SNS

It's that time again, it's time for another Saturday Night Special where we talk about everything rockhounding related.
Thanks for watching!
Be sure to check out my website at currentlyrockhounding.com for tons of additional rockhounding resources and much more!
Did you enjoy this video and find it to be informative? You can help ensure that more videos just like this get made by supporting the project on Patreon. / currentlyrockhounding
#CurrentlyRockhounding #Agates #Lapidary

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Did you enjoy this video and find it to be informative? You can help ensure that more videos just like this get made by supporting the project on Patreon. www.patreon.com/currentlyrockhounding

[@sandmaker]

A fun rant. Hang in there and keep rocking. 😷⚒

[@dustinfindsrocks]

Agates, the gateway rock 😂

[@micheleslaughter1324]

TRUTH! 😂😅

[@user-om7sp8xy2m]

I like the fact you provide useful information in the face of lack thereof. Please keep at it. Thank you!

[@patriciamckean4186]

Zeolites, I.thank you for your information on great rock publications.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

:D

[@WagonWheelAgatesAssociated]

Your community chat is great!! Keep that a part of your thought process and we will all get along. I want a cab king btw. Customer service is paramount !! Made in the USA is not. Thanks for being you ..

[@largent45]

I agree on your take of agates. I wouldnt dream of calling Yellowstone agates anything but agate.and some do have banding but you dont know until you cut them, and the ones that dont are the biggest lumps of chalcedony ive ever seen! But just like your black and red agate, who am i to tell them they are wrong! There are so many beautiful agates out there like the graveyard plumes, . Maury mountain moss, etc that have been around longer than ive been alive! They are all just amazingly beautiful! And as for companies producing lapidary equipment, well i dont do any lapidary work myself so i have no real opinion on them. But as for companies like MK Diamond, i had a lot of opinions and ive already said more than enough. Thank you Jared for sharing your agate book with us and i will have to see if i can find a cooy for myself! Thank you for taking the time to shoot the breeze with us every Saturday and give us a wonderful SNS every week! You totally rock!❤

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked it.

[@markattardo]

Great SNS👍👍

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@francoiselandriault8164]

Thanks Jared for this informative video. I bought a Kingsley North cab machine and I love it. I had an issue with the felt pads, called them and explained the problem and they sent me a replacement right away, free of cost. That's a company you can trust.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That right there is what you want when something goes bad! Did you get the 6" or the 8"? I have been looking at the 6" but I need to save my pennies longer.

[@francoiselandriault8164]

I got the 6''.@@CurrentlyRockhounding

[@froglizard6135]

Really great finds and you're very talented.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@Mike-br8vb]

Another great SNS! It totally pisses me off when companies do not reply to my queries. It's outright rude and completely unprofessional.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

If you're going to take someone's money, then you have got to be able to communicate as well.

[@Mike-br8vb]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding 100%

[@kzbay1685]

Yup LSA's are my bag, baby. Even more so when you can just walk along Lake Superior in the morning hunting for them then seeing Eagles, deer, ducks, geese, frogs, crawfish, owls, wolves...etc, then put on the waders and hunt around in the water. soooo calming.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'll get out there some day and look for some myself!

[@gator83261]

Good video.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@DonariaRegia]

That petrified log would make a great bench if split in half and mounted on a box steel frame.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That would be very cool to see. Also, you need a forklift to move your bench around.

[@silverback5033]

Hi Jared, it would seem we have some things in common here in Oz. Even though I have only been back in the hobby now for about 8 years I have found that buying “Australian Made” equipment or parts is not always a guarantee of quality, with some of the material coming out of Asia is just as good if not better than what is supposedly home grown. With consumables I found in my purchasing that certain Asian companies are quite happy to put your brand on their products for a very minimal cost. One company offered to put my “brand” on their product for mere cents per item. They gave me the option of either a sticker or laser etched for a couple of cents more. When you look on line the amount and variation of lapidary equipment coming out of Asia is staggering. I have found however that some of the small operators here either working at home or from a small workshop are producing some quality equipment at pretty reasonable prices. Keep Safe

[@TheRogueRockhound]

Covington seems like they have switched to a strictly B2B model. You can still buy direct from them, but, for the most part, they're pretty much B2B. There was a company called Rogue Lapidary (or just Rogue) that made hydraulic feed saws. Whoever makes a hydraulic gang saw is gonna dominate...

