Lori Kleinberg
11-10-2008, 1:26 PM
Hello, I thought I would let everyone know how the breakfast and woodworking show went in Tucson this past weekend. We had a small turnout for breakfast but it was a quality group of people. It was a nice experience meeting some local woodworkers and being able to talk face to face with them. After breakfast we headed to the show which was right next door.
We got there right after they opened. There were quite a few people, but nothing I would call crowded. The largest set up was by Peachtree. They had quite a few display areas as soon as you walked in. Plenty of little things that you would need, such as sanding supplies, clamps, lots of books and even woodworking t-shirts (the ones with the cutsey sayings).
I kind of skipped over everything and headed straight for the Lee Valley display. They had handplanes, chisels, sharpening stuff, spokeshaves, drill bits, you know all the drool worthy stuff LV is known for. I liked that they had quite a few workers so it was easy to get help for sales or questions.
After LV we started to wander from display to display. The crowds were getting a bit bigger and you had to kind of shuffle around to see any of the demonstrations that were going on and there were quite a few. There were a couple of companies I knew nothing about and some smaller companies I had heard of before but did not really know much about.
We stopped and talked to the Micro Jig guys. They were very helpful and had a video and demonstration of the GRR-Ripper going on. I ended up buying my 2nd Grr-ripper from them and they thru in the DVD which I always said I would not pay $10 for. The price was good, not great. I really liked this safety device and had been meaning to buy another one for quite awhile, but always put it off for something else. The guy demonstrated some things I did not know you could do with the grr-ripper and I was even more impressed, hence the purchase.
Unfortunately, because of my health we couldn't stay too long, so before my back gave out completely we headed to the Kreg display. They had most of their products on display and you could get a demonstration of just about anything. One of the guys I was with bought the bandsaw fence. I was interested in the Pocket hole stuff, the master set. The price was $139 and the best they could do was throw in a box of screws. I told the guy politely that he had to be kidding :eek:and I could go anywhere and get that set for the same price. He said his hands were tied and that was all he could do. I decide I could wait on that since it was no bargain and I would still have to add sales tax.
Overall, I really enjoyed myself. There were quite a few people there but it was definitely not packed and I have nothing to compare it too, since this was my first show. I really would have liked some of the big tool companies to be there, I really think that would have made a big difference. Especially Delta with their new "American Made" unisaw.
I think my biggest disappointment was in the pricing. Of course I did not price everything, I was comfortable with the price I paid for the Grr-ripper, but I really looked at the Grex 23g pinner and the Kreg master set and these were definitely not a bargain :mad:.
I forgot to mention, I met the new owner of the local Woodcraft, they had a display set up. Seemed like a nice man. I complimented him on the changes in the store. He said he would like to add so more big machines to the showroom. I suggested he check out the woodworking forums for info on what is hot.
We got there right after they opened. There were quite a few people, but nothing I would call crowded. The largest set up was by Peachtree. They had quite a few display areas as soon as you walked in. Plenty of little things that you would need, such as sanding supplies, clamps, lots of books and even woodworking t-shirts (the ones with the cutsey sayings).
I kind of skipped over everything and headed straight for the Lee Valley display. They had handplanes, chisels, sharpening stuff, spokeshaves, drill bits, you know all the drool worthy stuff LV is known for. I liked that they had quite a few workers so it was easy to get help for sales or questions.
After LV we started to wander from display to display. The crowds were getting a bit bigger and you had to kind of shuffle around to see any of the demonstrations that were going on and there were quite a few. There were a couple of companies I knew nothing about and some smaller companies I had heard of before but did not really know much about.
We stopped and talked to the Micro Jig guys. They were very helpful and had a video and demonstration of the GRR-Ripper going on. I ended up buying my 2nd Grr-ripper from them and they thru in the DVD which I always said I would not pay $10 for. The price was good, not great. I really liked this safety device and had been meaning to buy another one for quite awhile, but always put it off for something else. The guy demonstrated some things I did not know you could do with the grr-ripper and I was even more impressed, hence the purchase.
Unfortunately, because of my health we couldn't stay too long, so before my back gave out completely we headed to the Kreg display. They had most of their products on display and you could get a demonstration of just about anything. One of the guys I was with bought the bandsaw fence. I was interested in the Pocket hole stuff, the master set. The price was $139 and the best they could do was throw in a box of screws. I told the guy politely that he had to be kidding :eek:and I could go anywhere and get that set for the same price. He said his hands were tied and that was all he could do. I decide I could wait on that since it was no bargain and I would still have to add sales tax.
Overall, I really enjoyed myself. There were quite a few people there but it was definitely not packed and I have nothing to compare it too, since this was my first show. I really would have liked some of the big tool companies to be there, I really think that would have made a big difference. Especially Delta with their new "American Made" unisaw.
I think my biggest disappointment was in the pricing. Of course I did not price everything, I was comfortable with the price I paid for the Grr-ripper, but I really looked at the Grex 23g pinner and the Kreg master set and these were definitely not a bargain :mad:.
I forgot to mention, I met the new owner of the local Woodcraft, they had a display set up. Seemed like a nice man. I complimented him on the changes in the store. He said he would like to add so more big machines to the showroom. I suggested he check out the woodworking forums for info on what is hot.