# Buying Articles



## FlyingQuizini

All mine are for J&J as well. I've often wondered about these:

Max 200 Obedience, Agility, Flyball Performance Equipment - Max 200 Agility, Obedience, Flyball Performance Equipment


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## Loisiana

I've looked at the Max 200 articles too but they look like they're held together the same way as the J&J. I know I've seen advertised ones that are put together a different way so they won't loosen, I just can't remember where.

I did get a dumbbell from MAX 200 recently for Flip and I love it!


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## BayBeams

Far below is a picture of some articles that were made for a friend of mine made by Bruce and Betty Reed. I don't have their contact info at the moment but I can probably get it. 
Also I really like my articles too. The company that made them will also send a fitting kit if you want to help with sizing. It is 10$ more but they will subtract the 10$ if you purchase the articles from them. I don't remember their names at the moment but I will look it up.
Below is my article bag, which was made by one of the vendors at the Long Beach invitational.


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## AmberSunrise

My show bags are also from Clouds & Co - they are stunning. The show articles (I have 2 sets of 20 articles each) were custom made off a link from Clouds & Co. I do need to keep both of these expanded sets in really nice shape since when I started looking for Towhee, I could not find sources of nice articles so I'll be interested in where other people might find articles.

BTW: I HATE the Max200 articles I have; so much so that I complained to the company and was told I scent them wrong and it is not their issue .......... they have been relegated to training articles only.


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## JDandBigAm

I purchased mine from Custom Canine (they have a website) and were the best price I could find. You can choose what color your numbers will be on the ends and they make them for you and ship them out. Mine arrived very quickly.


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## BayBeams

Here is the link for custom canine This is where my OTCH friend gets her articles. She finds them well made and likes the large numbers. Also according to her you don't pay for them until after the articles are received.
Custom Canine


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## Loisiana

OMG I must get one of these article bags. I can't believe I've never seen these before

edit: uh I guess it helps to provide the link :doh:
Custom Article Bags, etc. | Wyndsong


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## Loisiana

Sunrise said:


> BTW: I HATE the Max200 articles I have; so much so that I complained to the company and was told I scent them wrong and it is not their issue .......... they have been relegated to training articles only.


they really told you that you scent them wrong? Dang, I knew I should have read that rulebook so I'd know the "right" way to scent articles :


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## FlyingQuizini

Loisiana said:


> OMG I must get one of these article bags. I can't believe I've never seen these before
> 
> edit: uh I guess it helps to provide the link :doh:
> Custom Article Bags, etc. | Wyndsong


Oh wow! Yes. Must. Have. One! Already thinking of what fun designs I could come up with for Quiz. There's a really coo black fabric with orange flames on it that I've always said suits him! Wonder how much they are? I poked around a bit but didn't see a price.


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## Loisiana

I think I read $65 for one pocket or $70 for two pockets. I want two pockets!


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## Loisiana

Is it a little sad that my heart is fluttering at the thought of my new article bag? :uhoh:


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## Loisiana

okay these are the three I'm looking at right now. 

Both of these are make very nice looking, well made articles with many color options: 
Scents-A-Bell Utility Scent Articles

Scent Articles

These are not as "pretty" but look well made and even mention the problem with the ends becoming loose and the fact that theirs don't do that (or can be tightened if they do):

Luizer Enterprises - Quality Utility Scent Articles ar Affordable Prices


These are GORGEOUS but not really practical for someone that needs to watch their money: 

PATSCRIBNER.COM - CUSTOM UTILITY SCENT ARTICLES - Welcome


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## Titan1

I have J & J articles and scent the same way you do. I figure it will be easier to replace one if needed. They also stood behind one that had came loose...


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## Loisiana

I'm looking through old posts about buying articles in all my yahoo groups, and someone said that the leather started coming off her Max 200 articles and they told her she must be scenting incorrectly. So yep, two people have said it, I'm definately avoiding them!


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## Loisiana

Premium Articles Page

Oh these are really nice too but also out of my price range.


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## Loisiana

I heard back from the article bag lady! Yay! It's a 9 month wait  But I told her that's okay, we haven't even started showing yet.


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## FlyingQuizini

Wow! Those Pat Scribner ones are awesome, but WAYYYY more than I'd ever pay for articles. Of course, I'm spoiled. I found my second set on CraigsList for $60... from a woman who bought them, but never used them b/c she stopped training and showing.

The Scents-A-Bell ones are cool too. I like the color options. Still pricey IMO. I'll probably stick with my J&J ones and replace any that come loose. I do have one that's starting to do that. But at only $8 per article (or something like that), I'm okay replacing it.

When we hit the lotto or marry the dog-loving suga'-daddy, we'll see about some fancy-schmancy articles! ;-)

Um... now the $70 article bag... might have to save up for that. And with a year's wait, it seems we have some time!


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## AmberSunrise

Loisiana said:


> Premium Articles Page
> 
> Oh these are really nice too but also out of my price range.


