Rockler price gouging

[brianlanning]

I was meeting a friend at the schaumburg outback last night for dinner (Schaumburg is a chicago suburb), so I decided to stop by the Rockler store there and pick up the D-handle for my PC 690.

Let me first say this this place is like a candy store and I've bought things there on many occasions.

I didn't check online to see what a good price on the D-handle was, but my gut told me that it should be about $50. I walked in and asked the guy if they had one. He was very helpful. Then I noticed the price: $98... for a cast aluminum frame, plastic handle, power plug connector, power cord, and trigger. For comparrison, this is about what those huge cast iron tennoning jigs cost. So I put it back and left.

When I arrived home last night, I looked up the item on amazon: $70. Now I can understand that schaumburg isn't a cheap area. And I can understand that they need to make some money and can't really compete directly with online places, but $30 is a little excessive.

The weird thing is that some of the items seemed to have very good prices. Maybe this is a special case.

brian

[Neil Larson]

I shop at the same store and have found, in general, that they are very competative. If you are talking about buying from the Tool Crib on Amazon, add in shipping and the delay in getting it and see how the price looks then.

I bought the Rockler Dovetail jig 2 weeks ago and got a PC690 for 40 bucks with it, not bad.

[cm]

This happens to you more times than you are aware of!

I buy things all the time at my local paint store, Ace Hardware and True Value that are less than Home Depot or Lowes and Home Depot and Lowes have many things cheaper than Ace, True Value, and my paint store. I don't have time to price shop everything.

A roll of 1 1/2" blue masking tape at HD or Lowes is about $5.00. I buy it at the paint store for $2.80 I bought a Kwikset lock at Ace for $24.99 and saw it at HD later that day for $28.97.

If we buy too many of our tools and supplies online we won't have any local woodworking toy stores.

You might also check other stores in your area and see what the router base is selling for. Maybe that is the going rate locally???

$30.00 is a lot of money.

AZCRAIG

Refresh - Repair - Restore

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 4/7/2005 10:52 AM brianlanning said the following:

Question: Since the D-Handle includes a cord and trigger switch, what do you do with all the cord already attached to the 690 motor? I considered picking one of these up also but...

Ah, yes. It is indeed. Nice people that are willing to help you find anything you want but if you say "Thanks, just browsing..." it's like you have a tag on you saying "Beware of Plague!" and they really keep their distance until you whistle them up to help. I like that in a store.

Well, I didn't either and I checked their on-line catalog and found it to be $95.99 there so I guess the $98 is not a gouge, nor a mistake. It's what they sell it for. Guess that if I decide to get one it'll be off eBay or Amazon.

My experience is similar but I've found their prices to be all over the board. Some deals are good, some are bad. Compared some recent purchases with prices from Lee Valley for identical items and Lee Valley had them beat, hands down. Of course, with the shipping charges you would have to spend about $50 minimum before you could consider it a "wash" even factoring in the lack of that 8.25% (I think it is) tax rate in Schaumburg.

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 4/7/2005 12:01 PM Neil Larson said the following:

When was the last time you bought something from Amazon.com that cost more than $25 and paid shipping? When was the last time you paid sales tax on a similar purchase.

Fire up the computer and order a Unisaw from Amazon.com. Free shipping, no sales tax and a price that's... You get the picture.

I'm SURE that if I were to place the order for that Unisaw there would be a catch to it, a surcharge for tailgate service, etc. but even so, how would that compare to around $160-$170 in tax plus at least that in trucking on top of a higher price tag to begin with.

I would really hate to be a store front merchant in this day and age. That Rockler's, Woodcraft, etc. do as well as they do by their customers is amazing.

Their salvation it seems is - as some of their employees and hard-core clientele have mentioned - you can discuss a problem with someone who's BTDT and get a reasonable answer or at least a suggestion rather than "Huh? I think you maybe need to buy a new...."

[J. Clarke]

Are you sure it's the same blue tape? 3M makes several flavors of it with different prices and intended for different purposes.

[brianlanning]

I didn't think about that until I was online last night. I guess you'd have to zip-tie it up. If you buy the 690 with the D-handle, it has a stubby cord. I decided to buy that one later. It looks to be about $170. I was wanting a second one anyway. And for some reason, $170 for a router feels right. Even though I know that you can get the motor for $100 and the base for $70. $70 still seems like a lot of money for the D-handle. I got a fixed base for the 690 from the very same Rockler for $35 for use in a router table.

There's a manager there who really rubs me the wrong way. I've seen him at the ww shows also. But the guy last night seemed like a nice guy.

There's a woodcraft in palatine. Maybe I'll try them on the way home.

brian

[Unquestionably Confused]

on 4/7/2005 1:26 PM brianlanning said the following:

Thanks for that info.

Hmmm, prices have gone up. Pretty sure the fixed base (type 2) was $40 last Saturday when I was in there.

Store manager there is a female now, Diane something. Only dealt with her twice but she seemed to have it together and knew what it was all about.

Last time I was there (~ 3-4 weeks ago) they had very little in the P-C line. Didn't ask but suspect they may have discontinued the line. Overall, I like Rockler's selection a bit better. YMMV.

