Dremel recently launched a new limited edition tool box in collaboration with a company called Character.
The new Dremel tool box features 2 drawers and a top lid compartment. It’s made from steel.
Dremel, in a new social media post, says: “Get yourself a toolbox that gives you compliments.” (I’m guessing the compliments are coming from the “you’re tool-tally awesome” magnet.)
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Also, “Toolboxes shouldn’t be ugly, there we said it.”
The limited edition tool box comes with a special pack of tool and DIY-themed magnets.
Here’s a short intro from Dremel’s channel:
I must admit, it does look like a cute little tool box.
Character says their tool box was “designed for a new generation.”
Character is the home improvement experience built for the next generation. A new generation of DIYers deserves a toolbox designed for them and dedicated to the passion and creativity they are bringing to their spaces.
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Character tool boxes – Dremel collab included – feature a “quick lift lid,” steel and plastic construction, and silicone liners.
The load capacity is “more than 15 lbs” per drawer and 50 lbs total.
Character tool boxes are “made for home, not a construction site or a professional garage.”
Price: $165 + $19 for 4 insertable organizer bins
According to Amazon listings, Character tool boxes are made in China.
This isn’t Dremel’s first collab; Dremel-themes shoes launched for the 2023 holiday shopping season.
If you like the idea of a blue tool box, there’s also Trusco on Amazon, and maybe Hazet. Workpro has a basic tool box with steel construction for $70.
Or, you can buy this Dremel 4300 rotary tool kit with a tool box at Amazon for $199. Home Depot has the same kit.
Dremel launched new rotary tools last year – see Dremel 3000 Rotary Tool is Being Replaced, Buy it NOW – with a focus on cost-conscious price points and affordability. With that in mind, the new tool box collab seems incongruous to me.
Dremel’s parent company, Bosch, is co-owner of the L-Boxx tool box system. That might have been an interesting collab, although with less style. Maybe that wouldn’t have worked, because “tool boxes shouldn’t be ugly.”
Robert
Not sure if “cute” should be its main requirement. After all, character is what you do when no one is looking.
I couldn’t figure out what tools came with it, even after poking around the character web site.
Stuart
It’s just a tool box, tools are not included.
Robert
Stuart, I was going by where you said:
“ The limited edition tool box comes with a special pack of tool…”
Stuart
“special pack of tool and DIY-themed magnets.”
MattT
Though I understood what you meant, placing a clarifying hyphen after “tool” wouldn’t hurt: “special pack of tool- and DIY-themed magnets”.
Big Richard
“…and DIY-themed magnets”
will
So I can get that nice toolbox with a dremel and kit for $199 or pay $169 for a kids themed tool box? Nevermind that for $30 more i get the dremel kit but I find the kits toolbox more my style. It also seems to offer more capacity. I suppose if someone wants to shell out $169 for the toolbox and some magnets then go for it.
mark w
Couldn’t agree more. Looks like a toolbox for a Google software develop to keep their vape in or something lol. Hell I think I paid $269 for an entire real husky box a few years back this thing looks like the size of my bottom drawer.
More seriously seems like Character paid Dremel for their name on this one…..I’d like to hope.
Tim Karash
You can purchase the metal blue & silver box DIRECT from Dremel for a third of the big box store price.
Other Nathan
Those character toolboxes are NICE. Bought one for my fountain pens.
MT_Noob
Good idea, it can be hard to find the ideal location for your fountain pen collection.
Rog
No need for this snarky reply.
MT_Noob
Rog, you totally misunderstood, not only do I love tools, I also love fountain pens. I have way too many pens and inks, and I have yet to find the ideal storage.
Rog
I apologize, I misread it as condescending
Dan Johhnson
Wow its really nice, but I can think of 2 other stores sell similar for 15$
Plain+grainy
I guess I would rather have one of these instead. https://www.rockler.com/festool-systainer3-rack-sys3-rk-6-m-337-set-577816
TonyT
Or you can go to the Systainer Store:
https://systainer.store/collections/systainer3-rack
IMHO, they’re interesting, but also way too expensive for me (just like Packout for me – sure, it’s a great system, and you can get great deals, but I don’t like having to rely on great deals.)
mikedt
I think a decimal point is off in that price.
Rx9
Understand that what we are looking at here is not entirely a tool box per se, but ultimately a fashion accessory of some sort. Looking at the marketing and endorsements on Character’s landing page, that’s precisely the vibe I am getting.
