Tefillin: Why are some more expensive than others?

This week we received an inquiry from a grandmother in Georgia trying to buy a good set of tefillin for her almost-13-year-old grandson.

I am in search of Tefillin and was directed to [name of webstore deleted]. I am wondering as to the difference in cost for seemingly the same items. Please advise me by providing a comparison between their basic kosher Tefillin Peshutim and your Tefillin Peshutim if you can. Thanks

"Buying a decent set of tefillin is not easy," I wrote her, "so if you're feeling a bit bewildered, you're not alone."

I get the impression that [the webstore in question] is a reputable dealer, but there is really no useful information on their tefillin product pages.

I cannot tell who makes the tefillin or the size of the boxes. But the truth is, even if that information were listed, it wouldn't help that much. When you buy tefillin, especially in the $200-$400 range, you have to be certain the tefillin you are receiving are really kosher.
 

A lot of small details in the production process can render a set of tefillin not kosher. Probably the main issue is the writing of the parchments inside. 

Just about every tefillin dealer out there will assure you all of the tefillin he sells are "100% kosher." So you have to have confidence in the tefillin dealer you buy from. 

I really can't say why that webstore prices their tefillin peshutim so much higher than our tefillin. It could be that their supplier is located in the U.S. and charges much more than our Israeli supplier. Or it could be that they have a large profit margin on their tefillin. We have a very low profit margin on our tefillin, because we've found that a lot of people buying tefillin online want to spend under $250 for tefillin peshutim and under $450 for tefillin gassot.

In general, you should buy the best tefillin you can afford, because upgrading is not just a matter of aesthetics.

Also, keep in mind that if you expect the recipient to wrap tefillin every day, you should try to buy tefillin gassot. Tefillin peshutim and tefillin dakkot are made of relatively thin leather, so they are prone to damage, and if they do get damaged or lose their shape over time, it's often impossible to fix them.
 

Tefillin gassot, on the other hand, can easily last 20 or 30 years. I bought my last set of tefillin (tefillin gassot) just before my wedding 17 years ago. A year or two I had the straps replaced, and some light reshaping, and they were pretty much as good as new.

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