Tom,
If you do have toolholder blocks from both CDCO and Tools4Cheap.net in hand, I'd really appreciate it if you could get a series of side-by-side comparison photos.
While you may not think there's much difference, I have seen photos before that show Jeff's holders to be a little bigger, and in many ways better quality. The most apparent manifestation I recall seeing in the photos (that I can no longer find, from some Australian woodworkers' forum) was the set screws and the height adjusting screws. In looking at the photos on either site it's impossible to tell the difference and I'm convinced that neither guy's photos are an accurate representation of the product.
In my world, it comes down to quality, service and price. In that order. Jeff is stand-up guy, and though I'd only bought from "Frank" once, stories from others might indicate otherwise. I'll give an example: I ordered from Jeff (Tools4Cheap.net) 2 of the Style 1 holders in the "CA/400" size. Those are the ones with no v-groove in the bottom. Jeff wasn't stocking them at the time, as there was no demand. I offered to pay up front, he refused to accept my money. Instead he told me he would order them from his supplier, but that it could take 3 to 4 months to get them made and delivered. Three months later Jeff called to say they were in, and 'did I still want them?'. I ordered 2 and 1 of the Style 2, and had them the next day. The following day, the charge to my card went through.
By contrast I've heard a great many story of missing shipments, cards being charged long before shipping (weeks and months in some cases), and myriad other issues. Most problems with "Frank" (his adopted American-sounding name) seem to relate back to poor communications with a sprinkling of poor business practice. I noticed he dropped his price to $8 for an AXA/100 size, while Jeff is showing at $20. That's a big difference, and I can appreciate why you'd buy the cheaper one. I value Jeff's attention to details, quality and service enough to actually talk to him and see if he'd try to get closer on price before I ordered from the other guy.
Thanks,
Ken
If you do have toolholder blocks from both CDCO and Tools4Cheap.net in hand, I'd really appreciate it if you could get a series of side-by-side comparison photos.
While you may not think there's much difference, I have seen photos before that show Jeff's holders to be a little bigger, and in many ways better quality. The most apparent manifestation I recall seeing in the photos (that I can no longer find, from some Australian woodworkers' forum) was the set screws and the height adjusting screws. In looking at the photos on either site it's impossible to tell the difference and I'm convinced that neither guy's photos are an accurate representation of the product.
In my world, it comes down to quality, service and price. In that order. Jeff is stand-up guy, and though I'd only bought from "Frank" once, stories from others might indicate otherwise. I'll give an example: I ordered from Jeff (Tools4Cheap.net) 2 of the Style 1 holders in the "CA/400" size. Those are the ones with no v-groove in the bottom. Jeff wasn't stocking them at the time, as there was no demand. I offered to pay up front, he refused to accept my money. Instead he told me he would order them from his supplier, but that it could take 3 to 4 months to get them made and delivered. Three months later Jeff called to say they were in, and 'did I still want them?'. I ordered 2 and 1 of the Style 2, and had them the next day. The following day, the charge to my card went through.
By contrast I've heard a great many story of missing shipments, cards being charged long before shipping (weeks and months in some cases), and myriad other issues. Most problems with "Frank" (his adopted American-sounding name) seem to relate back to poor communications with a sprinkling of poor business practice. I noticed he dropped his price to $8 for an AXA/100 size, while Jeff is showing at $20. That's a big difference, and I can appreciate why you'd buy the cheaper one. I value Jeff's attention to details, quality and service enough to actually talk to him and see if he'd try to get closer on price before I ordered from the other guy.
Thanks,
Ken