Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 29, 2016 11:44 pm I’m currently getting ready to build a new home and am looking at tiles, fittings, vanities, sinks etc and am looking at whether I go with the builder’s options or go and purchase a lot of the items myself. If I choose to purchase the items myself, the two options I have are going to the building/kitchen/bathroom supply warehouses or looking at Masters/Bunnings/Ikea. I would imagine that the Masters/Bunnings/Ikea would be cheaper than the supply warehouses, however how does the general quality of the products sold by these stores compare to the supply warehouses. What views to people have on this? Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 2May 29, 2016 11:58 pm As a person whom goes to bunnings every week and someone whom just finished building, I would be wary of buying any materials from bunnings for building , I used no materials from bunnings at all, too much there is special lines made just for them, and they wont be cheaper, stick to specialty stores and shop around and learn heaps so you can compare apples with apples, you often get the best price by knowing what you need early, so you can google and knowa good price Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Stores 3May 30, 2016 7:43 am When we were building I was looking at a particular fan made by Mercator. I couldn't discern the difference between two models. Bunnings was selling one cheaper than the wholesaler. When I rang Mercator the guy told me the Bunnings one was made in a different country (China as opposed Vietnam), factory not as good. only had a 3 year warranty as opposed to 5 and the quality was nowhere near the same. Custom knockdown rebuild Newcastle NSW viewtopic.php?t=78271 Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 4May 30, 2016 6:34 pm Joker I would be wary of buying any materials from bunnings for building , I used no materials from bunnings at all, too much there is special lines made just for them, and they wont be cheaper Really, no good just because they have special lines? Where is the logic in that? Also since you didnt use anything from Bunnings how would you know their special lines are substandard? Joker , stick to specialty stores and shop around and learn heaps so you can compare apples with apples, you often get the best price by knowing what you need early, so you can google and knowa good price Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 5May 30, 2016 10:53 pm The special lines buddy are made cheaper to lower specifications, I.ve been in retail 36 years and a wholesale buyer for over 20 years , I buy general items from bunnings only when there exact products available elsewhere, for my build, purchashed nothing as bunnings was not best price even once,found always better pricing for new home materials elsewhere. Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 6May 31, 2016 1:21 am I've bought a few bathroom fittings through bunnings in the past and had to return them because honestly, they were sh!t! and leaked. waste of time. Have bought from specialty plumbing places and wasn't always the cheapest but always turned out to be a good product. Bunnings is ok if you don't care how long something lasts, most things there are rubbish quality though including power tools (unless you don't need something that will last a long time and sometimes a cheap tool is ok for a one off job). paint is ok (unless you want colour matching and bunnings are hopeless with that) but just about everything I've bought there over the years crapped itself in fairly short order and needed to be thrown away and replaced with something better. If you want quality, go to specialist stores, you won't get quality at bunnings and like someone said already, a lot of there lines are made specially for them to a lower standard, i.e. lower quality and price Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 7Jun 01, 2016 4:03 pm Wells that interesting, the way Joker and Piscean bash Bunnings. I've spent 1000s and 1000s there over the years, and never had any problem. They replace anything faulty without question. Paint matching has nothing to do with Bunnings, but the experience of the people doing it. Same applies at any paint store. At Ipswich Bunnings they were very good last time I went there. About these "sub standard" specialty lines, how about telling us a few more examples? I read the thing above about the Mercator fan, what else? I dont think a factory in Vietnam is necessarily preferable to China, but then again it depends who is running the factory. Australia, like Japan, is having its economy hollowed out because so many companies are now producing high quality goods in their relocated Chinese factories. Taiwan once had a poor reputation, it now has a high reputation for quality. The same is happening in China. Its not a country of exclusively 2nd rate factories making cheap inferior copies...far from it. Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 8Jun 01, 2016 6:44 pm You see one way bunnings gets a cheaper appearance is by buying some lines that are made for them by brands to lower specifications, this way you never have to price match this item as no one else will have the exact model, ,and it makes them look cheaper, as they advertise ; ;they won't be beaten on price. This cuts out a huge range of their offerings from having to price match competitors. That said I buy plenty from bunnings as their open all the time , but for my build 48square home, never purchased anything due to , bunnings been never the cheapest on exact lines- -product knowledge inferior to others- -some poor quality building products- -constantly returning many products that last 1-4 months- -are not set up for quality builds. Anyone can do better with 3 quality suppliers competing whom deal regularly with quality builds Try giving bunnings a $10, 000 merbau stair order , ,partiarly put together, , they would screw it up big time. - Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 9Jun 01, 2016 7:41 pm "Wells that interesting, the way Joker and Piscean bash Bunnings." The op was looking for honest feedback, how is that bashing? People are just posting their own experience for the op's benefit. "Paint matching has nothing to do with Bunnings, but the experience of the people doing it." Which is why It's faster to go straight to a paint store, they know what they doing. Bunnings staff will make up all sorts of crazy reasons the colour doesn't look right, after several trips you finally go to a paint store and they will get it right from the get go. "About these "sub standard" specialty lines, how about telling us a few more examples? I read the thing above about the Mercator fan, what else?" Alot of their lines including power tools. That's how they undercut other suppliers but it's not comparing apples to apples "Taiwan once had a poor reputation, it now has a high reputation for quality. " I agree, but it took them a very long time to get there, and this was largely in comparison to products made in japan. Japan had a skilled workforce, taiwan did not, so there was a lower standard of quality. Taiwan has had many years of production experience now and their workers are much more skilled than they used to be. China by comparison has a lot of unskilled workers for cheap which is why they are not known for quality, in the next few decades that will likely change. Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 10Jun 02, 2016 9:16 am qebtel Wells that interesting, the way Joker and Piscean bash Bunnings. I've spent 1000s and 1000s there over the years, and never had any problem. They replace anything faulty without question. Paint matching has nothing to do with Bunnings, but the experience of the people doing it. Same applies at any paint store. At Ipswich Bunnings they were very good last time I went there. About these "sub standard" specialty lines, how about telling us a few more examples? I read the thing above about the Mercator fan, what else? I dont think a factory in Vietnam is necessarily preferable to China, but then again it depends who is running the factory. Australia, like Japan, is having its economy hollowed out because so many companies are now producing high quality goods in their relocated Chinese factories. Taiwan once had a poor reputation, it now has a high reputation for quality. The same is happening in China. Its not a country of exclusively 2nd rate factories making cheap inferior copies...far from it. I am with qebtel on this one I shop at Bunnings all the time and have for decades, I love the range, the convenience and the opening hrs,(and bunnings Trade) Having said that Bunnings is not answer for everything but like with all purchases you have to know what you want and do your research and by all means shop around. Many of the lines are brands (his for example Rinnai) and others are house brands just like a supermarket, you have a choice and you get what you pay for. I always used to buy expensive power tools Makita etc but lost them through theft so now I buy "Ozito" and it does the job. If you are a carpenter you should make at least $60/hr and for that you will buy a tool that will last 3-6 months. Whats wrong with that. I built my house with a drop saw that was $69 not $500 Others have a different opinion, viva la difference! Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 11Jun 02, 2016 7:12 pm qebtel Wells that interesting, the way Joker and Piscean bash Bunnings. I've spent 1000s and 1000s there over the years, and never had any problem. They replace anything faulty without question. Paint matching has nothing to do with Bunnings, but the experience of the people doing it. Same applies at any paint store. At Ipswich Bunnings they were very good last time I went there. About these "sub standard" specialty lines, how about telling us a few more examples? I read the thing above about the Mercator fan, what else? I dont think a factory in Vietnam is necessarily preferable to China, but then again it depends who is running the factory. Australia, like Japan, is having its economy hollowed out because so many companies are now producing high quality goods in their relocated Chinese factories. Taiwan once had a poor reputation, it now has a high reputation for quality. The same is happening in China. Its not a country