Here is my biased opinion.
I am in the market for a new case as my Laperti case is on it's last legs just about & I was just wanting people's opinions on both of these cases taking into account things like:
1. Craftsmanship
2. Price
3. Wait Period
4. Weight
5. Communication
6. Overall looks
7. Durability
8. Customization
This would help me get a feel for both brands before I jump in feet first, also if anyone has pics of their own customs let's see em.
1. Craftsmanship - we do a lot of things to our cases that go above and beyond typical leathercrafting to attempt to make them as durable and protective as possible. The exterior skins fit tight to the body, so much so that it takes three people to insert the tube into the leather exterior. I feel that this is not only the proper way to do it but that it makes the who piece tougher.
2. Price -
http://www.jbcases.com/pricelist.html Feel free to make your own comparisons. If you go through the price guide for both brands you will find that we offer a great many options as included in the base price which all added up would make the price up to twice as much from Mr. Justis.
3. Wait Period - When Mr. Justis takes your order he guarantees that it will be done in four weeks. Given our extensive amount of choices and custom options we cannot compete with that and our waiting time is 6 weeks on the low end and years on the other end. Typically 2-3 months is about what we are running now.
4. Weight - Our tube cases run about 1-2lbs heavier depending on the leather you choose. We also have a full range of lighter weight models, butterfly cases, Mason models, Chas cases, which all tend to weigh about the same or less than Mr. Justis' tube cases.
5. Communication - Good to Very bad. We get a bunch of inquiries all the time and typically are juggling up to 50 orders at a time. Best case scenario you order, we send you a sketch, you confirm, we build. Worst case, you have a lot of questions, change your mind a lot, we get lost in the emails and you get neglected and have to pester us for answers. Both things have happened and while the former is generally the case we are terribly embarrassed when the latter happens.
6. Overall looks - See for yourself -
www.jbcase.com/casesbyname.html - on this one if you are comparing apples to apples and you were to choose say our Classic model,
And put this up against a Justis then the Justis will be smaller and sleeker. This is simply because we use thicker leather and reinforce the stress points so that they look beefier.
In my opinion as a Justis case owner, Justis cases have a very well refined appearance to them. Always neatly done, nothing out of place. The smaller pockets give Justis cases a very slender and classy look.
Our pockets are taller and made to be easier to use. But again, we make so many different styles that it's hard to compare anything but one of models. Everything else we make such as these are so different that it defies comparison when it comes to looks:
And I could go on with dozens more.
7. Durability - I feel that our cases are much tougher. I say this because I have a Justis to compare to and I know what we do when we build our cases. That said I have seen some BEAT UP Justis cases that are still intact and in good working order. This is something you need to feel for yourself. Jack often says that all the proof you need is that he has many pros who use his cases and check them with other baggage. To which I agree. Justis cases are made well enough to survive being taken around the world as checked baggage. If that's the criteria then his and ours are fully adequate for the task. For protection of the cue and ability to withstand a wider range of abuses I'd say ours is better. But this is only really apparent if you have them side by side to compare.
8. Customization - no comparison. This is our order form -
www.jbcases.com/orderform.html
I don't even know where to begin really but let's go through the things you get as STANDARD with
no extra charge for $475 plus $75 shipping. Using a 2x5/3x4 tube case(equivalent to a 2x4 in size) as an example;
1. You get to choose the type of interior, UltraPad with heavy padding or Organic Rebound that allows the cues to rise up gently for easier removal.
2. you choose the interior color from five or six standards we keep in stock or any color you like.
3. you choose the leather, saddle leather, nappa leather, reptile prints, suede, ostrich prints whatever you desire. We only charge more for exotics.
4. Side handle, top handle, strap and shoulder pad are all included in the price as well as the location. Mr. Justis typically only offers that the handle be on the right side and charges extra otherwise. We allow you to choose at no extra charge.
5. you choose two pockets in any style and length that is possible. We make the pockets with zippers in any position you like and have invented a way to make box pockets with L-zippers for easy access. The pockets can be taller, longer, with flaps, double zippers etc.. all lower pockets automatically come with a jump handle compartment for free, an option that Mr. Justis does not offer as far as I know.
6. You choose the lid style you like. Flip top opening from front to back, side opening, zipper top, we do it all at no extra charge.
7. You choose the seam type: rivets or lacing. Hand sewn for $50 extra.
8. You choose the body style, scallops like Instroke, full wrap around with a side seam, straight back, or something completely different.....
9. You get to personalize it for free. You choose any font you want from
www.dafont.com and we will add it to your case where you want at no extra charge. We go the extra distance to make your name fit the case.
A couple examples:
10: You get to choose the type of latch. We make our own latches and can customize them to fit your theme:
For example:
Basically we have 17 questions for you when placing an order and in those are many options all adding up to an almost overwhelming amount of choices in a $475 case.
http://www.jbcases.com/orderform-options.html
And you are not at all limited to those choices. You tell us what to do and we will try to make it happen.
In return we ask for patience. I have set up a shop which is capable of just about anything in cue cases. Because of that we get asked to do just about anything and doing that means we have to constantly invent methods, create new patterns, and make new prototypes. We also make a lot of mistakes and have to redo the work until it's right. So even though I have 15 people working on cases we are slower than most.
Most of our customers say that the wait was worth it though. I have 47 pages of testimonials from happy customers. When someone is unhappy with us it's almost always related to communication. I am working on that but I promise that we will build you an heirloom quality case that will last a lifetime.
And as others have mentioned there are other custom case makers. None of them offer the breadth and depth of custom that we do but they are mostly good cases made by good people.
Whitten, Al Kinghorn, Rusty Melton, Two Shades, Erofey Evladin, Marc Turcasso, Armor Cases, Garth Bair OnQ and many others to choose from alongside Jack and JB Cases.
I say it like this to conclude, Jack has been in the business for 23 years now, two years more than me. He has settled on a type of case that he likes to make and has damn near perfected it. We have had words, we were once friends, now not so much. But I genuinely respect the fact that he puts out a clean product and he sticks to his own vision of how to build a cue case. If you want a Justis then there is honestly no other case made that will give you the feeling of owning a Justis. Jack Justis has become a status symbol along with being a good practical case.
He is going to retire sometime soon and then there won't be any more. So if you really like the style he makes and you don't need any more than he offers I say go ahead and get the Justis. We will be around for another 30 years or so with any luck. I would say buy ours if you really something other than the style Jack offers because those are styles we do that he won't.
Whew, god that was a lot of words. Anyway, you really can't go wrong either way but I would adivse you to consider a replacement interior from us if you do choose Justis. I think that the added protection is a great compliment to Jack's well made exterior.
