rcaddict Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 so having been away from the hobby for a number of years I have noticed HK seem to be the best value for modelling goodies - am I right ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightypeesh Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 It depends on what you are buying really.. I get Lipos and motors and the odd cheap glider from HK and have had no problems at all. Rxs I get from Als hobbies, balsa and bits and bobs from SLEC, Servo's from Servo Shop.... Just depends what you are after and who offers the best service as well as price. Cheers, Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 hello oldgit................ depends how you look at the big picture of things.....yes they will probably be the cheapest price wise.....depends what you are after of course...the aero modeling world is on the march/gallop to ARTF models that come complete and ready to fly in a couple of hours and it looks as though the HK type of retailers are at the front of it all...... tradional builders who source their materials and parts are the ones who will struggle to an extent getting the bits they need ...as the LMS' s disappear ...the time's are a changing.....so in a way you are right....merry christmas and long live the LMS..... PS forgot to mention...amazing how much of our stuff is made in china........ could be time for another poll? ken anderson...ne....1 LMS dept. Edited By ken anderson. on 22/12/2015 10:26:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I use them quite a bit, mainly for Lipos and as Ken says they are probably the cheapest. However for anything substantial I tend to look elsewhere. I'm a believer in John Ruskin's Common Law of Business Balance: “There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey. It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Vrandecic -Mes Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Hi Oldgit , If you're an amateur without great competitive ambition HK is cheaper solution, for everything else, there are manufacturers of expensive and high-quality modeling necessities. Al the best Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVC Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Hi oldgit. I buy some stuff from HK (hands up who doesn't...) but IMHO they are far away of being best value for money. Yes, it's true that they are among the cheapest, and this is a good thing if everything works fine, but if something goes wrong (i.e. faulty items etc...) forget about any compensation. Their customer service is also among the "cheapest" in terms of quality, and in the extremely unlikely event that they decided to repair / replace, you have to bear all the shipping costs and, if applicable, Customs clearance. HK is the typical contemporary business, based on this "use and throw" culture so much in vogue these days. I accept that this is where we go, but I definitely prefer the "old fashion": the shop where you can touch the items, receive an advice or simply spend a Saturday morning having a chat with "brothers in hobby"... Merry Xmas to everybody!! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Jones Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I had my first flying lessons courtesy of the LMS owner, no online shop can do that. I could get any sudden neccesaties within minutes;now I can't because the LMS has gone. There's more but just these two points alone are enough for me to grieve the disappearing LMSs. So in answer to your question, yes Hobby King are cheapest for a lot of things but you have to look carefully whether or not the quality of a particular item is cheap or good value. Taking into account my opening paragraph though that's still not enough for me to actually like using HK, I feel a wave of guilt every time I do even though I will have tried to source the item I want either at a more distant UK retail shop or failing that a UK online shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcaddict Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Ian yes my LMS has gone also, dont het me wrong I still will use uk shops (mail order) for branded goods that I want, it just I find HK value for money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Posted by oldgit on 22/12/2015 11:35:56: Ian yes my LMS has gone also, dont het me wrong I still will use uk shops (mail order) for branded goods that I want, it just I find HK value for money Until item you receive from HK is faulty, then try to get some sense or replacement from them ! Some bargains but awful customer service from experience . If you really have to use them , use the UK store as you may get a modicum of after sales service if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Posted by Ian Jones on 22/12/2015 11:28:19: Taking into account my opening paragraph though that's still not enough for me to actually like using HK, I feel a wave of guilt every time I do even though I will have tried to source the item I want either at a more distant UK retail shop or failing that a UK online shop. Ian, do you also feel bad about driving past an expensive branded petrol station and filling up at Asda/Tesco/Sainsbury? Personally, I believe HK have given the global hobby trade a good shaking up. True, small local shops that we all remember through 'rose tinted specs' and were run more like a hobby for the owner, have succumbed and even a few bigger names have fallen away but I don't think we can blame the relatively recent rise of HK for all the Hobby trade's ills. Just on HK's customer service, I have had a couple of DOA items and providing you follow their procedure exactly, you will get a credit back. Edited By Cuban8 on 22/12/2015 11:50:25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Jones Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Posted by Cuban8 on 22/12/2015 11:45:46: Posted by Ian Jones on 22/12/2015 11:28:19: Taking into account my opening paragraph though that's still not enough for me to actually like using HK, I feel a wave of guilt every time I do even though I will have tried to source the item I want either at a more distant UK retail shop or failing that a UK online shop. Ian, do you also feel bad about driving past an expensive branded petrol station and filling up at Asda/Tesco/Sainsbury? Personally, I believe HK have given the global hobby trade a good shaking up. True, small local shops that we all remember through 'rose tinted specs' and were run more like a hobby for the owner, have succumbed and even a few bigger names have fallen away but I don't think we can blame the relatively recent rise of HK for all the Hobby trade's ills. Yes, actually I don't buy fuel from supermarkets, I buy the cheapest 'branded' fuel I can find. Sorry C8, I have to disagree about 'rose tinted specs', both of the examples I gave were clearly unembelished fact and it's perfectly normal for retailers to be trading in whatever they have some skill in. It may be that we can't blame