how do artisan/custom putter prices vary so much?

[mmiicc]

just curious what the actual difference is between these artisan putters that go for $1k+ e.g. byron vs. are in the $600-700 range e.g. kevin burns (which seems to be the more common price point) vs. those that are going for closer to $300 e.g. Timeless or Hudson.. what's the actual difference between those? quality? performance?

[iteachgolf]

Timeless for instance have zero customization and make very limited models, while being made in China.  They don’t produce their own putters.
 

Hudson is less expensive largely due to Canadian dollar and the cheap ones are blanks, so he can make them in mass and have them ready to go. Just add neck and go.  His customs cost quite a bit more. 
 

Byron's are more expensive currently because he passed away recently and you can’t get another one. That significantly changes the market because supply is limited.   
 

Most of it boils down to cost to make, it’s cheaper to make 100 of the same heads vs making one off versions, and then whose name is on the putter.  Supply and demand plus cost to produce, essentially how all goods are priced.  

[mmiicc]

16 minutes ago, iteachgolf said:

Timeless for instance have zero customization and make very limited models, while being made in China.  They don’t produce their own putters.
 

Hudson is less expensive largely due to Canadian dollar and the cheap ones are blanks, so he can make them in mass and have them ready to go. Just add neck and go.  His customs cost quite a bit more. 
 

Byron's are more expensive currently because he passed away recently and you can’t get another one. That significantly changes the market because supply is limited.   
 

Most of it boils down to cost to make, it’s cheaper to make 100 of the same heads vs making one off versions, and then whose name is on the putter.  Supply and demand plus cost to produce, essentially how all goods are priced.  

Oh interesting thanks for the insight! Timeless website says it's made in the USA- can they just lie about things like that? Hudson is interesting! i feel like many other makers offer naked heads but also starting at closer to $600..

[MattM97]

1 hour ago, mmiicc said:

Oh interesting thanks for the insight! Timeless website says it's made in the USA- can they just lie about things like that? Hudson is interesting! i feel like many other makers offer naked heads but also starting at closer to $600..

 

They can until caught. Plenty of brands lie not just in golf but when the FTC finds out they basically pay out the nose. 

[iteachgolf]

1 hour ago, mmiicc said:

Oh interesting thanks for the insight! Timeless website says it's made in the USA- can they just lie about things like that? Hudson is interesting! i feel like many other makers offer naked heads but also starting at closer to $600..

Where on their website does it say made in the USA? I don’t see it anywhere?  
 

Who else offers naked heads other than TruBlu?

[Shilgy]

10 minutes ago, iteachgolf said:

Where on their website does it say made in the USA? I don’t see it anywhere?  
 

Who else offers naked heads other than TruBlu?

Yeah, it says “built in the USA”….which is misconstrued as made in.

[Maroon_19]

I can only speak for the Artisans.  To me they are worth the $1k+ price tag because of who is building the putter.  You'd have to visit the old Oven to understand.  John is a master of his craft.  I know I can call or go into the shop anytime I have an issue and those boys are going to fix whatever is wrong.

 

When I went to Stripe Show Club Fitters in Dallas a couple years ago for a driver fitting, Jake looked over my bag.  None of my head covers are branded so he couldn't tell what putter I had.  He took the putter cover off of my 0920 and just started laughing.  This is a guy that fits and sells pretty much all major brands of putters.  But do you know what putter is in his bag?  An Artisan built by John.  That says something to me about the quality of John's (Artisan's) putters.

[mmiicc]

4 hours ago, Shilgy said:

Yeah, it says “built in the USA”….which is misconstrued as made in.

 

hm what's the difference??

[mmiicc]

5 hours ago, iteachgolf said:

Where on their website does it say made in the USA? I don’t see it anywhere?  
 

Who else offers naked heads other than TruBlu?

i guess it's not on their homepage, but when you google search 'timeless putter company' their description under their search result/URL reads "

We make cnc milled custom putters in two traditional head shapes. Built in the USA and put into your hands to make more putts on the golf course."

 

oh i suppose i was referring to something like kingston offering a custom/blank putter but i guess that's different from mass producing them (or perhaps they require some kind of branding at some point in the process)

 

is TruBlu reputable? how is their stuff so cheap (unless they also outsource their production to china or other)?

[Shilgy]

31 minutes ago, mmiicc said:

 

hm what's the difference??

Probably “built in” = assembled in.  Made in refers to products actually made there but built in would be pieces made overseas and then assembled here.

[iteachgolf]

1 minute ago, mmiicc said:

i guess it's not on their homepage, but when you google search 'timeless putter company' their description under their search result/URL reads "

We make cnc milled custom putters in two traditional head shapes. Built in the USA and put into your hands to make more putts on the golf course."

 

oh i suppose i was referring to something like kingston offering a custom/blank putter but i guess that's different from mass producing them (or perhaps they require some kind of branding at some point in the process)

 

is TruBlu reputable? how is their stuff so cheap (unless they also outsource their production to china or other)?

Kingston and Weston Maughan both outsource their putters and just stamp and finish them.   Not sure they sell any that are blank. 
 

Timeless is playing with semantics.  What they are saying is they glue them together and grip them in the US, not that any of the components are sourced in the US.  
 

I don’t know the guys at TruBlu.  They are definitely doing production runs of large quantities of identical putters, but not sure if it’s in house or outsourced.  If done in house I’m guessing they are a job shop that makes its money on other things and simply make putters on machine downtime.