What’s interesting to me, is looking at what happens when the Fashion and Tool industries collide.
These two industries have a very big, albeit indirect, Yin-Yang relationship, with Fashion (Form over Function) as Yin, and Tools (Function over Form) as the Yang.
Somewhere in the middle is where things both look aesthetic and perform well. If this product can find a home in that nebulous territory, than it will thrive, but that’s a tricky proposition.
Bonnie
Eh, they’re not as separated as you’d think. Tons of people have treated tool/work brands and looks as a fashion/personality statement for ages. The “Milwaukee Guy” isn’t a brand new phenomenon. For example the iconic Timberland boots have been a big fashion item for almost their entire history, getting big in the 80s with rap and black urban fashion.
Jim Felt
Doc Martens! (I’ve no idea why though). And to a lesser degree Danner boots.
Peter
I think after a long time being the go to shoe in counter/subcultures like punks/skins etc they spilled into mainstream.
MM
I think Rx9 has a point. It’s not so much about the combination of tools + fashion, rather it’s the particular place in the market each of these brands are located that seems to clash in my mind.
I hadn’t heard of Character before, but it’s clear these tool boxes are an upscale (in terms of price) lifestyle sort of brand. Meanwhile I associate Dremel with cheap: they make low-end beginner and craft oriented tools. Why is a cheap craft tool brand pairing up with a maker of highly priced toolboxes? I don’t get it. The promo they did a couple years ago with the “gobstobber” sneakers you could customize with the Dremel tool made more sense.
David Z.
I think Dremel’s perceived standing varies by where you are looking from. Compared with “craft tools,” Dremel stands out as higher quality. Compared with Milwaukee or DeWalt, they might be seenn as lacking. Actually, as far as rotary tool go, you have to go to something like Foredom for premium products. That leaves Dremel as the go-to brand against a see of knock-offs.
MM
When think of “rotary tools” I can name many brands that leave Dremel in the dust; Foredom and Dumore are just the tip of the iceberg. Suhner, NSK, Marathon, Proxxon, Badeco… Then there are are also small die grinders from all the big names including Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, etc.
In my opinion those all outperform Dremel. The only thing Dremel manages to beat are the no-name imports or value brands like Pittsburgh and Wen. Even if we just look at hobby-specific brands I think that Micro-Mark, Proxxon, and MiniCraft all offer superior rotary tools.
ITCD
Snap-On and other truck brands have been playing this angle for a looooong time as well. They’ll gladly sell you an entire identity if you’re willing to pony up.
Jim Felt
I dunno whether to be amused or horrified! Neither of which seems particularly brand positive to me.
What were they “thinking”?
JoeM
Where’s the “Laughing So Hard I’m Crying” Emoji when you really need it?
We all know I’m a die hard, Dremel Raised, Dremel Proud, user… I have 4 Dremel Rotary tools and a whole host of their other major tools as well. But the second she said “Who knew a Toolbox could be so Cute?” I lost it… I laughed so hard, I almost knocked over my tea.
First off: Yes, that toolbox is adorable. But, as someone else said, I would rather use it for writing supplies. I would add utility blades to that, not any of my Dremel tools. Not even the engraver or Versatip tools. It’s for displaying nice things, not really utility. The magnets are, also, adorable.
Second: I literally want that 4300 kit with case. It is more worth it to me, as it contains a backup of nearly all of the attachments I own, short of the planer, multi-saw, and router base. It would make me able to set up two full operations, or more, without having to switch attachments on a single tool. I don’t see a “Cute” Toolbox in my future.
But Stuart? Thank you for the laugh… I really needed it! Keep up the awesome work!
MT_Noob
I’ve always thought that it would be better for tool boxes or custom blow mold cases to have a spot to store eye protection. If I’m grabbing a container that has the tool and all the other accessories, it would be nice if it also had a spot that kept my glasses in there already. (And not just bumping around against the tool or bits and getting scratched up.) That way I’ll never have an excuse to just make one quick cut without PPE.
mark w
Man do I suffer with that “safety glasses bumping up against stuff and getting sctatched” problem. I’m thinking of making a little cubby system or something from plywood I bang them up so quick.
Yadda
I use a magnetic mini tray made for the office on the side of tool chest to store nothing but safety glasses. This is smilar. https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Pencil-Holder-Refrigerator-Accessories/dp/B0CDGVWC91/
TomD
Someone found a way to make Packout look cheap. I guess that’s something.
