Tool purchases in Germany

Jewelry Discussion
1

I will be in Germany in the next week and am wondering what tools, if
any, I should consider purchasing. I am a beginner and have the most
basic equipment - set of files, ball peen hammer, etc. which were
purchased locally. I will be in Frankfurt, but will also be touring
up in Amsterdam. (We are renting a car.) - Lynn

2 
 I will be in Germany in the next week and am wondering what tools,
if any, I should consider purchasing.  I am a beginner and have the
most basic equipment - set of files, ball peen hammer, etc. which
were purchased locally.  I will be in Frankfurt, but will also be
touring up in Amsterdam.  (We are renting a car.)  - Lynn

I’ve purchased hand tools through the mail from Karl Fischer, and
they are considerably less expensive than buying the same item in the
US, if they are made in Europe. Power tools seem to be a different
story, and are not always adaptable to US line voltage. I think you
will find some worthwhile bargains since the dollar is very strong at
this time.

Rick Hamilton

3

Lynn, Buy what you need, nothing else. It will be tempting to buy a
lot of tools, especially if the dollar is as strong as it was several
weeks ago. I haven’t checked lately but I haven’t heard any news to
the contrary that it has weakened. If you are going to bring it home
you will have to pay tax that will be reimbursed when you leave the
country…ask for details on this when you buy. Otherwise you will
have to have it shipped. My experience is that if the tools are in
any way delicate, will break apart or could fall out of their
container, bring it with you. I bought a beautiful set of punches
and a matching block in an equally beautiful box. By the time I got
it the containing box had been smashed, the box the daps were in had
broken into about 10 pieces and 2 of the smallest punches had been
lost. I was sad and disappointed. I hope you can avoid anything
like this from happening.

My specific advice is to look in catalogs and call companies in the
US to get prices for the things you want before you go. You can then
be sure that you are not paying more than what you can get the tools
for here. Perhaps you will find something there that isn’t available
here and you will have to go out on a limb. But we all do that when
we buy things as tourists.

As well, keep in mind supplies to support your tools. I bought a
German indexing tool that allows you to drill equally spaced holes in
rings. I didn’t buy enough of the small drills that were needed.
They cost about $1.00 each. When I got back home and eventually
needed more, I had to buy them from an American supplier who charged
$8.00 per drill!

Hope this is helpful,
Larry Seiger

4

Hi Winnie, the place to buy tools is Hanau, 15 minutes from the center
of Frankfurt, The company is called Ott (Gebrueder Ott), on the
central market place in Hanau. I am travelling and do not have the
exact address, sorry. Hanau also has a famous jewelry design school.
The Gemmology center of Germany is in Idar Oberstein, approx. 3 hours
from Frankfurt by car. Enjoy your trip. Amsterdam is great.

Poidi Trauttmansdorff