Here's a little 411 on tungsten weights business, Vike Tackle and TD Tunhsten as well as others...
I first started researching tungsten weights about a year ago when I first heard that Tru-Tungsten was having problems supplying their dealers.
I learned that there are over 100 tungsten carbide manufacturers in China and that of those, only about 8 produce tungsten fishing weights and only 2-3 of those produce High Quality 97% or better, pure tungsten weights. The rest are very cheaply made and usually have the plastic inserts in them.
Regarding the weights with plastic inserts.....this came about when tungsten weights were first introduced and there was a big problem with the sharp edges of the hole through the weight cutting line. So...in their infinite wisdom, the Chinese manufacturers came up with the idea to install a plastic or teflon tube in the hole to prevent line damage. Now it appears that the insert is starting to cause problems due to the insert drying out, splitting, cracking or just coming out of the hole.
A new technology was born and it caused a definite rise in the cost of manufacturing tungsten weights...the weights were drilled, beveled and then the entire weight was diamond polished. This technology has been given several different names by dealers....we prefer to call it "Smooth Bore Technology". We are already starting to see a decline in the amount of "Inserted" weights sold here in the US.
The vast majority of the tungsten weights that we buy are manufactured in China with a very small amount coming from Germany.
Here's where the "kicker" comes in. Now that we are starting to use a lot of tungsten weights, several "brokers" have appeared in China that are actually "middle men" in the tungsten weight business (and a lot of other fishing tackle items). These people buy direct from the factories and then re-sell to US buyers.
They are very clever in how they word their communications with us in an attempt to make you believe they are the actual manufacturer of the product. What they do is sit at a computer and take orders for the product and when they finally get enough orders, they will then order product from the actual manufacturers.
They will give you every reason under the sun as to why it takes so long to get an order shipped out and to you here in the USA. I have heard of some orders taking 3-4 months to arrive here in the USA. However, when you check the shipping records, you find that the shipment has only been in transit for 3-5 days. To that, add the problems of being shorted or receiving a damaged box. They will not accept responsibility for any damages and act like you are trying to rip them off with any type of shortage or damage claim. I am currently trying to get a $300.00 + shortage covered.....
If you are thinking about trying to deal direct with any of these "brokers", be aware that they usually will not accept orders of less than $2000 USD and they will not accept your order without being paid up front with a Bank Wire Transfer. Once they have your money, you will note that communications become few and far between and you will never be able to get a solid answer from them regarding when your product will arrive here.
With all that said, there is a way around it...we have located an actual manufacturer that will sell direct to us by working with a US based Importer who does a lot of business in China and Japan. We still have to pay up front, but are able to purchase much more product from them and receive it much quicker (usually 2 weeks or so).
We have started a new division of SOB Fishing Products called AFFORDABLE TUNGSTEN and have a website at
www.affordabletungsten.com. Our prices may not be quite as low as some others , but they are pretty low compared to most. We can promise that the Quality is there, though !!! In fact, one of our policies is...."If you don't like 'em, we'll buy 'em back"...postage included !!!
Give us a shot.....we feel strongly that you will be more than pleased !!!
Bill
