Anyone done business with Osborne Leather Tools

[keplerts]

The old CS Osborne tools were very well made.  Their stuff now is basically junk.  No attention to quality or craftsmanship.  It is sad, really.  If you want quality punches and tools at a fair price, check out Weaver Leather Supply.  I have many of their tools and for the money they really are well made and sharp.

[ButtonLady]

On 3/19/2021 at 3:43 PM, Dave Richardson said:

I called Osborne in NJ to ask about warranty , the person answering the phone spoke such broken english I literally could not understand her/him. She/he said someone would call me back with an answer ,and Im still waiting for that call back.

Osborne is in the middle of an emergency shutdown due to a Covid outbreak in the factory.  Calls are being routed to Massasoit Tackband in Massachusetts, one of their recent acquisitions.  They don't normally answer phones, and yes... many of their employees are immigrants with limited English.  They're doing the best they can.

Please understand this is a highly unusual situation.  I can't speak to your other concerns, but I can explain this one.

[sbrownn]

3 hours ago, ButtonLady said:

Osborne is in the middle of an emergency shutdown due to a Covid outbreak in the factory.  Calls are being routed to Massasoit Tackband in Massachusetts, one of their recent acquisitions.  They don't normally answer phones, and yes... many of their employees are immigrants with limited English.  They're doing the best they can.

Please understand this is a highly unusual situation.  I can't speak to your other concerns, but I can explain this one.

The pandemic doesn't explain the lousy tools I got from them four years ago.

[ButtonLady]

54 minutes ago, sbrownn said:

The pandemic doesn't explain the lousy tools I got from them four years ago.

Absolutely not!  When they have returned to full operation, definitely contact them regarding their guarantee:

We will replace, free of charge, any tool which may prove unsatisfactory in performance if sent for inspection, freight prepaid. Tools which are known to have given reasonable service, or have been misused, or damaged, will not be considered defective.

 

[sbrownn]

14 hours ago, ButtonLady said:

Absolutely not!  When they have returned to full operation, definitely contact them regarding their guarantee:

We will replace, free of charge, any tool which may prove unsatisfactory in performance if sent for inspection, freight prepaid. Tools which are known to have given reasonable service, or have been misused, or damaged, will not be considered defective.

 

It's easier to just sharpen them myself.  It's difficult to buy a truly "sharp" tool from anyone anymore.  Most of the tools I have purchased with the exception of Terry Knipscheild's knives, aren't even as sharp as an X-Acto blade when they arrive.

[ButtonLady]

3 hours ago, sbrownn said:

It's easier to just sharpen them myself.

I don't know much (actually nothing) about leather knives, but I do know Osborne's round button cutters are not honed to a sharp edge at the factory.  We send ours out to Bob McBride, literally the only guy we trust:  www.bobbymactheknife.com

We are not affiliated in any way, we don't get a discount for referrals... we just love the work he does (and pay the same rate as everyone else).

 

[jcuk]

19 hours ago, ButtonLady said:

Absolutely not!  When they have returned to full operation, definitely contact them regarding their guarantee:

We will replace, free of charge, any tool which may prove unsatisfactory in performance if sent for inspection, freight prepaid. Tools which are known to have given reasonable service, or have been misused, or damaged, will not be considered defective.

 

 

4 hours ago, sbrownn said:

It's easier to just sharpen them myself.  It's difficult to buy a truly "sharp" tool from anyone anymore.  Most of the tools I have purchased with the exception of Terry Knipscheild's knives, aren't even as sharp as an X-Acto blade when they arrive.

My first Round knife was a Osborne really liked it sadly got damaged so asked some if they could repair it came back worse so i contacted the place i got it from 25 years before ( H Webber & sons ) to see if i could get a replacement handle to fix it myself,  they asked what had happened i told them they said send it back they will send a new one even though the fault was caused by me trusting someone else to fix it for me, great after sales sadly the replacement was nowhere near as good as the old one.  I can get it sharp but won't hold that edge for long. Which led me to as my better half for a nice Christmas present a Texas Rosebud knife from Terry Knipschield what a knife - had it 4 years and it's never been near a stone in that time.  But do hope Osborne can get their quality to what it once was so they don't go the same way as Dixons. 

JCUK

[sbrownn]

My guess is that Osborne won't rejuvenate their quality and has already lost their customer base.  I wonder who owns Osborne now? 

[ButtonLady]

34 minutes ago, sbrownn said:

I wonder who owns Osborne now? 

Osborne is still a private company owned by the Osborne family.

[sbrownn]

12 hours ago, ButtonLady said:

Osborne is still a private company owned by the Osborne family.

Thanks