Just bought Wiha Torx set, then they jump almost 50% in price !!!

MIL-DOT · #1

I was following closely a recent thread on Torx wrenches, and decided to skip the acceptably so-so quality sets from Husky,Kobalt and Bondhus Gorilla, and went with the highly-spoken-of,German-Made set from Wiha. It's high quality seems to be universally acknowledged,and was only a few bucks more than the others, at $11 and change. So,yesterday,I pulled the trigger on this set along with a $68 Manix 2 ( from Amazon,getting free shipping by combining).
I recall them saying this was one of the last couple in stock. I just checked the site a minute ago, and see that they now have more in stock, but the price just jumped up to $15.94, overnight !! I know it's only a few more bucks, but this price would've run me back to Lowes in a heartbeat !! :D
I also recall listening to some You-tube reviews where they spoke of paying $50 back in January for a knife that $80,now. WTF ??
This creeping,currency devaluation thing ( AKA,"inflation" ) is becoming a real concern.

racer88 · #2

I've seen that happen on Amazon a number of times. And, I seem to recall reading somewhere that Amazon knows if you've looked at an item before... and you come back, you want it... and may pay more. Or, they adjust the price upwards as stock diminishes. I don't know. But, I bought a knife (Spydie) once. Went back MINUTES later to the same page and the price went up substantially. Hmmmm.

cckw · #3

A lot of Amazon product is other stores selling through them. those stores may have sold out or pulled the item so another vendor has the top spot with an entirely different price. Could have been on sale for 72 hours and the time ran out when it it ran out. I am certain Amazon is not messing with prices based on visit stats

MIL-DOT · #4

cckw wrote: I am certain Amazon is not messing with prices based on visit stats

Actually, I've long been suspecting the opposite. They use the "cookie" thing pretty actively, as I get e-mails from them advertising the exact things that I'd been recently looking at, all the time. So, I wouldn't be surprised to find that they juggle prices according to interest shown. In fact, when I was shopping for my first 'real" Spyderco, I was looking most closely at the Delica's, and when i finally decided to jump, the price on the colors I'd looked at the most went up several dollars. And then, THE VERY NEXT DAY, they were all back to where they were before, and one or two of them, a dollar or so lower. So they clearly even possess mind-reading satellite technology :D .
And, i don't recall any mention of these Torxii being on sale-special or anything, and I'm pretty sure these were sold by Amazon,directly, rather than one of their affiliates.
I still think it's simply inflation, but I'll be paying attention, just out of curiosity, to see if they drop back down sometime soon.

mikerestivo · #5

Amazon pricing fluctuates all the time, sometimes lower, sometimes higher. Mr. Obvious of the "Mr. Obvious Show" says to buy when the prices are lower.

SteelDragon · #6

mikerestivo wrote:Amazon pricing fluctuates all the time, sometimes lower, sometimes higher. Mr. Obvious of the "Mr. Obvious Show" says to buy when the prices are lower.

true dat, daily price changes is very very common on Amazon. I usually add to saved list and then next time you sign in you can see the increase/decrease.

CrimsonTideShooter · #7

The craftsman set from Ace hardware are made from CV steel, and are great quality. Just figured I'd add that in.

You make a lot of threads OP.

ColtCobra · #8

What kind of warranty does Wiha give there tools? Husky tools are unconditionally guaranteed forever.

Elsilrac1 · #9

I have watched the price of a particular knife sold and shipped by amazon change almost daily. Not sure the reason but I have seen it change from a high of 230 to a low of 180 over the couse of a month.

mikerestivo · #10

SteelDragon wrote:true dat, daily price changes is very very common on Amazon. I usually add to saved list and then next time you sign in you can see the increase/decrease.

That's how I do it.

MIL-DOT · #11

CrimsonTideShooter wrote: You make a lot of threads OP.

I apologize,John. Though you may be correct, I've also noticed that a couple that I started, that should've fallen off the page and died, keep getting late posts, pushing them right back to the surface.
But, if you'll PM me an acceptable posting schedule, I'll try to conform to it. :D

jabba359 · #12

I've been considering getting a nicer torx set, so I'll have to keep my eyes on the price fluctuations and try to catch this on the lower end.

BTW, this thread belongs in the off-topic section.

-F1 · #13

I assume MIL-DOT is talking about this Torx set on Amazon.com. How do we know it's actually better than anything else? Is it a better steel? Or is this a faith-based thing? Personally I much prefer the screwdriver-style design of the Husky set, but Wiha does make those as well.

Amazon has absolutely mastered price finagling. They know how to hit Google so that their low price always comes up in Google product searches; even when the actual current price is significantly higher. They play games with their prices like all retailers do. I recently bought my wife a watch whose price was varying by at least $70 day-to-day on Amazon. I'm so glad I was patient about it (patience is most definitely not my strong suit).

KardinalSyn · #14

A torx set costs about USD 5 at my end still. These are made in China but very strong. I used my original set to take care of a small 75 pc LAN for about three years. The price hike hasn't hit my part of Asia yet.

BAL · #15

MIL-DOT wrote:I apologize,John. Though you may be correct, I've also noticed that a couple that I started, that should've fallen off the page and died, keep getting late posts, pushing them right back to the surface.
But, if you'll PM me an acceptable posting schedule, I'll try to conform to it. :D

Keep em comin MIL-DOT, no problem.

NYRich · #16

I'm using a $7 Maxxdriver 8-in-1 that I bought about five years ago. The bits are all properly sized and it's no bigger than a pen. Hasn't stripped a screw yet. T-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 & 15

If I used it very often I'd prefer separate tools, but this has served the purpose.

Bearcat1 · #17

I just bought the Husky set at Home Depot and they seem to be well made. The Torx drivers fit all of the screws I tested. :cool:

Regards,
Jeff

Cheddarnut · #18

CrimsonTideShooter wrote:The craftsman set from Ace hardware are made from CV steel, and are great quality. Just figured I'd add that in.

You make a lot of threads OP.

He's on the web in a forum for a company with the name Spyder in it, i'd say the rest of us are way behind.

tonydahose · #19

Amazon always does this. we bought the kids a xbox kinect (it is an absolute blast, by the way) for $125 with a few games included. a few weeks later i saw it had dropped down to $100. i called and was told sorry, there aren't any price matches. So i explained to the lady from whatever far away country that she is from that it would be in their best interest monetary wise for amazon to really give me a credit. i still had the return shipping label and i am sure that would cost them a few bucks to send the original kinect back to them. then i would buy the new lower priced kinect with free shipping yet again. i rcvd a "promotional" credit as a loyal customer.

Simple Man · #20

I'm convinced the Whia set is a better driver, but Lowes has the Husky in stock year round for $6, and will replace it without question if/when there is a problem.

The Husky is higher precision than any of the Craftsman drivers I looked at, and the "bit" style seem to fit better than the "one piece" driver style. I have yet to find a torx set that small that doesn't eventually cam out or shear in some form or fashion. So I stick with the Husky.