LMAO. To quote a stand up comic whose name I cannot remember "I don't care who ya are, thats funny!"
The fact of the matter is that something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. You can spend $200 on a custom cue, or you can spend $10,000 (plus) on a custom cue. A big name cue maker will charge more for a plain cue than a lesser known maker will charge for a cue that they consider fancy. The guy that only paid $200 for his cue and loves it is the guy that thinks anyone that pays $1000 for a cue is a fool.
Murphy might think $3500 is way too much for the Justis case but obviously someone else didn't. It is up to the buyers what they're willing to pay. Since I don't make cases, I am considered a buyer and as a buyer, I do not want to see this pissing match between John & Jack once again.
Jack you've proved in the past that you can be the bigger person and ignore John. John has proven time and time again that he cannot be the bigger person and simply shut up. Jack, for everyones sake, please be the bigger person and just ignore him.
The bigger person?
The bigger person does not insert an advertisement for his wares into my customer's show-off thread.
As a buyer you should want to see this "pissing match".
I do find it funny that you call my customer a "fool". I have never called anyone a fool who chooses to buy a less expensive case than mine.
What I do is explain the differences which I feel justify the higher price of my product. I feel that I owe this explanation to consumers to aid them in making a decision based on value rather than hype.
In this thread the consumer was merely pointing out that he feels he case was an extraordinary value at $675 considering the workmanship in and comparing the design on it to a $3500 Justis.
I have no problem with $3500 Justis cases. They make my cases into a huge bargain and win for the consumer. They are great to compare to on a point by point basis and when Jack offers one up for comparison as he did here then it's all right by me.
So let's compare apples to apples as they say:
....................................
JB Cases.......................................... Justis
Price Total - - - - - - -- - $600 (+75 shipping)...............................$3500
Custom Size - ---------> 2x5/3x4......................................... Not Offered
Custom Sized Pockets - ->No Extra Charge .............................Not Available
Extra Pocket - ---------> No Charge......................................Not Available
Personalization - ------> Included (no charge)........................$5/6 Per Letter
Custom Interior Color --->No Charge.........................................Not Offered
Extra Padding - -------->No Charge......................................Not Offered
Two tone Carving - ----->No Charge......................................Not Offered
Warm Fuzzy Feeling ----->No Charge.................................... Not Offered
Other intangibles include pride of ownership and rarity. I guess owning a "Justis" is like having a Szamboti, or a Balabuska, etc... no matter what the actual quality may or may not be there is a certain pride that comes with owning something that is fairly "exclusive" and well regarded.
In that regard a John Barton case has a long way to go to reach or eclipse Justis on the "prestige" factor. That's normal, Justis has been around for 20 years as a name brand. He consistently builds the same case and delivers on time. That's a good reputation and well deserved.
Not many people know me and while I have been making cases for 20 years now as well my path has been much more diverse and my products have had a much greater range. So "John Barton" as a brand isn't well known or given much prestige yet since I have only been out with cases under my own name for just over three years.
So if it's worth $3500 to someone to own a Justis then great. The person buying the case is not a fool. They have invested in a collaborative effort where there are not many that exist and likely to not be many more.
Ron Ross is an excellent leather worker and carver. One of the best. So from a collectible aspect any Ross/Justis case is something of value.
Most folks though they are not buying cases to collect. They are not buying a case for the brand name.
For those folks a $2900 price difference is unjustified. So they go back to the list above and start ticking off checkpoints to determine real tangible value in terms of daily use, better protection for their cues, ease of use, and pleasure of ownership.
Using those criteria it's safe to say that the majority of consumers would be well satisfied, if not overjoyed, with what I deliver for the price they paid. They can invest the $2900 they saved into something else that makes them happy.
So the bottom line in this comparison for practical purposes is -
Fully custom case - no limits - superior protection - $675 delivered.
Semi-custom case - limited choice - inferior protection - $3500
. This case turned out great, you and John worked well together on the design, and John executed it perfectly. Enjoy.
