Best balsa supplier???

I've used Balsa USA, Lone Star, and Superior. All are about equal, and all are good. Midwest from Tower will be more expensive than the other three. Go for it!

PS What are you planning on building? Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

I'll vote for Lone Star too. I ordered from them & Superior at the same time, got the Lone Star order a couple of days faster. Their website is much easier to order from, and I think the prices were significantly better. As was the shipping & handling charge.

They sell a lot more than balsa, check out their website. My last order included a kit (at the best price I've seen) plus balsa, and the shipping & handling charge was still only $7.50.

Dennis Leonhardi

1. Lone Star
2. Superior
3. Balsa USA In that order. Looks like you've got it pretty well figured out already :-)

MJC

On 9/28/2004 4:50 PM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

I have had great success with Lone Star and Superior.

In one order from Lone Star several sheets of 3/32" balsa were tapered to nothing on one end. I called them and told them what had occurred. They sent replacement sheets of balsa that day.

I call that VERY GOOD service.

Thanks for the advice.

I've got plans for a Das Liddle Stik, but I'm holding off on those while I try to find something that more closely approximates a Midwest Sweet Stik (or even an Ugly Stik since I can now afford a .60 engine :->), so I'm going to be starting out with an RCM Trainer Jr. (which I think is actually a Bridi Trainer .40). Hopefully, next year, I'll be able to build a Wildcat from MAN plans -- unless I can find a better rendition with retracts in the .60ish size.

I'm getting back into flying after a 25-year absence, and I enjoy building as much as, if not more than, flying, so I'm looking at the stuff that I did before as well as the planes that I wanted to build then, but couldn't afford (I'm just drooling over the thought of building a Lazy Ace). For the past couple of weeks, I've been flying the RealFlight simulator to de-rust my thumbs, and am landing more than crashing. There's also a club just a couple of miles down the road (and a couple more farther away), but I haven't talked to anybody there yet because I know it would make me more anxious to get started. This winter I hope to build an Eagle 2, Falcon III, the RCM Trainer, and some sort of Sweet Stik or Ugly Stik (we have long winters here). I enjoy building as much as flying (if not more), and since there aren't many kits available anymore, I'll definitely be doing a lot of scratch building....

Sorry for rambling such a long answer to your question.... ;->

Thanks, everybody, for your replies.

Vicki

Try

Darrell

My question would be why did they send defective wood out in the first place.

I have had the best service from Lone star. Superior has great wood but their service is a little lacking at times. Plus, they don't have any 48" leading edge stock.

Vicki --

No problems wit Lone Star or Superior, but before you mail order, check out your local Arts and Crafts store -- quite often they will have the standard box of balsa on display. Artists and architects use it. If they have it, you can hand pick what you want. Same applies to brass tubing, plus local Ace hardware store.

Yup, we have several in my area. However, when it comes to paying $2.35 for a sheet of balsa locally vs $0.59 via mail order, well...

When scratch building and buying large quantities of wood, mail order is the only way to go. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Second that for the Arts & Crafts stores in my area, their prices would suggest they think they're selling diamonds...

Dennis

Hi,

Anyone have any opinions on National Balsa?

I too am going to try my hand at a plans built plane this winter and these guys are relatively close (Northeast) and there prices seem comparable to the others listed. Just thought I would ask before placing an order with them.

Thanks.

I like Lone Star for quality, price, and service. Did I miss anything? :)

-- Bob

Nah, that just about covers the waterfront.

Sig used to be by far the best, and would let serious builders (mainly free flighters) go through the stacks of wood in their warehouse in Iowa to pick out what they wanted. This was a few years ago, though, so maybe things have changed.

I would doubt this is so anymore, as they no longer do the factory tours like they once did.

Lone Star still does it.

David