Tools of Japan

[Andres26tnt]

I must have these. Thank you for sharing.

Currently not available through Amazon unfortunately. You need to buy from a different vendor. Buyee will be your best bet probably.

PS: For those who Don't know Buyee is a service(middle man) to buy items from Yahoo auctions, Mercari and Rakuten. Restrictions on size, but for tools is great as you can buy them without any issue. A lot of vendors in Japan to including some that sell in Amazon won't ship overseas. That website takes care of that easy.

 

[jsackin]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

 

[four.cycle]

Mr. Sackin - take a look at "Merry"

consistent favorite in the "Tools of Japan" thread.

 

[00 Scrub]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

Keiba, I like them the most of the Japanese pliers I’ve used

 

[Fedwrench]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

KTC if possible but, I'm not sure how much product overlap between brands you would want to take a risk with.

 

[Chris F]

In response to jsackin, Engineer brand tools.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Engineer is another line of pliers similar to (but not identical) to Vampire. (Supposedly Engineer makes some of Vampire's product? )

Rather than dual-line, Merry might be a better choice. Vampire and Engineer don't seem to offer the "specialty" stuff (flush-cut zip-tie cutters that retain the cut-off end, for example.)

Top right: "Search". Next to that box that says "Search Everywhere", select from the drop-down menu "THIS THREAD". Then in the search window, enter "XYZ" (brand name). No need to skim through the entire thread.

BK

 

[moemc]

Currently not available through Amazon unfortunately. You need to buy from a different vendor. Buyee will be your best bet probably.

PS: For those who Don't know Buyee is a service(middle man) to buy items from Yahoo auctions, Mercari and Rakuten. Restrictions on size, but for tools is great as you can buy them without any issue. A lot of vendors in Japan to including some that sell in Amazon won't ship overseas. That website takes care of that easy.

I just ordered it directly at: https://ips-tool.co.jp/

I had it shipped to my Blackship mailbox.

Seemed like the prices on their website were not as low as the Amazon prices etc, but thats ok. This item isnt even on there yet.

It was $31.88 USD shipped to Blackship. Of course, I will find out in a day or 2 what type of "foreign transaction fee" my card issuing bank gives me for doing a transaction in Yen and having them override the AVS (the IPS website wouldn't let me specify a US billing address).

 

[KnurledNut]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

DRPD had to part ways with KTC/Nepros recently due to a substantial price increase.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/howdy-from-drpd.488837/post-11095856

 

[rick carpenter]

Gotta love Japanese limited edition tools

Purchased through rakuten(finally got my account working). Limited edition Anex quick ball No.397-L1. comes with a diamond coated blade. I'm trying out the blades for my custom 3D printed screwdrivers. I really like the grippiness of the coating. Pair that coating with JIS and it's a dream blade. The driver is the standard quick ball ratchet 72t, just blacked out with a splash of red on the switch. Great driver with smooth action. The drawback is the slot is quick tight, not every blade fit. Some get stuck and takes quite some force to remove them or flip them. Almost got my Anex 100mm bit stuck, had to use some pliers to remove it. So with that I'm keeping it exclusively for this double sided blades. Those for better with any troubles. My regular 60t version does not have this issue.

I'm drooling over this, @Andres26tnt ! Anything else to differentiate it from the standard 397? I love my 397, and the blade retention to me is perfect for a friction-fit system. Not sure why Anex would want to jack with that but oh well.

 

[Andres26tnt]

I just ordered it directly at: https://ips-tool.co.jp/

I had it shipped to my Blackship mailbox.

Seemed like the prices on their website were not as low as the Amazon prices etc, but thats ok. This item isnt even on there yet.

It was $31.88 USD shipped to Blackship. Of course, I will find out in a day or 2 what type of "foreign transaction fee" my card issuing bank gives me for doing a transaction in Yen and having them override the AVS (the IPS website wouldn't let me specify a US billing address).

Yeah I payed just under 20$ shipped to my house here in Japan. So not to bad for the overseas shipping at 32$. Great little pliers, they definitely need to come out with bigger sizes. The grip is really good on the tips.

 

[Andres26tnt]

I'm drooling over this, @Andres26tnt ! Anything else to differentiate it from the standard 397? I love my 397, and the blade retention to me is perfect for a friction-fit system. Not sure why Anex would want to jack with that but oh well.

So it's just a standard 397 but in all black, plus the diamond coated blade. Nothing much different. A lot of limited tools here are just that, a different color.

As for the tightness, I'm not sure. Looks like they coated the hex with black. Maybe that's enough to make it that way. I tested a bunch of blades and most were hard to remove. Or I'm thinking it just needs some lube and ware from sustain use. I'm gonna test some more blades to find the right ones.

 

[Dave455]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

Can’t really make a “request” as I’m not local, but if you wanted some ideas….

For pliers it’s hard to beat Tsunoda. They make a variety of lines, not all are made in Japan, but their top end “King TTC” line are, and even these are not costly.