Yes!!!! Those are my show articles!! Butterflies for Rowdy (who is now dead) and roses for Casey !!!

I am so happy you found these, since Faelan has a wider mouth and I may need a new set for him!

And one of my mentors asked me where I got mine they are so beautiful - btw; teethmarks are history with the way these are laced.


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## Augie's Mom

The custom made articles and bags are gorgeous. You can see the craftmanship that goes into making them, hence the high prices.

Saw this while doing the google search for "obedience utility article bag", has anyone bought from them? Significantly cheaper (J&J range), but looks nice for training.

Mesh Article Tote Bag - Custom Embroidered [PortB518] - $22.00 : Custom Embroidery by Initial Impressions, Embroidered Shirts, Jackets, Caps, Totes and More


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## AmberSunrise

You know, I have not but I see a lot of these bags in use. They are beautiful, and seem to hold up.



Augie's Mom said:


> The custom made articles and bags are gorgeous. You can see the craftmanship that goes into making them, hence the high prices.
> 
> Saw this while doing the google search for "obedience utility article bag", has anyone bought from them? Significantly cheaper (J&J range), but looks nice for training.
> 
> Mesh Article Tote Bag - Custom Embroidered [PortB518] - $22.00 : Custom Embroidery by Initial Impressions, Embroidered Shirts, Jackets, Caps, Totes and More


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom

I got my great articles from this guy in British Columbia, Canada. He is reasonable and you get 18 articles (#6 plus a set of blanks). I've had many people ask me where I got mine.

smith obedience - Google Search


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## Loisiana

Augie's Mom said:


> Saw this while doing the google search for "obedience utility article bag", has anyone bought from them? Significantly cheaper (J&J range), but looks nice for training.


hee hee, my new favorite search term! LOL



> Mesh Article Tote Bag - Custom Embroidered [PortB518] - $22.00 : Custom Embroidery by Initial Impressions, Embroidered Shirts, Jackets, Caps, Totes and More


yeah, that's the kind of bag I _should_ be getting, that one fits my budget better. But I'm too excited about my new bag on order!


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## Loisiana

Sunrise said:


> Yes!!!! Those are my show articles!! Butterflies for Rowdy (who is now dead) and roses for Casey !!!
> 
> I am so happy you found these, since Faelan has a wider mouth and I may need a new set for him!
> 
> And one of my mentors asked me where I got mine they are so beautiful - btw; teethmarks are history with the way these are laced.


I want fancy articles! No no I can't afford fancy articles. But I want them!


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## Loisiana

Okay, I need to make a decision...

So here is what I am choosing between: 

a) A really high quality set of articles. Of course higher quality means higher price. I could probably only afford a full set plus a couple extras.

b) Not as high quality, but much much cheaper price. I could buy two complete sets of these and still have paid about half what I would pay for choice A.

Which would you choose?


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## RedDogs

Ask your dog. If he says he really needs only the finest articles for the finest retrieves...then there's no choice. But if he promises to do his very best with the others.... then definitely B. I would tell my dog the second option would let us do more fun and games and trials and classes and treats and adventures. And then it's no decision at all.

And if you already have the fancy article bag....I think you're set!


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## Loisiana

I'm not so much worried about the metal ones. But when I look at the sad condition of my current leather articles, it is what makes me wonder if I should invest a little more. The ends of my leather are all curled in, they're loose, and just look pretty sad overall. But I do like to have lots of articles to work with so that's probably my better option (plus I'm broke).

With the other dogs it never mattered. But with Flip I have to be a little more cautious because he'll do crazy things so I have to do everything towards giving him the best advantage of doing things right.


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## GoldenSail

Well I am going to go with B personally. Besides, how do you know those fancy expensive ones will hold out any better? At least with the cheap ones you can replace for cheap.


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## AmberSunrise

This is why I went with the high quality for their show articles. It just feels wrong to me to bring a well trained, well groomed dog into a ring and then pull out beat up articles - or dirty gloves! Or even a ratty dumbbell - I also have show dumbbells that are not pricey but just aren't banged up the way their regulars dumbbells are after awhile 

For the articles, I have practice sets and then my show sets which are not used that often and still look great - you truly cannot see where the dogs mouths have been on the leathers (mine have wrapped leather laces) and they are comfortable to my hands.

But, my dogs are also trained to find the freshest or most like me, so I don't have to air articles between shows - this would also be a consideration unless you have deep enough pockets  You might also be happy with show sets of the less expensive articles - just restrict their use to shows and maybe once a month while training.



Loisiana said:


> I'm not so much worried about the metal ones. But when I look at the sad condition of my current leather articles, it is what makes me wonder if I should invest a little more. The ends of my leather are all curled in, they're loose, and just look pretty sad overall. But I do like to have lots of articles to work with so that's probably my better option (plus I'm broke).


