Kawasaki's are green silly.A friend gave me this Big 4x24 belt sander
Heavy and very well built.
I believe it to be a Kawasaki
Tools of Japan
- Thread starter Frankstools
- Start date
genog
Well-known member
Yeah!
My 81 GPz550 was Firecracker Red...... loved the color
But that Lime Green is just COOL!
Daytonaer
Well-known member
Interesting fluctuations on amazon japan and amazon.com with seller amazon.jp..
I just purchased a 1/4" zeal 12 socket set from amazon.com for ~ $50 with free international shipping. At the same time amazon.jp purchase would be about ~ $70 usd after shipping. US distributors have operational costs so no need to comment on their prices, but its easy enough to google average US selling prices for RS2400MZ/12 .
.
But its not straight forward to buy "seller" amazon.jp on amazon.com. Here is an example of a previous purchase from 2 months ago, it was out of stock so I just got it. An olfa scraper style razor for about $3, and about $2.50 international shipping, it came by itself in a padded envelope. Can't even find the 200b on amazon.com.
Some items from amazon.jp on amazon.com still require you to pay shipping. "shopping around" can sure find some bargains right now with the exchange rate if you are patient and look around.
I just purchased a 1/4" zeal 12 socket set from amazon.com for ~ $50 with free international shipping. At the same time amazon.jp purchase would be about ~ $70 usd after shipping. US distributors have operational costs so no need to comment on their prices, but its easy enough to google average US selling prices for RS2400MZ/12 .
.
But its not straight forward to buy "seller" amazon.jp on amazon.com. Here is an example of a previous purchase from 2 months ago, it was out of stock so I just got it. An olfa scraper style razor for about $3, and about $2.50 international shipping, it came by itself in a padded envelope. Can't even find the 200b on amazon.com.
Some items from amazon.jp on amazon.com still require you to pay shipping. "shopping around" can sure find some bargains right now with the exchange rate if you are patient and look around.
Qualitytools
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
12ptSocketsAreDumb
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Doe anyone know if the z series koken extensions fit tighter than the regular? I know they do for the sockets but I heard the regular extensions do the same
oldschoolcraft
Well-known member
I've heard everything in Japan is tighter than regular.
kyrbz
Well-known member
Probably late 80’s early 90’s Nissan Sunny truckNot a tool, but I can't resist posting this mitey-mite I spotted today. I don't know what it is, but I want one!
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Thanks! It's in the corner of a PL at work where senior enlisted housing residents from across the street sometimes keep a vehicle. I'm guessing someone had it shipped. I'll try to find out more.
Madjik Man
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- Dec 3, 2015
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Recent Amazon.jp haul (supplemented by DRPD).
The two Megadora 930s round out my P1 through P3 set.
Vessel Megadora 930 P1x75 JIS JawsFit
Vessel Megadora 930 P3x150 JIS JawsFit
KTC M160 10mm - 24mm XL Double Box End Wrench
The two Megadora 930s round out my P1 through P3 set.
Vessel Megadora 930 P1x75 JIS JawsFit
Vessel Megadora 930 P3x150 JIS JawsFit
KTC M160 10mm - 24mm XL Double Box End Wrench
Madjik Man
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- Dec 3, 2015
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Not a tool, but I can't resist posting this mitey-mite I spotted today. I don't know what it is, but I want one!
I'm a Toyota guy but even this Nissan makes it awkwardly move "down there" for me.
snowblindb
Well-known member
Toyota had something similar: Toyota 1000 Pickup
Attachments
Madjik Man
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12ptSocketsAreDumb
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Thank you lol. Does anyone actually know this?I've heard everything in Japan is tighter than regular.
Took a gamble and got my vessel ALWC 900 via Ali Express. Appears to be legit, well made, and packaged. Pretty sure this really is made in Japan.
Bit holder holds non Japanese bits very well. Bit holder release action is nicer than my Wera bit check adapter.
Handle feel is great too. Some visible molding seams/knit lines, but you can’t feel them.
Still need to try it with a Japanese bit.
No idea why this isn’t more easily available through normal channels. Great deal for $20.
Forgot to add pics:
Bit holder holds non Japanese bits very well. Bit holder release action is nicer than my Wera bit check adapter.
Handle feel is great too. Some visible molding seams/knit lines, but you can’t feel them.
Still need to try it with a Japanese bit.
No idea why this isn’t more easily available through normal channels. Great deal for $20.
Forgot to add pics:
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GirlDad_Garage
Member
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- May 15, 2024
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- 8
How long does it usually take Franks to ship? Placed an order on the 15th and haven't heard a peep.
