Systainer clone

[Mettes]

I use these company's Eurobox containers to compliment my Systainers, they have the same footprint.  While visiting their website today I stumbled on to a new offering...

More information on their website

Sizing will be the same 300×400mm and 400×600mm footprints as the systainers.

They can't deny where they've gotten the inspiration for these but they seem to make some nice additions.  Quick lock lids for example, just press down and the lid is locked, is what I like most about these. 
No pricing so far and off course these won't be compatible with the Systainers, but it might be an interesting option for somebody who has to start from scratch, if the price is right.

 

[bertv]

The sizes are based on a European (or possibly international) ‘norm’ (standard). Intended to efficiently use standard pallets (which are 80*120 cm in Europe). Even packaging in shops is based upon that (eg boxes for cereals etc. fill a standard shipping box without leaving empty space) and consequently warehousing racks, warehouses, shipping containers, trucks, etcetera.

 

[rst]

akro-mils.com/Products/Types/Plastic-Storage-Containers/Straight-Wall-Containers  I have various sizes of these for storing bulky items.  Festool systainers stackt onto the top recess' perfectly.  The 12x16 footprint is identical to the systainer size and two systainers will sit side by side onto the 12x24 size.  There are open grid and solid wall types.  I made divider trays for 16" deep solid side 12x24 containers so my daughter can store and transport her jewelry to markets and shows.  I also made lids from plywood that nest into the tops for covers and extra storage shelving.

 

[mrboult]

I'd like Tanos/Festool to make a collapsible cart like this. The Sys-roll is far to big clunky and un-colapsible for me to ever be interested. I know tanos have the other cart that is foldable, but with both options the systainers don't lock in but rather sit on the base.

[attachimg=1]

 

[AlexThePalex]

Never seen these before but I like them for their squareness, same way I like the classic Festool systainers. If I can't get any classic systainer anymore I just might have to go with these. The T-Locs just don't do it for me.

And I don't understand why Festool/Tanos can't make a good folding cart for their systainers.

 

[mrboult]

The T-Locs just don't do it for me.

Until now I had always though your posts to be very rational Alex.  [big grin]

 

[Billy stray]

Another request for a foldable Sys roll, I kinda want one but the non fold thing bugs me
I'm convinced the minute I buy one they'll come out with one that folds....lol

 

[Mikeyfondu]

I was sick of waiting, so I got one of these from lee valley.http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=72575&cat=1,43456,43391
I just use a bungee to secure it.

Mike

 

[Zebt]

The T-Locs just don't do it for me.

Until now I had always though your posts to be very rational Alex.  [big grin]

I like the T loc, one handed operation often works when i've forgotten to take out the one thing I need just after glueing something!

 

[GhostFist]

I'm interested in pricing on these. Their other products seem very reasonable.

 

[demographic]

I was eyeing up one of these foldable container pallets on a site I was working on recently, suspect that the bloke who was doing the block paving took it away on his trailer as he took pretty much everything that wasn't bolted down.

 

[jools]

He got a good deal. They retail at about £180 [eek]

 

[Ollie]

I have been using the EURO crates in my van for a while after my brother gave me a few from his work.
They are great.
I have 10 with the same footprint as systainers and several which are twice that size allowing the two smaller ones to stack onto the bigger ones. It is a great modular system and they are often easy to find second hand for quite cheap.

I keep stuff like sandpaper (3 different crates ) paint brushes, sealant, glues, spare parts, resin, safety equipment etc.
they are easy to chuck in and out of the van and you can just take the ones you need.
They are available in a vast selection of depths and styles too.
Those new ones look handy too depending on cost.

Ollie

 

[maccruiskeen]

Hello - long time lurker on FOG but I thought I'd chip in as I've just received some of the Auer boxes above. I already use quite a variety of classic and T Loc boxes and some of the Makita clones as well and incrementally i've been migrating all my kit into them and junking the boxes they came with.

For a while I've been using Auers regular stacking boxes (the sort of boxes used in warehousing / removals etc). They've been promoting these new boxes to existing customers for quite a while but it seems to have taken ages for them to be available to buy. Once they were available there was a bit of a special offer on so I decided to give them a shot.

