Tool chest options in Australia

[bleep4032]

I know this has probably been asked before, but I’m based in Australia and currently looking for a tool chest to properly organize my tools instead of keeping them split across multiple bags. Unfortunately, the quality of most Australian brands doesn’t inspire much confidence. While I don’t use my tools professionally (aside from coffee grinder, roasting, and espresso machine repairs), I’d still like a tool chest or cart that’s of higher quality and not made in China.

I’ve considered options like Hazet and Snap-on, though Snap-on feels like overkill for my needs—despite their appealing quality. I’m also looking at the KSRC46 model since my workspace is quite tight, and that size would just fit. I’d love to go with Lista, but they seem impossible to source in Australia.

Does anyone have any advice or recommendations?

 

[nutsandbolts]

I've managed to get both a Hazet 179 big and a Stahlwille 98/7 Pro imported. The Hazet was probably 10 years ago the Stahlwille was from mister worker in the last few years.

https://www.misterworker.com/en/stahlwille/tool-trolley-with-7-drawers-anthracite-98-7-a-pro/73409.html

In no way is there a 'business case' but what the hell, you live once and I'm lucky enough to be able to do it. I remember the the shipping for the Stahlwille was about half the total cost, and then I got stung for import duties from the freight forwarder. I don't remember the total cost for either.

I'm tempted these days to let others do the work, look at these guys for Hazet

Hazet 8 Drawer Tool Trolley Assistent Single 179N-8

Shop for Hazet 8 Drawer Tool Trolley Assistent Single 179N-8 online at Mektronics Australia. Free shipping for orders $175+ & price matching available. Visit our website or call 1300 788 701.

mektronics.com.au

Don't think there are many other options for us out here.

Look here for some pics I took https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...-179-big-1-ever-seen-one.119767/#post-6434494

 

[bleep4032]

I've managed to get both a Hazet 179 big and a Stahlwille 98/7 Pro imported. The Hazet was probably 10 years ago the Stahlwille was from mister worker in the last few years.

https://www.misterworker.com/en/stahlwille/tool-trolley-with-7-drawers-anthracite-98-7-a-pro/73409.html

In no way is there a 'business case' but what the hell, you live once and I'm lucky enough to be able to do it. I remember the the shipping for the Stahlwille was about half the total cost, and then I got stung for import duties from the freight forwarder. I don't remember the total cost for either.

I'm tempted these days to let others do the work, look at these guys for Hazet

Hazet 8 Drawer Tool Trolley Assistent Single 179N-8

Shop for Hazet 8 Drawer Tool Trolley Assistent Single 179N-8 online at Mektronics Australia. Free shipping for orders $175+ & price matching available. Visit our website or call 1300 788 701.

mektronics.com.au

Don't think there are many other options for us out here.

Look here for some pics I took https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...-179-big-1-ever-seen-one.119767/#post-6434494

Checked out the exact Hazet one you linked and was seriously considering buying it. I've purchased from Mektronics before, and they were great. When I spoke to them about the delivery time for the Hazet, they mentioned it would take roughly three months. But if I'm going to spend $3,000, I might as well set aside an extra $768 and go for the Snap-on.

It does **** that our options are limited in Australia.

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Go with what you can get most comfortably and what can be serviced for years to come. If that is Hazet, don’t hesitate. Their quality is top notch, they don’t have to hide from any competitor.

But if you consider Snap-On overkill, honestly, no need to look at Lista - and especially not “new”.

If you can get the KSRC46 more comfortable/ at a better price point over any Hazet, definitely go with that. If I was ever to replace my current Snap-On Box, it would definitely be one with flip-top compartment. Just love that.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[F-22]

I'm from around the other side of the world. But are the Sidchrome toolcarts not that great?

Maybe check into Japanese tool boxes. KTC makes a few. The higher end ones and the innovative ones are branded as Nepros. They seem to be 1400€ here which is far less than what I expected of Nepros - I'm sure the ones with that name on it are sturdy.

 

[bleep4032]

Go with what you can get most comfortably and what can be serviced for years to come. If that is Hazet, don’t hesitate. Their quality is top notch, they don’t have to hide from any competitor.

But if you consider Snap-On overkill, honestly, no need to look at Lista - and especially not “new”.

If you can get the KSRC46 more comfortable/ at a better price point over any Hazet, definitely go with that. If I was ever to replace my current Snap-On Box, it would definitely be one with flip-top compartment. Just love that.

Kind regards,
Olli

I've definitely always had a soft spot for Hazet. I grew up with them, and some of the tools were handed down to me. Snap-On is more expensive by a couple hundred dollars; however, I do think a warranty claim would be easier through Snap-On compared to Hazet, as Snap-On has more of a presence here in Australia. I’ve always imported my Hazet tools through Amazon.de because they are ridiculously priced here.

