We’re running a short ad campaign with KC Tool this week and next. After that, we have a fun giveaway planned. Of course there will also be reviews of tools from their vast product catalog, and we’re working on arranging some great money-saving deals. It seemed like now would be a good time to talk about them in a post and to ask for your feedback.
KC Tool is, in their words, America’s #1 German Tool Distributor. I have been hearing about them more and more recently, and their word-of-mouth feedback seems to be quite positive.
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If you’ve shopped at KC Tool before, how was the shopping experience?
Here’s what I think:
Brands
KC Tool specializes in German tool brands, and currently carries Wiha, Wera, Knipex, Gedore, Heyco, Witte, Orbis, Ochsenkopf, Rennsteig, and Fein. There might be a couple of others, and I’m told that they’re soon bringing another brand into the mix.
Product Selection and Availability
From what I have seen, KC Tool has very good selection, and clear in-stock representations. Nothing bugs me more about another german hand tool dealer than when I order a product only to have to wait weeks for it to arrive. This is 2015 – I don’t want to have to email a store for a stock estimate.
For example, this Gedore 1/4″ hex deburring bit is “imported on order,” and expected lead time is “1-3+ weeks”. This Gedore pipe cutter is in “USA inventory” with a “1-3 business day” lead time. Others, such as this Wiha precision screwdriver set is “simply in-stock.”
With the major brands, of course there’s going to be some overlap with other sellers. But there are some hard-to-find offerings, such as this Gedore vegetable knife. Can you tell that I’ve been using their website to explore Gedore-branded offerings?
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Pricing
Prices seem to be decent. Sometimes they’re a lot better than on other sites. For most products, KC Tool’s prices seem to be competitive or slightly bad. And some tools are a little pricier. I like the ratio I’ve seen of tools that are lower priced at KC Tool vs. higher priced, but there a couple of specific tools I wish were priced more competitively.
They offer free shipping on orders $50+, and they have a tool deal of the day special that I’ve been following closely. There are some nice deals there, and they occasionally spotlight tools that strike my interest and tempt my wallet.
Descriptions
One more thing I like – Country of Origin details. Because not every German company-branded tool is made in Germany. For instance, Wera precision screwdrivers, which are discussed in my best precision screwdrivers (in my toolbox) roundup, are made in the Czech Republic. That doesn’t mean much about their quality, but it’s good to know if you don’t like COO surprises.
And there are pictures for the products. Maybe some are representative of their categories, but not “image coming soon” placeholders. I have only come across 1, maybe 2 SKUs that lacked an image (at least outside of the image-lacking Rennsteig tool category). This means that I can see what a Torx gauge is without having to download and scan through a huge PDF catalog.
What Do You Think?
If you check out KC Tool’s website – and I think you should as there are lots of cool tools there – be sure to leave some feedback here. I want to know what you think about KC Tool, whether you’ve shopped there before or not. If you ask me, there needs to be more linkage, such as to Orbis brand products they carry. Those angled pliers look amazing.
P.S. My “secret shopper” failed to deliver, and so I couldn’t fit a customer service section in time for this post. I’ll try to arrange for another go, maybe this time with a long-time ToolGuyd reader and commenter or two.
Dave L.
Quite an assortment of tools. Prices range from quite reasonable to so expensive I’d be reluctant to ask my company to buy them for me. Haven’t bought there.
matt
I have been happy with the two orders I have placed at KC. Prompt shipping and the packaging was good (no damaged tools). I really like how they organize the web site- by brand then type, it makes random browsing of the site interesting and it makes finding a specific tool easy and fast.
Matt
Tom
Haven’t bought anything from them yet, but I know that they are active on GarageJournal and people seem to have had good experiences with them.
Dennis
I’ve ordered from KC Tools a few times. The selection is great, especially when I was looking for very specific bit sizes. If you love German tools like I do, this is a site to have bookmarked. Shipping has always been fast and accurate.
Hurray! I just noticed that they started selling Sortimo L-Boxx stuff (branded “Gedore”). For some reason it costs a lot more when it says “Gedore” instead of “Bosch”. But this is great news, L-Boxx accessories are not that easy to find in the US
Also they have some really great “Black Friday” deals every year. But that does mean you have to wait until November.
