31 replies to this topic

[David]

Has anyone tried this range? From what I gather, it is basically Men Shun stuff in different packaging, but some pieces are unique to the range ( IE it is still made by Men Shun, but that exactly firing pattern/shot number fo whatever is unique.)

Prices are apparantly very cheap (although you must add VAT) but it is only available to JTF customers, which I think means you must own a business, or know someone who owns a business, or have once sat next to someone on the bus who owns a business. But seriously, its trade only, they do require proof. Hopefully its nicer than Macro! I can't stand Macro.

But apparantly last year they sold a clone of the "Little Red One" (Formerly the Slammer) for £6.70 (including VAT). This has an RRP of £30 in the Men Shun range.

[Spyrotechnics]

For membership to JTF you have to take recent invoices in the business name you wish to register along with proof of your own ID.As for their range, well it's built to a price, yes mainly rebadged Menshun items but its made to be sold at a cheaper price point.

That may not have been as important in years gone by where if the item was nice and pokey (relying on Flash) the cheaper, less colourful items seemed ok. However now when manufacturers are having to be a little more creative and there seems to be a greater emphasis on richness of colours etc (well there has been from the new items I have seen) rather than raw power the items being built to meet a price point are really obvious

[David]

It is hard to find footage of this stuff.

Whats the logic behind JTF? Do people with a business buy stuff from it it to sell in their shops or to use as part of their business, or just buy it to use themselves?

Edited by David, 19 August 2008 - 10:39 AM.

[screwball]

Has anyone tried this range? From what I gather, it is basically Men Shun stuff in different packaging, but some pieces are unique to the range ( IE it is still made by Men Shun, but that exactly firing pattern/shot number fo whatever is unique.)

Prices are apparantly very cheap (although you must add VAT) but it is only available to JTF customers, which I think means you must own a business, or know someone who owns a business, or have once sat next to someone on the bus who owns a business. But seriously, its trade only, they do require proof. Hopefully its nicer than Macro! I can't stand Macro.

But apparantly last year they sold a clone of the "Little Red One" (Formerly the Slammer) for £6.70 (including VAT). This has an RRP of £30 in the Men Shun range.

i know last year they had lots of stock left over after the season and it was offered for sale at really silly prices

Menshun sell thier products under at least 3 differant brand names depending on who they are for

[David]

I popped in today, didn't buy anything (I don't have a card, but could get one when i start up as a driving instructor) but frankly it isn't of great appeal. Stuff like 24 cans of Ben Shaws pop for £6.70, not exactly bargain of the century when the same can be bought from Asda 6 for £1.09.

As for the Pyro, it is basically Men Shun stuff with a different label.

[Spyrotechnics]

it is basically Men Shun stuff with a different label.

lol, isn't that what I said ?

[David]

They are doing a run of demo nights, from Septmeber 1st, providing the stock is in, that is. Lots of new items in the catalogue, but their failure to provide even the most basic description of what the firework DOES is somewhat telling.

Jury's Out, I'm tempted to say it is just cheap rubbish, but I'll wait and see.

Edited by David, 29 August 2008 - 05:50 PM.

[Firestarter]

Been along tonight to sample the Warehouse and, of course, the Pyro Won't bother talking about the Warehouse...The Pyro is definitely Men Shun (label reveals all).  See link below for a copy of the Brochure.

http://www.jtf-whole...type=attachment

Did'nt want to spend much so went for the Cheep and cheerful Lunar Launch Pad 13 shot barrage at 5 quid plus vat.  Large enough bore size giving the usual alternating Red/Green/Yellow bursts to flitter and crackle.  Solid enough build and no misfire(s). Reasonably loud and loud enough to get my first complaint of the year from the neighbours

Interesting to see the old stock on offer at clearance prices.

I reckon it's well worth a visit to your local warehouse.  You never know what old stock you might find. The new stuff looks decent enough and, if you're sensible with what you choose, could be classed as decent value for money. (Ignore the SRP's though!)

Edited by Firestarter, 19 September 2008 - 09:32 PM.

[David]

Some of it is shockingly poor. I got one called Bloodstained Bayonets- £23.50 their price. Turns out that its 100 10mm bore comets (tiny). For nearly 25 quid, that is very over priced.

Also, surprise surprise, their biggest fountain is four small tubes in a large hollow cylinder.

Some of what they sell appears to be Men Shun simply with another label. Other items appear to be made specially for JTF, those appear very weak.