The King TTC are a great alternative for general purpose use e.g. these linemans pliers


But they excel in some areas, such as cable cutters


Or these flat nose


Merry are also worth of note. Some unique tools on offer such as these Y75


But Merry seem to specialise in the larger pliers.



If you are getting pliers, consider Victor. Their “Plus” line are the absolute finest I’ve seen, although they are geared towards electricians needs. I think Victor are owned by Fujiya now, so could be easy for you.


Lobster adjustables are nice. The coloured dip coatings are unique to Lobster, and optional.


Consider the regular KTC line too. Although in some areas (sockets and accessories) there is common ground with KoKen, they offer many things that KoKen don’t (e.g. wrenches). These long pattern M160 are superb.

 

[Dave455]

As are their M5 box ends. These are the short patterns M5S.
The BRSW3 ratchets with the compact round head are fairly unique, and high quality.

And these KTC drivers have much higher quality handles than the KoKen.


I notice you have some Vessel.

Maybe consider adding the Power Grip line. These are their top of the range drivers, but few retailers keep them, let alone the whole range.

 

[Qualitytools]

As are their M5 box ends. These are the short patterns M5S.
The BRSW3 ratchets with the compact round head are fairly unique, and high quality.

And these KTC drivers have much higher quality handles than the KoKen.


I notice you have some Vessel.

Maybe consider adding the Power Grip line. These are their top of the range drivers, but few retailers keep them, let alone the whole range.

I Love those Vessel colored handles.

 

[jptbay]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

KTC socketry is awesome value and super high quality. Same compact dimensions as Nepros, just not as fancy.

 

[Shelbylex]

We have a group of Japanese exporters coming to our store on May 12th looking to see what else we can buy from them, so if you guys have any requests let me know and I'll see if it's possible to bring it in. We already carry: Ko-ken, Shinwa, Top, Vessel, Fugiya, Tajima, Kakuri, Kanetsune, and Toyo. Already had requests for IPS and Nepros.

One more for Nepros - they had a nice 6 point DBE wrenches (I wonder what are their prices in Japan - DRPD was selling them for ? 20 something on sale before they stopped... Missed it...)

 

[Steel_Rain]

KTC socketry is awesome value and super high quality. Same compact dimensions as Nepros, just not as fancy.

Not sure why there isn’t more praise of KTC’s socketry on GC, but damn, they are very hard to beat for value for money and the quality is top
notch:




My go-to dedicated 10mm on a shortie KTC rotohead:

 

[Jeff]

I notice you have some Vessel.

Maybe consider adding the Power Grip line. These are their top of the range drivers, but few retailers keep them, let alone the whole range.

My first pair of Vessel drivers were the Power Grips. I beat the beejesus out of them. Now they're like an old trusted friend.

 

[ecotec]

Mr. Sackin - take a look at "Merry"

consistent favorite in the "Tools of Japan" thread.

Yes. The HS175C disconnect pliers get a lot of love on this site.

 

[KnurledNut]

@jsackin
Do you guys carry arborist supplies? Check out Silky. Highly regarded Japanese saws.
https://silkysaws.com/history

 

[jsackin]

Thanks for all the suggestions! When they get here I'm going to sit them down to some KC BBQ and show them this thread.

 

[jsackin]

@jsackin
Do you guys carry arborist supplies? Check out Silky. Highly regarded Japanese saws.
https://silkysaws.com/history

We do carry Silky. A friend of mine is a tree trimmer and showed us them awhile back. They're awesome.

 

[a57belair2]

Just wondering, as this has happened almost every time from Amazon.jp. By the time my box hits my door in the US it is always missing items. Does anyone else have this issue? Today my box was missing 10 things!

 

[mattstevens]

I have had an order split into multiple shipments a few times, but everything always made it to me.

I did receive some extra items once that must have been from someone else's order, they just told me to keep them.

 

[Steel_Rain]

Just wondering, as this has happened almost every time from Amazon.jp. By the time my box hits my door in the US it is always missing items. Does anyone else have this issue? Today my box was missing 10 things!

Before I moved to Blackship, I only ordered a handful of items directly from AJP, but while the box looked beat up, I never had anything missing.

 

[Andres26tnt]

Just wondering, as this has happened almost every time from Amazon.jp. By the time my box hits my door in the US it is always missing items. Does anyone else have this issue? Today my box was missing 10 things!

Are you sure they were payed for and shipped on the website? Some Amazon vendor will not ship overseas, or will hold the out of stock items.

 

[a57belair2]

Are you sure they were payed for and shipped on the website? Some Amazon vendor will not ship overseas, or will hold the out of stock items.

All items are shipped and sold from Amazon.jp. What is odd is I'll get one of two of the same items. Box was ripped, so maybe some items fell out. Including my KTC ratchet!

 

[a57belair2]

Before I moved to Blackship, I only ordered a handful of items directly from AJP, but while the box looked beat up, I never had anything missing.

Right now I'm building up packages at Blackship for my first try at that. How do you like Blackship.

 

[Andres26tnt]

All items are shipped and sold from Amazon.jp. What is odd is I'll get one of two of the same items. Box was ripped, so maybe some items fell out. Including my KTC ratchet!