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That is so massively frustrating. I have seen a few of those Rogue saws, they look good but are just about unobtainium.

[@Mrjoshuasjourneyzzz10420]

Nice jared!!!!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@sstimac]

I picked up a copy of that book a few years back when I wan in an agate phase. For what I paid, It's excellent!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It's really nice to read some of the old articles.

[@toddjensen2252]

Sounds like bad customer service, I never buy a product with bad customer service, great video

[@nhrockaholic6038]

Customer support at Hi-Tech Diamond is fabulous. Called with an issue, sent a video and got a return phone call within 30 min that fixed my issue. Very please. Same With Ray-tech vibe company.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have had similar experiences with them.

[@thegatesofdawn...1386]

The Lapidary Journal. That sounds good! Are you a geologist? Or a natural rock hound ? I think you made a good point about a company that will not respond, may not be good if you need them after a purchase. Yes.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm just a guy who likes rocks and minerals.

[@thegatesofdawn...1386]

@CurrentlyRockhounding I am just a rockhound who naturally loves rocks! Nobody taught me or had similar interests. From an early age, I spotted fossils, shells and rocks, etc. Also, color conscious! Rocks can be very colorful. They draw me to them. Thanks for letting me ramble on!

[@valsummers5330]

Please add the ISBN number in the description for the Agates of North America book Then I can try to find it via my local book store Thankyou again for a thought provoking SNS

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Unfortunately, it does not have an ISBN.

[@blatantmisconception]

Google it, it's self published.

[@mitchellmadarish5921]

I love the red Jasper on the desk!!! It looks like an alien skull fossil!! Beware Indiana Jones raiding your shop!!!

[@thegatesofdawn...1386]

A blonde petrified log, wow! I have some small pieces.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It's very impressive to see.

[@thegatesofdawn...1386]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Absolutely!

[@thegatesofdawn...1386]

My piece has quart veining and sparling silca crystal over it's surface.

[@jscottchrist5178]

How about an updated Agates of North America in living COLOR!?

[@daviddeeken7143]

The lack of customer service could be due to lack of employees. Ever since covid it seems no one can keep people working in any job position. Also many companies are downsizing and forcing the employees who stay do double the work for same pay. Now a days products are cheaper quality and customer service is garbage. I am afraid its only going to get worse.

[@steveegbert7429]

Those are really bad customer service companies you described there Jared. Just from that I would hesitate to buy from them. I'm pretty new to the lapidary world and my only experience is with Hi Tech Diamond, but the couple times I had a problem or question, I got a real person on the phone and the problem and questions were handled immediately. Missing parts were sent out the same day and questions on a different day were answered professionally and in a way I could understand them as a newbie.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That's what I'm talking about. When something goes wrong, you gotta be able to reach out to someone and get it fixed!

[@robmcwill8916]

Does anyone else see the alien head in the rock on the left

[@darkcrystalmagik3369]

The big red jasper? Lol, yeah I think so...😂

[@valsummers5330]

Whew now that you mentioned it Can’t un see that! Cool

[@Rocktwister]

I agree with you. Not personal. I really wish Covington would get it together. There out of stocks with no info makes me crazy. Thanks!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It also makes me crazy, I would love to suggest them to people, but they never have anything.

[@Rocktwister]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I really really want one of their vibralap but to no avail. Which drives up used pricing

[@thomaschilders5737]

HP is in the midst of opening up a MUCH larger facility in Massachusetts that's going to have a much better lab space, better internet, etc. John said the other night that he's designing 12 different new products that he plans to roll out this year. Even if they only come out with 4 or 5 of those that would be way ahead of everyone else I've seen. They are also in the midst of some system changes from what I can tell so they're navigating a few significant projects at the same time. Customer service isn't perfect, but they've always tried to make it right for me, so I will take that over no response.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

[@thomaschilders5737]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Me too...but I still don't have any room left in my garage. lol

[@user-np1zi1uq3f]

Great video! I agree about the lapidary companies. In a small, highly technical industry like lapidary machines, customer service is extremely important. A great way to put off people who have technical questions about your product is to not answer the phone, or have someone answer who doesn't understand the products. I've been looking at cab machines, and I keep seeing a machine by a Chinese company called Vevor advertised. It's clearly a Cab-King knock-off, but it's 60% of the cost of a Cab-King (under $1,000), so it's tempting. But my question is really customer service. will they be able to answer questions, or will they respond when I have problems, or are they just making the machines because they have the Cab-King parts around, and when it's not easy and profitable, will they disappear?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

If you buy a Vevor product, you are really going to be on your own. If it shows up broken or breaks later, you will be on your own to figure it out and find or make parts.

