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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Lebrina
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    1,910

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    It seems that most people are happy with the quality of the M&G products, but there are some issues with postage cost and communication (lack thereof).
    I ran a few random items through their shopping cart to see what freight pricing was like and most seems reasonable unless multiple small items are selected, such as carbide inserts and then the freight quickly gets out of hand.
    Following on from this I checked out the HELP tab on their web page and discovered this written in best Chinglish.
    Help



    Order Process help
    1) At first , Please resignature to act as the member and note your address ,E-mail and phone number, Please pay attention to should be clear with detail . So that if you will place the orders ,we can deliver the goods you in time & correctly

    2)Second ,you can review any products in New products,hot or in every kind . Then you can choice your products and put them into your Cart .

    3)Then , If you have made the decision , and then place the orders and you have choice several items and hope we make the combination shipment . Please DONOT make the payment , send a E-mail according to Contact us , Show your inquiry .

    4)At last , We will adjust the shipment cost according to the fact weight and freight cost and make the combition freight cost . Then you make the payment according to the amount which we adjusted according to your fact order . and you can make the payment by paypal or EFT according our bank information .

    5)And if you meet any operation problem of the website, please contact with us too.

    I am taking this to mean that they will combine freight costs and amend the invoice accordingly once you submit the order and contact them.
    Assuming the quality is okay, they compare very well price wise against Hare and Forbes. I am also looking at some items from LPR toolmakers and www.gettoolsdirect.com.au as they offer free shipping on orders over $100. One thing's for sure, no single supplier offers the best deal across the board and you definitely need to shop around.


  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    1,322

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    Good to know about the option to email to get a combined shipping cost, as it has certainly put me off ordering anything from them a number of times.

    They really should improve their shopping cart system - it's not hard to calculate postage based on total weight and postcode.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,910

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    Well, we shall see. I have placed an order for several items from Felix and emailed as per their instructions regarding combined shipping. I have received a reply that he is moving to a new premises and that he has to check on stock for one item (it is shown as being in stock on their website). He has also given me the impression that he will not be moving on shipping costs due to "it is so heavy and you are so far away."
    While a bit miffed that it appears there will be no freight discount, I must admit that he still stacks up quite well for me, provided his quality is acceptable. for the items I ordered, Felix will charge $125 freight, going off Machinery house's freight calculator, (yes, I know they will combine freight when asked), they want $135 freight for the same items, but the cost for those items would be $730 more than Felix is asking.
    I have seen both glowing and not so glowing reviews of Felix's product, so I am reluctant to expose myself too much on my initial order, but to me it seems that Felix appears to stack up quite well for larger items at least.
    I will report back on my experiences.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,910

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    A further update.
    I had not heard anything by 12:30 today, so I rang Felix and spoke to him. He told me that he had sold out of 8" vices last Friday (there are still 2 showing as being in stock on their website even now). I have amended my order somewhat reluctantly to the 6" model (no more 8" for at least 2 months) and paid my money via bank transfer.
    My initial impressions are that Felix is a genuine character, but somewhat disorganised and he is quite difficult to talk to on the phone due to his accent, quiet voice and to be fair, my 30 odd years as a boily has a fair bearing on any auditory difficulties as well.
    They are moving to a new premises as we speak, but I hope that they still process my order in a timely fashion.
    Despite the teething issues so far, I've still got a generally positive feeling around the dealings.
    If he lives up to the reports of decent quality, he will be a very viable option compared to the likes of Machinery House.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    341

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    I did my first order from M&G recently.

    It was shipped out quickly. Actual post took a little longer due to the COVID situation.

    I ordered the small V blocks, a set of bore gauges and a bunch of different drill bits.

    The drill bits were 1mm through 6mm in 0.5mm increments. I ordered a mix of hss and cobalt, going to the cheaper hss drills in some of the larger less used sizes.

    I didn't get quite what I ordered. Some drills I ordered in cobalt I got in hss, some the other way. The overall number of cobalt drills was the same as ordered and the dollars were a little in my favour (got some larger cobalt drills), so I didn't bother chasing it up and have not fed it back to M&G.

    Yet to actually use the products. On a quick look, they look acceptable quality for the price. It beat waiting for shipping from China.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Australia east coast
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,713

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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    My initial impressions are that Felix is a genuine character, but somewhat disorganised
    I'd agree with that. I ordered a M10 clamp kit, shown as in stock. Got an email saying no stock, would M12 do. Well not actually what I wanted but I could use another one as I'm always running out of bits - I have 2 sets already.