Aa ok yeah Amazon themselves **** at packaging items. if it's second party vendor, most package them nicely. If it was ripped then that's what happens most likely.

 

[terrific]

I was amazed that my orders from Amazon.jp and Amazon.de were not missing items. Smaller packages were in good condition, and there were actually some really cleverly folded cardboard mailers from amazon.jp. But larger packages arrived with zero padding, holes, the tape having failed, and the whole thing only just hanging together.
Zoro actually did something similar once, shipping a bunch of loose sockets at the bottom of a 3'x3' box which also contained a much larger and heavier item.
Maybe there should be a picture thread for best and worst packaging.

 

[terrific]

Thanks for all the suggestions! When they get here I'm going to sit them down to some KC BBQ and show them this thread.

I don't know if they would sell well, but I wanted a couple of these wrenches from Asahi and never found a place to actually buy them. https://asahitool-online-store.com/collections/sst-strong-type-thin-spanner-8-24-mm-8-sizes

 

[a57belair2]

Aa ok yeah Amazon themselves **** at packaging items. if it's second party vendor, most package them nicely. If it was ripped then that's what happens most likely.

Amazon.jp did right by me tonight. They refunded the whole 46,000 yen order. I was not expecting that! New ratchets on the way to Blackship. Hopefully those make it to me ok.

 

[bkdc]

Mailman just dropped these off. One more access related option. 10 through 24 except 20 and 23.

 

[Steel_Rain]

How do you like Blackship.

Blackship is amazing. It's obviously more money then direct from AJP, but it's a seamless process and since you get a Japanese address, your access to products opens up tremendously. The support folks have been spot on with quick replies and zero translation issues.

 

[bkdc]

I’ve used Tenso.com for years and have been pleased with the service. It’s not lightning fast, but it’s been very reliable. So this is the first I’m reading of Blackship which is what everyone here is recommending.

 

[four.cycle]

Not sure why there isn’t more praise of KTC’s socketry on GC,

^ I'm going to assume that's a typo and you meant "GJ", but I digress.....

My first guess regarding "lack of praise for KTC" would be availability - where do you buy it?
For some of us, dealing with alternate suppliers and different shippers might be a determining factor.
Can this stuff simply be ordered through Amazon.com? Or ?

Bear in mind that if there is any sort of learning curve involved, some of us won't go there - simply from pigheadedness or otherwise.

We do carry Silky.

Consistently the highest rated saw for trail work by members of nwhikers.net, many of whom volunteer for WDFW or USFS or NPS.
I carry a little folding "Bahco" - because it was dirt cheap and I break stuff. Silky is hands-down a better trail saw.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Dave's suggestion about Tsunoda is spot on. They are also one of the Japanese pliers suppliers whose products consistently get high marks here - more so than Engineer, Merry, or Vampire. But again, Merry has some specialty stuff that nobody else seems to offer.

 

[Steel_Rain]

^ I'm going to assume that's a typo and you meant "GJ", but I digress.....

My first guess regarding "lack of praise for KTC" would be availability - where do you buy it?
For some of us, dealing with alternate suppliers and different shippers might be a determining factor.
Can this stuff simply be ordered through Amazon.com? Or ?

Bear in mind that if there is any sort of learning curve involved, some of us won't go there - simply from pigheadedness or otherwise.

GC, general contractor, sorry, force of habit.

Your 100% spot on. I feel like KTC has very little presence in the USA, unlike Koken.

They need to remove DRPD from this list since they are no longer partners:



Can't say I've heard of the other three...

I get everything from AJP (Amazon Japan) using Blackship. Fun fact...when you get Japanese address from Blackship and input that into AJP, a huge amount of items "suddenly" become in stock and visible. Weird how that works... That said...and like you eluded, many folks just aren't interested in going that extra mile or braving something new or different with such great distances, more expense and language barriers involved...and ya know what, I get it.

 

[four.cycle]

many folks just aren't interested in going that extra mile or braving something new or different with such great distances, more expense and language barriers involved.

After having been stung on a couple purchases directly from mainland China, I am among that crowd myself.

If a company wants to gain market share in this country, they need to make their products readily available without a lot of effort on the part of the buyer. There is a reason Amazon became so wildly successful.

 

[DekNgo]

GC, general contractor, sorry, force of habit.

Your 100% spot on. I feel like KTC has very little presence in the USA, unlike Koken.

They need to remove DRPD from this list since they are no longer partners:



Can't say I've heard of the other three...

I get everything from AJP (Amazon Japan) using Blackship. Fun fact...when you get Japanese address from Blackship and input that into AJP, a huge amount of items "suddenly" become in stock and visible. Weird how that works... That said...and like you eluded, many folks just aren't interested in going that extra mile or braving something new or different with such great distances, more expense and language barriers involved...and ya know what, I get it.

I've purchased from Whale Supply (both from their Amazon storefront as well as their own website) with good results. They're more expensive than buying direct from Amazon Japan if you can get it shipped directly but they're cheaper than having to use a forwarding service such as Blackship.