Facom Cantilever Tool Box Group Buy??

[Stuey]

I ordered a Facom cantilever tool box for myself and although it will take a few weeks to arrive, I'm very optimistic about its quality.

I had a thought - would anyone be interested in participating in a group buy? I might be able to negotiate a discount, but the sales rep won't discuss numbers until I can offer a rough quantity.

Right now the non-discounted price looks to be $85 shipped with maybe 4-week lead time.

I'm not looking for blood-oath commitments, just feeling around for numbers to help me discuss a potential discount.

Details: 5 trays, rough outer dimensions of 22" x 9" x 10"

Supposedly it's made in Italy.

 

[PT Doc]

Depending on total price to be delivered to me, I could be in for one. What colors?

 

[Sloper0204]

I'm in for two.

 

[Jagmandave]

Facom is supposed to be top quality stuff, it's what a lot of the F1 teams use.....

The only colors I've ever seen them in are red/black......I'll be curious to see what you think of the box when you get it.

 

[Stuey]

Depending on total price to be delivered to me, I could be in for one. What colors?

What's your target price?

Red & black.

Facom is supposed to be top quality stuff, it's what a lot of the F1 teams use.....

The only colors I've ever seen them in are red/black......I'll be curious to see what you think of the box when you get it.

2 wrenches are holding back my order until the first or second week of December.

I really like the looks of it, especially the 2-handle design. The hazet I ordered from a member here is stiff and still requires effort to push apart. I figure I paid $110 plus $25 shipping, and based it is NOT worth that much.

At $85, the Facom definitely seems worth it. But I won't know for sure until it arrives.

 

[jk47]

I have had the same Facom box for 6 weeks and think it's well worth $85. It doesn't take too much effort to open. I don't have experience with Hazet or any other tool truck brand cantilevers boxes, but the only knock against the Facom might be the sheet metal being a touch thin. Maybe Stuey can chime in when he gets his...

I added a few small rubber bumps on the bottom, to keep it off the ground. I think they were 1/4" clear sticky furniture pads, and they fit perfect into the holes on the bottom.

 

[Eds_tls]

I'm very interested

 

[fivespdcat]

As long as it does end up being Italian, I'm in.

 

[mofo62]

.

I love this Facom BoxHand, soon soon in my hands...


Go work...



V!

 

[Farmer Joe]

I'd be in if we could get a lower price. Looks like a real nice box.

 

[joeswamp]

I'm not sure if that thing is made in Italy. I know there was a Chinese version of it that looked _exactly_ the same (except it was orange and gray) that was available a year or two ago, and folks were wondering if this Chinese factory was the supplier for Facom. I bought one for 40 bucks and have been really impressed by the quality and the design.

Edit: Here's the Chinese version from the mfg's web site:

http://www.excel-hardware.com/product_detail.asp?cat=1&pid=115

I don't know where you can get that box today, I got it from some importer on ebay.

 

[bart1]

FYI, my Hazet is not stiff at all. Easy to grab a half of the lid in each hand and open it right up. Nice box for what it is. If you still have yours, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on a direct comparison to the Facom.

 

[american lockpicker]

If it was made in France and marked as such I would be interested.

 

[Stuey]

Price now looks to be $60-65 shipped direct w/o hassle of a group buy. Might still be able to negotiate a quantity discount.

http://www.stanleysupplyservices.com/product-detail.aspx?pn=458-696

I'm not sure if that thing is made in Italy. I know there was a Chinese version of it that looked _exactly_ the same (except it was orange and gray) that was available a year or two ago, and folks were wondering if this Chinese factory was the supplier for Facom. I bought one for 40 bucks and have been really impressed by the quality and the design.

Edit: Here's the Chinese version from the mfg's web site:

http://www.excel-hardware.com/product_detail.asp?cat=1&pid=115

I don't know where you can get that box today, I got it from some importer on ebay.

The Facom is 22" long, the Excel ~19". You can get that Excel, or one just like it, for $37 via Amazon.

FYI, my Hazet is not stiff at all. Easy to grab a half of the lid in each hand and open it right up. Nice box for what it is. If you still have yours, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on a direct comparison to the Facom.

I still have the Hazet, and it's still decent enough that I won't look to get rid of it, but not nice enough for me to spend $135 on another. I can definitely do a comparison when the Facom arrives.

 

[jk47]

Price now looks to be $60-65 shipped direct w/o hassle of a group buy. Might still be able to negotiate a quantity discount.

http://www.stanleysupplyservices.com/product-detail.aspx?pn=458-696



The Facom is 22" long, the Excel ~19". You can get that Excel, or one just like it, for $37 via Amazon.




