Has Anyone Bought From Chinese Ebay Leathertool's Suppliers (Giantbo)

[leetpuma]

Has anyone bought stuff from one of the chinese suppliers on ebay?
How bad was the quality?

I am new to leather work and would like a set of tools to start without having to shell out 100+ for an inital set of tools.

The reviews look decent for the user but I am still worried about the supplier. The user that I found was named giantbo. I put a few links below.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leather-craft-Hand-Sewing-Tool-Prongs-Set-8-Kit-1-5x3-2x4-2-5x5-3x6-2x5-3-38MM-/251597486471?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3a9460f987

http://www.ebay.com/usr/giantbo?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

Any info/experiences with cheaper tools would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Edited August 22, 2014 by leetpuma

[barehandcustoms]

Looks like the same stuff several companies import and sell for twice the price to be honest. I never bought a big tool kit when I first started but I did buy numerous cheapo tools from China and Japan off Ebay. Several of them are in those big tool kit pictures you linked. A few of those tools were absolute garbage but some of them are still chugging along and turned into great tools that I will use for years to come. I was working on my kitchen table at that time though and doing leather just as a hobby. I wish I had just bought a tool kit like this back then instead of buying them one or two at a time. Would have saved me a lot of research, time and wasted leather as a newbie if I had.

Knowing what I know now though....my answer would differ depending on your end goal.

If you are going into leather craft as a fun hobby then those cheapo tool kits will be a excellent starting point for you. Great way to start figuring out the purpose of certain leather tools and how to use them. You will also learn which tools you use a lot and which ones collect dust. If you find out you like working with leather then start purchasing really good tools that you tend to use the most. Expensive does not always equal good quality.

However

If you are going to make leather products with the goal of selling them.....invest now in good tools. *Most* of the cheapo tools just do not last in a production environment when you are using them almost daily. You will get frustrated with them getting dull and wasting your time on tool upkeep.

my 2 cents

[billybopp]

I have bought a few of these tools from China with OK results ( don't remember which vendors). They have held up for a year or more of use with no signs of wear. They needed a little polish when I got them, but nothing too severe.

One set of stitching/strap punches from China were made with the wrong slant, which causes some problems sewing. I'll replace them before too long, but for that reason if you need multiple sizes stick to one maker, or look very carefully before buying. Also, the size of the "tines" may well very a little between makers.

If you want more middle-of-the road tools from the get-go, look at goodsjapan.com . I have a set of Seiwa punches that I like. Just be sure to pay for expedited shipping if you want them anytime soon. Their free shipping can take a month or two.

Hope that helps.

Bill

Edited August 22, 2014 by billybopp

[DavidL]

most chinese branded irons are hit and miss. Vergez is the one you want but is a big investment. The Dixon iron (slimline - you have to request from dixon) is probably the best bang for the buck, unless you can get a good chinese iron.

[leetpuma]

Looks like the same stuff several companies import and sell for twice the price to be honest. I never bought a big tool kit when I first started but I did buy numerous cheapo tools from China and Japan off Ebay. Several of them are in those big tool kit pictures you linked. A few of those tools were absolute garbage but some of them are still chugging along and turned into great tools that I will use for years to come. I was working on my kitchen table at that time though and doing leather just as a hobby. I wish I had just bought a tool kit like this back then instead of buying them one or two at a time. Would have saved me a lot of research, time and wasted leather as a newbie if I had.

Knowing what I know now though....my answer would differ depending on your end goal.

If you are going into leather craft as a fun hobby then those cheapo tool kits will be a excellent starting point for you. Great way to start figuring out the purpose of certain leather tools and how to use them. You will also learn which tools you use a lot and which ones collect dust. If you find out you like working with leather then start purchasing really good tools that you tend to use the most. Expensive does not always equal good quality.

However

If you are going to make leather products with the goal of selling them.....invest now in good tools. *Most* of the cheapo tools just do not last in a production environment when you are using them almost daily. You will get frustrated with them getting dull and wasting your time on tool upkeep.

my 2 cents

Thank you fot the thought out reasonable responce I am just an dude that happens to want to make a nice breifcase with no current intention of doing resellable work I guess that this would probably be a nice starting place for me to just get the minimal tools that I could need and later invest in better versions of the ones I use often enough.

Again thank you very much!!!

most chinese branded irons are hit and miss. Vergez is the one you want but is a big investment. The Dixon iron (slimline - you have to request from dixon) is probably the best bang for the buck, unless you can get a good chinese iron.

Good to know for pricking irons i was originally looking at the dixon ones and some of the seiwa ones. But as I was searching around I was thinking there is quite a bit I do not know about tools now so it would be better to get a sampler pack and try everything and then go back and buy ones for real.

[leetpuma]

I have bought a few of these tools from China with OK results ( don't remember which vendors). They have held up for a year or more of use with no signs of wear. They needed a little polish when I got them, but nothing too severe.

One set of stitching/strap punches from China were made with the wrong slant, which causes some problems sewing. I'll replace them before too long, but for that reason if you need multiple sizes stick to one maker, or look very carefully before buying. Also, the size of the "tines" may well very a little between makers.

If you want more middle-of-the road tools from the get-go, look at goodsjapan.com . I have a set of Seiwa punches that I like. Just be sure to pay for expedited shipping if you want them anytime soon. Their free shipping can take a month or two.

Hope that helps.

Bill

Ah i see I guess for some tools i know I must have ill go with goodsjapan and try them out. Otherwise I guess ill go chinese for experimentation to learn if its a tool I use often enough.

Thanks for the expedited shipping hint. I would have gone free and been sad.

[DavidL]

I prefer leathercrafttool.com for japanese leather tools. Prices are cheaper by sometimes 30% on the exact same item.

If your buying one item from goods japan its a good deal since they add the shipping cost onto the item. If your buying 5-6 items your are paying for shipping X3 compared to leathercrafttool.

Savings aren't that much but they add up if you own a business and are constantly buying tools and supplies.

Also if you want to go straight to middle-high end tool dixon pricking iron from abbeyengland was where I got mine for I think 70 dollars for a size 7 - with 8 prong (I had to shave down the teeth with a stone tho. They need a tax id to open an account but I wrote down a random name and they still okayed the package.

[RavenAus]

That site redirects to Tandy, David

[leetpuma]

That site redirects to Tandy, David

This is the site he is talking about

http://www.leathercrafttools.com/

[billybopp]

He left the S off for savings??

[DavidL]

yes, I meant to write an s to the end. I wish tandy had some savings tho .

[LoneWolf1973]

I bought some bevelers. Cant remember which chinese company it was. They werent the best but they do the job on small projects. The problem with the ones I got is they are completely flat. They dont have actual grips which makes it difficult with my arthritis. I thought about adding grips to them but havent yet.

[WiKKiDWidgets]

There are number of Chinese vendors out on eBay that pass themselves off as US dealers. And let me tell you, they are some very devious people. I recently won an auction for about half the 'buy it now' price. The shipping was stated at a flat $6.99. But. to make up their loss on the auction, they 'invoiced' my purchase and quoted me $30 in shipping. I ended up having to call eBay because they of course would not respond to messages. Then they tried to sidestep eBay's system and sent me the 'corrected' invoice directly from PayPal. An invoice that cited only the word "Goods" as my purchase. Which would have left my eBay purchase as unpaid. I hammered at them again insisting they correct the invoice via eBay which they finally did.

The group is a company called N&K trading inc that sells under various Id's on eBay. A couple that I know of

yallstore
ecmonster

tmart

I am sure there are more eBay ID's. I look out for anything coming from NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ

You can see their reputation here:

http://www.bbb.org/new-jersey/business-reviews/home-electronics/n-k-trading-inc-in-north-brunswick-nj-90149551/

(Or just search the internet for [N&K trading inc] to find hundreds of complaints about them.

All of that said, if you tread lightly and have patience, you can get some decent tools at some very good prices. For me personally, those great prices are not worth the trouble you must endure almost every time you try to get something from them.

Edited August 25, 2014 by WiKKiDWidgets

[tboyce]

I bought the Chinese irons a while back. No complaints. I don't know if they will last as long as Vergez or Dixon but at they price they want, I can replace these several times over. If I were making my living at this rather than just having it be a hobby, I might shell out for the more expensive irons. Right now though, it is doubtful that my skill is sufficient to show any difference if there were any to begin with