Thread: Importing A Chinese Machine......Roger Webb/Pacific Tooling - CNC Router

Originally Posted by DaveVman

I watch some of Roger Webbs videos and I have inquired 2 or 3 times about the pricing from him.
In his videos he makes it clear that (paraphrasing) "...we are making machines that are up to European, American and Australian standards because other machines you might buy form China are not up to those standards.."
There are videos of him giving tours of "..our factory".
There are videos of him unboxing and demonstrating machines where he gives every possible indication that these are machines from "..our factory". He uses the word "..we.." in this context a lot.
If you email Pacific Tooling for pricing you get an email from Roger and Maria Webb representing Pacific Tooling in response.

But now we are told through a third party (forum member) that he claims not to own or have any responsibility for Pacific Tooling.

Back in March I did a domain name search for pacifictooling.com
Back then the web site was registered to an address in Tasmania.

Originally Posted by Boydage

But. It is cheap to deal with the Chinese. Just gotta set your bar low and be in for a nice surprise if it all goes well. I still have machinery 10+ years old, out of China, that I am still using and am happy with.

Have you posted any movies of your CNC machine in action?

I also have some Chinese equipment that I bought through reputable Aussie dealers (Hare & Forbes, Carbatec) and although a couple of these machines had some issues, both sellers were very co-operative in resolving said issues. I think that that's the key here. Both of those companies know how to deal with Chinese manufacturers to ensure that they are safe to use in Australia and both also provide a meaningful warranty. That being said, I still believe that my Taiwanese equipment (from the same retailers) is better.

No, I haven't posted any videos.

I get the impression that Mr Webb thought it would be a good idea to do without the middleman. He seems to be learning the hard way the value of a distributor.

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I would love to see inside the control panel

Originally Posted by DaveVman

I get the impression that Mr Webb thought it would be a good idea to do without the middleman. He seems to be learning the hard way the value of a distributor.

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I don't follow that logic.

Mr Webb has put a new video and informed watchers that his wife has been seriously ill.

As a result they are reassesing and will be pulling back on some of their business activities.

I wish his wife a speedy recovery. When it comes to the crunch, health is the most important.

Originally Posted by DaveVman

I get the impression that Mr Webb thought it would be a good idea to do without the middleman. He seems to be learning the hard way the value of a distributor.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I've learned a similar lesson.

Originally Posted by Greolt

Mr Webb has put a new video and informed watchers that his wife has been seriously ill.

As a result they are reassesing and will be pulling back on some of their business activities.

I wish his wife a speedy recovery. When it comes to the crunch, health is the most important.

I saw that video and I felt somewhat that they were crocodile tears. I spoke to Maria when she called me and she certainly has been ill and is still unwell. And yet, he has given her the dirty work of calling all the customers. He also makes it seem as though her illness was the cause of them pulling back rather than the real reason that he's been caught out with substandard and unsafe products.

If Roger thought that health is the most important, he would be making Maria relax and rest to obtain the fullest and quickest recovery. Instead, he leaves her to make what will be stressful calls to customers who may respond with anger (please note here that I treated her with courtesy).

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

I don't follow that logic.

Good distributors do a lot of work and and add a lot of value. However it is mostly behind the scenes. They are caught in the middle by trying to keep both the end customer and also the supplier happy. So each party remains partly sheltered from the issues stemming from each other and also from the gaps in between. Some people therefore are unaware or don't value what the distributors are providing in the supply chain. But remove the distributor from the equation and then you might find out the hard way the value of the distributor. That doesn't even mention the significantly greater volume of sales that could be occurring if end users didn't have import and support a machine themselves.

Originally Posted by DaveVman

Good distributors do a lot of work and and add a lot of value. However it is mostly behind the scenes. They are caught in the middle by trying to keep both the end customer and also the supplier happy. So each party remains partly sheltered from the issues stemming from each other and also from the gaps in between. Some people therefore are unaware or don't value what the distributors are providing in the supply chain. But remove the distributor from the equation and then you might find out the hard way the value of the distributor. That doesn't even mention the significantly greater volume of sales that could be occurring if end users didn't have import and support a machine themselves.

To me every level of distribution does one significant thing and that is raises the price to the end buyer. I had a significant retailer in the wood working market try and persuade me that i was doing the wrong thing by the industry by selling straight to the end user instead of being a distributor and allowing the retailer to have a slice of the pie so to speak. He was a very disappointed man when I told him I had a price target and they would take the cyclone price too high and out of the reach of the average wood worker who in most cases was stretching to afford to buy it at my price. To me there should be less layers in the chain reducing the mark up at each step.

Yes I guess it does depend what the product is.
Complex products and complex regulations and complex customer requirements are different than some relatively simple widget that a retail customer wants.
In this case, it is a fairly complex CNC machine and a complex importation process and other regulatory requirements.
But I agree something like a cyclone aimed for the DIY market is quite different. I imported one of those directly from China myself and built the required parts to make it useful. Actually made a video series on it if anyone is interested.

On the other hand I bought a 3D printer and it is giving me a few problems. Fortunately there is an Australian support to help me under warranty. So I'm glad I didn't import that direct from China.

I just had a look at Roger Webb's YouTube channel. I notice that he has removed all the videos that made any reference to Pacific Tooling or his setting up a factory in China.
Specifically videos 230, 231, 232 and others.

It looks like he's at it again - pushing "the Rolls-Royce of CNC's". He mentions Boost - so same old, same old.

Dougsshed, I've been ordering it as well, with Kreg precision router table insert plate ( found here: https://www.wоodroutersreviews.com/best-router-table-plate/ ). It helped a lot in different woodworking situations, especially when I was making wooden shelves recently. It does not sag due to its phenolic make and it has 3 level-lock rings, which is pretty useful.