Klein Tools just launched their very own spray-on sunscreen.
Yes, that’s right, Klein Tool fans can now buy Klein-branded broad spectrum SPF 50 sunblock.
It’s water resistant and sweat resistant. Klein says their sunscreen provides up to 120 minutes of coverage on dry skin, and up to 80 minutes on wet skin.
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It goes on clear, is fragrance-free, and is described as a non-grease formula.
Klein SPF 50 sunscreen is available in a 12-pack of 5.5 ounce spray bottles.
Price: $175.15 (12-count)
They also have portable rub-on sunscreen lotion, priced at ~$106 for a 12-pack of 1.5oz bottles.
Discussion
This absolutely seems like an even longer stretch for the tool brand than some of their other products, but it seems like a good idea if it gets more pros to apply sunscreen when working in exposed environments.
What brands do you prefer? Banana Boat tends to my default go-to, and I’ve tried Blue Lizard with good results.
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Price-wise, you can get a 2-pack of Banana Boat SPF 50 spray, 6oz each, for ~$14 via Amazon, and that’s before subscribe and save discount. That’s $7 per bottle. Klein’s price of ~$175 for 12 puts it at around $14.58 per 5.5 oz bottle.
Maybe stick to other brands until Klein’s pricing comes down.
Peter
Guess they are taking a page out of Milwaukee’s playbook.
Does it come with a holder for their tool boxes? ;-p
Steve
Call me narrow minded but I don’t want to buy tools from Banana Boat or other people’s rebrands from my tool company.
MB
LOL starting to go the way of a “lifestyle” brand more and more…..this rarely ever works out well in the long run. Honestly it just irks me as the consumer and makes me start looking elsewhere.
Robert
I guess this could be placed in hopes of an impulse buy near check-out. But otherwise I don’t see stores wanting to give up shelf space for this.
Bonnie
Home Depot sells insect repellent, which I’d put in the same rough category. So it’s well precedented at least.
Jared
I don’t think this is anymore egregious that T-shirts, ball caps, travel mugs, ear buds, etc., that many tool brands sell.
I realize when Milwaukee sells a travel mug, they might make it PACKOUT compatible, or Dewalt’s ear buds also protect against noise – so they might claim those products are tool-adjacent worksite products… but so is sunscreen by that metric.
Is it a loose and tenuous connection? Sure. But it’s all fair game in my view.
That also doesn’t mean I’ll shop for Klein sunscreen specifically though. The brand doesn’t add anything for me.
MM
Agreed. It’s not surprising, and honestly I’ve seen worse product/merch ideas. It’s also not that surprising to see from another perspective. I’ve noticed more and more skincare and toiletries products targeted to men pop up int he last few years. A good example are the various “manly soap” products popping up all over the place at Lowes and at my local supermarkets. I’m sure some tool brands are considering getting in on that game in one way or another.
Bonnie
I have such a pet peeve against those “man soaps”. The implication, however accurate, that men can’t or won’t clean themselves if the soap isn’t made to smell like a gun or whiskey feels insulting.
Saulac
Did not know sunscreen and Banana Boat until I am in my 30′ having my first child…has always assume the name is from some sort of children story… today in my 50′ I gooled the name and learn about the Day-O the Banana Boat Song…turn out I had hear this song before, probably around 20 years ago also, as the “One Day Sale Only at The Bon Marche….”. I am probably completely off track…But I will stick with this version.
fred
I grew up during the 1940’s – listening to stories from family members who had travelled (1920’s and ’30’s) on the “great white fleet” of the United Fruit Company – as first-class passengers. Apparently – aside from their banana cargo these ships also provide luxury cruising accommodations from ports like NYC to the Carribean and Central America.
blocky
A few years ago, I put together a kit list for our team. Beneath sections for required tools, and recommended additional tools, there was a section for other items you should probably pack with you, including phone charger and sunscreen.
I hope Klein does a beach ball and towel next.
Stuart_T
What’s next? Deodorant and toothpaste? Are they under new, hipster management?
@Robert, re “an impulse buy near check-out.” A ball cap or mug I can see, but $106 for a case of deodorant???
I’m with “MB” above on this one.
hleb shauchuk
dont recommend play with these sunscreen creams… it could be a reason with skin problems!
Stuart
If for whatever reason you cannot apply sunscreen, there are alternatives, such as SPF-rated clothing and workwear products.
Here’s some guidance regarding sun safety: https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/sun-safety/index.html
Bonnie
The creams tend to be better for you than the sprays or lotions. Fewer alcohols and akin drying compounds if you have especially dry or troublesome skin.
I go for simple mineral sunscreen where possible.
Wayne R.
Since they’re selling it by the case, I expect it’ll be sent through contractor’s supply houses for fleets of trucks rather than onesy-twosey at HD.
Another Bob
This is exactly what they’re banking on!
