Reader Carl K writes in today to point out an error in our book: in the crib reviews, we said Pali’s new Asian imported collections are made very similarly to their Italian/Canadian furniture (which are made of birch). Carl points out this isn’t accurate:

I just wanted  to let you know that there’s a bit of misinformation in you newest book in regards to Pali brand furniture.  You mentioned that they have begun producing certain of their pieces/collections in SE Asia, but you also stated that “They still maintain the brand’s quality touches (birch wood construction, dovetail drawers,…” some of which is incorrect. 

I just called Pali to ask about their Wendy Collection which turns out to be made of Radiata Pine.  I also asked about the Tuscan Series which they say is made of Rubberwood.  Upon further questioning, the customer service rep explained that their Asian collections (the ones with names rather than numbers) are not made of the same hardwood birch as their other pieces.  Important to note being that these woods are softer.  Though radiata pine isn’t as soft as other types, it is still only technically considered a medium hardwood. 

Secondly, while you’re correct about the dovetail drawers, I discovered that not all of their drawers are made with the wonderfully quiet and smooth glide system.  Instead, some still use ball bearings which are both noisy and more loose.

Also, while Pali has always been known for the quality of their dropside cribs, their convertible cribs have exposed hardware which shows up as unsightly holes when converted into the full-sized beds.

I was about to buy a Wendy Collection 3-piece set that I found at a very good price.  I’m glad I did some more research first.  I really prefer those smooth glide drawers.  Besides, a convertible crib makes so much more sense to me.  Also, we move every 2 years or so and any type of pine, even a medium hardwood, will likely get ridiculously beat up in transit.

Of course, your book’s already printed so there’s not much you can do, but I thought you should know that some of Pali’s furniture isn’t truly living up to the quality of the company’s original reputation.

Thanks Carl. Well, our initial report on Pali was what they told us they PLANNED for their import line. It appears the actual furniture is different than what they discussed. So we will go back and take a harder look at whether Pali is cheapening their quality for their imported line.

UPDATE 7-15-08: After we posted this, Pal’s Director of Product Development, Mark Woomer, sent us an email to explain their current product line and address the complaint above.

Thanks for your time this morning to discuss our product line.  I 
would like to clarify some of the points in question about our 
collections currently being imported from Asia.  Wendy, West Point 
and Carrigan are the first collections that we imported from Asia.  
Our West Point and Carrigan collections have always been constructed 
of Birch solids and Birch veneers from our initial shipments back in 
2006 through today.  We do use MDF and particle board in the 
construction of our cases where necessary to ensure product quality 
and competitive prices.

I would like to point out that we recently made a decision to change 
Carrigan to Rubberwood solids and Birch veneers which will start with 
our next shipment from Asia in August.  The change to Rubberwood was 
made due to increasing material prices in Asia due to a weak dollar, 
oil prices and upcoming California formaldehyde level requirements 
for composite wood products.

The Wendy collection has always been made of Radiatta Pine from the 
initial shipment back in 2006 through today.  It was never our 
intention to lead consumers to believe that this collection was made 
of Birch.  In fact, the Pine wood grain is obvious especially in our 
Distressed Amber finish.  Radiatta Pine was selected from the very 
beginning in order to meet our target retails for the Wendy collection.

Our Tuscan and Arezzo collections are made of Rubberwood solids and 
Rubberwood veneers.  It is important to note that Rubberwood is as 
hard as Maple or Ash.  Rubberwood is also one of the best sources of 
sustainably harvested wood species as it is used for latex production 
during it’s 30-year life cycle and later is harvested as a source for 
furniture manufacturing.  Our Rubberwood supply is also responsibly 
harvested within a 500-mile radius of our factories which is key to 
minimizing our impact on the environment.

With regards to the drawer glides, we did have at least two 
production runs where the factory that produced our Wendy collection 
used a sub-standard drawer glide.  We have since corrected this 
problem and our most recent production implemented an improved drawer 
glide that is similar to our Canadian production.  Our Tuscan and 
Arezzo collections are using an even higher-end, self-closing drawer 
glide system.  As much as we would like to use the self-closing 
drawer glide on all of our collections it is simply not cost-
effective for us at this point in time.

I want to clarify that our convertible cribs produced in Asia do not 
have exposed hardware.  This would include Wendy, West Point, 
Carrigan, Tuscan and Arezzo convertible cribs.  The misunderstanding 
may have been with our convertible cribs that continue to be 
manufactured at our plant in Italy.  Our Italian produced convertible 
cribs do have exposed hardware.

I hope that this helps to clarify any questions or concerns, your 
readers may have about our product.  It is important to all of us at 
Pali that our customers are not only satisfied, but confident in 
their purchase of a Pali product.  If there are any other points that 
I can help to clarify, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,

Mark Woomer
Director of Product Development
Pali Design, Inc.