Dewalt tool cases, your thoughts?

[Stuey]

Dewalt Tough System Preview
I've been waiting almost 3 months for these to hit the market, and I'm very excited to see that they're about out.

From what I could see, they're cheaper than pelican cases, festool systainers, and Bosch's L-boxx tool boxes.

The price is still a little high for those who won't use them for jobsite tool transport, but imho they're versatile enough that some DIYers may buy one or two anyways.

From the very brief time I checked 'em out during a preview in June, my opinion was that they're insanely robust.

They're made in Israel (possibly) at the same Stanley factory that designed and produces my favorite compartmental organizer and a bunch of other Stanley storage products (bins, etc).

What do you guys think - are you a fan for or against cases like this? As for me, I tossed out half my blow-mold power tools cases and prefer a unifying system for most of them. I kept the more durable cases, but they're still bulky and waste more space than they need to.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Re: Dewalt tool cases, you thoughts?

Who makes them? Keter and Zag are both made in Israel.

 

[Stuey]

Re: Dewalt tool cases, you thoughts?

Who makes them? Keter and Zag are both made in Israel.

I believe it's Zag. I asked the product manager, and she said, yes, that's "us". The conversation was a little confusing to say the least, but I am fairly confident that these are made by Zag. Zag is now owned by Stanley Black & Decker, and seems to have been absorbed into Stanley.

It could be that Keter made/makes some plastic products for Zag/Stanley, but that's not something I'm at all familiar with.

But I do know that Zag/Stanley development their own products, and from my research I know that they have their own fully-owned production facilities as well.

 

[american lockpicker]

Re: Dewalt tool cases, you thoughts?

Interesting.

 

[Monte]

Re: Dewalt tool cases, you thoughts?

They look and feel robust and strong

 

[Stuey]

Re: Dewalt tool cases, you thoughts?

They look and feel robust and strong

Where did you get a chance to check 'em out? They're still a few weeks away from USA launch, and I wouldn't have thought they'd come out in Europe sooner.

This may sound strange, but I'm itching to take a sledge hammer to one to see what will happen. I have a feeling that the case material is tough enough that it'll just bounce the blow right back. If I did the same to an L-Boxx or Systainer, I would imagine that they might crack or break.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

While they look neat, honestly, most of the contractors I know end up using empty 5-gallon buckets for hand tools and the like, simply because things have a habit of getting broken and screwed up on the job. Battery-op screwguns and impacts stay in their original cases, but just about everything else, from circular saws to sawzalls, just ends up in a truck side box.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Agreed on the 5 gallon bucket. I had to install a couple security cameras and wireless access point on a roof, just hauled everything up in a bucket. Plus I had a place for my garbage!

 

[Stuey]

I've seen 5 gallon buckets used quite often, w/ and w/o tool pouches and liners. But for power tools, these cases definitely have potential. Similar systems are quite popular in Europe, and I'm fairly sure that they haven't been picked up here based on cost and durability. Systainers are nice for organization, but I can't imagine having to tote those around back and forth in the back of a truck or otherwise - they just seem to fragile to me.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

I've seen 5 gallon buckets used quite often, w/ and w/o tool pouches and liners. But for power tools, these cases definitely have potential. Similar systems are quite popular in Europe, and I'm fairly sure that they haven't been picked up here based on cost and durability. Systainers are nice for organization, but I can't imagine having to tote those around back and forth in the back of a truck or otherwise - they just seem to fragile to me.

What a lot of the guys I know say about the majority of tool cases is that they're just a pain in the ***. When you're constantly moving tools around - doing rough framing on one job, flooring on another, and finish work on a third job in the same day - having to load and unload a bunch of tool boxes just gets tiring, not to mention needing a lot more space for all those boxes when you're using the tools. Even multi-tool containers have the same issue, which is only exacerbated if you're hauling that box out and only need one tool out of it.

I can see this sort of thing being useful for specialised subcontractors, but a lot of the outfits around here - including the one my dad works for - go from an empty field to a finished house with minimal subcontracting, and if they had to store all the various tools in their respective boxes, there wouldn't be any space for building materials on their trucks.

I will say how I can see how this type of setup would be really useful for guys who build in the city and do a lot of work in office buildings and the like, where the ability to pack your gear up into a couple modular boxes and slip them onto a spiffier furniture dolly at the beginning and end of the day would eliminate multiple trips up and down moving tools, but I honestly don't have any experience in that sort of construction environment, so it's just a guess.

 

[Monte]

Re: Dewalt tool cases, you thoughts?

Where did you get a chance to check 'em out? They're still a few weeks away from USA launch, and I wouldn't have thought they'd come out in Europe sooner.

