Observations,

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after 10+yrs offJust thought I'd introduce myself and try to add something that others may want to read and comment on.  After being out of the industry for over 10yrs (I have always had a welder in the shed, but only used it for my own needs, so to speak) I have just bought a new machine and am slowly  taking on small jobs as i build up a 'one man business'.I used to do alot of TIG work, so that's what i bought (a little Migomag ACDC to be precise) and the machine is not bad at all. I have noticed that the quality of tungsten electrodes isn't what I recall, and the items from one particular supplier are just not up to muster. No big deal, I'm just more careful where I buy from now (a lesson learnt, luckily for me it wasn't a very expensive one)The TIG welding came back to me quite easily and quickly, I was surprised actually! I wish my arc welding skills were as easy to recoup!Materials are another area that has changed alot too, I can buy Al cheaper than I can buy steel! if you told me this 10yrs ago, I would have never believed you. And the metal suppliers are more akin to used car salesmen, I get a different price each time i buy something or get a quote, so I'm pushing much harder for sharp prices and it seems to be working.Every man and his dog/brother/mate has access to a (often cheap and shody) MIG welder  and are reluctant to actually pay someone to do a professional job until after said dog/brother/mate has made a complete mess of it. Not a totally new concept, but it seems more common than I recall. Another thing, one shop will have 50 types of safety glasses, but only carry one line of low quality gloves!Aussie retailers are yet to catch-on that they will be left out in the cold if they don't realize the impact of online information and just how easy it is for the average person to order from OS and pay less for a better product. Case in point, I want a foot pedal unit for my welder, both local suppliers are telling me that it will cost me $1500.00 AUD.. when I tell them that is more than 3 times what I can get one (and no, not a cheap china copy) for, it just dosen't seem to alarm them in the slightest! Having said all that, I'm enjoying the work I'm doing more now than I think I ever did! I think some maturity and a young family has a way of changing you in the most profound ways.(ps current job is a workstand for a motorcycle mechanic, I'll get some pics up soon) CheersWino
Reply:Originally Posted by WinoAussie retailers are yet to catch-on that they will be left out in the cold if they don't realize the impact of online information and just how easy it is for the average person to order from OS and pay less for a better product. Case in point, I want a foot pedal unit for my welder, both local suppliers are telling me that it will cost me $1500.00 AUD.. when I tell them that is more than 3 times what I can get one (and no, not a cheap china copy) for, it just dosen't seem to alarm them in the slightest! Wino
Reply:Originally Posted by wirehuntAussie outfits are so busy they don't care about you buying two pair of gloves in fact to them it's not worth the effort.
Reply:Retailers in my area in the USA are no different, in fact they are arrogant about on-line competition.  I call a large regional welding supply company with a local storfront to get a quote on a machine, and the price is at least 20% higher than what I can get on-line, for the exact same model, delivery included.  When I tell them this they make disparraging comments about the on-line vendors and that I won't be able to get service.  They "can't compete with large-scale resellers".  Odd... A little research showed that the on-line reseller is a much smaller company than the regional company having the local store front.The last particular machine I inquired about is manufactured in my state of residence.  It gets shipped 1,000 miles away only to be shipped back to me that same 1,000 miles, no shipping charges to me, by the on-line reseller.  The local store is less than 150 miles from the manufacturing facility but they want to charge me more for the product and if it isn't in stock they want to add shipping charges too!    I think the regional company is just expecting local tradesmen to pay their price because they have it in the store or can get it delivered the next day.  When I buy on-line I have to wait a week for delivery, or pay fat shipping charges.  But the wait is OK. I don't live one emergency to the next (not usually, anyway).  That 20% difference in price on even $1,000 can pay the utilities for a month!On-line merchandizing is going to have increased impact on sales and purchasing for all of us.  Any company selling anything needs to have an on-line presence, and needs to be prepared to compete in the "global" on-line market.  If they can't (or won't) compete in price, they will need to provide bona-fide added value.-MondoP.S.  This rant should probably be in the "off topic" section.-mP.P.S.  What I can't purchase on-line is compressed gasses.  Because of shipping considerations that market is locked in to the LWS.  Oh sure, they have competition...  I can drive 4 miles to the LWS, or ten miles to the next nearest competitor, or I can arrange pick-up from a third company at an agent 1 mile away for a "small additional fee" of about $4/cylinder. -mLast edited by Mondo; 07-08-2008 at 10:45 AM.Reason: added pps.Member, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Wino, I found your post a very good read and very true. The world is changing very fast now days and it seems some vendors are not keeping up at all. To this effect I consider myself very lucky. My local Praxair dealer is awesome and has beat every price online the first time around. Since I am a small business and really don't matter to these guys, it sure makes it nice that they still try their hardest. I also loved the comment about the migs. I have done a very good little business just fixing the screw ups of others. Their are even jobs I wouldn't touch because of it. 110 migs are great machines but in the hands of a nonwelder can be more dangerous then good. Now if we could just get the prices of steel down. Thanks for the post.Miller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:Ive got a gripe along the same lines, I can understand paying a bit more for something, if I can just pick it up in a store, and not wait.  What gets me, is that most of the US stores I frequent are reducing their inventory to almost nothing to save overhead....so my question is....why am I paying a guy behind a counter to (eventually) pick up the phone and place an order I can place myself?So Im left with this thought-If Im not paying you to keep an inventory so I can pick up somethin in an emergency-If Im not paying you to be able to find something rare and obscure for me ( meaning not just ordering from the Radnor catalog )-If im not paying you for your wealth of technical knowledge, beyond being able to Mig Mild Steel angle-Tell me, What Am I Paying You For????A Welding Store from the largest chain should NOT have to special order brazing flux, the flux I used to get from the store before (The Biggest Chain) took it over. And if they dont sell 50 cans of it a year they dont stock it....oh well. Maybe all arent as bad as the ones I have to deal with.
Reply:That very same national chain (one of the largest suppliers in the world in fact) bought one of the LWS back home when the owner retired. Within a month of the purchase it went from a store you could barely get through because there was so much stuff to one that didn't even have the shelves filled. We went from being big customers to only going there when there was no other choice. At the LWS I get most of my local stuff from might as well be self-service (same for the local branches of the chain you mentioned) and really aren't interested in getting me what I want or need. It took me two years to get them to start stocking Excalibur and took the threat of taking all of my business elsewhere. Said nobody else asked for it. I told them get it and tell them it's all they had like they do me with Atom Arc which I refuse to use and LH-70 (number 3 on the list below Excalibur for me). Well they did it and now Excalibur is all anyone wants. I have bought several used machines from that national chains welder rental division and the difference in service is unbelievable. I have actually gone to ordering most of my supplies online simply because that way at least I get what I need instead of waiting 2 weeks for them to get the same wrong parts they already had on the shelf and then find out they had the right parts on the shelf all along (that national chain again) and one of the tig torches was a Radnor. The other was a Weldcraft and used the same parts. They can't even look at the pictures in the catalog and the torch in front of them and find the right part, lol. It's just like gettin' in the zone, lol.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:wino I think you have been going to the wrong places...Where are you?A good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:Originally Posted by Brettwino I think you have been going to the wrong places...Where are you?
Reply:delivered the bike work stand today, customer was very happy he couldn't wait to try it out
Reply:Looks nice Wino. Wish I had one for my Hawg and a large shop to put it in, lol.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.