Kaminari grills--this is f*cking ridiculous

[Nasty N8]

Well after talking to some of you about the Kaminari grills and hearing that we need 3 sheets for our car at $40 per sheet, I decided to talk to kaminari. I thought at first that somebody was grossly exaggerating the price, but after receiving a reply to my e-mail I learned the disappointing truth. This information was in fact 100% accurate. That's right $120 plus $10 shipping for f*cking mesh. Here's the e-mail messages I had with the kaminari rep:

----- Original Message -----
From: Nathan Andreu
To: info@kaminari.com
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 4:02 PM
Subject: Product Questions

I have a 2001 Celica with the Kaminari kit and have a couple of questions. I've been told that you guys sell the honeycomb mesh that's pictured on your website for the celica kit. I couldn't find how to order it on the website and I was wondering how much I would need to fill in the openings on the celica kit and how much it would cost for that amount.

Thank you,
Nathan Andreu
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----- Original Message -----
From: mike@kaminari.com
To: Nate
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 12:35 PM
Subject: Re: Product Questions


Hi, Nathan

We do sell the mesh grill for your kit. The cost is $40.00 per sheet . Your kit needs 3 sheets of this mesh. If you would like to order this part on our website you can use part number K0GRILL. Listed below are the different shipping options and prices. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 800 289-5488. Thank you for your interest in Kaminari USA products and have a Great Day!

UPS
$10 Ground (5-7 business days)
$25 2nd day (2 business days)
$45 Overnight (Next business day)

Mike Evans - Regional Sales

Kaminari USA

www.kaminari.com
(800)BUY-KITT
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Mr. Evans,

Thank you for the quick reply. Unfortunately, I can't justify spending $120 on mesh when I can go to Home Depot and get a similar look for about $3. I was under the impression that the mesh would be supplied with the kit when I got it originally. I actually know quite a few people who did infact receive the mesh for free when ordering the same kit. Please don't take this in an offensive manner; I just can't understand what makes this particular mesh nearly 50 times the cost of others. I'm sure you can see my point.

Thank you for your time,
Nathan Andreu
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry for the long post but I just can't believe that anyone would pay that kind of money for mesh. It really sucks because I can't find anything that looks nearly as good. Oh well, guess I'm going to Home Depot this weekend.

Nate

[skamikaze]

maybe they need to make up some of that money that went to your free kit :D

[Nasty N8]

Originally posted by skamikaze
maybe they need to make up some of that money that went to your free kit :D

Hardy har har. :D I was wondering if anybody would use that against me. You're right though, I can't complain about not getting them with my kit but if I paid full price and didn't get em I'd be pissed.

Nate

[chameleon]

Nasty N8, I've never shopped around for mesh, so I don't have as much experience with this as you do. But in your own words you said that you can't find anything that looks nearly as good. That is what justifies the price. I know that their cost is super low, making thier profit margin rediculous, but in the end they are supplying something that there is demand for and cant be found anywhere else, and that is what justifies what they charge. No matter how much it costs to make, things are worth what people are willing to pay for them.

I agree though, it does suck. ;)

[Nasty N8]

Originally posted by chameleon
Nasty N8, I've never shopped around for mesh, so I don't have as much experience with this as you do. But in your own words you said that you can't find anything that looks nearly as good. That is what justifies the price. I know that their cost is super low, making thier profit margin rediculous, but in the end they are supplying something that there is demand for and cant be found anywhere else, and that is what justifies what they charge. No matter how much it costs to make, things are worth what people are willing to pay for them.

I agree though, it does suck. ;)

Ok, I agree with you but not totally. I did admit that their mesh does look great, and I am willing to pay extra for that. How much extra? Well 10 times the price of a normal grill would be around $30-$40. I would pay that much, but 50 times a normal mesh price is just stupid. Don't take this as a flame towards you at all. ;) I'm just saying kaminari needs to reconsider the markup on these grills.

Nate

[b0x]

My mesh looks great! I got it from joe at wetworks garage when i got my kit painted and installed there. I brought over some home depot grille and he told me that he wouldnt let me put that "chicken sh!t wire" on!

he said he'd hook me up with his own grill and damn is it sweet! He gave it to me for free too. $40 for mesh = FAWKIN GAY. It's even gayer that kaminari knows they got it for like $1 since they probably buy that crap in super bulk.

[coOOlcelica]

Just go to your local sheet metal store and ask for honey comb mesh.....or aluminum mesh with small opening.

[Blue Bomber]

Technical term is perforated sheet metal. The openings are hexagons. :)

[EndlessShock]

Originally posted by coOOlcelica
Just go to your local sheet metal store and ask for honey comb mesh.....or aluminum mesh with small opening.

Yup thats what I did - got my grills (from Home Depot) all around (front/back/sides) for $3.31 (this is one big sheet that will fit about 4 Kaminari kits...

