Thread: Carbatec new suppliers for Laguna

Just got the email too, will be nice to have their stuff in Perth again!

Yes I saw this also. I wonder what that will do to Gregory's Machinery - Laguna were their main consumer level product. I wonder if pricing will change at all; up or down.

Looks like Carbatec will start stocking in August?

Cheers, Dom

Carbatec's email raises more questions than it answers. Does their exclusive arrangement with Laguna mean that they plan to enter the market for commercial machinery or that the distribution will be split between smaller retail products and the larger more expensive professional range?

Gregory have a pretty impressive dispay of commercial gear so it would be surprising if they had been dropped like a hot potato by a major principal. My own experience with them has always been very good.

mick

Look at it from Laguna's perspective, maybe they weren't happy with Gregory's. Certainly there are reports in this forum that a lot of retail customers weren't happy with their Laguna machines and the customer support they received. Jet has been bounced around in this country from one retailer to another so many times I have lost count, surely all the retailers have not been a problem so it must be Jet who are the issue at a guess. Powermatic are made by the Jet company as well BTW. Deals happen and deals are lost, it is just the way things are in sales and marketing.

Whatever the reason, the change has happened. My experience with Laguna products has been very positive.

As for servicing, in Victoria the agent is/was the repairer of choice for many products, including Laguna. So if one had even the slightest problem, a phone call and advice was freely given and if required, an onsite service call would happen and happen promptly.

Unless a product has a faulty part, most machines are pretty much an electric motor, some kind of electronic controller and quality bearings.

Mick.

If they are going to stock Laguna they are going to need a bigger showroom in Melbourne.

Good Luck for anybody buying a Laguna from Carbatec and expecting to get support in a few years time. I have 3 pieces of major machinery from Carbatec and all are no longer carried by the company. The last purchase was a 20" Jet bandsaw bought in late 2018 and no longer listed on their Website ( All their Jet items seems to have disappeared). Don't like my chances if I need spares.
Oh well I suppose I'm a slow learner. But never again for a major machinery purchase
Ron

This makes me very happy. I've had my eye on laguna gear for some time now, however hard to justify the shipping to WA.

Was sad Carbatec was getting rid of Jet, but am happy that they are now offering something other than their branded products and even more happy that its Laguna.

Having said that i do wish another retailer would pop up in WA, as my experiences with both Carbatec and Timbecon have been average at best. If Greg Mach wants to open a store in WA, more than happy to switch camps as all my dealings eastern state stores have been excellent.

In terms of the comments about Carbatec running it into the ground? I work in the distribution game and in my experience, if a supplier doesn't play ball particularly if its a product that is easily substituted with an alternative. The supplier is simply cut and replaced with a different supplier. From speaking to Carbatec about why they dropped Jet their response was because Jet changed their terms and conditions making it hard for them to get stock into Australia and being profitable. This could mean a number of things but i suspect if Carbatec was previously selling stock through consignment or didn't have any minimum order quantities. A change to cash on delivery or an increased minimum order quantity could make their products no longer profitable and thus cut from their range.

Edit: Found this on their website

Will Laguna be exclusive to Carbatec?
Carbatec is the exclusive distributor of Laguna in Australia and New Zealand. Whilst the brand is exclusive to us, we will not be the only retailer in Australia to offer the brand.
We have made the decision to offer the brand to selected retailers to ensure that the brand and range is accessible to woodworkers all over Australia.
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Wonder if I'll be able to source Laguna parts anymore successfully via Carbatec than I was able to via Gregorys..? Yeah...I doubt it as well. Fortunately, Amazon and eBay are a thing...

A recollection from my conversation with Gregory Machinery.

Years back I was talking to the son (Warrick, I believe) at small industry event where he was showing off some machines. He said they stopped stocking Jet because they wouldn't supply parts / support for their own machines for a reasonable amount of time. From memory there may have also been a legal requirement to supply for a number of years?? Could be wrong about that second part. He went on to say that this made it hard for Gregorys to sell them knowing they couldn't support them. Laguna was their new latest and greatest....

Perhaps Carbatec had the same issues when they stopped supplying Jet..

It also could have been a made up story to explain why they weren't going to stock spares for machines they had only just sold.

As for the brand not being exclusive to Carbatec I wonder if they are putting in place and arrangement to distribute through Total Tools as they have done with a range of their own Carbatec branded machinery.

I bought my Jet BS from Major Woodworking who at the time had a wide range of Jet products in their showroom and I presumed were the Oz distributor at the time but maybe they were retailing for Gregory Machinery.

Some of the business practises used in Oz would absolutely astound you and I don't want to name names or brands. When I had the Clearvue business it did not leave a good impression of how we are ripped off every day by prominent woodworking businesses. Specifically one of the major players wanted me to give them the retail rights in Oz and that would have jacked up the retail price quite high which was exactly what I was trying to avoid by being the sole retailer with no added margins to lift the price. It was obvious that the company had tried to get CV in the US to give them the distribution right and failed so they tried it in a different fashion. I was told at the time I was not charging enough and doing the retailers a disservice because of that. We agreed to disagree as I thought it was about time that someone should make a reasonable profit and not stick it to the buyer just because they could.

Originally Posted by ronboult

Good Luck for anybody buying a Laguna from Carbatec and expecting to get support in a few years time. I have 3 pieces of major machinery from Carbatec and all are no longer carried by the company. The last purchase was a 20" Jet bandsaw bought in late 2018 and no longer listed on their Website ( All their Jet items seems to have disappeared). Don't like my chances if I need spares.
Oh well I suppose I'm a slow learner. But never again for a major machinery purchase
Ron

Well - under Oz consumer law, for items less than $40,000 the importer or manufacturer must "... have spare parts and repair facilities available for a reasonable time after purchase unless you were told otherwise..."
"... repairs and spare parts - the manufacturer (importer) is responsible for ensuring that spare parts and repair facilities (a place that can fix the consumer’s goods) are available for a reasonable time after purchase unless you were told otherwise. How long is ‘reasonable’ will depend on the type of product..."

"Reasonable time" is the time that the product is expected to last under normal use & conditions. For a major piece of machinery, its likely that would be similar to a motor vehicle - so ten years.


Also note there is no limitation to warranty - if there is a defect in the product or its found not to be "reasonably durable" then you are entitled to remedies, no matter what the written "guarantee" may state about time periods.
" ... The remedies you can seek from the retailer who sold you the product include a repair, replacement, or refund and in some cases compensation for damages and loss. The retailer can’t refuse to help you by sending you to the manufacturer or importer..."

So If you have an issue for a (say) 5 year old product & Carbatec can't supply parts, they would have to source them at their cost & possibly compensate you if it takes too long. Or you can demand (your choice) a refund or replacement on the original purchase if there is a major defect.

Thanks, Ross. Gotta love this country!

mick