Josh B.
I’ve purchased from them a few times and lucky for me they’re only 30 minutes away, so if my order doesn’t meet the free shipping threshold, I can go and pick it up. On the orders I’ve placed they’ve been very communicative and I’d give them high marks for customer service. I like their website and haven’t had any trouble finding what I’m looking for. Their tool of the day is often a very good price if the tool happens to be something you’re interested in or looking for. In my experience on tools I’ve searched for they’re typically not the cheapest option out there.
Tom
Never purchased from KC. Scanning their site (primarily for automotive mechanic tools for Volvos/Saabs) I do not see a good fit. The current ‘non-professional’ offerings from US suppliers (Craftsman, Channellock, Husky, Kobalt, etc.) supply a highly satisfactory tool for a good price. When I need a specialty item, I hit the pro houses for a Snap-on, Williams, or rent it from an auto supply retailer. I might look at KC but not at the prices I have seen.
The tools/kits look overpriced. I know the quality of the power tools they carry but 4x for a battery powered impact tool is way over my budget. KC appears to be specialty, not broad market. I wish them the best but I will not be a regular.
Robert
It’s nice to see another dealer like Micro-Tools that specializes is German products. I’ve dealt with Micro-Tools and had a good experience. If this distributor is comparable, it’s nice to see some healthy specialized competition.
We all gain from those things. I’d be doing some price comparisons with Micro-Tools to see how they compare with this company. Sometimes competing companies with deal with you and match or even beat prices to keep you as a customer.
Kent
Hit me up if you need a secret shopper. They will never see this email address, or even this name.
Kyle
I LOVE KC Tool – bought from them several times for work and personal. Very satisfied with the great offerings, the prices and the service. Everything usually arrives fast and in perfect condition. I’d love to see them continue to expand their offerings -Stahlwille for example. Definitely one of my favorite places to buy tools from because of the merchandise, the website and the prices.
Travis Clark
I’ve made a couple of purchases through them and have had nothing but positive experiences. Their tool of the day often has great deals.
fred
I’ve bought a few items from them – and I’m consequently on their email list. They have a once in a while sale with XX % off. When I look at their prices – I sometimes compare them with Chads Toolbox and other sources to see who has what and for what price. What’s frustrating about some of these online retailers is that there is little information about what’s in stock at the time of order.
fred
I take it back – just looked at the KCTool site – and they do list what’s in stock – others who don’t should take note.
jeff
mcmaster PN 4286A15 is my deburring tool of choice at less than 4$ it lasts a very long time.
Peter Fox
They also have a insert type deburring bit at a much better price (7811A18 @ $2.91)
I have used both and am satisfied with the results and longevity.
Stuart
I’m a fan of Noga deburrring tools. What I find appealing about that Gedore one is that it looks to fit any standard 1/4″ hex bit holder.
I’d love to try pairing it with my small Wera EDC screwdriver handle – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/wera-edc-screwdriver-bit-holders/%3C/a%3E for quick on-the-go needs.
Gary T.
I’ve ordered from them a few times and always received my orders on time. Their site is easy to navigate and I like that they tell you what is in stock. I’ve also received a free #2 phillips bit (made by Wera) in some of my orders.
MichaelR
Smooth transaction and fast delivery. I think KC is great. Overall experience has been stellar.
CB
It’s nice to have all the choices of German tools under one house, shipping was quick.
I’ve ordered Wiha screwdriver sets from KC, one set I wasn’t too happy with as they had really slippery grips. Spoke them about it and they weren’t really open to sending them back, instead saying I should wash them and it will get better; they didn’t. Now they’re just taking drawer space, not really excited about ordering products from them I haven’t used before.
It would be great if they had the same return polices of other popular sites. Prices are also a bit higher than other places with the same model numbers.
Curtis
I was the person you spoke to about that issue. To be fair, I did say that if they were still slippery after washing them to send them back and we would replace them with a new set. Please send me an email to [email protected] and we can get the exchange process started.
