We had originally planned on visiting Waterford Crystal, but have friends who were disappointed in the tour. I was reading about Tipperary Crystal and was wondering if anyone had visited there and if so, what they thought. I'd also read that some of the Waterford artists had left and formed their own working group - would that be Tipperary?

Thanks!

we stopped at the Tipperary Crystal Center in April '03. It was NOTHING special. They do not make crystal there anymore , so it is just a small ( very very small when compared to Waterford) show room. They do have a few items that are in their Seconds-room. But really not all that much.

We did not even buy anything there. ( and if you knew my mother, you would know that is really saying something. )

I don't know where their new factory is , or if they do tours/demos there, but the one on the way from Waterford to Clonmel/Cahir was a bust for us.

I personally LOVED the Waterford tour. ( I have done it twice) My parents and older brother loved it too.
And a nice bonus is their Cafeteria there- fabulous food. We always try to time our visit there with lunch

Debbie

Hi;
I took the tour in 1998 & 2000. Enjoyed it both times. Very interesting. Did your friends say why they did not enjoy it?

Tipperary Crystal. I believe was started by some Ex-Waterford employees.

One of the main differences between the two is that Waterford does not sell seconds. It is broken and ground up and used again in the glass blowing process. that is what gives it it glow. I remember jumping when I heard the sound of breaking glass. I was looking around to see what I had bumped into and broke !!

Also, You will not get bargain prices at the factory. Wasterford's prices are consistant no matter where you buy it. I hope you'll decide to take the tour and I hope you enjoy your trip>

we too were disappointed in the waterford tour BUT if you have never seen glass blown or if you have kids with you we would suggest that you visit waterford.....i would not drive 100+ miles just to see it but if you are in the area it is worth your time...the sales room is interesting just to look around also...

if you have seen glass blown elsewhere then i would not waste the valuable touring time...

you see glass blowing, glass etching by hand (using a machine), speical pieces made for trophies, etc, packing, design and a spotless factory...all of this comes at a price of course....it is business with them..

There are also crystal factories in Kinsale (Kinsale Crystal) and Galway Crystal if you are in those areas.

fyi - if you get the Ireland at a Glimpse book ( around $13) it is filled with 2 for 1 coupons.
We used the one for Waterford Crystal, so it only cost 6.50 for two of us to go through the tour.

We actually recovered the cost of the coupon books 2 or 3 times over, and we only went in the south of Ireland - tons of coupons went unused.

And the best place to buy the Ireland at a Glimpse book is www.irelandexpert.com

She sells it for US$11.95 w/ free shipping compared to the regular $14.95 price.

Every crystal company in Ireland says they were started by craftsman from Waterford - and they probably all were!
We liked Tipperary Crystal and the small Kinsale Crystal store. We weren't thrilled with Waterford, the town or factory, but then again - we're not crystal people. I bought a tiny budvase to remember our visit - and that was more than enough. If you love crystal, you might want to go to Waterford. If you have just a passing interest, any crystal store in Ireland is probably just fine. I'd chose one close to where I planned to visit.