of exclusively 2nd rate factories making cheap inferior copies...far from it. I don't disagree. In my case there was a substance of fact attached to the matter - a 3 year warranty as opposed to 5. So my only comment is it pays to check that and compare the options. We had the advantage of a large order with the wholesaler so had a cost effective alternative. Custom knockdown rebuild Newcastle NSW viewtopic.php?t=78271 Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 12Jun 03, 2016 2:29 pm piscean "Wells that interesting, the way Joker and Piscean bash Bunnings." The op was looking for honest feedback, how is that bashing? People are just posting their own experience for the op's benefit. piscean "Paint matching has nothing to do with Bunnings, but the experience of the people doing it." Which is why It's faster to go straight to a paint store, they know what they doing. Bunnings staff will make up all sorts of crazy reasons the colour doesn't look right, after several trips you finally go to a paint store and they will get it right from the get go. piscean "About these "sub standard" specialty lines, how about telling us a few more examples? I read the thing above about the Mercator fan, what else?" Alot of their lines including power tools. That's how they undercut other suppliers but it's not comparing apples to apples piscean "Taiwan once had a poor reputation, it now has a high reputation for quality. " China by comparison has a lot of unskilled workers for cheap which is why they are not known for quality, in the next few decades that will likely change. You know , a factory job is not rocket science. It does not take long to skill up a worker. Ive done enough such jobs in my time. Whats changing now is the factory processes using modern technology. And if you know what to buy, you can get some very high quality items now. Once it used to be that any Chinese guitar was guaranteed rubbish fit for a child only, now they make professional level instruments. Just one example of millions. Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 13Jun 03, 2016 4:57 pm It is bashing when you say , as Joker did, to avoid Bunnings under all circumstances. where did I say that? I noted in my post some of the exceptions. The question the op asked was how does the quality compare to specialist stores and that was what I was answering from my own experience. YMMV. The rest I won't respond to because this was not meant to be a topic about bunnings specifically but since most people shop there, it is the one most people have experience with. I've never shopped at ikea or masters so I can't comment on those stores. Why are you so defensive about people discussing their experience with bunnings? why do you care so much if others have a diffferent opinion? I still shop there for some things because of the convenience and honestly, these days where are you going to go for hardware items without driving miles? but other things I will not buy there and after my experience with their tapware, I would not trust the quality of bunnings products to deck out my bathroom since replacing a sink/vanity/tiles is not something to look forward to in a new house if it turns out garbage quality. I answered the op and they can shop wherever they like. Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 16Jun 09, 2016 2:01 am erm China has some extremely high manufacturing facilities. Look where your Apple products are made as an example. I have plenty of examples of China made stuff that lasts a very long time. One thing I have noticed in my search for an investment property is the quality of fit-out in many buildings. While the range and Bunnings and Masters may look good when new I think for some items it is worth going for the possibly better ranges that dont cost a whole heap more as they last. Tools wise I am kinda with BE on the thinking. For hobby work you probably dont need Festool as many other brands will suffice. I did splurge for the fancy compound mitre from Bosch though. OP I would check some of the plumbing specialty stores and try and get as much as possible in one quote so they look after you. You may be surprised at what bargains can be found. Re: Quality and Price of Bunnings/Masters vs Specialty Store 17Jun 09, 2016 1:36 pm Same as everything in life it pays to shop around , I use Bunnings for a fair few things but also speciality stores or suppliers for others, I have found the price from bunnings on Gyproc and insulation is very good some timbers are ok but you have to check quality, like in our food shop we go to Aldi for somethings and also coles and woolworths its not a one stop shop. Hi, you've probably already resolved this, however, Commbank will probably pay the funds to you after you send evidence the work is done regardless the change in the quotes. 1 35321 Just to makea point about this, an approach that some people have found sucessful in negotiating these rises down, Is to provide some workings to the builder, specifying… 4 81712 Wow I hadn't realised things had gotten that pricey in just a couple of years since I built, that is crazy with how much land is now costing if you aren't lucky enough to… 3 7105 |