Valley Giants

Does anyone have any info on what's up with Tom from Valley Giants?
My order is over four weeks behind and he won't respond to any emails.
I don't wanna be a hater but curious if anyone else has been able to
correspond with him lately.

Depending on where Tom is in a production cycle and what he had in stock you could be waiting a while or no time at all. I haven't ordered from Tom in a bit but he's been good to me in the past. I waited a while for a VG12 last time as he was out of stock.

VGs are a very "craft item" so having to wait for it is part of the game. (I've waited upwards of 9-10 weeks for custom made gear in other sports)

It may take a long time to make, but he should still respond to e-mails.

I'm short on details(such as total time between order and delivery), but a buddy of mine just got their order delivered possibly two or three weeks back.

I'd take that as a positive sign.

I've dealt with him on a couple occasions and he has always been great to deal with. Like someone else said, these are custom items. It may take time, but it is worth it.

I ordered mine in early Dec and just got it about 4 weeks ago. Tom always got around to responding eventually, but the timeline kept getting pushed back. Originally was a 3-4wk wait time but ended up about 4mo. Frustrating to say the least but worth the wait.

I too know people who ordered last nov/dec. Still today waiting for the VG9
He'll produce a quality product. It just takes time.

Got it. It's beautiful and looks very well made. Patience is required but you'll be happy with the result.

Bumping this thread. Hoping Tom Kasper will send me my Valley Giant #9....approaching the 4 month wait. Payment was sent on July 1st. Last reply was 30 days ago said "I'll be sending your cam in a few days"....No reply since.

Meh, I ordered one. He said it would be a month because he was just finishing a run. A month later I got an email saying the production was delayed (About May this spring). 2 days later the cam was on my doorstep...  it had been shipped before the email. 

He was pleasant to deal with, albeit a bit slow to respond. This isn't his full-time job, and he is likely gone climbing a lot in the summer. You would still think he would have time to respond by now though.

If you aren't entirely set on the VG, cancel the payment and buy a Merlin.

Embarrassed to say wrote:

Bumping this thread. Hoping Tom Kasper will send me my Valley Giant #9....approaching the 4 month wait. Payment was sent on July 1st. Last reply was 30 days ago said "I'll be sending your cam in a few days"....No reply since.

You will get your cam. Tom is very slow, but the product is absolutely worth the wait. His communication leaves a lot to be desired, but in the end he always comes through. I couldn't be happier with my Valley Giants.

I would cancel the payment but I paid with Friends & Family via PP....Damn

So Tom did this same thing to me and two of my friends. He said it’d be two months, he stopped replying to emails around 3 months and eventually around 4 to 6 months later the VG would end up on your step.

 I just got to mess around with the new Merlin 8’s and I have to say they’re rad and may ultimately replace my VG’s.

Screw him, my seasons about over. I'm going to make sure and spread the word. If I get the cam I'll be happy, but now that there's an alternative (Merlin)........

Embarrassed to say wrote:

Screw him, my seasons about over. I'm going to make sure and spread the word. If I get the cam I'll be happy, but now that there's an alternative (Merlin)........

You will get the cam, of that I have no doubt. This is just how Tom does things, and that's fairly well known. It's a hand-made product, produced in very small quantities. Tom is busy and has other things going on. Yes, the no replying to e-mails is incredibly frustrating but he will come through. I experienced exactly the same thing when I ordered my VG 12, but I just decided to relax and go with it. It eventually showed up, and I have an awesome cam that works wonderfully. My recommendation is to chill, and just be stoked when your VG shows up. When you're climbing above your VG you will know that you have an absolutely bomber piece below you, that is time-tested and well built.

Just as a bump/update this is a still on going issue with valley giant production. Under stand that when ordering your cam (I wish I did). sitting on nearly 3 months (2 past expected ship date) though he has increased is frequency of response it seems, I tend to get a reply to most my emails and usually within a week.

Tom has a real job, and mfg VG is secondary. As a craft mfg, delays are not uncommon. Tossing out that there is a 2nd mfg of large cams, Merlin Cams (pricing currently identical). Info here: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=3071505&msg=3091140#msg3091140

you'll be wating a long time for a merlin cam too, just sayin. These people are doing it in their free time, and parts dont always arrive when they want. Be patient

I got my VG a bit late but it has been an invaluable piece.  My main partner has a Merlin and while it is pretty, the VG feels much more robust and confidence inspiring.  The Merlin is lighter and has a slightly better expansion range but I don't believe it will hold up to heavy use the way the VG will.

ClimbingOn wrote:

You will get the cam, of that I have no doubt. This is just how Tom does things, and that's fairly well known. It's a hand-made product, produced in very small quantities. Tom is busy and has other things going on. Yes, the no replying to e-mails is incredibly frustrating but he will come through. I experienced exactly the same thing when I ordered my VG 12, but I just decided to relax and go with it. It eventually showed up, and I have an awesome cam that works wonderfully. My recommendation is to chill, and just be stoked when your VG shows up. When you're climbing above your VG you will know that you have an absolutely bomber piece below you, that is time-tested and well built.

Yeah man, don't sweat it braj!  Poor communication and customer service is how they used to do things in the Valley BITD, bro!  Right on!

Keep in mind this guy probably gets hundreds of emails a week.

Could he be more clear on the wait time? Sure but now you know.

As for not responding to emails it sounds like he's doing his best to pump out a high quality custom product and there's only so many times it makes sense to reply with "working on it."