HK (and others) for all of the Hobby trade's ills but that they have had a massive impact on LMS trade cannot be denied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Jones Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Posted by oldgit on 22/12/2015 11:35:56: Ian yes my LMS has gone also, dont het me wrong I still will use uk shops (mail order) for branded goods that I want, it just I find HK value for money Quite agree and without prejudice to my previous comments, some things can't be bought locally anyway so HK is the only option, I'm expecting a large box any moment now. It's the lack of choice forcing me to buy from abroad that I'm not comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I'm my own personal experience and my own opinion is that there are a few jewels to be found among a lot of junk. And even the jewels offen hide a compromise. Also as mentioned above try sending it back , it will cost you if you undo the packaging to have a look let alone try to get a refund for a defective item. Personally I would rather pay extra for a proper piece of kit and know that it will work as it should or be replaced if it fails. It's a bit like buying from the the high street versus the town market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iqon Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Just remember cheap prices at the cost of customer services...... edit - and lack of quality control Edited By iqon on 22/12/2015 12:20:13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Posted by oldgit on 22/12/2015 10:14:44: so having been away from the hobby for a number of years I have noticed HK seem to be the best value for modelling goodies - am I right ?? If you buy selectively - i.e. (a) stuff that you actually need and are going to use AND have satisfied yourself that it is fit for purpose, and / or (b) items unique to HK that you can't get anywhere else then yes, they are very good value and can save you a LOT of money: e.g. rolls of covering film. Would I unthinkingly use them for all my modelling needs because of price - not a chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Foxtrot Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 HK can be more expensive than you think if you get stung for tax and on top of that have the post office charge for collecting it. If I buy from HK I tend to stick to the UK or European warehouses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Some interesting comments and I for one fully accept the individual's choice to buy their goods from where they feel most comfortable and get best value for their £. My "rose tinted specs" comment was not in any way a nasty dig at the old model shops and their often very enthusiastic owners (mind you some were miserable old so and so's who had little time for youngsters as I recall!) but the fact that even for adults, a lot of what we take for granted such as radio gear, was well beyond the pocket of ordinary working people. It's unlikely that we'd have the hobby as we know it today if we had to rely on the chain of small family shops (and the UK model manufacturing industry) of the 50s and 60s running on a shoestring. Those of us of a certain age will remember the similar shock waves that ran through the hobby caused by Jim Davis and Harry Brookes IIRC in the 70s, as they gave us the notion of the large model shop selling mail order at discount prices - I'm sure there must have been others as well, so nothing new under the sun really. Edited By Cuban8 on 22/12/2015 12:47:11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Crook Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Some things you can only get from Hobbyking, for example the excellent range of Durafly foam warbirds. These are great value and their quality bears comparison with anything sold "over the counter". The P40 I bought most recently also had some of the best instructions I've encountered, big clear illustrations and text in English only. If I could buy them from a model shop, even if they cost a little more, I would, as I prefer the old way of buying major items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon B Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 It seems to depend on what you're buying. They sell VQ kits and they're more expensive than Inwoods... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn44 Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Dunno about all this but their web site and ordering ain't the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Ruskin's law is of course written by a shopkeeper, with a profit margin to guard. I point out the fashion, perfume, luxury goods industry all make vast profit from tatty goods. Who is the prey here. Cynicism is good in all dealings with sellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Also make sure you deal with the EU/UK warehouse for larger items, if you order from the International warehouse you will most likely get charged VAT and collection fee by the shipping company. Also although I haven't had any problems when you order from either the UK or EU warehouses you are actually making the transaction with HK in Hong Kong but the good are shipped from their warehouse in the UK, so you are not dealing with a UK retailer and I'm not sure if the transaction is covered by UK law. But I've placed many orders and can't think of any real issues I've had, the odd faulty servo and a couple of Lipos that didn't last as long as I would have expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic evans 1 Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I bought an Imax B6 balance charger (the genuine one) from HK which wouldn't balance charge. I emailed them & they asked me to video the problem for them which I did.. Two weeks later I received a new one with no request to return the faulty one. It's not all bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Wilson Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 To reinforce what has been said above. When dealing with HobbyKing (HK) be aware that any order in excess of £15 (goods) from the international warehouse will attract VAT (goods & p+p) and a hefty collection fee from Parcel Force. Only buy low value orders from International w'house, or accept the 'unexpected' cost. It can be cheaper to split your order into multiple sub £15 orders than pay the vat and the £8 collection fee. When you are looking at an item on HK, if it doesnt say (UK Warehouse) in the product description it is NOT coming from the UK warehouse. Sounds obvious but lot of people have got caught by this and complain bitterly about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Posted by Donald Fry on 22/12/2015 15:48:58: Ruskin's law is of course written by a shopkeeper, with a profit margin to guard. Not true. John Ruskin 1819 - 1900 was an English art critic & essayist who inherited wealth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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