Eames ESU - Where's the best price?  

I had a similar dilemma...
I had a similar dilemma recently as I wanted an ESU for my hallway (I am based in the UK)
Ideally I was looking for a low two tier unit with dimpled lower doors, Vitra do not supply this particular model but HM do, the cheapest I could find the HM model was around $1100
Originally they came flat packed however they changed to being supplied to the customer fully assembled some time ago, (I?m not sure if this is true with the Modernica version) as a result they are pretty bulky (and heavy I had to rope in my girlfriend to help me move it) which would bump up shipping costs, once you work in import taxes it does become a little pricey
In the end I ordered the two tier unit form Vitra (with no doors) It arrived a couple of weeks back I am really pleased with it, its beautifully made, it really came to life when I filled it with books and ornaments

How strange
How strange that they would change and start delivering it fully assembled. It must have increased their own costs as well as the customers... And the whole idea from the beginning with this piece, must have been that it was made out of readily available materials and should be able to make for a low cost...

From what I have read it was...
From what I have read it was customer feedback which introduced the pre assembled ESU. There were a number of complaints that the component pieces were easily damaged during assembly. It?s a shame as there is nothing to them part wise and you could break it down into a very small package
Have seen this one which is for sale here in the UK?

whoops forgot the link 🙂
whoops forgot the link 🙂
http://www.organicorigin.co.uk/furniture_details.asp?product=Eames%20100...

Looks very nice, but I think...
Looks very nice, but I think it will be pretty expensive. Organic Origin is charging very high prices, I know. I have asked for prices of some Zenith armshells and they were all way over the standard price for these chairs.
That said, they have a lot of very nice stuff, so for anyone with a little money it might not matter...

I have acquired several Eam...
I have acquired several Eames Storage Units over the last 15 years and i have them in my warehouse , always wondering where can i put them.
I did have one re powder coated in the original black since the rust and deterioration took its toll but the original chrome thank goodness still looks great , I have had these things taken apart on 3 occasions and
they were not difficult to put back together so to ship them would be real easy, I have not seen any of the fake stuff from Modernica and can not speak for their quality other than they are a fake repoduciton of the original ,
If i was in a buying mood i would acquire from Herman Miller cause that is one thing that i would rather own inthe original than a fake.

"The large box the funiture...
"The large box the funiture (ESU) was shipped in was designed by the Eameses to be transformed into a childrens playhouse and a pamphlet of instructions for this conversion was enclosed"
B-)

how nice
how nice

LRF, I agree with you......
LRF, I agree with you...
I would also prefer the original and I'm really jealous of you for having had the oportunity to 'acquire several ESU's over the years'. Sounds amazing...
Unfortunately the originals are hard to come by in Europe and if you do, they are even more expensive than in the US... Vitra's licensed reproduction is available, but it is expensive and the options to customize the design is not there. There are only two models to choose from...
There is probably no chance that I could afford to go for vintage in this case, no matter how much I'd like to. I have made some pretty good deals on good examples of the Zenith chairs, but these are simple to find and easy to ship from the US. The ESU' are a different deal.
I was close to getting a good deal on some 1st production ESU's in a Florida auction two years ago, but I couldn't talk the auction house into helping with shipping etc. There was one ESU 400 and two ESU 200's all in natural colors and ok condition, not great, no drawers or doors. Just the shelves + some sides and x-crosses. They went for 1500 USD for all of them. Today I regret that I didn't simply pay someone to take them apart and ship them for me, but it seemed complicated at the time...
It is possible that it makes sense to buy the recent Herman Miller production instead of Modernica or Modern Woodworks, when it comes to quality, but I honestly don't consider Herman Miller to take very good care of their historic designs anymore, with the plastic chairs, and non-folding compact sofa etc etc...
But, if I had the option to get a vintage Herman Miller ESU 100 for the same price as a new, I would take it any day... It would sit very nicely next to my Zenith rocker (1st production cross base which I should include on the best bargain thread...).

That said, I do think Herman...
That said, I do think Herman Miller does make some nice furniture still... I would for example still consider a LCW or LCM chair or a CTW table among other things...

Alexandersforum
I think you'll find the quality of the ESU up to par. I agree that HM has slipped on a number of items, but I dont think this is one of them. I use a 2x2 ESU on a daily basis (at work- not my own, sadly) and it holds up just fine. Last time I checked the HM prices were comparable with Modernica - and I know ours came flat-packed from HM. We're all pretty handy so assembly wasnt an issue, altho I can see it being slightly tricky for those out there that have trouble using a screwdriver (playful sarcasm). 😉

ESU
If you will email me at www.retroredo.com I can discuss options with you, on a ESU and how to get one or get one shipped to you,
I do not wish to have the rest of these people know my business via the Internet or this forum.

Although on second thought
So I just poked around on DWR's website, and then on Herman Miller's and it doesnt look like they have the configuration that you would like. 🙁 Its a shame that Herman Miller doesnt get with it and set up a similar system that Modernica has for greater configurability.

LuciferSum
No need to bad mouth Herman Miller !! i just hung up the phone with them They can configure a system really any way you want it .
1 unit high 2 units wide or 1 unit wide
2 unit high 2 units wide or 2 units wide
with doors
any color or panel
I don't like that Modernica stuff at the end of the day all you are buying is a expensive repoduction. I have pulled far away from them since i have checked out there shell chairs, in my opion awful, The only thing that company makes that i think is great is the bubble lamps
I have several in my home and i think they are great. (even better than the originals )