Vodkaman Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 I agree Mark. It is the same in the UK. I went back a few years ago and discovered that I was destined for the streets, so I came back to Indonesia as soon as I scraped together enough money - good decision. Funny, in every country except USA and UK, engineers are valued very highly. I can earn $100 an hour in so called 3rd world countries. Currently, the best paying country is China! I walked into a pub and met a dozen people that I had worked with before, all working for different companies in Shanghai. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 Here in the US, even the engineers are imported from overseas. They'll work for less, and don't make waves about being overworked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 I was one of them Mark, I worked for Chrysler in Detroit. The money was the lowest I had worked for in many years. I fired Chrysler after about 3 months, I decided that it was not worth getting out of bed for. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter1 Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 So who are some good quality suppliers of blanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) Shelts blanks are pretty much garbage along with responding back to negative feedback....I know this from experience Most US vendors carry at best a mixed bag of high quality and garbage.... I only know of 2 US vendors that carry high quality blanks. I buy 2 blanks from one vendor....1 blank from another and the rest I use 2 vendors exclusively. One of them posted here and the other is always out of stock.. I ordered some 1.5's from a vendor here in the states I don't usually order from. In fact, I've done this with all US vendors in the past. This particular order was for 10... 3 had plastic rattles, 3 has two steel rattles and one had 3 steel rattles. I sure couldn't sell all 10 to the same customer. This is a vendor that allot of people speak well of. It is MY experience that if the blanks are super clear, white or if you can smell the plastic before you open the package... they are garbage. High quality blanks should not require any sanding because of sloppy glue work. I rather pay more money for the better blanks than spend the time searching for quality KO's from overseas. wait several months or worry about whether they will get here or not... Some US Vendors buy from Nitro and other middlemen and they are all garbage....Wlure...garbage....I see a great deal and I buy some. Then, I kick myself in the butt and throw them in "The Box" ...... Are the high quality KO's as good as the original? No, but i would put up a good argument for 1.5's and 2.5's and they all catch plenty of fish. If i could carve baits, I would...I can paint, so I do that. Just my experience, but let me say that both Tackleunderground along with,and especially the search engine here and Google are your friends....Rant over....time for my meds! Happy Thanksgiving to All.....even Shelt's! Edited November 24, 2015 by Richard Prager 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 So who are some good quality suppliers of blanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 My favorite, not really in order. Dakotalakestackle.com unpaintedlures.com, predatorbaits.com, bustinbassbaits.com. Almost every lure ive gotten from these companies swims properly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter1 Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Thank you. I hope to try my hand at painting this winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Has anyone purchased from cedar run outdoors? I think it's the same quality as shelts but he sells bulk hooks at a reasonable price. The little Jon lures from shelts are definetly knock offs of knock offs but the 2 I painted and epoxied sure swam nice after I Made a few eyelet adjustments. FYI I have been following TU the past few years and recently made my account. I'm painting in Canada so it's tough to find reasonable prices for baits with our dollar right now. This site is a saviour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm10lber Posted November 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) I have ordered from Cedar Run and have not found anything wrong with the blanks. In fact he even sent me extras and also some blanks that I didnt order to see if I would like them. Thats impressive to me and says alot about the seller. I agree with the Shelts.. the Little Johns do seem to be ko of ko but they do run nice. I know alot of ppl here dont care for Shelts but Ive ordered from him a couple times and havent really had any problems. There are a few other sellers that have been messaged to me that I will be using here in the very near future. They carry blanks that the other 2 mentioned above do not. This is a great place to get information and Im greatful for all the replies Ive received to my questions. Everyone here is eager to help. Im pretty new at this so my experience isnt nearly as great as the others on here... Edited November 27, 2015 by cm10lber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Speaking with cedar he does get some of his baits from shelts when he is in a bind he stated. Regardless they are good baits to starting baits to practice painting especially on sale for .40 cents a lure. I just hope when the ice melts in May I can test them for durability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 FYI cedar has some flap slap kos in this week on sale. I will be buying a few to paint if anyone else happens to tests them this please share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stano Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Do not agree Shelts has been very responsive and priced accordingly i really dont see how you can excpect 4 dollar unpainted blanks at 40 to 80 cents a piece...? Any duds that i have recieved out of the 1500 plus blanks ordered from him maybe 10 with un resovable issues to which site unseen he replaced free of charge or shipping.....the DT the c549 norman clones white and clear lippless baits 1.5 2.5 big poppas 200 mid divers from clear to holograpic... its a little tough to sell baits for me if the blanks are 4 bucks especially if BPS has a multitude of sub 5 buck baits 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 This (and my lack of painting ability) is why I like the building aspect of this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 The bais from shelts work. He had fixed the baits that had issues and offered me replacements for the batch that were faulty. The internals of his baits on the other hand are not consistent. I weight my baits because you find problems easier that way before you paint them. Shelts are good for honing your painting skills. But if you actually fish tournaments then don't waste your time and pay the extra buck ten and buy from dinger or pred. Shelts baits I can sell for 5-6bucks Canadian (eagle claw hooks), any more and I would feel guilty. I would say as of now they are good for kids and novice fishermen. He seems to be improving his baits so here is to looking forward and being positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePaintsBaits Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I've Been Buying Most My Blanks From wLure.com , Great Quality , If You Order (20) Vision 110 Blanks There $1 Ea. Plus Free Shipping , I've Caught Loads Of Bass Off These , Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I don't notice a difference between shelts and WLure. I have them both in front of me. Some bearings are bigger or smaller then others and stick inside bait throwing the weight to one side. You get what you pay for in the end. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingerBaits Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 I am not going to lie, this forum is like beating a dead horse. People will order from only who or what they know. I would rather choose quality over cost. All I know is that Predator, Unpainted, Dakota, Get Bit, and Dinger have great quality. I don't mean to leave any suppliers out, I just haven't ordered from any others or if they weren't mentioned, i have ordered from them and don't think quality is in their vocabulary. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishon-son Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 i bet they get theres from the same place as everyone else..just buying bigger lots....in the end there all out of china..so how many hands touch it before you......that's what I would be asking myself.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePaintsBaits Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 I Posted To Allow People To Get A Good 110 Blank For $1 , Will They Get A Few Bad Apples "Yep" Will The Seller Replace It ? "Yep" It's My Christmas Gift , On A Great Deal. Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishon-son Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 hey mike what im sayin is ....if you get on any china market there stock codes seam to be all the same..so i betting theres just a few manufactures making them and then they sell to wlure and the likes then to the guys like me and you...you have to think that there going to be a few bad one in the bunch....and thats with anything coming out of china? right......i buy the painted ones and a few i cant tune..those go to the garbage can the rest get a hook upgrade...and off we go...I like there baits...the 110 are good the 2.5 squarebills look out....6 out of 10 I couldnt tune to run right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Ok...just to prove a point,I ordered 25 1.5DD foiled and some chugger ko's from Shelts...The foiled ones, i would be embarrassed to sell to anybody. i truly believe that these are blanks that have been tossed aside as not sellable. The film is all scratched up. The bills do not have the blue plastic film on them. The film is not sealed right and have little bumps on the back that need to be sanded down. They do not come in individual plastic bags. A dollar to a doughnut is that these are factory rejects. I have bought thousands of blanks and never once had to "tune" one. Never even tested one. All these e-bay cheapies, Shelt's, wlures are all middlemen and anything easily Googled up are crap that aren't worth painting. To find quality blanks yourself, you need to spend hours finding a quality company overseas Some US vendors do use these garbage blanks as well. Buy a few and compare like I do and you will see. A quality blank requires zero prep work, is not super clear, does not have a plastic smell and does not have any flashing from from being glued......This is my second order and never once got a response to my e-mails but they still don't have a problem sending more crap to me. You get what you pay for. A reputable company will make you a mold and not reproduce blanks from it for anybody else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishon-son Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 well if you dont mind your bait tracking to far to the right or to far to the left then i guess you dont tune your baits....i dont see any hobbiest setting down 5k for a mold ...and if you can find it cheaper rich..please share your contacts with the rest of us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Prager Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 The blanks I paint and sell run true from the get go. Have not had any complaints in 5 years about them performing from the get go. I do not buy them overseas. I buy them right here from the guys that pay about 2K to have molds made and not have their blanks sold to every vendor or middleman. There are reputable vendors overseas that are not easy to come by or find. Believe, I've spent hours upon hours several years ago searching which took up too much time. I gladly pay the $2 or so for the proven blanks. I never ask for their sources because this is how they make their living. I know they spend countless days locating these sources and many have gotten ripped off over the years in the process. If someone is telling to it cost 5K to have a mold made, they are lying through their teeth. If i took the time to do all the work I wouldn't give my source out either. Not only is there the cost of the mold but also a minimum purchase...Most vendors are using their money from job #1 to pay for these. Everyone has their own wants and needs. I can catch a bass and have on a piece of shoe string but i wouldn't put eyes on it and sell it..... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Fisher Posted December 27, 2015 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 I also placed an order with Shelts. I had the same experience as RP. Ordered 1.5, 1.5 med diver, little john shallow and the 110 all foiled. Just as RP stated all the baits showed up dumped in a small box all rubbing together. The foil was scratched on every bait except the 110's. Each 1.5 had a spot where the foil didn't cover on the side of the bait, every bait same spot. The 1.5's also had excessive glue from the foiling process on the nose of the bait, that will have to be sanded. The LJ's had linear scratches on both sides and a bad flat spot on the top of the head from grinding the plastic sprue. A pretty good flat spot at that, will be very noticeable without a lot of sanding. The 1.5 medium divers were bad as well. All had some sort of missing spots and poor foil overall. They also had a bad sprue on the top on the head that will require prep work. While the foil on the 110's was acceptable, some had glue drips on the head from hanging while drying. Hook hangers on a lot of the baits were bent and needed to be straightened. While bending some back the two plastic body halves started to separate. I agree with RP that these baits are rejects. I emailed Jack@shelts to tell him how disappointed I was with the quality of his baits I explained the flaws with each bait and why I felt that they were factory flaws. I also told him that the lack of any negative reviews on his website was a total manipulation on his part. If he were to state that these baits were factory flaws and that some had these blemishes that would one thing but to advertise that these are quality baits is a downright fabrication. In my email I asked for half my money back as most of these would wind up as key chains. He replied that while he could not refund my money he could send some non-foiled baits in the same models. Something is more than nothing I figured so I emailed him back to say "Send me what you think would make this right". I did receive another package with the stated baits. My initial order was about 100 foiled baits and he sent me another 41 clear baits in addition. While these obviously did not have the foil issues they had some of the same other problems, bent hangers, sprues not prepped and white stuff stuck to the side of the bait in the scale areas. He gets credit for getting back to me and attempting to make thing right. I have not gotten any wet yet so I can't comment on how they run or if they are able to be tuned. So my opinion is if you value your time and painting skills and want to produce the highest of quality custom paint jobs, these baits are not for you. I would have no problem if he advertised them as what they are, as blems. Even as blems, at that price I would fish them myself if they will run true. Most would probably be OK if you wanted to totally opaque them out, but if you want to do any transparent work, forget it! You get what you pay for could never be more true here. If you are into bargains and want to sell at the swap meet or make custom club key chains these would be great. I hope I haven't offended anyone here, that's just my take on his products and service. Happy painting and a great New year! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