He's been dealing with some health issues. I don't know the current status, but I've had intermittent contact with him for the last year waiting on an order fulfillment.
Unfortunately for me, I waited too long to get a refund from PayPal. So I may have lost that money.
If I were you, I would try cancelling your order and getting your money back from the bank/credit card/PayPal that you used.
GirlDad_Garage
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That would've been good to know. Why is he still taking orders if he isn't fulfilling them? I'll take it up with Paypal.
I don't know. It's frustrating...
pizza
Well-known member
BEWARE FRANK'S TOOLS
just curious -- how'd you hear about frank's and decide to buy from him? did it have anything to do with him being OP of this thread?
imho, a mod should edit the first post and put a warning.
he's basically a scammer or close to it. everything on his site shows as in stock, but in reality, he has very little inventory.
he will hit you with sob stories and string you along saying he can't compete with big, bad cutthroats like amazon or palmac or whatever; please be patient and support small businesses that care. he'll say that your tools will be in the next shipment of tools he receives in a couple of weeks, is it ok to wait until then? he will repeatedly miss deadlines.
to his credit, i have heard relatively recently (like within the last few years) that he does fulfill orders of stuff he actually has in stock. if for some weird reason you are over the moon with frank, i guess you could still try your luck on an order if you email him first and verify that everything you want is in stock. but that's madness.
if you want to be nice, you could email him and ask for a refund to spare him the chargeback fee. i would not mention the chargeback ultimatum unless you wanna troll him (good for a laugh, perhaps), but if you are polite, there's a solid chance he'll refund you. do not be talked into waiting "just a bit longer" for the tools to come in.
otherwise, just do a CC chargeback or paypal dispute.
just curious -- how'd you hear about frank's and decide to buy from him? did it have anything to do with him being OP of this thread?
imho, a mod should edit the first post and put a warning.
he's basically a scammer or close to it. everything on his site shows as in stock, but in reality, he has very little inventory.
he will hit you with sob stories and string you along saying he can't compete with big, bad cutthroats like amazon or palmac or whatever; please be patient and support small businesses that care. he'll say that your tools will be in the next shipment of tools he receives in a couple of weeks, is it ok to wait until then? he will repeatedly miss deadlines.
to his credit, i have heard relatively recently (like within the last few years) that he does fulfill orders of stuff he actually has in stock. if for some weird reason you are over the moon with frank, i guess you could still try your luck on an order if you email him first and verify that everything you want is in stock. but that's madness.
if you want to be nice, you could email him and ask for a refund to spare him the chargeback fee. i would not mention the chargeback ultimatum unless you wanna troll him (good for a laugh, perhaps), but if you are polite, there's a solid chance he'll refund you. do not be talked into waiting "just a bit longer" for the tools to come in.
otherwise, just do a CC chargeback or paypal dispute.
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Years ago I tried buying fron Frank's Tools, first & last. After paying, never heard anything from him for weeks. Only after filing a Paypal claim did he respond saying something like he has it on order. I was already fed up & wanted my money back.
The refund was issued as an echeck which already takes longer to clear, then his echeck came back as insufficient funds & had to be reprocessed. Took months to get my refund.
I can't believe he's still around trying to sell. I'm sorry if he really has health issues but that does not make his business practices acceptable. I will never consider purchasing from him again or recommend him.
What's ironic is he's the OP of this thread.
pizza
Well-known member
yeah, it makes no sense to me. imagine running a business like that for years and years, lol. so stressful, and how could you make money if most people end up doing chargebacks?
FlaGman
Well-known member
Frankstools was my first foray into Koken about ten or twelve years ago, inspired by this thread. This was before I knew about other options, as I quickly switched to Amazon.jp for subsequent orders (back when shipping was cheap!). Frank took a couple months to fulfill my order even way back then.
I agree there should be a disclaimer at the beginning of this thread, Frank hasn’t posted in years.
I agree there should be a disclaimer at the beginning of this thread, Frank hasn’t posted in years.
dutchgray
Well-known member
He was OK years ago when he was actually located in Japan, but always fairly slow to ship. I too made a couple of orders years ago.
It's much easier to get Japanese tools direct from Japan than it used to be, there are many re sellers on ebay, Amazon.jp etc and much more is available through official channels now as well.
ronkz650
Well-known member
I ordered many times from Frank. I too never got my last order and he would not respond to email. After filing a PayPal claim he immediately responded and sent the order. Too bad. No more orders from me.
pizza
Well-known member
that's funny. i was under the impression that it was legit until maybe ~5 years ago.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
If I remember Correctly, years ago when Frank's tools first started, he was in the Army, stationed in Japan, and selling Japanese Tools was his side gig. This was long before Japanese tools became a thing here. I had many successful orders from him. I know there was a brief period when he stopped selling Ko-Ken.
