26 replies to this topic

[David]

Just some thoughts on various brands- in no particular order. Feel free to add your own thoughts!

Night Star- Rather random brand- some good items, but often just a question of "fire it to see what it does."

Bright Star- Didn't see much of this brand due to limit availablity , although seems good value at half price.

Kimbolton- Popular brand, didn't see many of their cakes but they do have some very nice fountains and candles, although a touchy pricey in some cases.

Planet- Large range, well described in the (Great Northern) catalogue, with a genuine mixture of firing styles and effects.

Epic Stable - Paramount, Marvel, Epic and Chinese Fireworks. Massive range, very popular this year, including a lot of loud, powerful flash based effects.

Men Shun (Guy Fawkes too)- credit to them, they did bring in some quality flashpowder based pieces, nothing I fired from the 2008 range disappointed me.

Standard- Supermarket brand, didn't see anything that caught my interest.

Black Cat- Didn't see anywhere.

TNT- Little of appeal here for me. One or two interesting items- multicoloured pen lids, for example, but nothing raised my interest.

Fireworks International- Great brand- some really good value pieces under £10.

Fireworks Emporium- Didn't see this year.

British Bulldog- Same fireworks as last year, some decent value small cakes.

Brothers- Hard to say really. Very very strong in 2007, and those good pieces were still on sale in 2008 alongside a small number of new ones.

[Spyrotechnics]

although a touchy pricey in some cases.

which items from Kimbolton would you say were pricey??

[Arthur Brown]

I must be unusual, I prefer the names of items to refer to the function. "Armageddon destroyer Doom Doom" sells me nothing I much prefer a "Coloured palms and croisettes" description. However my local 365 day shop said they were dropping the Kimbolton range because the names were not aggressive enough! They say customers prefer the "harder" names

[phildunford]

I must be unusual, I prefer the names of items to refer to the function. "Armageddon destroyer Doom Doom" sells me nothing I much prefer a "Coloured palms and croisettes" description. However my local 365 day shop said they were dropping the Kimbolton range because the names were not aggressive enough! They say customers prefer the "harder" names

Pitiful really, reflects how infantile our society has become...

[GZ22]

I agree, I much preferred the old names that fireworks had, they conjured up wonderful self-made images of the intended effects in my mind as child (an example is trying to imagine what a 'Carnival Spray' would look like, based on name alone). Opening a selection box and looking at an item named 'Hardcore Slam' would do nowt for me.

[David]

which items from Kimbolton would you say were pricey??

Those Mammoth Candles, I think at £17.99 each RRP- nice, but for what they did, pricey. Likewise the £11.99 British made fountains- really nice but for what it did a bit expensive.

[Spyrotechnics]

As a Kimbolton retailer I do feel i need to defend their corner a little here

Those Mammoth Candles, I think at £17.99 each RRP- nice, but for what they did, pricey. Likewise the £11.99 British made fountains- really nice but for what it did a bit expensive.

So out of a their entire range you have two items which you feel are a little expensive? so that brands the whole range as expensive? Kimbolton have been compliant with the new regulations for 2 years now and their brand as a whole stands up extremely well in terms of both performance and price against brands who have waited till this year to change their fireworks.

I honestly think you will struggle to find betterin terms of equal quality and better price than the likes of Glittering Gemstones, their Cat2 range of cakes (16 shot £5-99) or indeed their small 25 shot pieces, Thundering Space Spiders etc at just £9-99 etc etc

I'll get off my soapbox now, I just think Kimbolton as a brand do suffer, for some reason, with the perception that they are expensive, and they aint

[David]

So out of a their entire range you have two items which you feel are a little expensive?

I did say didn't see many of their cakes but they do have some very nice fountains and candles, although a touch pricey in some cases. - I was refering to their fountains and candles, not the entire range. I spent about £100 on Kimbolton Candles and fountains, and did enjoy firing them, but thought that in some cases items were a touch pricey.

I do agree, a lot of Kimbolton stuff is competativly priced, that is true.


Just reading through my original post, it IS messy in places. I mean Men Shun brought in BLACKpowder, not flashpowder...

Edited by David, 01 December 2008 - 10:08 AM.

[Spyrotechnics]

fair point, I just saw Kimbolton and Pricey and had the feeling of dejavu

[phildunford]

Even if Kimbolton is a bit more expensive (which it seems they are probably not) should we not be supporting the only UK manufacterer of 'garden' fireworks?

[David]

Even if Kimbolton is a bit more expensive (which it seems they are probably not) should we not be supporting the only UK manufacterer of 'garden' fireworks?

I think that most of their stuff is Chinese made nowadys too. The exceptions are the 19mm and 24mm gerbs (those that come wrapped in "wallpaper") and the Bengal flares and blinkers.

Edited by David, 01 December 2008 - 11:13 AM.

[David]

Did anyone see much of the Royal Party brand? I saw some samples in April, but never saw it on sale locally. Also the Vulcan/Shogun/Maverick stable- did anyone fire much of their stuff- did they bring in a blackpowder range? Not a brand I see much of at all, any more. Used to be quite popular in seasonals.

Edited by David, 01 December 2008 - 02:28 PM.

[starseeker]

Even if Kimbolton is a bit more expensive (which it seems they are probably not) should we not be supporting the only UK manufacterer of 'garden' fireworks?

All my fireworks that i used to compliment my own this year was kimbolton,and there £5.99 witches cauldren was excellent value for money.
Last year and the year before,i used there festival display pack and this was excellent,particulary the 65mm mines,and there zinc rockets.

[chimp]

I just think Kimbolton as a brand do suffer, for some reason, with the perception that they are expensive, and they aint

True. The problem is down to the lack of awareness by the customer. Kimbolton (and FI) tend to price their fireworks according to performance - and that price is generally held throughout the retail supply chain (save for small discounts from reputable specialist shops willing to reduce margins in order to sell quality fireworks at an attractive price). The reverse is often the case for an ever increasing number of other brands (Bright Star, Night Star, Bulldog, Men Shun etc etc) - these brands carry unrealstic rrp's in order that huge discounts can be declared throughout the supply chain in order to offer the customer the "best deal".......which it simply aint!

Just look at a typical £100 barrage from Bright Star and the likes - fire it and then decide how it compares to a £60 barrage from Kimbolton or FI.

Unfortunately, there will always be an element of the ill-informed who can't see beyond unrealistic discounts. If it's rrp is £10 because the manufacture and supply costs demand it, then ask yourself how and why every man and his dog is selling it for a fiver....it just does not stack up. There will always be bargains when retailers need to move stock on, but as a rule of thumb what bargain is there to be had with something at half price if it was never really sold at full price in the first place.......

[Spyrotechnics]

but as a rule of thumb what bargain is there to be had with something at half price if it was never really sold at full price in the first place......

couldn't agree more