Auer don't really have a retail presence - you order directly from the manufacturer and it seems they pretty much manufacture to order. A benefit of this is they're cheap - a disadvantage is it takes time. It typically takes about 6-8 weeks for an order to arrive. They also don't have much in the way of payment facilities - no card payments or paypal, they invoice and you have to pay by transfer. Although they advertise a UK address you actually pay to a german account and if you have a business bank account that means me getting stung for £25 by my bank as a transaction fee (one previous order I made got split into two batches costing me £50 is fees - annoying as one of the batches was only worth £10)

So... I orders a couple of their equivalents of Sys 3 and Sys4  and one of each size of their tote style boxes. 6 boxes in total for just over £100 including shipping. So verrrry cheap

On arrival first impression is the red boxes are really really red! They've very square like Classics and less ribbed and detailed. Sit one box on top of another and the click together and you can then just pick both up. It took a bit of head scratching to work out how to release them again - all the clips and tabs are the same colour as the box so its difficult to spot what moves. A bar on the front bottom edge of the box slides upwards to release the box below again. Spring loaded tabs in the top corners open the lid - and like a T-Loc you can open a box with the one above still attached. Very cleverly done, not really better or worse than a T-loc but definitely better than the stiff tabs on a classic and the un-budgable tabs on the Makita Makpacs.

While they are definitely influenced and inspired by Systainers they're not clones and not compatible. They're a tiny bit larger in every dimension externally. They won't lock to either type of systainer. They'll sit quite happily on top of a classic - the tabs on the bottom that lock the boxes together rest in the grooves on the top of a classic, they don't sit as readily on top of a T-Loc. I happily drive with systainers stacked but not locked together in the back of the van - they just stay put but these wouldn't stay put like that.

People who like Systainers would definitely appreciate them but if you're already quite heavily invested in Tanos stuff you might struggle to make a use for the Auer ones. You need to have a few of them for the stack-ability of them to be worth while. Theres no point having one or two in addition to a larger set of Tanos. But if you're looking for a way to re-box a set of existing non-festool kit - particularly a set of stuff that will always travel together - its a very cost effective way of doing it.

I've no idea whether its viable to order their stuff if you're in the US as I'd imagine shipping and maybe currency costs would be off-putting on anything other than a very big order. But if the UK no matter how physically large the order I've made to them I've never paid more than £12- £14 for shipping and although they manufacture to order (a lot of their boxes even allow you to spec custom colours) the minimum order is just one box. I've just been bitten by bank charges a bit. (going to try paying this current order from current account rather than my business one and see of that saves me the charges)

Although pricier - they've got some very interesting looking equivalents of Sortainer type boxes too. The ordering information is a bit baffling though. Theres seems to be some very cleverly worked out inserts for the Systainer style boxes coming available too.

There you go.... a long first post! I'll pitch into the the Makita / Makpak conversation later as I've had all 3 iterations of Makita's boxes (yes there was a third version.... and it was rubbish!)

 

[grobkuschelig]

First off all, welcome to the forum!

...and thank you for your insight!
I am contemplating trying out a couple of those for the non-woodworking stuff like soldering, wires, light bulbs and wall painting parts.
This would enable me to easily distinguish between what is inside the boxes, and since I seldom have to combine soldering or painting with woodworking, it might be a cheap way to achieve the amount of order, which I have come to enjoy from those T-Locs.

 

[ben_r_]

Interesting. Ill have to keep an eye on this company. Hopefully theyll get some retail presence in the US.

 

[TinyShop]

Just a heads up - they do have a "presence" in the U.S.A. Click the country flag located up on the top right hand corner of their site and select "United States" from the country list. Then select "$" from the currency list.

Doing this displays the fact that all shipments worth at least US$562 ship free.

Here's the page on the US-portion of their site that details the tool boxes:

https://www.auer-packaging.com/us/en/Tool-boxes-Pro/TB-6433-F3.html

The largest box costs US$32.45 (plus shipping, if applicable) while the smallest costs US$14.52 (plus shipping, if applicable). That's not a misprint (!).

 

[TinyShop]

A video showing these things in action sure would be useful. A web video search in English and German ("Auer Toolboxen") produces zilch.

I sent an email to the manufacturer requesting as much and will post what info I receive.

 

[Michael Kellough]

akro-mils.com/Products/Types/Plastic-Storage-Containers/Straight-Wall-Containers  I have various sizes of these for storing bulky items.  Festool systainers stackt onto the top recess' perfectly.  The 12x16 footprint is identical to the systainer size and two systainers will sit side by side onto the 12x24 size.  There are open grid and solid wall types.  I made divider trays for 16" deep solid side 12x24 containers so my daughter can store and transport her jewelry to markets and shows.  I also made lids from plywood that nest into the tops for covers and extra storage shelving.

[member=25351]rst[/member]    Where do you buy these?

 

[grobkuschelig]

Since I'm in Germany, I'll take the plunge and order some and follow up with a video. Any specifics I need to get into?
...so I can prepare the script? [emoji6]