However, with the passing of time, it seems that things aren't what they once were with Frank's Tools.
I'm purely speculating but, perhaps rotating back to the states complicated him selling Japanese tools. Perhaps he aged out and had health concerns. It seems that everything is a mystery without hearing directly from the man himself.
However, with the passing of time, it seems that things aren't what they once were with Frank's Tools.
I'm purely speculating but, perhaps rotating back to the states complicated him selling Japanese tools. Perhaps he aged out and had health concerns. It seems that everything is a mystery without hearing directly from the man himself.
I ordered from Frank 3 times I think, all before he stopped carrying Ko-ken. So this was many years ago. Also my first foray into Japanese tools, before finding this thread and discovering other buying options. First and second orders shipped promptly. Third order had a huge (weeks or months delay) and I emailed to find out what was up. He replied quickly and offered to throw in any free Ko-ken tool of my choice (a 3/8 universal joint was my choice), which then shipped promptly. He always tossed in some free Ko-ken swag. I got lots of stickers, a towel, a pen, a year planner booklet, and a notebook. So my overall experience was positive. Most of my non-Z Ko-ken stuff came from Frank.
But this was all years ago and things likely changed. He shouldn’t be taking orders if he can’t provide good service anymore. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen too many times now (small sellers that let their service deteriorate rather than shutting down).
But this was all years ago and things likely changed. He shouldn’t be taking orders if he can’t provide good service anymore. I’ve seen this kind of thing happen too many times now (small sellers that let their service deteriorate rather than shutting down).
I went to Japan for the F1 race in April, and briefly went tool-hunting in downtown Nagoya:
This was it for what we're usually interested in... not much selection, and nothing I haven't seen before. The tools/brands I was not familiar with were made in China or Taiwan, so really not too interesting. They had some really weird selection of sizes. Nowhere near a full lineup.
The coolest stuff they had were these:
I did find some "limited edition" OFLA cutters that I picked up as souvenirs. Not sure if they are available in the US or not, but they looked cool and were cheap/small/light. It's just their normal cutters with an extra plastic "housing" around the outside.
I visited a knife shop called "Muira Knives" near Osu shopping district and picked up a nice Nakiri for a bargain (compared to US prices). I think with the exchange rate it was about $115, which is cheap for a nice made-in-Japan 165mm Nakiri, Aogami Super steel, stainless cladding, and "kurouchi" finish. The owner was really nice and spoke English fairly well. It helped I knew the Japanese terms for what I wanted... but I think anyone could walk in there and find a knife they would be happy with. This is the sharpest knife I've ever had (and I've bought some other very nice Japanese knives). They must sharpen each one in the shop, he had a station set up for sharpening in the corner. I also had it laser engraved, which they do on-site for like $5 (he actually did it for free for me).
Lastly... I got to drive this legend on Hakone Skyline. It was a good day.
Found it! What a maze... but I think you were right... 7th floor. I probably spent longer looking for the tools than I spent actually looking at them.
This was it for what we're usually interested in... not much selection, and nothing I haven't seen before. The tools/brands I was not familiar with were made in China or Taiwan, so really not too interesting. They had some really weird selection of sizes. Nowhere near a full lineup.
The coolest stuff they had were these:
I did find some "limited edition" OFLA cutters that I picked up as souvenirs. Not sure if they are available in the US or not, but they looked cool and were cheap/small/light. It's just their normal cutters with an extra plastic "housing" around the outside.
I visited a knife shop called "Muira Knives" near Osu shopping district and picked up a nice Nakiri for a bargain (compared to US prices). I think with the exchange rate it was about $115, which is cheap for a nice made-in-Japan 165mm Nakiri, Aogami Super steel, stainless cladding, and "kurouchi" finish. The owner was really nice and spoke English fairly well. It helped I knew the Japanese terms for what I wanted... but I think anyone could walk in there and find a knife they would be happy with. This is the sharpest knife I've ever had (and I've bought some other very nice Japanese knives). They must sharpen each one in the shop, he had a station set up for sharpening in the corner. I also had it laser engraved, which they do on-site for like $5 (he actually did it for free for me).
Lastly... I got to drive this legend on Hakone Skyline. It was a good day.
What are your thoughts on the KTC M160 wrenches? I've been eyeing them for my 4Runner travel/emergency tool kit. Are these long enough for suspension work instead of a breaker bar?Recent Amazon.jp haul (supplemented by DRPD).
The two Megadora 930s round out my P1 through P3 set.