[@SissyMchill1]

I need to go watch last week’s video. I appreciate this type of video. Not sure why anyone would get annoyed/offended over truth, especially when it could cause a person to lose money. What mean when a person’s hard earned money is spent on crappy equipment that’s very expensive. I got the Vevor cabbing machine. My husband spent $800. I was so excited about getting one. And to learn on it was a great deal. BUT the owners manual is not informative at all. The booklet states that it comes with a cutting blade & flat lap disc, and apron. But it’s not listed in the parts section of the booklet. one of The wheels was defective. The wheels aren’t holding up very well at all. I’ve not polished many rocks on it. One of the wheels has worn badly in a spot. It sprays water something fierce. They state the have the largest selection of attachments and extras. But I can’t find the discs, more or less any other attachments on their site. They state contact the dealer. He bought directly from Vevor. Only place I see selling them is bed bath and beyond for double the cost. And Home Depot online. But they don’t carry the wheels or any attachments. Emails and phone calls go ignored. With all that negative there is positives. The price, and the motor runs well, very well. Imho that very important/most important. And for someone learning it’s perfect. So I appreciate this video. And thank for a truthful review about these places. Also it is NOT made in America. I do prefer “Made in America” not sure where all the name brand machines are made? Hopefully America especially with their price tag. I simply can’t afford the name brand.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That does not sound good at all.

[@nevetsrock]

Unfortunately, theres always going to be snowflakes regardless of the season.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Well said!

[@blatantmisconception]

There's zero reason the cab king and Dianond pacific ahould cost anywhere near what they're charging. 😮 Holy shit. That's used subaru, new metal lathe and mill territory. We're being taken for a ride.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Economy of scale, I think is the issue.

[@spetkovsek57]

I think another questionable company would be Johnson Brothers Lapidary. I've never had a good experience buying from them. they have good prices, but I think they sell "seconds" to you without telling you such. I hope someone doesn't complain about you so much that KZbin or FB decides to take action against you. Yes, you will never be able to please everyone all the time. This is America and I'm pretty sure you can exercise free speech. They might not like it, but like you said, they can go watch another video.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I would add Johnson Brothers to the list of places that if you buy from, you need to use a real credit card so you can dispute the charges if need be.

[@mattrichards1492]

I politely disagree with your take on HP. They are the pushiest sales people and their new machines are like buying a potential liability. Customer service sucks outside of sales, and they expect you to do your own troubleshooting and make fixes to brand new machines. This is not personal experience, as I have older hp equipment. Several close friends have spent many many thousands of dollars to be left very disappointed. At best, they avoided serious personal injury then got to deal with customer service.

[@mattrichards1492]

My humble opinion only....

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Oh, I agree with your take on them here, but I will add that there are no other good options. Currently, if you want a large saw or something like that you have two options, Covington and HP. The Covington machines are made from thin sheet metal, and I have known a few people know who have had the saw bodies twist from normal use and moving the saw around. Their sales people suck, buying new machines from them is well, like you said, a potential liability, but unless someone better comes along, they are the only producer of many different machines. Presently, if you want a new 18" or 24" saw, who do we have? I know someone who bought a new 24" saw from HP, and it showed up with a leak, but at the same time, it would cost me more to make that then it would for me to buy one new and fix the problems with it. My HP wet belt sander came as a 90% finished machine, which wasn't very nice, but also couldn't make it more affordably.

[@mattrichards1492]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Totally agree. Diamond pacific makes great machines, but they change almost nothing. The pixie is still made on an OSB platform that warps with moisture. That is such an easy fix I cannot believe they didn't fix it 20 years ago. I am going to replace my platform base with a plastic cutting board.

[@BillyBoulder]

⁠@@CurrentlyRockhoundingI don’t own any HP machines so I can’t comment on support or sales communication. I am impressed on some of the new innovative machines they are coming out with. Particularly the intarsia and high speed sphere maker. Not that I could afford either but they seem well engineered and a fresh approach to old problems. From what I hear the owner wants to breath new life into the industry.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

The OSB bases is a rather silly.

[@DanFarrar]

Stereotypes are far from accurate IMO. Way too many dog whistles in this world and the real buffoons keep score.

[@taniakapronczai7652]

I agree👍