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## JDandBigAm

Loisiana said:


> Okay, I need to make a decision...
> 
> So here is what I am choosing between:
> 
> a) A really high quality set of articles. Of course higher quality means higher price. I could probably only afford a full set plus a couple extras.
> 
> b) Not as high quality, but much much cheaper price. I could buy two complete sets of these and still have paid about half what I would pay for choice A.
> 
> Which would you choose?


Go with "B". Remember Flip does like to chew on those leather articles!


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## Loisiana

Okay, I think this is what I've decided: I'm going to buy one set of cheaper articles for now to work with. Later on I can decide if I just want to buy another set like that or get the more expensive articles then. 

I do get what Sunrise is saying. I do everything I can to add to the overall "look" of us in the ring. The dogs have special show collars and braided leather leashes, fancy article bag, they get groomed for shows, I put thought into my own show clothes. Why wouldn't I put the same effort into wanting nice looking articles? And when I really think about it, $300 is about what I would have to spend on an ordinary show weekend. And a set of articles will last a lot longer than one weekend. But I do need to cut corners where I can, so I'll start with the inexpensive set and then upgrade later if I need to.

I did remember last night (while I was supposed to be sleeping but had article thoughts in my head instead) that I do have one of those tools used to stamp leather. So I might buy a leather stamp that I like and try it out on some old articles to see how it looks. Might be able to spiffy up some articles on my own!


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## AmberSunrise

Sorry, I just saw this  Yes, they told me I scented the articles incorrectly!! Somehow you are supposed to scent them while keeping the ends or bar from ever twisting. Since after quite a discussion (please realize I rarely complain to a company, I just take my money elsewhere), they finally agreed to replace the one article that came loose the very first time I used it and would not accept the whole lot back, I just let folks know 
And took my business elsewhere.

BTW: Without using other body parts to stabilize the article (against regs last I knew), exactly how do you never twist the bell? Even running your fingers up and down the bar requires you support the article by the bell.



Loisiana said:


> they really told you that you scent them wrong? Dang, I knew I should have read that rulebook so I'd know the "right" way to scent articles :


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## Augie's Mom

I just bought the embroidered article bag. A friend had one in class tonight and it was really nice, she had the embroidered gloves too. Sealed the deal for me!


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## GoldenSail

Thanks to this thread I decided to put an order in with Custom Canine--but I'm going to have to wait a month  We're getting hunter green numbers! I am so excited though to have a new set, especially for our upcoming seminar!


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## Loisiana

I ordered medium blue


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## GoldenSail

What size did you get? LOL I needed help from them ordering. I guess you have to do order a slightly different size than a regular dumbbell because they don't have the sloped sides. So went with 3.5" length, 3" sides.


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## Loisiana

I ordered 3.75 inch length, 2.5 ends.

2.5 is what Annabel and Conner's ends are and that seemed fine so I stuck with that. Annabel's are 3.5 inches long and a little too tight for Flip, but Conner's were 4 inches long and a little too loose. So I went for inbetween. I should be getting them in any time now.


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## Loisiana

Articles came in Saturday! It totally threw Flip off using a different kind of article, had to go back to the beginning for a little bit until he understood.

I love the fact that the metal is bar is actually round, unlike J&J's. Going through all those reps of Around the Clock with J&J articles always killed my hands!


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## GoldenSail

At first I was surprised that you got them so fast then I checked the dates of the post and that seems about right. I was told it was a 3-4 week wait so hopefully mine will come soon! 

My BF's buddy does custom leather work and is going to make me a custom collar for Scout. I am thinking about asking him if he could put a design on her articles. Might be a thought for anyone else who does not want to spring for the expensive fancy ones.


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## gabbys mom

Ozzie has a really large head- silly conformation boy : ) Max200 was a freaking pain when I tried to order articles from them (are you sure you want that size? for a golden? are you sure you don't have a rottweiler?). Yes, I'm sure. Yes, I measured. Yes, I know what size my dog is. 

So I ended up with some lovely articles from Mel Stanley (and no comments about size of Oz's head either!). Home


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## Augie's Mom

gabbys mom said:


> Ozzie has a really large head- silly conformation boy : ) Max200 was a freaking pain when I tried to order articles from them (are you sure you want that size? for a golden? are you sure you don't have a rottweiler?). Yes, I'm sure. Yes, I measured. Yes, I know what size my dog is.


I can completely understand why Max200 would think you were confused, goldens and rottweilers are so very similar.:doh:


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## goldengirls550

Loisiana said:


> OMG I must get one of these article bags. I can't believe I've never seen these before
> 
> edit: uh I guess it helps to provide the link :doh:
> Custom Article Bags, etc. | Wyndsong



Wow! I love these. I'll have to look into ordering. Do you know if you just contact this lady and tell her what you want? I looked around on the website but couldn't find much info about options or pricing.


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## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom

Lovely bags for articles at otcharticles.com...custom embroidery and very quality workmanship.


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## Stretchdrive

I love my Max 200 articles!! They are held together really well, and don't have any stitching in the leather.


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