Vessel Megadora 930 P1x75 JIS JawsFit
Vessel Megadora 930 P3x150 JIS JawsFit
KTC M160 10mm - 24mm XL Double Box End Wrench
Madjik Man
Well-known member
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- Dec 3, 2015
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- 1,521
I haven’t really put them to use yet. I just used the 10mm on something to get a feel for the wrench in my hand. I really like the quality of this wrench.
My 1st Gen Tacoma has 17mm bolt heads for the rear suspension. The 17x19 wrench is about 16” in total length. I think you can nerf on it pretty good.
But is the 16” length counterproductive to having it be in a travel/emergency kit?
My 4Runner has a long narrow storage compartment behind the rear seats. I’m thinking this is an ideal place for tools.
Madjik Man
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2015
- Messages
- 1,521
My 4Runner has a long narrow storage compartment behind the rear seats. I’m thinking this is an ideal place for tools.
Oooh, fancy
I did some rear suspension work on a 1st-gen Tundra last fall and had a heck of a time with a couple of bolts where my fat 1/2" ratchet wouldn't fit and all my combo wrenches were too short for me to break the bolts loose. I ended up improvising a cheater for a wrench and felt like 3 hands were needed for the tussle.
As a result of that experience I picked up some M160s. The 17mm would've been perfect for the situation above. I haven't really used them much yet, all I can say is that they are typical KTC fine quality. The heads and shafts are slim,and the pebbly satin finish gives a good grip. Here's a couple of pics for size comparison.
I went to Japan for the F1 race in April, and briefly went tool-hunting in downtown Nagoya:
"Tool stuff..."
Then the real good stuff!
I visited a knife shop called "Muira Knives" near Osu shopping district and picked up a nice Nakiri for a bargain (compared to US prices).
Lastly... I got to drive this legend on Hakone Skyline. It was a good day.
Genuinely a dream day.
More details on the tofu delivery and the Nakiri (hard to tell from the image but it looks like it may have a kurouchi and a nashiji finish? Or is it a kurouchi and then two different polished finishes?) would be appreciated!
I think this is the one I got:
Japanese Nakiri Knife - MIURA - Aogami Super - Black Finish brown h...
Specifications Knife 16.5cm Overall Length 290mm Blade Length 165mm Blade Height at Base 51mm Blade Thickness 2.1mm Weight 210g Steel Type: Staincl...
miuraknives.com
My receipt says I paid ¥18,163. I had my passport so he was able to deduct the tax, which might explain the price discrepancy vs website. It's aogami super, so it's already forming a patina.
Hopefully these pics show the finish better.
As for the AE86 tofu machine, I did two driving tours with Fun2Drive. https://fun2drive-japan.com/. In the morning I rented a GC8 STi, and mid-day did the AE86. Both tours were the "Swift Hakone Drive", which is 2 hours total, but only about an hour of actual driving. I recall each tour was about $350. It's not cheap, but considering you're driving someone else's classic Japanese sports car on a twisty road, I consider it a worthwhile experience that justified the cost. This was my first time driving RHD, and first time driving in Japan. So, I was more comfortable doing a guided driving tour than getting a rental car on my own. We went fast enough to have some fun but not get into trouble.
I would do it again, but not the same route. They have longer, nearly all-day trips that I want to do, but those are less frequent and sell out quickly in advance. Because our trip date was constrained by the F1 race, two of these short Hakone Swift drives is all we could arrange. If anyone is interested, be aware they are very strict about the documentation required prior to the trip. It's all listed on their website. There was an Indian guy supposed to be on our morning tour that got turned away because he didn't have the correct international driving permit.
This is the route we took:
In the morning, I drove the GC8 and my friend was in the FD. It was kinda hazy so Mt. Fuji wasn't clearly visible, but I did see the top briefly.
In the afternoon I had the AE86, and Mt. Fuji was far clearer. My friend had the red 1st gen NSX in the afternoon.
Somone on the tour snapped a pic of me, which I really appreciated!
Most people probably think I'm crazy for renting a slow Toyota, but hopefully you all get it. Reminded me a lot of my BRZ.
Truly an unforgettable day on an awesome trip to Japan.
I think this is the one I got:
Japanese Nakiri Knife - MIURA - Aogami Super - Black Finish brown h...
Specifications Knife 16.5cm Overall Length 290mm Blade Length 165mm Blade Height at Base 51mm Blade Thickness 2.1mm Weight 210g Steel Type: Staincl...
My receipt says I paid ¥18,163. I had my passport so he was able to deduct the tax, which might explain the price discrepancy vs website. It's aogami super, so it's already forming a patina.
Hopefully these pics show the finish better.
I got this one from Tokyo's kitchen town for roughly the same price.
