kelii company

brianxshin

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did Keli'i ukes stop being made?? i dont see it on HMS(theukulelesite) as part of the selection. or is it just sold out
 
Why not just put in the description that they are only "assembled in Hawaii". HMS has other import lines that they sell.
 
I don't think it was the WHERE it was made so much as how it's marketed. The intent behind 50% made in Hawaii, so we have something to hide. Kinda like this popular Swedish backpack, the Fjällräven Kånken. It's marketed around the world as being Swedish and made in Sweden. Well it's as made in Sweden as a shelf from Ikea. It's not WHERE it's made, it's HOW its marketed. What you got to hide? If you're an ethical company, why hide your production? Kinda like cheaper "Swiss Made" watches. Either they aren't made in Switzerland, or Switzerland is huge. Why hide where it's really made, what is there to hide? ;)

Well, we know why... and either that's fine with you as a consumer, or you can vote with your wallet.
 
This disclosure makes me wonder if Kelii ukuleles are made of acacia koa or some other species of acacia falsely marketed as koa.
 
Kinda like this popular Swedish backpack, the Fjällräven Kånken. It's marketed around the world as being Swedish and made in Sweden. Well it's as made in Sweden as a shelf from Ikea.

Vaaad? Kånken is not made in Sweden???

So is HMS going to stop selling Kellis all together or just relabel them as imports?
 
That would definitely put a damper on its sale. I'm sure many tourists say they want a Hawaiian made ukulele
 
Like Mele ukes, I heard that they are outsourced and the bodies and necks are made in china....and assembled in hawaii....that may be a reason ukes shops may be hesitant to carry them
as some go still by the made in hawaii logo....Casey Moore has did that before with the KPK's and sold the company.....they were his design too.... so what makes the new keli'i's not like
the KPK's... I don't know...I played on a few weeks ago and i am not sure if that was a partially made in china model or made in hawaii older one...but it sounded good to me...and
the craftsmanship was okay to me....too
 
Longtime lurker first time poster here. Bought my Kelii Tenor in april 2012 from MGM at the HMS store (great place and great people btw !!) feel a little deceived and had I known that info about Kelii I might have saved up a bit more for a true Hawaiian K brand. Kanilea is 5 min from my house !i can see why HMS would stop carrying them since they have been touting them as the least exspensive "Hawaiian made " brand for a while. That said my uke looks and plays wonderfully. I just wish I knew the truth beforehand.
 
Really disappointing to hear that they're not a true Hawaiian K-brand after all. Used to think they were the same level of "Made in Hawaii" as the others, and that the lower price was just due to less name recognition and simpler construction. Keli'i ukes sound great and feel right to me, and they're still a pretty good value, but I can see why HMS decided to stop selling them.

Here's hoping that the true K-brands don't try to pull the same thing by using their overseas factories to make stuff for their made-in-Hawaii models.
 
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that is me that is selling it hehehehehe i just threw out this post cause when i checked HMS site kelii was no where to be found so i was like wth i bought it there and now its gone hmmm u know so yeah just seeing what was up with that but they do sound good though i have to admit i was just trying to see if the all hawaiian tenor is actually all made in hawaii and get more specs
 
that is me that is selling it hehehehehe i just threw out this post cause when i checked HMS site kelii was no where to be found so i was like wth i bought it there and now its gone hmmm u know so yeah just seeing what was up with that but they do sound good though i have to admit i was just trying to see if the all hawaiian tenor is actually all made in hawaii and get more specs

Doh! I probably should have compared usernames. :)
 
So where does Kelii sell their ukes now if not at HMS? Not that I'm thinking of getting one, just curious.
 
Apparently this decision by Keli'i to make bodies and necks in China is a fairly recent decision.
Does anyone know the date when the change from 100% Hawaii made to this mixture of China and Hawaii made happened?

I agree they are great sounding ukes, and still a good value. But it would better if they were more clear about where they are made.
 
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Still got one with a big fat "Made in Hawaii" label and it is flippin awesome!
 
Vaaad? Kånken is not made in Sweden???

So is HMS going to stop selling Kellis all together or just relabel them as imports?

Nej, it's made in Vietnam, the same factory that makes some other Swedish brands. I was very dissapoint when I saw that label inside mine. Hey that factory could be a great place to work and my Kånken is well made. But why the deception? It's easy to find Swedish press very very critical of the deception marketing and all the hush-hush.

One of my top ukes, which I kept over custom ones because it was better, was made in China. I'd like to think it was made by people who are treated like people, but we'll never know. But, that uke wasn't marketed as made somewhere else either.
 
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