And as you said, the flip-top compartment is a big selling point for me—I love that on the Snap-On.

 

[bleep4032]

I'm from around the other side of the world. But are the Sidchrome toolcarts not that great?

Maybe check into Japanese tool boxes. KTC makes a few. The higher end ones and the innovative ones are branded as Nepros. They seem to be 1400€ here which is far less than what I expected of Nepros - I'm sure the ones with that name on it are sturdy.

Don't quote me, but I believe Sidchrome isn't made in Australia anymore; their tools have been manufactured in Taiwan for the past 18 years. From what I understand, their quality can be a bit hit or miss. I rarely buy Australian brands, opting instead for German, Swiss, and Japanese tools.

Ironically, I did buy a KTC toolbox (not Nepros) and wasn’t too impressed with the quality. Unfortunately, they’re made in Taiwan, not Japan. The larger Nepros toolboxes aren’t available in Australia, and I haven’t been able to find anyone selling them. I do visit Japan regularly for my wife’s family, but buying larger items and shipping them back is just too costly.

 

[BlitzcrankJapan]

White International.
I am not sure what happened as the website does not show much anymore. They use to have a small range of tool chests and top boxes etc. maybe 10 different options.
I even emailed them a couple of years ago to make sure the boxes were actually made in Australia which they confirmed they were.
It looks like they may not be doing them anymore? If I were you I would call or email them to ask. They may have a warehouse of old stock even if they have stopped production.

Tool Chest

Tool Chest

www.whiteint.com.au

 

[BlitzcrankJapan]

Ironically, I did buy a KTC toolbox (not Nepros) and wasn’t too impressed with the quality. Unfortunately, they’re made in Taiwan, not Japan. The larger Nepros toolboxes aren’t available in Australia, and I haven’t been able to find anyone selling them. I do visit Japan regularly for my wife’s family, but buying larger items and shipping them back is just too costly.

KTC still has quite a few tool boxes and chests that are made in Japan.

Otherwise if you just want good quality. I have quite a few SP Tools products. They are top notch Taiwanese (mostly) tools and boxes and have great support here in Australia. Actually I believe SP Tools brand is owned here in Australia.

 

[F-22]

Sidchrome resells some Facom tools. Even if Taiwanese, those are all high quality. Like the wrenches. Not sure about the tool carts. I feel like the European tool carts are often a bit lacking.

If the price is close I would rather stretch out for the Snap On. Hazet does make some neat boxes but I think they're overpriced for what you get. And so is Snap On but with higher quality. I have three old Hazet Assistant tool carts (50's, 60's and I think 70's or 80's). I do not believe they're worth what they charge for the new ones at all. I only paid about 100-200€ per cart and I wouldn't spend much more unless I really wanted it for the iconic style. I have a few other Hazet, Stahlwille and Gedore tools. Honestly they always seem a bit lacklustre compared to what you can get from US or Japanese brands. I'd even say my Taiwan Facom tools are better made and better performing than any equivalent from these big three German brands.

 

[jabberwoki]

Find yourself a vintage Sidchrome.

 

[Jeeper99]

Do the snapon trucks in Australia make deals on in stock tool storage? In the USA snapon makes a run of several hundred of the same boxes, every dealer can order one for their truck with a rebate, the rebate is passed on to the customer. There's also a rebate for financing, you can finance a box, get the rebate, and pay it off tomorrow.

I would track down your local rep and see what he can offer you vs. the web site pricing. In the USA you never pay sticker price for a box off the truck. My coworker bought an in stock baby epiq stack with locker the other day, I want to say he paid $13k on a sticker price of $18k. 20-30% off sticker is pretty common, 40-50% happens on occasion when he's been sitting on it long enough.

 

[bleep4032]

Do the snapon trucks in Australia make deals on in stock tool storage? In the USA snapon makes a run of several hundred of the same boxes, every dealer can order one for their truck with a rebate, the rebate is passed on to the customer. There's also a rebate for financing, you can finance a box, get the rebate, and pay it off tomorrow.

I would track down your local rep and see what he can offer you vs. the web site pricing. In the USA you never pay sticker price for a box off the truck. My coworker bought an in stock baby epiq stack with locker the other day, I want to say he paid $13k on a sticker price of $18k. 20-30% off sticker is pretty common, 40-50% happens on occasion when he's been sitting on it long enough.

I was tempted to track down the local dealer and see if there is any discounts but I assume this wouldn't be the case in Australia as we're already paying 2x as much for the same boxes in most cases (taking into account USD-AUD) . Not too sure if anyone else can confirm this.

