We get a fair number of complaints about the price of the Crucible Card Scraper. (Not from blog readers; y’all are nice.) Why does a piece of steel cost $23?
So we prepared this video to explain the steps that go into making it. And explain why we think $23 is a fair price for the tool. I’m placing the video here so our customer service people have a place for the curious and the grumpy to land.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. We also have a video on how to sharpen the scraper here.
I’m intrigued — how does the magnet “protect your thumbs from heat”?
It acts as a heat sink. It gives you two more strokes before your thumbs burst into flames.
The magnet is also really great to let me know which edges are worn out. Rather than try to scrape with a dull edge, I pick the tool up and know which edge to use. It’s a small thing, but useful when you’re busy.
At $23 it’s a steal. There are too many cheap tools out there that are diluting the value of the ones that are worth buying, like this one.
I was under the impression that people complaining about prices are not buying anyway. The complaint is not even to make the seller aware of anything, it is just some sort of self soothing action (‘ I just showed those folks some tough love, because I soooooo great!’).
We try not to be cynical about people. Plus, when people complain on Facebook or Instagram, other potential customers see the complaint. And if there’s a good response from us, the potential customers sees that as well.
I think showing all this helps in explaining the price. It’s up to the customer to decide if they perceive it as a good value. And I also think that a customer should ask these questions – not to complain, but to understand the value of a product. You do this for the production quality of other products as well. So, as a LAP customer: Thanks for explaining!
This is not your average card scraper it’s well worth $23.00 .
Thanks for both videos. Never knew about working the face again before you hone.
$23 is inexpensive for a quality tool these days. I can say that without watching the film.
I have scrapers of various thicknesses from one well known tool seller. I also have scrapers I have made from used saw blades. And, I have a Crucible scraper. They all work, but I keep going back to the Crucible for a better shape than the strictly rectangular scrapers and because it holds out longer. Easily worth the price!
Actually, it is cheap when one considers the value of time and keeping tools prepped to do their work.
Only $23? What a steal.
I sometimes think a product is priced higher than I’m willing to pay. My solution is always the same — I don’t buy it.
And I never complain about it later.
The Crucible is a great scraper. As good as the old Sandvick’s, before Bahco wrecked them. I’ve ground a few scrapers to odd shapes, and I’m glad to pay a few bucks more for Crucible to do the dirty work for me.
I am a cheapskate. I’ll drive ten miles to save a buck. I just got my first Crucible tool – the new dovetail marker. Now that I have it, I would’ve easily paid more for it. Good tools are worth the price.
Love my Crucible scraper; really saves my carpal tunnel fingers so reaching for the scraper instead of the ra sander is a no-brained. Thanks for this tool!
You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel for content here.
I have 2. They are excellent. I bought one and then decided I wanted another one to ensure that at least one of them is always always sharp. I guess that means the price was right. At least for me. And consider the fact that where I am in Illinois, the price for a metal tool that works great is the same cost as 2 2x4s at the home center.
The movie title needs some work: Full Metal Card Scraper ?
Worth watching. Seems like a fair price to me.
I spent nearly 40 years in manufacturing, your price is more than fair. As a newbie to woodworking I didn’t know I was supposed to burnish to the tool, thanks for the videos. Learning something new every day.
People don’t appreciate how much work really goes into this “simple” tool, not to mention the cost of spring steel. All in all your scraper it really inexpensive (tool maker by trade) rock on and ignore the haters!
I bought mine a few years ago (at least feels like a few years but in the groundhog Covid days I have no clue on time). I’ve been very happy with it. Price seemed reasonable to me. Everything takes more time to make than folks realize.
Do you have any tricks for when it’s time to file then polish all the edges before turning a burr? The curve shave makes me a bit nervous? I am probably over thinking it.
This scraper rocks! At this price I think I will order another!
Just saying 🤓👍🏻
Interesting movie. As for price, i have bought burgers more than that and paid $15 for a single beer at games and concerts. Certainly not gonna bat an eye at $20 some odd dollars for a basically lifetime tool.
That card scraper is the easiest one to use that I have encountered. Worth every bit of the $23.
I come from modest Depression Era stock that reared 4 kids on a small-town preacher’s salary.
We lived by, “save and buy the best you can afford- you can’t afford cheap things.”
I just bought a Crucible scraper, two days before I saw this video. I knew I wanted it and the price was hardly off-putting. As a wiser person once said; “When you buy quality, you only cry once”
The first scraper and the first tutorial on how to sharpen one that worked for me. A joy to use.
Keep up the great work.
Love my Crucible card scraper. Only card scraper I can use with these crooked hands.
I’ve never understood the need to complain about the price of a product in an open market. For price gouging in times of crisis? maybe. For increasing the cost of gasoline at 2am? maybe.
But for goodness sake, if someone thinks $23 is too much to spend on this scraper, there is nothing keeping them from making their own or buying something less expensive.
Thanks for making high quality tools, and for providing information about them. I put a lot of trust in a company that tells me: “if you can’t or won’t buy one of ours, here is a template for you to make your own”. Thanks for going the extra mile to explain the process and the benefits, and I’m sorry you have to justify yourselves to a bunch of internet crumudgeons.
Just a general thought about the videos you’ve been posting (which I LOVE). I’m wondering if it’s possible to have subtitles. It looks like automatic subtitles are only available to Enterprise Customers of Vimeo. That is one benefit of using Big Brother- I mean YouTube.
I would love to have subtitles. We will be crossposting all our videos to YouTube in the next month and will definitely take advantage of that function
I heard the YouTube version will have out takes, like Chis using the scraper to shave his back!
You only get that content if you subscribe to his OnlyFans. Worth the $49.99/month for the foot pics alone.
The video was awesome, thank you Chris. Lots of detail that I had no clue about. Will there be a followup Book as well?
Ha! The Book of Scraper Minutiae. We’d sell tens and tens of books!
great video! one of the best adverts I’ve seen since the mosquito that blew up from second hand tobasco exposure during Superbowl XXXII.
Chris, 300 dollars is a lot of money
His bar tab is way more than that.
The Stewmac scraper is $47.56.
I must admit I never ever thought about buying one. I just put ten minutes into reshaping one of the scrapers I already had and that was that.
Most tools today have had as much cost engineered out of them to reach a price point. The function, durability and aesthetics are not a large part of that.
We’ve become used to that and the quality tools have a smaller market to spread the cost so its harder for them to make a profit or stay in business. We also have yard sale bargains of quality hand tools. The Lie Nielson, Veritas, and Crucible tools can’t compete compete on price, they need something else.
The lump hammer is a great example. The Crucible one is well made, works well and is gorgeous. I have a lump hammer from a yard sale that works just as well, It ain’t pretty and I think the Crucible would be worth buying at a significantly higher price. I think the buyers agree.