Apparently this needs to be loud & clear
1. No commitment to any seller at this stage
2. Other sellers sites show cheaper on some products than Colt site (and vice versa). Manufacturers always do this - if they are going to retail, it has to be worth their while. Remember they want to move pallets, not envelopes. Furthermore, they don't want to upset their retailers around the globe do they?
3. Colt direct prices are just a starting point for reference. It's all I have to go on, ATM. Currently we're on around 3000 Euros. I'd be surprised if Colt can't do better on the list prices, but it may transpire that a Group Purchase is not what they would wish to do. In that case it's a simple matter of sussing out a USA retailer who is prepared to offer a reasonable discount for a bulk purchase. Again, it would be preferable to deal with Colt directly for stock availability reasons (apart from prices).
4. If you drill holes in wood with twist drills or BPs then do yourself an enormous favour and get some Colt 5 Star BPs (not Twinlands...they're probably great but the 5 Stars are sensational). In (private) discussion with a well known Festool dealer, he suspects that the 5 Stars may even be better than the Zobos (Festool) Brad points in the area if chip ejection. Anyone else who has used 5 Star or Zobo BPs please say what you think about them. Zobos are more than double the price, as I recall.
5. If you use countersinks or C/S+drill combos then look at this thread in particular posts #3 and #10
6. Just to clarify, I seek no personal reward in terms of even better prices for myself (on the sly if you like).:no: I just want us all to have the best we can get for an internationally competitive price.
7. SEE 1. above
Righto then chaps, as you were!:p