Several Dewalt dealers already have them in stock usually all 3 sizes and the "DSCarrier". Since about a month i think. I will try to shoot some pics during next week. Several Dewalt "XR" tools also come in these boxes which are also already available here.

some flyer/catalog pics:

This may sound strange, but I'm itching to take a sledge hammer to one to see what will happen. I have a feeling that the case material is tough enough that it'll just bounce the blow right back. If I did the same to an L-Boxx or Systainer, I would imagine that they might crack or break.

report back which case survived

 

[Stuey]

BrokewrenchLS1, thank you very much for sharing your stance with me. I've heard similar from a few others, but none of them explained their views as clearly as you did.

Monte, no fair! I don't think any of the USA combo kits come with tough cases, at least none I've seen thus far. http://www.dewalt.com/tool-categories/cordless-combo-packs-20v-max-combo-packs.aspx

Thanks also, for those scans! Although now I'm even more anxious to get my hands on one for review. What I like about the smallest design is that it has handles everywhere. Much better design than single-handled cases that come with most tools.

 

[demographic]

What's the COO on those boxes?

There's very few countries that I try and actively boycott, Israel's one of them.

 

[Stuey]

That question's answered in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd posts of the thread. Everyone's entitled to their personal boycotts, but let's try not to bring politics into the thread.

 

[dwm]

I don't buy into the three-sizes-fits-all scheme. One of the reasons I continue to use the original Systainers: many sizes available, the Maxi-Systainers work with the standard Systainers, Sortainers work with them, etc. I don't use them for job-site stuff, only at home and occasional help of friends/family. I like the features of many of the others (T-Loc, L-Boxx and the DeWalt) but there just aren't enough sizes and configuration options to prompt me to switch.

 

[dave26]

Dewalt drills totally dominate the carpentry industry in the UK. I would think that their other products are good quality but I would not expect them to be the best like their drills. Their drills are on another level, it seems that 9 out of 10 carpenters I see over here have a Dewalt cordless on their side.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

I will say how I can see how this type of setup would be really useful for guys who build in the city and do a lot of work in office buildings and the like, where the ability to pack your gear up into a couple modular boxes and slip them onto a spiffier furniture dolly at the beginning and end of the day would eliminate multiple trips up and down moving tools, but I honestly don't have any experience in that sort of construction environment, so it's just a guess.

^^This^^.

That's the environment where these sort of things shine. I like my bucket for easy access around the plant and also the fact that at the end of the day, I can put it in my gangbox without any rearranging (I put a divider in there to keep other stuff from encroaching on it's turf) and grab it in the morning already ready to go.

 

[Outlawmws]

If the quality of the boxes are like the quality of the tool case, these should be good from that aspect. I converted one of the tool cases into a case for my hunting handguns with a little modification, and the proper foam padding inside. ($$$) It works great, and even has a place for a pad lock to meet transport requirements here.

However, I think I agree, a home/hobbyist or a specialty technician is more likely to use these than construction or trade workers. In my experience those guys almost take pride in the two buckets of tools approach.

 

[american lockpicker]

What's the COO on those boxes?

There's very few countries that I try and actively boycott, Israel's one of them.

Why?

 

[NCCheesehead]

So what is the projected price point? Are they completely waterproof like a pelican?

 

[american lockpicker]

Are they completely waterproof like a pelican?

I would like to know that.

 

[Stuey]

If the quality of the boxes are like the quality of the tool case, these should be good from that aspect. I converted one of the tool cases into a case for my hunting handguns with a little modification, and the proper foam padding inside. ($$$) It works great, and even has a place for a pad lock to meet transport requirements here.

However, I think I agree, a home/hobbyist or a specialty technician is more likely to use these than construction or trade workers. In my experience those guys almost take pride in the two buckets of tools approach.

They're like Dewalt's tool cases on steroids. Makes the regular tool cases, which I agree are spectacular compared to other brands' kit boxes, look like cardboard boxes.

So what is the projected price point? Are they completely waterproof like a pelican?

$45, $55, $65 for the cases, $160 for the carrier.

Going by Monte's flyer photos (thanks again!), the cases are IP65, meaning dust-tight and can endure pressurized water jets without issue. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

You won't be able to submerge them, but they'll handle any (normal) weather or jobsite conditions.

 

[Monte]

Monte, no fair! I don't think any of the USA combo kits come with tough cases, at least none I've seen thus far. http://www.dewalt.com/tool-categories/cordless-combo-packs-20v-max-combo-packs.aspx

Thanks also, for those scans! Although now I'm even more anxious to get my hands on one for review. What I like about the smallest design is that it has handles everywhere. Much better design than single-handled cases that come with most tools.

Maybe they will add the tough cases later to the combo kits ? wouls make sense to offer them with kits...

The promised pics: