Spandex said:
And finally, you do realise that the vast majority of people will already have a random mix of T-Loc, classic systainer, L-Boxx, Toughbox, whatever? Most people think having a collection of matching systainers is a bit mad.
How many people will have classics? I technically have one because Maxi was never updated. In a market like the US Festool wasn't very big by the time they switched to T-loc. I think I have around 50 systainers, only odd ball is the one maxi.
I have no other brands because well, most tools don't come with any case, so I have to put them in something. A lot of the brand cases that exist in the Europe don't exist here. Dewalt and Milwaukee each have some sort of system, but I've never seen them in a store or anyplace. In general sounds like the dewalts are complete junk. When I buy non festool tools and other items, I buy systainers and set them up for the tools. Mixing different brand cases wouldn't work as they general are different form factors. I did look into a system from a competitor to Tanos, but they don't ship to the US.
This all spins back to folks understanding that folks use such containers differently. If your primary focus for them is consistent storage, maximizing that aspect of things, changes do matter. If your need is Van usage then things will be different than the storage person. Thus why just thinking people will just have mix of brands and types doesn't fly for a lot of folks because that's the very thing they set up not to have. It's why all my blow molded cases tools came in ended up in the recycling bin. The goal is not to have a tool in a case, it's to have the same form factor case for all the tools and other items.
Ideally there would be an ISO standard for such containers. The basic form factor is a quasi standard (Euro-norm), but the other aspects of the design like the latches and such are not.
Obviously people will transition over to the new ones. That doesn't change the matter that for a lot of folks how they get used, they are very much a down grade. Things like the loss of the side label is a big deal for as it a key to my usage. I make labels for all 3 sides.
If you don't understand why people have issue with the new ones, or some make a big deal of it, just stop and realize not everyone uses them the same way. Things like the height changes are annoying to me, but not a deal breaker, but I absolutely understand why it is a big deal for others. Given a choice I'd prefer them not have change the heights.
And yes changes to them do impact the investment in what you have. Since you invest in items like Systainers to have the stability in design and to be able to keep buying the same thing. Now when things change you loose a core part of what people are going for. Some folks really do want to be able to buy the exact same thing any time they want for the rest of their lives. If you want to see a similar example of this, look what has happened with Rubbermaid discontinuing the rubbermaid roughneck totes. Rubbermaid made the exact same product (ignoring color) for decades, I think I read they go back to at least the 1970s. They were never super great, the part that made them great was that you could just keep buying the same product forever. People built the way the use them in their business around them, they organized their home storage around them and only them. A lot of stuff was built around that product because it never change in design. Then a few years ago they discontinued them, the fallout and anger from this has been massive. I had over a 100 of them some folks and businesses vastly more. It's not like you can just change to something else and nothing else has that stability in design. It wasn't about being a great design, it was about always being the same design. They were a pretty poor design, and expensive for what they were. But being able to run to the corner store and pick up a couple more year after year and they integrate in with what you have perfectly was the key.
A systainer is not a perfect design, but what it had is consistency. Are the new ones a massive change, no, not really. But they are design changes to target a completely different application. When the changes don't benefit those who will continue to use them the same way they have, that is where you get issues.