As long as you're in that neighborhood, have you ever tried Berland's House of Tools on Route 12 (Rand Rd)just north of Quentin Rd? Only about two miles from Woodcraft. They have a sign in the back by the service department "If we don't have it, you don't need it!"

Largest selection of hand, power and stationary tools under one roof that you're likely to find in the Chicagoland area.

Well worth the stop if you've not been there before.

[cm]

Are you sure it's the same blue tape? 3M makes several flavors of it with

Different brand but the same thickness/weight, and same tackiness. Their regular masking tape is way overpriced also and typically lower quality than the paint store.

AZCRAIG

Refresh - Repair - Restore

[brianlanning]

This one seems to have been made just for router tables. There are no plastic knobs on it. It's just the aluminum base.

I haven't met her. A few years ago, I asked the guy I was talking about about the advantages and disadvantages of a RAS vs SCMS. I didn't know much about either at the time and noted how the high end SCMS and low end RAS were about the same price. His response was sort of snooty as though he were looking down upon me for even considering a RAS, or maybe because it was obvious that I was a newbie. Either way, he was a jerk.

I bought my delta contractor's saw and dust collector there. It's also a candy store. I really like their collection of smaller power tools. If I were buying a table saw today, I would probably go with a grizzly cabinet saw. But the delta is fine for now.

For the big stuff, I'll probably shop online from now on. But my ryobi cordless drill is dying, and I'd like to replace some other ryobi stuff I have. I'd like to keep them in business. They may be a good place to get the D-handle.

brian

[Ron]

They're like any store, uou just need to shop around..

I picked up a Delta 28-206 BS from Rocklers (N.Hills area of Pittsburgh) for $459 last month. Plus, with a promotion they had going on I got a $50 gift card to boot. Amazon has it for $549, still $60 more once you add sales tax. Besides you would pay 'Use Tax' if purchased from amazon, right ;)

Most of their wood is overpriced however, but, again some deals are to be had. ...they usually have S3S RO for $3.90/ bf, I think soft maple was the same about price.

Not bad for small quantities, when you need it now.

Ron

[Bruce Barnett]

Nope. My Amazon-bought Jet JTAS was delivered to my house for free. AFB had it in a LARGE trailer, and the guy couldn't back up into my driveway, so he put it on a pallet lift, and together we pulled it up my dirt driveway into my garage.

I wanted to get it from the local Woodcraft store, but 1) They charged tax ($1050) 2) They charged something like $300 or more on the price 3) They would only deliver it to the store, unless I paid extra.

Plus I knocked off $25 on Amazon.

I don't feel bad for Woodcraft. I bought a Bandsaw from them, and many other items. There are limits...

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Even cheaper at Coastal Tools. Amazon is price gouging I guess. Seems to be quite a difference, b ut that is what is so great about America. You can go elsewhere. That is also what is so great about Coastal Tools, I can get good prices nearby.

[Bruce Barnett]

(smack forehead) Do NOT post when tired and in a hurry. Do NOT post when tired and in a hurry. Do NOT post when tired and in a hurry.

I mean $105, or course.

You know what's worse than making a stupid mistake? Realizing it 10 minutes later in the car as you go out for the evening.

"You seem distance, Dear. Is anything wrong?"

[Hax Planks]

For domestic woods, do some shopping around in rural areas. Ask contractors or wholesalers where to get retail wood. Chances are they won't say HD or Lowe's. I found this little gem of a place that sells s4s white oak for $2.50/bf, walnut $3.93, cherry $4.56, etc. Incredibly nice three man operation. Now when I go there, the guy in the mill will point out the latest and greatest woods. Last time he just finished milling some absolutely gorgeous walnut. They don't take credit cards and I never leave with any cash in my pocket.

[Prometheus]

I just got one myself, and the cord on the 690 plugs into a standard outlet at the top of the D-handle. It's a nice design, really- there is just enough cord to allow you to adjust the depth easily, but not enough to get hung up on anything. Of course, mine came with the d-handle, so it is possible we are not comparing apples to apples here. Mine only has a 6" (give or take) cord on the motor.

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

[George]

You know what's worse than complaining about taxes? Complaining about the lack of services they would have supported....

You _do_ fill out the appropriate paperwork for your out-of-state purchases and pay the taxes, don't you?

[Unquestionably Confused]

Apples and oranges. I was asking about retrofitting the standard 690PK (Fixed base and plunge base) motor to the D-Handle so we have to add around 5'-6' to that measley 6" of cord you have

Maybe we could just set the depth and then wrap the cord around the router and make it a nice cushioned grip?

[Neil Larson]

I couldn't agree more on both of your points. The new manager may not be a woodowrker, but, she sure seems to care. I went in to buy the fixed base for my router table. I had seen it with a plate on their web iste for something like $79, they did not have the same sale in the store , but, she gave it to me anyway. She also told me anytime I found a deal on the site, print it out and they would match it.

And Berland's is for sure a cool place to vosit. Going there today at around

1:00.

[Neil Larson]

Were you the guy that got the last one in stock? If so, I was there too, lol.