I still have the Hazet, and it's still decent enough that I won't look to get rid of it, but not nice enough for me to spend $135 on another. I can definitely do a comparison when the Facom arrives.

Now I feel like I got ripped off

Maybe the old one was made in Italy and the new one in China/Taiwan????

 

[Stuey]

Now I feel like I got ripped off

Maybe the old one was made in Italy and the new one in China/Taiwan????

I'm not sure, but one of the first things I'll do is hunt for a COO label.

How much did you buy yours for? You can also do what I sometimes do in situations like this - buy another, and/or convince yourself that the 6-10 weeks of use you got out of your purchase was worth the extra premium before the price drop.

 

[PowerGenGuy]

How does this compare to the UT22 from SO?

 

[jk47]

I'm not sure, but one of the first things I'll do is hunt for a COO label.

How much did you buy yours for? You can also do what I sometimes do in situations like this - buy another, and/or convince yourself that the 6-10 weeks of use you got out of your purchase was worth the extra premium before the price drop.

Bought from same source for $85, The COO label was covered by Stanley in the states by another blank label. I could make out most of the other writing, except the COO, which was too faded.

It was shipped by Facom in France to Stanley in Arizona...

I just fired off an email to them asking if they could help a guy out, and if they could provide a COO.

Ultimate Garage Steve had it's COO as Italy in his master Facom list before he edited out all the COO's. Who knows, he first claimed the 440 wrenches were made in the Czech Republic, and then on his very own list they were Taiwan. Czezh Republic reference removed from his site in all fairness though.

I'm losing respect for Facom after I saw the master COO list,and all the PRC/Taiwan tools. Yet another company being bastardized by Stanley and charging premium prices.

 

[Stuey]

Bought from same source for $85, The COO label was covered by Stanley in the states by another blank label. I could make out most of the other writing, except the COO, which was too faded.

It was shipped by Facom in France to Stanley in Arizona...

I just fired off an email to them asking if they could help a guy out, and if they could provide a COO.

Ultimate Garage Steve had it's COO as Italy in his master Facom list before he edited out all the COO's. Who knows, he first claimed the 440 wrenches were made in the Czech Republic, and then on his very own list they were Taiwan. Czezh Republic reference removed from his site in all fairness though.

I'm losing respect for Facom after I saw the master COO list,and all the PRC/Taiwan tools. Yet another company being bastardized by Stanley and charging premium prices.

When I checked the other day, the Ultimate Garage listed the COO for the box as Italy.

It's unfortunate, but it looks like almost everyone is outsourcing these days. =(

I do have a couple of Taiwan-made Stanley tools, and to be honest, I like some of them a lot. My 6-inch Stanley wrench is smoother and better built that a couple of USA-made ones. And my FatMax pliers are more finely finished than Gearwrench/Crescent Pro pliers.

I ordered a couple of other Facom tools to try out, will see how that goes.

 

[jk47]

When I checked the other day, the Ultimate Garage listed the COO for the box as Italy.

It's unfortunate, but it looks like almost everyone is outsourcing these days. =(

I do have a couple of Taiwan-made Stanley tools, and to be honest, I like some of them a lot. My 6-inch Stanley wrench is smoother and better built that a couple of USA-made ones. And my FatMax pliers are more finely finished than Gearwrench/Crescent Pro pliers.

I ordered a couple of other Facom tools to try out, will see how that goes.

I do have the 440 wrench set, paid $110 shipped for a 14 piece metric set in their interesting little holder from the Tool Academy in the UK. If I had known it was a Taiwan product, would I have bought it? No...

I can't justify buying PRC/Taiwan for even mid level pricing. The wrenches are decent, but just knowing that someone was paid pennies in what very well could have been a sweat shop, just irks me. If companies are outsourcing to cheap labor countries, I believe the savings should be past on to the consumer, not that companies marketing budget.

I also have the Facom R2 Nano set purchased from Stanley Supply for $85 shipped at the beginning of the year. I feel like I got a deal compared to other vendors that were asking $150-$200 at that time. It was also listed as made in Taiwan on The master COO list, but I felt it was worth it.

I will no longer buy anything from Facom unless I know it is made in Europe.

RANT OFF!!!!

 

[joeswamp]

The Facom is 22" long, the Excel ~19". You can get that Excel, or one just like it, for $37 via Amazon.