 

[bleep4032]

Sidchrome resells some Facom tools. Even if Taiwanese, those are all high quality. Like the wrenches. Not sure about the tool carts. I feel like the European tool carts are often a bit lacking.

If the price is close I would rather stretch out for the Snap On. Hazet does make some neat boxes but I think they're overpriced for what you get. And so is Snap On but with higher quality. I have three old Hazet Assistant tool carts (50's, 60's and I think 70's or 80's). I do not believe they're worth what they charge for the new ones at all. I only paid about 100-200€ per cart and I wouldn't spend much more unless I really wanted it for the iconic style. I have a few other Hazet, Stahlwille and Gedore tools. Honestly they always seem a bit lacklustre compared to what you can get from US or Japanese brands. I'd even say my Taiwan Facom tools are better made and better performing than any equivalent from these big three German brands.

I'm not such a massive fan of the Hazet boxes but I'm sure the quality is still decent, I'd just rather have a Snap On box/ roll cart if I'm already spending that much.

 

[bleep4032]

KTC still has quite a few tool boxes and chests that are made in Japan.

Otherwise if you just want good quality. I have quite a few SP Tools products. They are top notch Taiwanese (mostly) tools and boxes and have great support here in Australia. Actually I believe SP Tools brand is owned here in Australia.

I'm sure they do, i just brought one of their cheapest three draw boxes and naively assumed it would be made in Japan. I knew SP Tools had some Australian link, I have just never used their tools as I was handed down mostly Hazet tools from my father.

 

[Jeeper99]

I was tempted to track down the local dealer and see if there is any discounts but I assume this wouldn't be the case in Australia as we're already paying 2x as much for the same boxes in most cases (taking into account USD-AUD) . Not too sure if anyone else can confirm this.

It doesn't hurt to track him down. This is their business model in the USA and I wouldn't be surprised if it's world wide. The majority of their sales in the US are from trucks and not from the internet. I would imagine a very high percentage of boxes are sold off the truck with some sort of rebate. When you talk to the rep mention financing to see what he says. Boxes are typically financed through Snap on credit and not through the truck. Financing my box was good for another 10% off the box.

 

[Steve_P]

OP, I would definitely track down the SO dealer in your area and talk with him to find out the deal. In the US some dealers take boxes on a trade in, so maybe used is an option.

From what actual US dealers here have said in the past, the tool truck company will sometimes "dump" a box on a dealer that they didn't even ask for, like from a generic batch run; the dealers are obviously going to want to sell these quickly.

Obviously, none of the above may be true in AU, but the only way to find out is....

 

[bleep4032]

OP, I would definitely track down the SO dealer in your area and talk with him to find out the deal. In the US some dealers take boxes on a trade in, so maybe used is an option.

From what actual US dealers here have said in the past, the tool truck company will sometimes "dump" a box on a dealer that they didn't even ask for, like from a generic batch run; the dealers are obviously going to want to sell these quickly.

Obviously, none of the above may be true in AU, but the only way to find out is....

I'm going to reach to Snap on tomorrow on Monday and see. I'll let you know how it goes, fingers crossed there is some sort of rebate or incentive.

 

[bleep4032]

It doesn't hurt to track him down. This is their business model in the USA and I wouldn't be surprised if it's world wide. The majority of their sales in the US are from trucks and not from the internet. I would imagine a very high percentage of boxes are sold off the truck with some sort of rebate. When you talk to the rep mention financing to see what he says. Boxes are typically financed through Snap on credit and not through the truck. Financing my box was good for another 10% off the box.

Ideally I was going to pay cash, but I'm going to wait and see what the prices are like.

 

[BarrelRoll]

Ideally I was going to pay cash, but I'm going to wait and see what the prices are like.

Here you can finance for the rebate and pay off the next day without penalty.

 

[bleep4032]

Ended up finding a KRSC326 in very good condition for 2,000 AUD roughly 1,200 USD. Is that a good price?

 

[Jeeper99]

That's not a very desirable cart here being only 32" wide, $1,200 USD would be a very hard sell though our market is very different than yours. The 40" slide top KRSC4340 is probably the most popular cart sold here, it's a very common 1st box sold to new mechanics. $1,200 would be an ok price, you see them for under $1,000 on occasion. If one is traded in on the truck it's usually sold within a day. New off the truck they are usually $2,200-$2,400 with rebates and a retail of $2,865.

The 40" heritage boxes are pretty popular in Europe and Australia, they might be another good option.

 

[Steve_P]

The reality is that you need to look at the new price in your market and not ask for opinions from the US. In my area, used but like new SO boxes that are a few years old sell for 30-40% of retail. They start at like 60% and get reduced in price every few weeks; but I never see them sell at 50% or above.

There are more SO boxes on FB than Craftsman in my area. But I'm not in AU.