I'd avoid it, to be honest. Service is shockingly slow, even out of season, I can't imagine what it is like when they get busy.

The new stuff looks decent enough

Thing is, the dummies don't show bore size, they are just hollow boxes. The catalogue doesn't give any descriptions, and the staff don't know what each firework does. As such anything you do buy is pretty much guesswork.

Edited by David, 19 September 2008 - 09:30 PM.

[Spyrotechnics]

as with most things in life, you get what you pay for......

[Firestarter]

Chaps,

I don't profess to be a Pyro expert by any stretch, but I love the stuff and take more than an interest in it.  Bore sizes and suchlike I fully understand etc.

As for the JTF stuff - some of it may be overpriced.  Some of it may be, to be blunt, crap.  I would'nt have an argument nor a leg to stand on.  I sampled a 13 shot cake that I felt was decent enough quality for the end price.  I could quite conceivably go into any shop and pick a firework that is poor value for money - some of it from reputable suppliers.

What you have to remember is that some of us don't have the money to lash out on lavish displays nor want to lash out a major amount of money on lavish displays.  Some of us only have a few quid to knock together to put up a decent display.  With that in mind, and with what I said in my original post about "spending sensibly" and shopping around and mixing your fireworks from different places, you could quite easily use JTF to get some bargains.

With respect.

Edited by Firestarter, 21 September 2008 - 03:58 PM.

[David]

  you could quite easily use JTF to get some bargains.

AT BEST what they are selling is some Men Shun items at half price, and this is "the pick" of their range. If you want discounted Men Shun, shopping around will certainly find retailers that do that.

But from what I've seen, and what people have said, a lot of JTF's stuff simply isn't a bargain. It doesn't have a corresponding piece in Men Shun's range, it is made specially for JTF so the RRP (and the JTF price) is whatever the feel like. Even at JTF's price it is overpriced and rubbishy. But fair point, a lot of shops sell stuff like that too.

The big problem with JTF is you havn't got a clue what is good or bad until you buy it. They don't give product descriptions in their catalogues, they don't have videos, the staff havn't got a clue what they are selling. The dummies don't even show bore size, so something that appears big might have tiny bore sized tubes. The dummies DO show pictures on the back, but these are not reliable.

I'd always be wary of a shop that fires "A Selection" of items at the demo night. But , to be fair, if you fire a nice piece from JTF do share footage etc.

Lunar Launch Pad 13 shot barrage at 5 quid plus vat

Actually almost exactly £7 with Vat included. Their price is £5.95 plus Vat.

I'm not "nit picking" I'm just considering their pricing policy. £5.95 makes it sound "about a fiver" but the price you actually pay is £7.

Edited by David, 21 September 2008 - 04:21 PM.

[Firestarter]

Finally, what surprises me is the casual way in which people shop at JTF. It IS exclusivly for business and trade, no?

If you work for a small company, you are eligible to get a card (with your managers/owners permission of course!).  My partner works for a small private/NHS dentist and got a couple of invoices and signed up no problem, even though she's not the business owner.

Some of the stuff is absolute crap but some of it is actually quite handy as we enter a more precarious financial climate.

But now we're going off topic

[wayne]

Just to go against the grain, I've bought some of the fireworks packs from JTF for the last 5-6 years and been more than happy with my purchases. I've mostly gone for the £99 pack but one year went for the £199 pack. The contents I have always thought to be fantastic value for money and the rockets included we're superb (none included this year though ). Infact, I fired the £99 pack last year along side some CAT 4 material and it didn't seem out of place. The larger candles and cakes are really very good. None of the cakes included had empty voids or tubes which you tend to find with the cheaper smaller stuff.

I know the smaller JTF stuff is a little over packaged, but this seems to be the case with alot of the smaller "consumer" products.

Anyway, its all personal tastes I suppose!

Cheers,

Wayne.

[Creepin_pyro]

I was recently put in charge of a 40th anniversary party display, with a budget of £100. My had noticed that JTF did fireworks, so convinced me to go and have a look, instead of driving further afield or ordering from the web, seeing as they're close-by.

I don't consider myself a pyro snob, but it took me a few minutes to decide not to purchase anything from them, and never to return. Maybe they didn't have their full range out, but I couldn't find anything which looked like particularly good value, and considering they're a wholesalers, this surprised me.

The budget was spent entirely on Kimbolton Cat2 stuff, and the display was met with the usual compliments about colour, subtle crackle effects, etc...