Decent Amsteel Sources

[Karl B. Andersen]

I know there's always that reclusive supply that has prices that beat others - when you can find it!
For 1/8" Amsteel I did find $.30/ft, so for 100 feet would be 30 bucks.
But then they charge 15 dollars for shipping!
Do any of you have a go-to place for 7/64 - 1/8" Amsteel?

[jms53]

I know there's always that reclusive supply that has prices that beat others - when you can find it!
For 1/8" Amsteel I did find $.30/ft, so for 100 feet would be 30 bucks.
But then they charge 15 dollars for shipping!
Do any of you have a go-to place for 7/64 - 1/8" Amsteel?

I get mine at a boating shop. They have several types of amsteel as well as different colours, and free shipping. Well, you go to the store and take it home from there.

I find prices there tend to be lower than some retailers for small quantities due to the added shipping. Advantage of being able to start working on it straight on is great though.

Sent from my SM-G390F using Tapatalk

[punkisdead]

I usually just order from Dutch, RBTR, or Arrowhead Equipment

[James Fowler]

I know there's always that reclusive supply that has prices that beat others - when you can find it!
For 1/8" Amsteel I did find $.30/ft, so for 100 feet would be 30 bucks.
But then they charge 15 dollars for shipping!
Do any of you have a go-to place for 7/64 - 1/8" Amsteel?

Ordered 100 feet of 7/64 from Dutch for $21 last week. Shipping was $9.25 - and that included about two dozen other line items besides the Amsteel. 100 feet of 1/8' is $29 .

[snwcmpr]

Ordered 100 feet of 7/64 from Dutch for $21 last week. Shipping was $9.25 - and that included about two dozen other line items besides the Amsteel. 100 feet of 1/8' is $29 .

Two things happen:
1) You support Dutch.
2) You get more Dutch Bling.

Plus/Plus
Win/Win

I have Dutch bling on my Bonefire Deluxe suspension. I cannot get away from it.

Ken in NC

[Karl B. Andersen]

Ordered 100 feet of 7/64 from Dutch for $21 last week. Shipping was $9.25 - and that included about two dozen other line items besides the Amsteel. 100 feet of 1/8' is $29 .

Yep - an then 15 dollars shipping. 1/2 the cost of the rope.
15 dollars? I guess I don't charge my customers enough.

[ObdewlaX]

Not long ago LFS Marine & Outdoor had a bunch of Amsteel seconds they were selling for cheap. Not sure if this is the same stuff but it seems like a fair deal IMO. A 600' roll is $72.95 with free shipping... that's .12/ft which isn't too bad.

Check it out at LFS Marine & Outdoor

[hutzelbein]

Yep - an then 15 dollars shipping. 1/2 the cost of the rope.
15 dollars? I guess I don't charge my customers enough.

I have never really understood that logic. Shipping costs what it costs - there's no universal law that says it has to be a specific percentage of the value of the goods. There are certain costs that always apply, no matter if it's a letter or a package that has to be transported. That's why it's always cheaper to order more, if you break it down to the shipping cost per Dollar of the goods value. Sure it's great if you have a shop in your area that sells exactly what you want for wholesale prices. But that is rather the exception. If you order online, you'll likely get the product cheaper than you would offline, and you should get it delivered to your doorstep, saving you fuel costs. From all the shops I have ordered over the years, Dutch had the lowest shipping costs. And if you order a full roll of 1/8" Amsteel, shipping is only $11.65 - 7% of the cost for the Amsteel. The price per foot drops down to $0.30.

I haven't found a cheaper and better source for Amsteel than Dutch. And I'd love to pay $11.65 shipping costs and no customs...

[James Fowler]

Yep - an then 15 dollars shipping. 1/2 the cost of the rope.
15 dollars? I guess I don't charge my customers enough.

That $9.25 for shipping was with a LOT of other stuff. If I had just ordered 100' of 1/8" AmSteel for $29, shipping would have been $4.60. Or 100' of 7/64" for $21 + $4.25 shipping. Or you can get 7/64" AmSteel from Amazon with FREE shipping, for only $30 per 100'. Adding the classic IMUSA 1.25 Qt pot ($6 from Dutch) to the 7/64"x100' brought the shipping cost up to $4.95 (yeah, 70 cents more). Again, same thing available from Amazon Prime with free shipping, for only $12.99.

Dutch's crew does an excellent job of packing an shipping orders quickly. Personally, I'm not sure Dutch charges his customers enough. OTOH, I'm not complaining because that leaves extra money for more bling... And as others have mentioned, when you buy from one of the hammock-focused specialists like Dutch you're also supporting someone who has invested a LOT of time and effort in learning to create - and improve - state of the art gear for those who want the best in hammocks. I'm new to the "high end" hammock world, so I've only dealt with a few vendors but IMHO the care, experience, quality, and pride they put into their products are well worth a premium price.

You make knives for maybe $50 in materials and sell them for $800... I could make a knife with those materials too, but I'd be hard pressed to sell it for $40. OTOH, my brother (who is also a Journeyman Smith - http://fowlerblades.com/ ) can and does work that kind of magic transformation regularly. Many people would consider it a bit silly to spend $100s on a knife or a hammock, but those who appreciate the difference between a hand forged perfectly balanced Damascus Bowie and a solid, boring yet functional fixed blade Buck are glad someone is out there making them.

If you ever intend to care even a fraction as much about your hammocks as you do about your knives, find and support good suppliers, just like (I hope) you do for grinder belts, handle blanks, etc. That "reclusive supply" you want is the one that gives you a reasonable price with top quality and reliable excellent service every time - not necessarily the very cheapest, especially considering what your time is worth. If you don't think hammocks warrant that kind of passion, you might be in the wrong place - and hopefully you won't run into any bumpkins espousing the amazing superiority of their Gerber survival knife compared to your clunky, rust prone blades any time soon...

Anyhow, enough rambling for now. Just order from Dutch (or most likely any of the vendors mentioned regularly around here), you won't regret it.

[millergear]

Jared at Simplylightdesigns.com sells 7/64" Amsteel Blue Line (by the foot) $.22. and free shipping for orders over $15.