Ha! The irony of how much I value my super-cheap set of Chinese forstner bits - all of which are very slightly out of spec...which is so fantastic when I need to cut a hole which is just a bit smaller or larger than an accurate standard measurement...which is pretty often actually when considering the nature of the fit (loose, slip/slide, interference/press) I'm after. Now I need to find some less than accurate speed bits!
Well, John, having had access to the gamut of them, comparing Austrian bits to Chinese ones, and running lots of tests, there was up to a 500 times longer working life in the expensive Euro ones; then throw in some hard tropical hardwood or aluminum, and the difference was often apparent on the first hole. Yes, I did have certain advantages as a well-known dealer, like even getting full sets for free to test. But the very best Forstners in the world were US made, and they didn't give out samples to anyone. Nor did they sell through any retail outlet or woodworking store, even online. Hundreds of dollars per bit, true industrial quality. We used them in our big door shop for lock boring.
Euro cup hinge cabinet boring is another application which distinguished the men from the boys when it came to Forstners. The cheap import knockoff ones delivered only grief. If you like the idea of slightly off-sized diameters, just get a Chinese drill press with a little wobble in the spindle! My own method - get a termite inebriated and tell it to walk in a circle.
Closer to home : I make my own hardwood picture frames. The average hardware store bit will either break in usage or burn high silica woods and oily tropical ones, just like the distinction between shaping bits. It might take only a few minutes for the wrong bit to ruin they day. The best you can buy is always the cheapest. And gosh - looking a my Ebony mahogany camera - that was a serious woodworker! - and precisely making them in true ebony wood as well was even more demanding. I sold equipment to a fellow commissioned to make all the doors and windows out of solid ebony wood on a personal residence where even the detached barn had twelve guest rooms and seven bathroom on the upper level. The main house had 21 rooms, and there was an intermediate sized "guest house" too - all matched. There goes another rain forest! And the cost of the carbide alone - yikes!
Dave, did you receive your camera screws?
Curious if you did. I need to call them again about mine.
CH
Originally Posted by Dhanner
Carlos, I did receive them a couple of days after that e-mail.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last fall I had a couple shipping issues with Ries -- but when I called Spencer and spoke to him -- he made it all right.
Very happy with the products and his service.
David
Hi everyone,
Any of you know what is going on with Ries tripod? I have purchased a tripod on their website but did not receive any confirmation. I have been trying to contact them everyday about it for a week and could not get any reply by mail, phone or social media and their answering machine is full. It is quite worrying because they took my money...
Do you know if they are still in business or what the hell is going on ?
Thanks for your help !
Vania
Hi Svein, how did it turned out for you ? I am in the same predicament as you and only wish I had found this post before ordering...
Vania
Years ago I ordered a light fixture from a company on the opposite coast of the U.S. After receiving a few emails with excuses he stopped replying. I looked up the local Police office and emailed them a detailed complaint with copies of receipts etc. A police officer visited the company, met the owner, called me from the company and asked if I still wanted to press charges if he refunded my payment. I got a prompt refund.
jeff
Well I did just that and reported online to the local police although I am from France. Seems a bit odd But these people are thieves taking customers money for nothing in return and ignoring them…
Not intending to pile-on, but what is the best way to contact them? Phone, email, on-site "contact us" form, and what is the expect response time?
Done the "contact us" form about two weeks ago, email a week ago, and phone calls today go to voice mail.
Just acquired a nice A100 that is over 25 years old, but has no obviously visible use marks on it.
However, the previous owner did not use it with the pins that connect the upper hole in the leg extension with the upper leg clamp, and thus does not have those pins or associated other bits.
Sort of more duo-lock than tri-lock at this time...
If need be, I can find an alternate solution, but would rather not if I can use the factory solution.
Thanks in advance for your assistance,
Len
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