Subject: Re: ENCO and mailing lists

From: [email-masked] (Anthony Martin)
Date: 04 Jun 1995 08:01:42 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] () writes:
	   IMHO, ENCO are the worst bunch of weasels to come down the pike 
   in some time. Yes, I got 3 catalogs as well, even after I called them up 

I'm surprised that they have been as successful as they are.  The
couple of things that I have ordered from them they have been dog slow
to deliver.  For just a simple item like a height guage or a dial
indicator they say "well we have to back order that from our main
office in Chicago, that'll be 3 weeks".
What other sources of low cost machine tools are there?  I know of KBC
tools but they seem to be more expensive (although I think they have
better quality stuff).  Can anyone suggest some other sources?

Tony.

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From: [email-masked] (Barry Workman)
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 04:11:10 GMT

>Tony.

Industrial Pipe and Steel (IPS)
El Monte, CA

Rutland Tool
City of Industry CA

MSC
Main offices in NY

MSC will ship same day if orders are recieved before 4:30 
Eastern time but have a minimum order.  I think that all
the above addresses and many more in in the FAQ.  You too
can have 6' of catalogs on the shelf. <^_^>
-- 
    - Barry Workman

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From: [email-masked] (Jerome Kaidor)
Date: 5 Jun 1995 16:21:18 -0700

*** Thanks to all for this thread!  I was about to order something
>from  those turkeys!  

                               - Jerry Kaidor

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From: [email-masked] (Randy Lee)
Date: Wed, 7 Jun 95 17:13:17 GMT

After reading the part on making your own Blake Coax indicator in the
Machinest's bedside reader vol#3 I thought that it would be a nice tool to
have...

not having a clock that would be approiate to the application I started
going through the catalogs when allong came a sale flyer from thos paragons
of high qual. tools (not) Enco... and there was their ChiCom knockoff for
89.95... 

knowing full well that what I was going to get was a kit of parts and not a
working tool I went ahead and ordered it... 6 weeks later (about what I
expected) it has arrived and it is just what I knewit would be... unuseable
out of the box... shaft frozen by paint to the bearings etc etc...

on taking it apart and cleaning cooking oil gum out and testing the clock on
my surface plate with gauge blocks I find the it to be quite a good
clock(Links 6 jewel is the brand on it and the indicator... beter than my
imported B&S and as good as my US made Folwer.

the shaft is 10mm as close as I can mike it and a touch of pollishing on the
lathe with 2000 grit color finishing paper has broight it to a high polish
and the set of inside and outside probes are well made. the center pop probe
needed a bit of rework to stop it form binding but the design was good.

the major problems were in the body and its press in oilite type bearings
paint had sloped into them and in to the top recess where it was binding
both the free rotation and the up and down motion crit to the working of the
tool. a touch of scraping fixed tha later and some work (outdoors) with
acetone seems to have helped with the former. the top and bottom bearings
are slightly out of line so I made a 10mm brass lap and trued them up with
tripoly... a very through cleaning and soak in spindle oil and clean again
and resoak and 

on reassembly it is working as well as real Blake... note though that if I
was charging for the time spent (rather than costing it out to hobby time)
that a real Blake at $180 to 200 is the real bargan. but if what you want is
a working coax indicator andy your time is cheap the 'kit' from those #%$#
at enco will do the job...

my final comment on the tool is that most of the basic machine work on it
was very good... it was in finishing and final ass (and packing where they
coat everything with a rancid cooking oil that seems to premote rust rathere
than retard it) where it fell down... a common failing with a lot of asian
imports. treat these things as kits of parts and you will not be
diasapointed most of the time. I agree with most of what has been said here
about ENCO... #%^^%$^ to deal with sliprey practices (I ordered this item
>from  a nearby store and was told shipping would be 3 to 4 bucks in the event
it shipped from Caif. and I was charged $7.00... took me 3 more phone calls
to get the shipping charges removed entirly... (I bitched about the paint in
the bearings and threatend to return it) ENCO realy is a Caviat Emptor kind
of place... treat it that way and with care you can save a buck or 2... 90%
or my biz goes to MSC though... no hassel and great service on any problems...

~R

~R
________________________________________________________
Randolph Lee    [email-masked]  [email-masked]
Tag space For rent!.... Inquire Above for attractive rates!

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From: [email-masked] (Anthony Martin)
Date: 04 Jun 1995 08:01:42 GMT

Tony.

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From: [email-masked] (Barry Workman)
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 1995 04:11:10 GMT

Rutland Tool
City of Industry CA

MSC
Main offices in NY

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From: [email-masked] (Jerome Kaidor)
Date: 5 Jun 1995 16:21:18 -0700

- Jerry Kaidor