Reed & Barton Pen Chests - Beware...

[Guest Pjay]

On Amazon and quite a few other websites, including pen retailers, the 12 pen chest is described thus:

Each Reed & Barton chest is crafted with painstaking care like a piece of fine furniture. The Reed & Barton standards of quality assure a lifetime of pleasurable use. From beginning to end, all chests are handcrafted in Massachusetts. Only the finest quality hardwoods are used in the construction of Reed & Barton chests. All woods are kiln-dried to the average atmospheric moisture continent in the United States for greater stability, thereby eliminating warps and splits in the wood. Each Reed & Barton chest is carefully stained and hand-rubbed to a rich, lasting finish, revealing the natural lustres of the distinctive hardwoods. Each piece truly becomes and individual work of art. Elegant, top-quality velvet fabrics are custom fitted to each chest to give a handsome, tailored appearance, and to provide protection for fine pens. Glass top. Will hold 12 pens.

The reality is a Chinese made product consisting of craftwood, a composite timber substitute.

I complained to my eBay seller, who responded:

I was suprised to read your comments about the pen chest. We have sold dozens of these chests and have NEVER recieved one complaint about the quality, finish or country of origin...which I know in fact is not the US. I am not aware of any sites that state this product is handcrafted in Massachusetts. Reference to that is certainly not contained anywhere within my listing of this product as the information you quote is not correct. Reed and Barton manufactures thousands of products each year but only a handful of them are still manufactured in the US. Those products manufactured in Massachusetts fall into the sterling, stainless flatware categories and some of the special Christmas ornaments.

 

Let the buyer beware, indeed...

[watch_art]

All woods are kiln-dried to the average atmospheric moisture continent in the United States for greater stability, thereby eliminating warps and splits in the wood.

 

this struck me as a rather stupid statement. average atmospheric moisture??? really? ...humid swamps and icey cold mountains and deserts and temperate rain forests and everything else in between....

[alkman]

Strange, but I have a Reed & Barton 24 pen case (no glass) which has on the bottom a sticker for Eureka Mfg. (a division of R&B ) based in Norton, MA with a Made in the USA logo. Aside from the bottom which is certainly particle board, I can't tell from what the actual chest is made. I think I purchased mine at Paradise Pen in Tyson's Corner, VA.

Edited July 14, 2010 by alkman

[dnb]

Ouch!

[alkman]

I did some more poking around and found this article which I think relates to this story, as Eureka was the arm of Reed & Barton who used to make the cases. Prior to 2007 the cases were manufactured in Massachusetts, but now, who knows.

[Guest Pjay]

There is no doubt with the pen case for product code P638CBK - it clearly states "Made in China" on the label on the cardboard carton it was shipped in. The real issue is why do several US vendors persist with the 'handcrafted in Massachusetts' description, when it is clearly untrue? I would have thought that the company that produces the item would have an obligation to ensure that it is not blatantly misrepresented in the marketplace.

 

I've contacted Reed & Barton and asked about the origin of the false description, but have received no reply.

[Deirdre]

Reed and Barton makes their better cases domestically, but also makes some overseas. Like Gerstner makes cases in the US, but their Gerstner International line is made overseas.

[riff raff]

Sounds like the eBay seller has done nothing wrong. If he is selling Reed & Barton stock, but doesn't claim they are made in the U.S., what's wrong with that? Lots of companies sell stuff made domestically and other lines that are made overseas. The potential customer owes it to himself to do his due diligence. And if the price is substantially less than the US-made product, mayhaps a little closer examination is warranted. Hmmm?

 

Case in point, Kershaw knives are made in the U.S., in Oregon. Mostly. Some of their less expensive knives are made in China. Same with Benchmade. Again, a major tip-off is the price.

[Guest Pjay]

There was no suggestion in the original post that the eBay seller had done anything wrong. The wrongdoing is by the pen retailers and other websites that describe the pen chest falsely. Reed & Barton must take some responsibility when they know that their product is being misrepresented. BTW, the price was not significantly less than other suppliers, so the 'due diligence' comments are off the target. Like most critical buyers I do my research before parting with my hard earned $, which is why being duped in this instance is a little irritating.

[riff raff]

So the "other web sites" are also selling chests made in China? Then I agree; that would be wrong to advertise them as being made in Massachusetts. I thought Reed & Barton still made some of their stuff in the U.S. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Guest Pjay]

No hard feelings :embarrassed_smile: Maybe the original post wasn't as clear as it could've been. All advertisements use the same product code P838CBK, so the $85 ones with the false description are the same as the $60 ones with no false claims.

Edited July 16, 2010 by Pjay

[mompus]

Maybe there's still something to be said for old fashioned "brick and mortar" shopping.