    It turned up fine, acceptable quality.

    But I still need an M10 kit for the smaller mill. Maybe I'll pick one up when I'm in Sydney later this year, once travel restrictions are lifted.

    PDW

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Newcastle
    Posts
    341

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    I emailed Felix from Magpro (on [email protected] email address) about some combined shipping. Reply was quick.

    One item was out of stock. The others he would do combined shipping for $20. The website shipping price was $35 and $25 for the two in stock items - well worth emailing.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,910

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    As those who have been following this thread will remember, I placed an order last Friday (22 May) and paid for it via direct bank deposit the same day. I also sent an email to the address that I have been using for correspondence advising of the order and that payment had been sent. No reply or acknowledgement was forthcoming. I then rang Felix on Monday and he verbally confirmed that funds had been received and the order would be processed Wednesday. Having just checked my emails this morning, I find an email sent Tuesday night with a Paypal invoice payable upon receipt. My order status has now been updated to confirmed, but unpaid.
    I certainly hope the products are worth the mucking around that seems to be associated with M&G products.
    Stay tuned for the next installment.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,910

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    Have just received an email with TNT tracking number and goods should be delivered on the 1St June.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
    1,910

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    Well 2 boxes turned up today. One had just the vice in it and the other box held the set of parallels I bought, an 8" precision level, a 58 piece clamping kit and a centering dial indicator.
    I do not possess the equipment to test the accuracy of the vice to the nth degree, but I am happy to report that the movement of the jaw seems to be very smooth with no discernable play or harshness and overall I was impressed with the finish of the vice, particularly given its $130 price tag, plus freight of course. It is no Kurt vice, but I am not God's gift to machinists either, so I think we will be fairly well matched together.
    The centering dial indicator seems okay and the dial returns to the same zero point consistently and all movements seem smooth enough. Not a Starret or Mitutoyu by any stretch, but serviceable enough for hobby use I feel. The 8" level is ensitive enough to detect the dining room table move as I shift my weight gently side to side in my chair, and a sheet of 80GSM paper will produce quite a movement of the bubble when placed under one end. Not exactly scientific, but it's the best you are going to get from me on a cold Tasmanian winter evening when the walk to the shed does not inspire me!
    What can I say about the clamping kit other than all parts were there and everything seems well finished.
    The only damage in the whole shipment was the wall holder for the clamping kit was bent on one side which could have occurred in transit. I was satisfied with the packing of all items and wouldn't have packed them any differently myself.
    Overall, I would have to say that M&G offered good value for money and I will use them again, however I would hope that Felix becomes a bit more organised in the future as the somewhat clunky communication and toing and froing was the only downside I could complain about. Freight was acceptable and for Tasmanians such as myself, it's a necessary evil. If I were able to walk into his shop and leave with the goods as those more local could, then that would be the icing on the cake. M&G certainly beat Machinery House on price and I have no complaint thus far regarding quality. In time I will sample some of M&G's cutting tools in order to see how they perform.
    Give 'em a go.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    4,779

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    Hi mate,

    Glad to hear you are happy with your purchases.

    Thanks for your detailed account of your dealing with that supplier.

    Simon

    Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Geelong, Australia
    Age
    57
    Posts
    2,651

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    Good to hear!

    Which vice did you end up getting - the swivel base style or the base-less CNC style?

    Steve

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Lebrina
    Posts
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    I got the swivel base design. I may/may not remove the swivel in the long run depending on how it all works out.
    I must admit my first impressions of the vice are all positive and with the exception of the swivel handle for tightening the vice which looks and feels cheap although working very well, the vice puts me in mind more of a European manufactured product. I originally wanted the 8" version, but I'm not entirely unhappy that I ended up with the 6" variant as I have a massively solid vice on my shaper that I could use if need be for bigger components.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Australia east coast
    Age
    71
    Posts
    2,713

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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    I originally wanted the 8" version, but I'm not entirely unhappy that I ended up with the 6" variant as I have a massively solid vice on my shaper that I could use if need be for bigger components.
    FWIW I use a 4" and 6" vise a lot more than an 8" purely due to weight and space it takes up.

    Like you I've a shaper vise (or 2) if I need one with a bigger jaw opening. That's a 250 x 250 x 25 chunk of steel plate.

    PDW
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