- March 22, 2017
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Laguna Tools and Gregory Machinery: The Ultimate Long-Distance Relationship
The collective feeling on long-distance relationships seems to be a resounding “yeah, nah”. But there are always beautiful exceptions to this rule. Laguna Tools and Gregory Machinery are one of the statistically improbable success stories.
To be fair, long-distance business relationships are a lot easier to maintain. But they still require commitment and shared values. Laguna Tools pride themselves on being “globally local” which, to them, means supplying worldwide but offering the kind of service and support you would expect from a local business. Gregory Machinery, on the other hand, are “locally global”. They are Australian owned and operated but source the best machines from around the world to bring to their fellow Aussies. With these complementary values, the two businesses are a perfect match.
Laguna Tools at home
Laguna Tools has set up their digs on the coast of California, between LA and San Diego. For more than 33 years now, they’ve been focussed on bringing innovations to the woodworking industry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIqqwa2xJs4
Customers from all over the world regularly share footage, photos and stories of the company’s machines in action. Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are full of amazing projects made with Laguna Tools machines, from large-scale businesses to backyard hobbyists.
Laguna Tools in Australia
Gregory Machinery (aka GregMach), are the exclusive importer and agent for Laguna Tools in Australia. According to Bill Spencer of GregMach, their relationship has never been better. They are four years deep and Bill still speaks glowingly of Laguna Tools.
“Laguna has taken the hobby market in the US by storm. Their innovation, robustness, attention to detail and heavy duty approach has ensured high market acceptance.”
While they do not yet import any of Laguna’s CNC machines, the core range of Laguna woodworking machines are widely considered to offer the best value and quality in the Australian market.
“There’s a huge range of cheap, lesser quality brands on the market. Gregory Machinery prides itself on a quality approach to our offerings followed up with strong after sales service.”
Laguna is kind of a big deal on the internet
YouTube famous woodworker, Steve Hay, is a big fan of Laguna Tools. Steve’s been in the woodworking industry for years, has hosted a woodworking TV series, and now focusses on his hugely popular YouTube channel.
“I love the finish, the innovation and the quality of their professional level machines. I’ve just upgraded my band saw from the 1412 to the 1412 BX which has a foot brake on it. Most of the larger band saws have them but it’s quite a novelty to have it on a 14 inch band saw. I smile every time I turn it on.”
He’s also got a Laguna sliding dovetail table saw and is particularly fond of the fence.
“I can set the fence and I know it is absolutely spot on and it won’t move. It’s quiet, it’s obedient. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
Steve’s keen on expanding his Laguna Tools collection with a parallelogram jointer and a thicknesser. He had a Laguna thicknesser on set when he was filming his TV show and fell in love with it.
With great viewership comes great responsibility. Steve is careful to only recommend tools and machinery he uses to ensure he’s doing the right thing by his loyal viewers. He’s had the Laguna machines in his workshop for years so has faith in their ability reliability and longevity.
“Anything I use in my workshop I’m happy to recommend because, if you’ve got quality tools, you’ll do better work.”
Have you used a Laguna Tools machine?
We’ve heard from the happy couple (and their famous friend) but we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.