Are you sure about that dimension? We're talking about the Facom BT.11A right? According to this datasheet:

http://datasheet.octopart.com/BT.11A-Facom-datasheet-7840014.pdf

the Facom is 475mm long, which is 18.7 inches. In the Excel catalog the length of the TB1202A is 468mm. The precise overall length of these things is a little uncertain because the cantilever mechanism sticks out and wobbles a bit.

There are lots of Excel toolboxes on Amazon but I couldn't find the TB1202A on there. I suspect Excel just collects toolboxes from lots of different random Chinese factories and depending on the model you get it's either good or junk.

If you compare detailed pictures of the TB1202A and the BT.11A it's very hard to find a single difference. See Post #15 of this thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47393

 

[tonydanzah]

i love my hazet 190

 

[Stuey]

Are you sure about that dimension? We're talking about the Facom BT.11A right? According to this datasheet:

http://datasheet.octopart.com/BT.11A-Facom-datasheet-7840014.pdf

the Facom is 475mm long, which is 18.7 inches. In the Excel catalog the length of the TB1202A is 468mm. The precise overall length of these things is a little uncertain because the cantilever mechanism sticks out and wobbles a bit.

There are lots of Excel toolboxes on Amazon but I couldn't find the TB1202A on there. I suspect Excel just collects toolboxes from lots of different random Chinese factories and depending on the model you get it's either good or junk.

If you compare detailed pictures of the TB1202A and the BT.11A it's very hard to find a single difference. See Post #15 of this thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47393

BT.13A longest dimension is definitely 22".

 

[joeswamp]

OK now we're on the same page. I suspect Facom outsourced/supervised production of the BT.11A and then sort of lost control of that Chinese factory -- have heard of this happening before. You certainly don't see any of their other boxes being sold under the Excel name. Who knows, the BT.13A might still be produced in Europe.

 

[jk47]

Well, Stanley Supply told me to take my pricing issue up with the store i bought it from, and told me all Stanley tool boxes are made in the USA.

Obviously they didn't take the time to read my email detailing that I purchased a Facom box directly from them. I'm curious what their response will be this time.

 

[jk47]

They just responded to my reply email. They said the box is made in Italy, and will try and see if they can do anything about the price change.

Kudos to Stanley Supply for responding quickly and making an effort.

Here is the Facom link stating the boxes they make in their Italian factory...

http://www.facom.com/fr-en/a-232-Storage-.html

 

[Stuey]

Errr.... the price to work from is now $115.24. Don't know what the heck is going on now. =(

 

[Duarte]

Facom pricing has increased considerably as of late. I am glad I placed several orders, including the cantilever toolbox, before the hike.

 

[jk47]

Errr.... the price to work from is now $115.24. Don't know what the heck is going on now. =(

WTF... I would fire off an email to them to find out what is going on. I hope it wasn't me complaining about the price difference

Whooooa the prices jumped big time!!! 1/4", 3/8" palm control ratchets and 3/8"torque wrenches more than doubled since last night!!!

 

[knightmasks]

I have a bag of these and paid about € 39.90 in Portugal.

Dealer: www.intermaco.pt

 

[Rogue1987]

Errr.... the price to work from is now $115.24. Don't know what the heck is going on now. =(

Now I'm really glad I placed an order last night for that box before the price hike. Now lets see if I actually get it.

 

[BJ42LX]

Whooooa the prices jumped big time!!! 1/4", 3/8" palm control ratchets and 3/8"torque wrenches more than doubled since last night!!!

Yeah, it looks like they pulled all the discounts and everything is up to "list" price again.

 

[Stuey]

A lot of other items jumped in price as well.

I really hope that someone didn't see all the new attention and decide to hike prices in response.

I think that the prospect of a group buy discount went out the window. =(

 

[fivespdcat]

Yeah, I'm out at that price!

 

[Farmer Joe]

Yeah, I'm out at that price!

same here that *****

 

[PowerGenGuy]

Still the UT22 is about 130$, how is that one compared to the Facom?

 

[Stuey]

Still the UT22 is about 130$, how is that one compared to the Facom?

Not sure, but the U22 is made in China.

 

[Rogue1987]

Now I'm really glad I placed an order last night for that box before the price hike. Now lets see if I actually get it.

Got an email confirmation today @ $49, but its four to six weeks out.

Time to learn more patience

 

[JMcFly]

so I'm guessing the group buy for the facom box is out?

 

[Stuey]

so I'm guessing the group buy for the facom box is out?

Most likely. =(