Rod and Denise Nikkel Report post Posted June 16, 2007 Just to let all you people “down south†know about a great company that provides all sorts of top quality tools that you often can’t find elsewhere. Lee Valley (www.leevalley.com) is a family owned Canadian company that started small in 1978 and has grown over the years to have stores Canada wide (I’m not sure if they have expanded to the States yet or not) and do mail order all over the world. They originally started with wood working hand tools (they don’t carry power equipment, though they have bits, blades, etc. for power equipment), and have expanded over the years to now include hardware, garden tools and reprints on old books. They don't make anything specifically for leather work, but a lot of the tools they have would be very valuable for leather workers of all types. They carry items that you just can’t find anywhere else, especially copies of old tools that have gone out of production. They make them in their manufacturing wing – Veritas tools. They have an incredible selection of sharpening equipment – all types and price ranges. They make some nifty spokeshaves that you can’t get anywhere else. They have a great selection of hammers, nail pullers, etc. And once you start looking at their stuff, you find all sorts of things that you know will be very handy. Because if Lee Valley sells it – it works. If it doesn’t work, they quit selling it. I don’t know if they have everything on their website or not. It is well worth your time to get their catalogues to “peruse at your leisureâ€Â. They have good pictures and let you compare all the items they carry. They tell you the truth about the tools – where it works well, where it doesn’t, what it is designed to do and its limitations. And they do with style and humor. (Where else would you read a description which includes the following: - for a box tool - “Crudely made but tough, it’s perfect for the person whose usual solution is to use a bigger hammer, or who tends to leave tools out in the rain. It can’t get much uglier.â€Â) They are a solid company with real integrity. When you phone, they promise you will always get a human being, not an annoying machine – and you do. Except on Sundays when they promise to stay closed to give their employees Sunday off to spend with their families – and they do. Their sales people are not on commission. They are there to help you find the right tool for the right job, not just something they have to sell. They have at times referred us to other businesses when they felt our needs could be met better elsewhere. The staff in the store and on the phone are knowledgeable and helpful and polite. They promise to listen to their customers – and they do. For any returns (very rare) they promise to pay the return postage – and they do. No, we are not being paid to advertise, but they really are who they say they are in the “About Us†section on their web site (worth reading). They also stock all sorts of things that leatherworkers of all types will find helpful, and we thought maybe you might be interested in checking it out. As an aside, the founder – Leonard Lee – has now “retired†and his son Robin is in charge of the company (but he has inherited his father’s humor). Leonard is off working on a new project – making surgical instruments. A lot of common surgical instruments were designed a century or more ago and haven’t changed since. Anyone who has needed to use a basic scalpel handle knows that there has got to be a better design. Lee Valley started making ergonomically correct handles that hold scalpel blades for wood carvers. It seems some surgeons got a hold of them and called Leonard up, saying that the wood didn’t sterilize well, and could he make them some in a different material… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beaverslayer Report post Posted June 16, 2007 Rod, I know of them as well. Ihave puchased a few things in the past, mostly hardware, because they carry such a large selection of some very unique things... I do try to stay away from the store as much as possible though...cause it's like a kid in the candy store...gotta buy that!!!!! wow look at that!!!! LOL But yes I reccommend them as well. Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted January 2, 2012 Don't see any US locations yet, but here is a link to their catalogs. Almost as good as browsing the store itself! Lee Valley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