Plain+grainy
Initial price on something may be high. But if it lasts it’s certainly a good value.
MM
That’s a rather big “if”. From what I can see, this toolbox is designed for style rather than function. There’s only one latch for the lid, the construction seems rather flimsy given the thin gauge steel and the low weight rating of the drawers. I’m sure it’s perfectly adequate for its target market, but I doubt its anywhere near as tough as packout.
Plain+grainy
Sorry, I was referring to the Packout as being a good value. I didn’t pay much attention to this toolbox highlighted in this post.
S
$165 buys a lot of Lowe’s/Menards/harbor freight mini tool boxes…
I’m just really struggling to see the value here. It’s a larger box than the mini tool boxes, but much of the cost seems eaten up in the rounded new-age shape, and finish texture. Maybe the slides are really smooth, but are they $100 smoother than any other tool box? I doubt it. It just comes off as ‘trendy’.
What Dremel really needs to work on is focusing less on the trendy and fleeting white collar and influencer market, and more on blue collar pricing.
I love my rotary tools, but Dremel as a brand has nothing that appeals to me, this tool box included.
Andy
For what it’s worth, a lot of my clients are trendy silicone valley white collar and influencer buyers, and none of them would pay $165 for this thing.
mark w
It’s the toolbox for people who “imagine themselves using tools” lol. Like buying $200 work wear inspired jeans & $300 leather boots but you work an office job in marketing or software and wax your mustache.
CharlieD
Go buy a tackle box for $20-30. Dremel stuff is massively overpriced.
IronWood
$165 made in China?!?! Big nope. Looks cool and would be great for measuring, drawing, drafting supplies if under $50. No chance at their price.
Tom
$165?! Awwww, hell naw. I can get something that does the same thing for less than $50.
Dremel should be ashamed.
CMF
“New Dremel Tool Box is Unbelievable” should have been “New Dremel Tool Box is Unbelievably Expensive”
Stuart
Everything about this seems unbelievable to me. One user review says their Dremel rotary tool doesn’t fit.
George
A router “routs”; It doesn’t “route,” as the sticker on the box says. Ugh.
Greg
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1QZPU8DOODARO?ref=dp_vse_lbvc__sml
One of those video reviews of the tool box, doesn’t seem promising.
mark w
WOW that flexing when the guy uses just 1-3 fingers to push and bend the metal of the box easily is atrocious. The holiday promo lowes $15 mini kobalt box I bought was better than that and I that’s 90% Costco savings & character couldn’t even do 1st world mfg.
ElectroAtletico
HF has a cute on for under $20.
MFC
So, maybe my idea of cute/good looking, is different from theirs, but I think the actual Dremel tool box looks way better. I guess round is cute when it comes to my wife’s face, but squared edges are much more pleasing in inanimate objects.
Amish Mike
I still have my early/mid 2000s Dremel 400 XPR rotary tool and all of the attachments in the case with top handle. It still runs well and has lots of power. I love the tool, I will be very upset when it gives up the ghost one day as I do not belive their current offerings are as good
T
I like it. Character is definitely geared and marketed towards a very different group of users–their marketing and product offerings makes it seem accessible and unintimidating, aiming to appeal to a broad audience, including individuals who may not have prior experience with tools or DIY projects. I like it when other Companies try to reach out to others as long as form always follows function.
Jared
It’s clearly designed and marketed at someone who isn’t me – but that’s fine. Dremel is pushing hard into the craft/DIY market (or maybe always has been). It doesn’t seem like a huge leap to extend that into lifestyle marketing and a partnership with a trendy fashion brand (that likely also sees benefits from connecting it’s identity with a “tool” company).
It’s not rugged, affordable, versatile, heavy-duty… because that’s not the point. It’s “cute” and they’re not being subtle about it.
Yadda
Cute is correct, but not cute enough for me to buy it.
Shawn Yuan
I emailed Dremel about purchasing the 4300 tool box by itself when it came out. They said it’s not available. I still want it.
Todd Trindle
I’ve been using Dremel tools for years, but always found their boxes that the Dremels came in lacking when it comes to taking them with me. Falling out of there spaces, rolling around making amess. I did solve my problemat Goodwill when I found a large plastic gun case with deep foam liners. Made a place for everything, when closed, everything is held snuggly in place, light and easy to carry and protects the tools very well.
Just a thought.
Todd