IMO, our return policy is one of the best that I’ve seen (as an avid online shopper myself). If someone is not happy with their purchase, they are free to return the item(s) for their money back or an exchange within 30 days. Our ultimate goal is to make sure everyone is happy with their purchase. If someone isn’t, we go out of our way to try to make it right for those individuals.
CB
Hi Curtis,
Thank You for the reply and trying to reach out to me via email. I’ve been out of town camping and only received the message recently.
Yes I washed them and used abrasive side of the sponge to achieve more grip but they were still quite slippery, the grip on the handle was quite smooth, hard and oily. There’s no contours to help resist slippage. Perhaps I got an odd set. No worries, prior to camping the Wiha set found a new home and hopefully they will serve their new owner well.
I think I will stick to Wera’s and Witte’s in my future
Cheers,
CB
PS> While speaking to you on the phone I must of not heard you speak about the ability to return, only to wash them and see how they work, again my fault. It was only when I went onto your web site that I found the return policy but I had already used the abrasive side of the sponge on the handles to try improve grip which most likely voided the ability for a full refund so instead they went to a new home rather than sit in a drawer.
Jerry
Never bought from them, but browsed their website just now. They appear to have a wide selection of premium tools. Their pricing seems hard to pin down, though. Their deal of the day yesterday was a good deal, especially if it qualified for free shipping, yet other things seem quite high priced. The indication of what’s in stock and where is nice to know for estimating delivery times.
Drew M
I’ve never ordered from them but I have ran into their site a few times when I was on the hunt for various Knipex or Wiha tools.
I spent a little bit of time looking around their site and it looks good. I see many tools made by Wiha that I’d never seen elsewhere before. I also like that they have actual product photos for a lot of tools.
The tool deal of the day thing is a nice idea and I may have to watch it if for no other reason than to see some new tool that I may not have ever seen before each day. (kind of like how I check this site now a few times per day 🙂 )
Andrew
I buy from them from time to time. Their prices can be higher than chads. Their sale priced items are usually the best way to go.
I tried to convince them to stock pb swiss tools but they weren’t having it!
ktash
Never bought from them, and I was vaguely aware of them. I do like their site, much easier to find a specific thing than on many other sites, which just give a bunch of non-related products and which I’m less and less willing to sort through.
The free shipping is good, but often, if you want less than $50 worth, it doesn’t work out so well. The only reason I order so often from Amazon rather than other places is prime member free shipping, when I just need one thing and don’t want to have to “put together an order” to meet the minimum. I also tend to order more from a few other places like Hartville tool and MLCS which offer free or minimal shipping. At least these are places I always check for competitive shipping.
Now that I’m more aware, I’ll check them from time to time.
ktash
Oops, not competitive shipping, but competitive shopping.
Tom
I’ve noticed that some of they sell through Amazon.com sometimes. It looks like it can be a little better deal to buy through there when you are not hitting the free shipping thresholds.
Stuart
Good point. Here’s their Amazon store. I’ve seen them on Amazon here and there, but this is the first time I’ve looked for their Amazon storefront.
Nic. S.
KC TOOLS + customer service = LEGEND!
Kamran Kureshi
My joy and pride, my lovely tools, all well used and scarred have more or less become extensions of my hands with some being far from conventional design just creations of pure necessity. I am sooo comfortable with them even at this age and manage to do the job with a degree of perfection. Thanks to the Taiwanis and Chinese rapidly rising standards of quality and metallurgy, Pakistanis now have access to cheaper and good grade hand tools. Most of them are as snazzy looking as the European brands and in some cases the workmanship is even better. Infact better than some good Japanese brands. Anyway, beyond a certain cost, investment in expensive tool brands can only be blamed on the workman’s vanity. As for them, they will continue to exploit flaws in our passion with gimmicks, shape and cosmetics.
Eric Hanson
They do have a great selection of quality tools but have not had the pleasure of a quick order fulfillment and shipping experience. Hope when the items DO get here it is worth the wait. These are not cheap quality so the cost seems appropriate on the items I needed.