The response to introducing our fleshing machine in Taxidermy Today has been great!  We’ve answered questions from taxidermists in our home state of Michigan to as far away as Australia.  Creating a product for the taxidermy industry and interacting with taxidermists has given us a real appreciation for your creativity, artistic abilities and business challenges.  Most of the contacts seem to boil down to five questions:

Question #1)  “What makes the S & S Fleshing Machine better than other machines?”

It's not in our nature to say we’re “better” than our competitors.  We'd rather let our product speak for itself.  We find our flesher is different from others in the industry in terms of:

Guarantee:  Our flesher comes with a lifetime guarantee to the original owner on all manufactured head parts and bearings.

Blade Guards:  Are completely rigid and will not bend.  They have a ceramic outer coating for slick movement of skins across the surface and non-stick inner surface for ease of cleaning.

Blades:  Our blades are balanced to within a .003” flat level tolerance for excellent balance and smooth operation.

Comfort:  Our rear blade guard is large and rounded for the most comfortable surface possible.

Quality:  A picture says a thousand words and we’d invite you to compare the fit and finish of our machine against all others.  We’re machine tool builders and our approach has resulted in a very high quality machine, that’s extremely well balanced, quiet and will last a lifetime.

Question #2)  “$1900! Why should I pay $1900 when I can get a fleshing machine for a lot less than that?”

It’s $1900 for both the head unit and motor and I appreciate your caution.  I’d feel the same way about buying a flesher that’s hundreds more than our competition.  (However, we’ve found our blades are competitively priced.)

Please let me make a comparison.  When my dad was building up our business he started with 1 used Bridgeport mill.  As time passed, he added another used Bridgeport and 2 brand new off brand mills made in Japan to save money because the Bridgeport’s cost a 1/3 more.  The guys were pretty excited at first because the Japanese mills look great and it was fun to have something new in the shop.  At first, they were the only mills they’d want to use.  However, after using the cheaper mills on several jobs we noticed they went back to the Bridgeport’s.  They still occasionally use the cheaper mills but prefer the Bridgeport’s because they’re much more stable, quieter, smoother and have a quality “feel” that help’s them do a good job without having to compensate for lower quality tooling.  (Sorry for the long story but it’s nice to talk about my Dad.  We lost him in January 2009 and I miss him terribly.  It’s amazing what he taught me just by watching him conduct himself in his business and life in general.)

Question #3)  “Will your fleshing machine do everything you say it will do?” 

The S & S Fleshing Machine will flesh hides with excellent balance and stability.  It’s very quiet while operating and will do everything as stated and shown on the videos at www.fleshingmachine.com

Question #4)  “Is your fleshing machine the new standard?”

I don’t know if it’s a “new standard” or “better” than anything out there.  It’s certainly different from most fleshers.  I don’t pretend to be a taxidermist but the people using them seem to think they’re good machines. Again, it’s a high quality fleshing machine and will perform just like the videos show it working on our web site.  One my best buddy’s son (Danny Koss, Algonac Michigan) uses a flesher that’s noisy and shaky compared to the S & S Fleshing Machine.  (But he’s a good taxidermist and works around having lesser quality equipment.)

Question #5)  “You guys aren’t taxidermists.  How can you understand what makes a good fleshing machine?”

Again, we don’t pretend to be taxidermists.  We’re machine tool builders.  To make another analogy, do NASCAR mechanics and engine builders race the cars they build?  The S & S Fleshing Machine was built and improved on the advice of taxidermists using the machine.

Thanks for considering S & S Tool and Machine, Inc. for your fleshing needs.  We look forward to being of service to you and being a part of your business.

Sincerely,

Doug Sandula