So, base your decision on the condition of the box vs the new retail price. For me, I'd never pay more than 50% if I wanted a used SO box, because they're falling out of the trees here; and I'm in a smaller US metro area. For you, you might only see in a year what I see in a month.

If you can live with the color, and like the layout, it's in nice condition, and 50% off list, then that's probably a deal.

 

[bleep4032]

That's not a very desirable cart here being only 32" wide, $1,200 USD would be a very hard sell though our market is very different than yours. The 40" slide top KRSC4340 is probably the most popular cart sold here, it's a very common 1st box sold to new mechanics. $1,200 would be an ok price, you see them for under $1,000 on occasion. If one is traded in on the truck it's usually sold within a day. New off the truck they are usually $2,200-$2,400 with rebates and a retail of $2,865.

The 40" heritage boxes are pretty popular in Europe and Australia, they might be another good option.

I could make do with the 32-inch, given my tools will never be to the extent of a mechanic's, but I definitely liked the idea of the slide top. Unfortunately, they are over $4,000 and used ones are hard to come by.

 

[bleep4032]

The reality is that you need to look at the new price in your market and not ask for opinions from the US. In my area, used but like new SO boxes that are a few years old sell for 30-40% of retail. They start at like 60% and get reduced in price every few weeks; but I never see them sell at 50% or above.

There are more SO boxes on FB than Craftsman in my area. But I'm not in AU.

So, base your decision on the condition of the box vs the new retail price. For me, I'd never pay more than 50% if I wanted a used SO box, because they're falling out of the trees here; and I'm in a smaller US metro area. For you, you might only see in a year what I see in a month.

If you can live with the color, and like the layout, it's in nice condition, and 50% off list, then that's probably a deal.

It is a decent reduction from the website prices, so that was the basis for my decision. As you correctly mentioned, Snap-On boxes rarely pop up on Facebook Marketplace here, especially ones that are in good condition and well taken care of.

I did look at the heritage boxes, but I'm currently in an apartment and using a spare bedroom as my workspace for the business. So the smaller foot print and portability of the roll cart is a bit more desirable.

 

[bleep4032]

Thanks everyone, here's the used one I picked up today, in pretty good condition (plastic still on top) besides a few minor scratches I am pretty happy with it.

 

[Steve_P]

Looks like new, very nice! While that would certainly sell for less in the US, at least where I live, the reality is that the GJ much loved USG tool chest that's about that size sells for $600 new here. So that was probably a very good deal in AU. Yes, the HF box is slightly bigger, but it's HF; I personally wouldn't expect to be able to purchase a new drawer slide from HF in ten years, but I'd expect that you will find one thru SO if you need one as they are excellent at supporting their products - that is part of what you pay for.

Was that a FB find?

 

[bleep4032]

Looks like new, very nice! While that would certainly sell for less in the US, at least where I live, the reality is that the GJ much loved USG tool chest that's about that size sells for $600 new here. So that was probably a very good deal in AU. Yes, the HF box is slightly bigger, but it's HF; I personally wouldn't expect to be able to purchase a new drawer slide from HF in ten years, but I'd expect that you will find one thru SO if you need one as they are excellent at supporting their products - that is part of what you pay for.

Was that a FB find?

It is very close to new with a few dents here and there and some scratches, but still a very good find especially here in Australia.

Yes it was a FB find.

For the rest of the tools it’ll be a Japan buy when I visit in march, Snap-On for some reason seems to be cheaper by at least $30 there for most things.

 

[Jeeper99]

Looks like a nice box that will work well for your needs. I compare a snapon box to a pickup with leather seats, you don't need either and a cheaper truck will do the same job though they are nice to have. I have a snapon box at work, did I NEED it? Nope. Is it nice to have? Yeah, I figure I have another 20 years left on my tools, it's nice to grab tool out of a quality box when a job is going sideways.

 

[bleep4032]

Looks like a nice box that will work well for your needs. I compare a snapon box to a pickup with leather seats, you don't need either and a cheaper truck will do the same job though they are nice to have. I have a snapon box at work, did I NEED it? Nope. Is it nice to have? Yeah, I figure I have another 20 years left on my tools, it's nice to grab tool out of a quality box when a job is going sideways.

With the limited options here in Australia Snap on was the best choice, very happy with it. Planning on doing proper 3d printed trays with the draws using gridfinity, I'll post pictures when it's all done.

 

[rsanter]

I good friend has a shop in Australia.
A few years back I scored him a great deal on a snap on top/bottom combo and then shipped them over to him.
He had an older pickup at my place that he wanted shipped to Australia so I put the box and a bunch of other stuff in the truck to send to him

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Congrats on the new box! Looks great!

Kind regards,
Olli