women have surrounding our currency situation. As I said above, we at Steel City Canada took steps early on to address the differences. There are a host of companies that have not & may not do so unless they are forced to do so.

Our decision has, quite frankly, created a direct & significant cost to Steel City ( inventory purchased in USD when Cdn $ was lower) but we felt it was another way to distinguish us from the crowd & further earn the respect & business from the woodworkers up here.

I would ask each of them to understand that the above added costs are real -----there is no “padding” going on. There are many Canadians who believe that Duty does not apply on these products. The fact is that our machines are built offshore & , as such, are not part of NAFTA. They are subject to duty when they enter the US &, subsequently, subject to duty when they are shipped from the US into Canada. Any “favoured nation” duty ruling that might have existed is voided by this process.

As one of the founding partners in Steel City I am very interested in ensuring that our customers are treated fairly on both sides of the border. It is important that we serve them as close to their home base as possible. I believe our current Canadian Fall/Winter flyer with added rebates does just that. We will continue to constantly monitor the currency situation with the aim to keep a fair & reasonable balance for our valued customers on both sides of the border.

If any of your members have any questions on the above points I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Nancy, I hope you are able to publish my response to your members’ concerns. Thank you for advising me of the situation .

Best regards, Jim McEntee VP & General Manager, Steel City Canada

I can't add anything to this.

Nancy (45 days)

[Dirk Lewis]

I just got off the phone with Scott Box (vice president of Steel City) and he has confirmed what Rod Sheridan was thinking. They aren't giving truck freight from the deep south to Canada away and there are duty taxes tacked on.

The Canadian dealers are given a fixed price, but there are some heavier rebates for them to help off-set the added expense of getting the machinery to them. Scott Box suggested actually contacting a Canadian dealer there and see what you can actually walk away with a Steel City machine for instead of reliance on the advertised price.

Hopefully that will help for you north of the border folks... ;)

Sarge..

hey Sarge,

Thanks for the 'inside scoop', but I tried that and got a flat out "nope - list price or nothing". And if I bought the saw (which I didn't) it was mine once I paid for it and up to me to get it home somehow - no offer of help or access to a freight/moving company they might use. Regarding the 18" bandsaw I was going to purchase "it's only 200 lbs, shouldn't be a problem".
uhm, yeah...the shipping weight of the saw is actually closer to 500lbs - I'll just carry that home on my bike:rolleyes:

you guys in th US must have much better dealers than we do up here.
back to Bandsaw shopping for me....


D

[tim mathis]

brian,
18 inch sc bandsaw owned almost 1 year.

the 18 inch is quite when running.
the motor is very strong,
there is no vibration,
my tentioning gauge is right on.
resaws great & i can cut very thin veneers

mine is hooked up to a foot pedal( WIRED BETWEEN THE OUTLET AND THE BANDSAW PLUG) when i want to stop it,i step on the pedal ( which is on the floor right next to the foot pedal on the bandsaw)to shut off the motor and then step on the bandsaw foot pedal to stop the blade, this works great for me.

the fence moved on mine when locked, so i added a washer to the part of the fence that locks around the angle iron that is mounted to the rear of the table, now it is rock solid.that is all i can find wrong with it.i fixed that in less than 3 minutes.
well worth the money and i would purchase again.

[John Thompson]

hey Sarge,

Thanks for the 'inside scoop', but I tried that and got a flat out "nope - list price or nothing". And if I bought the saw (which I didn't) it was mine once I paid for it and up to me to get it home somehow - no offer of help or access to a freight/moving company they might use. Regarding the 18" bandsaw I was going to purchase "it's only 200 lbs, shouldn't be a problem".
uhm, yeah...the shipping weight of the saw is actually closer to 500lbs - I'll just carry that home on my bike:rolleyes:

you guys in th US must have much better dealers than we do up here.
back to Bandsaw shopping for me....


D

Evening Dirk...

I retired two weeks ago... but it appears I might pick up some part time work smuggling machinery across the border. ;)

Incidentally, I hauled home a SC 18" BS and Uni-saw in one load with 400' linear feet of white oak stacked on both sides of the machines in the center. I went to get the white oak and for some mysterious reason the two machines jumped on my truck and refused to get off. Well.. that's how I explained it to the "First Lady" anyway. :D

Sarge..

[Dirk Lewis]

Evening Dirk...

I retired two weeks ago... but it appears I might pick up some part time work smuggling machinery across the border. ;)

Incidentally, I hauled home a SC 18" BS and Uni-saw in one load with 400' linear feet of white oak stacked on both sides of the machines in the center. I went to get the white oak and for some mysterious reason the two machines jumped on my truck and refused to get off. Well.. that's how I explained it to the "First Lady" anyway. :D

Sarge..

Evenin' John,

I've read your reviews of the SC 18" BS, which is what got me going in that direction. I don't have the opportunity to see a lot of the different saws in person, so rely on what others like yerself have written - much appreciated.
However, given that it's been an uphill battle to buy one of these, I'm now looking at other machines - too bad as the SC BS sounds like a real winner.
Thanks again, and if you feel like playin' Santy Claus this year, feel free to smuggle a saw across the border and plop it down my chimney.

Cheers,
Dirk

[Dirk Lewis]

brian,
18 inch sc bandsaw owned almost 1 year.

the 18 inch is quite when running.
the motor is very strong,
there is no vibration,
my tentioning gauge is right on.
resaws great & i can cut very thin veneers

mine is hooked up to a foot pedal( WIRED BETWEEN THE OUTLET AND THE BANDSAW PLUG) when i want to stop it,i step on the pedal ( which is on the floor right next to the foot pedal on the bandsaw)to shut off the motor and then step on the bandsaw foot pedal to stop the blade, this works great for me.

the fence moved on mine when locked, so i added a washer to the part of the fence that locks around the angle iron that is mounted to the rear of the table, now it is rock solid.that is all i can find wrong with it.i fixed that in less than 3 minutes.
well worth the money and i would purchase again.

Tim,
Thanks for sharing your BS feedback. With such a relatively new product line, every little bit helps.

D

[Rod Sheridan]

Gentlemen: I don't think that any of the SCTW owners are members here, so the request that someone from SC respond to Rod's post prompted me to send an e-mail to the US and Canadian VPs. The following response is pretty self-explanatory; you will note that he asked me to post this:



Nancy (45 days)


Nancy, thanks for taking the time to do this, the answer was greatly appreciated........Rod.

[Chris Friesen]

Thanks for forwarding that response Nancy.

Based on the additional costs of shipping/duty/brokerage/etc. the current pricing doesn't seem too bad. I didn't realize that they didn't get refunded the American duty once the item left the US, or that they had to pay brokerage by the piece.

That said, I find it a bit misleading when he talks about the list prices being set when the dollar was "way" below current levels. Back in May the Canadian dollar was trading at 90-93 cents US, but the Canadian list price is 48% higher even after accounting for the duty/shipping/brokerage.

The impression I get is that most Canadians really only started complaining once the Canadian dollar hit par.

I should add that I actually do own the SC 18" bandsaw. I bought it about a year ago, and I wish I could have gotten it at the current price! I had to get a replacement table and fence (fence wasn't straight, and table wasn't flat) but other than that it's been fine. I really like the foot brake, and it had no problems tensioning a 3/4" blade. I've got a 1" blade that I haven't tried yet, but I don't anticipate any problems tensioning it either.

[Don Bullock]

Steel City does have some good deals going. I wish I had the $$ to pick something up.

BTW -- Nancy, I'm jealous of your retirement count. I still have 219 days.:D

[Ron Conlon]

Now here's Nancy trying to do something nice and inadvertantly riles up the Canucks. This is an international incident! And they have 48 more weeks of winter in which to plot their revenge!:)

[Dirk Lewis]

Now here's Nancy trying to do something nice and inadvertantly riles up the Canucks. This is an international incident! And they have 48 more weeks of winter in which to plot their revenge!:)

We are working on our long-range snowball system...you've been warned! ;)

[Rod Sheridan]

We are working on our long-range snowball system...you've been warned! ;)

Unfortunately with global warming, we only have 48 days of winter, not 48 weeks.

That should make our southern friends feel much safer....Of course you have to balance that out with more time for our stealth canoe now!

Regards, Rod.

[Al Willits]

Do they take payments??:D
Talk about the right deal at the wrong time...oh-well

Anybody have any exprience with the 16" version, probably be able to afford that sooner...maybe

Al

[Graham Skinner]

Unfortunately us Canadians are still getting hosed. For example, the 8" industrial jointer is $1049 in the US, and $1300 in Canada, even though the Canadian dollar is now trading at $1.08 US.

The difference in the list price for that same jointer is even more crazy: $1350 US, vs $2250CAD.

Do they think we're all morons up here?



Yes they do!:eek:

Take a look at these General fliers to see what I mean:mad: .

http://www.general.ca/promo/FLYER_US.pdf for the US market.

http://www.general.ca/promo/flyer_an.pdf for the HOME Canadian market.

[Steve Rowe]

Yes they do!:eek:

Take a look at these General fliers to see what I mean:mad: .

http://www.general.ca/promo/FLYER_US.pdf for the US market.

http://www.general.ca/promo/flyer_an.pdf for the HOME Canadian market.
Wow! And General is a Canadian company. Looks like everyone is sticking it to you guys. :confused:
Steve

[Rod Sheridan]

Wow! And General is a Canadian company. Looks like everyone is sticking it to you guys. :confused:
Steve

I don't think they are "sticking it" to us, au contraire I think that they have been stuck by the reduced value of the US dollar.

General would have established pricing for a sale starting September 2007, much earlier, when the US dollar was higher.

General would have purchased all the GI products many months before, as they would have had to be made, and shipped to North America.

Likewise they would have had to purchase materials and components to fabricate their Canadian made equipment many months ago, and some may have been paid for in US funds, when the US dollar was worth much more.

Now General is taking a bath in the US because the products paid for by high value US currency are now being purchased by low value US.

In Canada, they would have converted Canadian currency to US to purchase most of the equipment or materials. Now they are being paid in Canadian dollars, for equipment purchased from Canadian dollars.

There's not much they can do, the US price is now too low, the Canadian price may be correct.

regards, Rod.