[CSteckel]

Can some of you post pic's of the different kinds of mesh you used as well as where you got it. I think that would halp A LOT of us make some kind of decision instred of mulling over the whole overpriced Kam deal...

[MarkyMark]

just go to home depot and buy chicken wire ($5) :chuckles:

[coOOlcelica]

Originally posted by EndlessShock


Yup thats what I did - got my grills (from Home Depot) all around (front/back/sides) for $3.31 (this is one big sheet that will fit about 4 Kaminari kits... no i meant u can get the actual kaminari mesh they sell from your local sheet metal store!!

[CeliCraz]

Nasty N8- Get a quote from www.wetworksgarage.com on how much he will charge/ship it to you. It looks very nice as b0x said above & he won't rape you on the price :)

[HilfigerCelica]

$120 for the grilles is outrageous. I'm using the "chicken wire" and I see no point in paying that much for some Kaminari grilles. Is it that much stronger? Probably not enough to justify the price.

[Blue Bomber]

Originally posted by b0x
My mesh looks great! I got it from joe at wetworks garage when i got my kit painted and installed there. I brought over some home depot grille and he told me that he wouldnt let me put that "chicken sh!t wire" on!

he said he'd hook me up with his own grill and damn is it sweet! He gave it to me for free too. $40 for mesh = FAWKIN GAY. It's even gayer that kaminari knows they got it for like $1 since they probably buy that crap in super bulk. How strong is this grill? I know I bought a similar one from McMaster.com and it was about as strong as a thin piece of cardboard. It was even damaged in shipping. Does it bend when you touch it, or do you need to put a considerable amount of force to bend it?

[WillyWonka]

HilfigerCelica and Blue Bomber,

How strong is the Kaminari grille? I'll take a bat to it when I pick up my car on Friday for a test...and then I'll proceed to drive to California to deliver a bat to their head for charging so much. As for me, I'm not going to club myself since I like myself.

The only reason I paid extra was to have it fit and look right. If the grille sucks, I'll tell Kaminari I want my money back and have them pay for the reinstall...or if the install sucks, I have the shop pay for the new grille and install. Either way, the consumer (me) wins. Home Depot, when I walk in with bits of their $5 grille (nothing against the material itself) wouldn't touch my method of customer satisfaction. All hail the consumer.

[EndlessShock]

Originally posted by coOOlcelica
no i meant u can get the actual kaminari mesh they sell from your local sheet metal store!!

I know what you mean... What Im trying to say is that HD had the mesh that I was looking for... I originally had the honeycomb and circular holed mesh which I had on my car for about 2 days then I had to take it off due to bending at high speeds :gap:... So I got this instead (picutre below) its way stronger, easy to cut and not as flexible (more air flow and less resistance)... Another thing about this mesh is that its a tad bit reflective so at night from on coming traffic it looks chromed :D... It looks great but thats just me :D... Ill post some pics of the mesh on the car later on tonight...

http://www.hometown.aol.com/endlessflash/mesh0001.jpg

[Nasty N8]

Thanks for the replies guys. Box: I just sent wet works an e-mail requesting a price quote and I included a couple pics of your car. I hope you don't mind. I'll let everyone know how much they want for these grilles when I get a reply.

Later
Nate

[b0x]

yea thats cool dood. i dont mind.

Oh and bluebomber, the grill is pretty damn tough. alot tougher than the home depot grill atleast!

[WillyWonka]

b0x,

Your comment on the grille is reassuring to say the least. I'm still going to take a bat to it as a test. ;)

[Nasty N8]

F*cking A............I can't win. Well I already got a response from wet works garage:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunetly for you the body kit has very little provisions for fastening the grille parts to so we use a industrial hot melt glue to hold the grilles in place the other problem is that the openings are not very evenly cut out so all the celicas have been done as a one off. cant even cut the grilles and send them
out for fear they may not fit....................................Joe........ .......................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the drawing board. :mad:

Nate

[Blue Bomber]

Can't you just order a specified size for the grill? Like the grills I get from Home Depot are 36" x 6", and they fit the front lower opening perfectly.

[skamikaze]

go to a metal shop and ask for "expanded metal"
they come in all kinds of designs (hole sizes and shapes). most of the time they will only sell them in 10ft sheets so ask some friends if they wanna pool and you guys can cut it to fit individually.

[LovinDaCamSwitch]

Have you tried e-mailing Rod Millen. They use the same mesh that Kaminari uses. I think it worth a shot to try.
Dan

[GTS LAID]

just buy the grills from blue bomber.. .they're really top notch...

[J3adSeed]

i bought blue bomber's grilles and they look great. they're strong too. so whatever.

[CSteckel]

Blue Bomber...what grills are they talking about that they got from you?? Can you PM me a picture (or email) csteckel@diamonex.com How much??

[SilvCeli02]

Why is everyone freaking out about some mesh, They have lots of different weaves and varying patterns at most big hobby stores, we have Micheals around here I saw them just the other day.