I personally know a distributor that makes a killing on bug bands, cases of bottled water and pee bags for linemen. For whatever reason, the one time use packs of sunscreen, never took off.
Wayne R.
Aerosol sunscreen is so much easier to apply than goops, it’s amazing to me all the lotions are still being sold.
IndianaJonesy (Matt J.)
Exactly. This is for GCs and largers subs to provide in fleet trucks and job site trailers. Might be to be a good company watching out for their crews, might be so that down the road they don’t get sued for not providing protection when someone gets skin cancer. That may just be me being cynical, though.
Eric
Yep, saw some pictures of the bottle on another site and it doesn’t even appear to have a UPC code on it for individual sale.
John
I had to double check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st after reading this post. My first question is how and why did sunscreen end up on Klein’s product roadmap? It’s twice the price of well-known national brands and has no differentiating features compared to most other sunscreens. Klein-branded sunscreen makes sense as a free giveaway or marketing premium, but I’m struggling to see its relevance as a standalone product. It sure feels like Klein has lost focus on their core tool business with all these tangential product launches.
Wayne R.
I’ll bet Klein sells literal truckloads of stuff to individual electric utilities, and that those utilities are much more important individual customers to them than “Joe Sixpack” at a bigbox.
As Phil says below, there are whole unions working outside all day, every day, and maybe their insurance company told them that a little expense on sunscreen pays off big versus dermatological bills.
Yadda
Silly, just silly.
Ron
Hmmm………April 1st comes early
Adam
I’m waiting to grab some from the Snap-On guy.
Scott K
This is too much. Sunscreen is something I buy from brands I trust – just like I wouldn’t buy a circular saw from my preferred shampoo company. The pricing also seems exorbitant but maybe this is the only brand Lowe’s plans to carry and people won’t care?
ElectroAtletico
Or you can save $$$ and just do what I do – long sleeve t-shirts and a hat.
ps Would not be surprised if Klein came up with their own rebrand of “Schmitts Gay Beer” tailored specifically for the IBEW….”fellas”!😙
Oarman
I think I’d rather feel like a Bosch.
Kris P
I could see adding a can to specific job PO instead of general shop overhead.
Phil
People seem to forget that Linemen was/is one of the core target markets for Klein. A bunch of dude’s (and women, I imagine) hanging out in buckets on bucket trucks and on the side of the road all day long in the sun. They also sell iron worker tools, most of those folks are outside all day long too. One more market that they sell tools to, is solar workers and you guessed it, those people work outside a ton as well. Seems cheesy on the surface but it makes sense once you think about all the target markets they sell to. Honestly kind of silly that they hadn’t capitalized on this years ago. Probably being sold by the case because the power company that the Linemen work for will probably be the one’s procuring this stuff and distributing it to workers. If your a power company already cutting a check to Klein every so often, why not add in the sun screen instead of running to walmart or having to order from somewhere else.
Wayne R.
Agreed. And you’re likely right that this is something they’re kicking themselves for not having done years ago.
Robert
I was in Lowes about an hour ago getting sand paper. I didn’t see the Klein sunscreen, and when I asked at check out if they had any, she looked at me funny, and gave me a “no” in a tone.
Josh R
I would love to keep a bottle or can in the workshop for a laugh. I’d be willing to pay $12 for a single can…. Once.
Eric
Are they in financial trouble? Their latest moves all seem to be moving away from what they used to be and reek of desperation. I’ve been seeing more and more complaints about quality going downhill over the last few years. All their new tools with no COO listed just hoping people assume Klein stuff will be USA made. Slapping their brand name on stuff like the heated vest and sunscreen. It feels like they’re walking down the same path Craftsman did.
fred
I think that Stuart recently speculated that it may be Lowes that is asking Klein to add more and more to their repertoire. What I’m afraid of is that Klein becomes so dependent on Lowes that as Lowes squeezes them on price – they need to offshore their entire production.
Stuart
It’s also possible that Klein sought to break their exclusivity with Home Depot and find a new home at Lowe’s specifically because it would give them greater opportunities for expansion.
ModBox was the first major launch following Klein’s partial break with Home Depot. There’s no chance Home Depot would have been able or willing to accommodate that product line at their stores – they’ve got enough tool box systems already and
Klein typically was only given center-aisle presence during the holiday season with one or two quarter pallet electrical hand tool displays.
Milwaukee expanded their lines of electrical hand tools and equipment, including USA-made screwdrivers and pliers.
Is Klein expanding because Milwaukee poses a bigger threat to their business, or did Klein’s desire for expansion provide an opening for Milwaukee to expand into the electrical hand tool aisle at Home Depot?
Most if not all of Klein’s new products are produced overseas, such as in China. It’s possible Lowe’s might squeeze them on price, but at the same time Lowe’s has squeezed other brands out in favor of Klein, such as Ideal, ToughBuilt, and maybe also Flex with respect to their tool boxes.
Lowe’s tends to hang brands out to dry whenever a new brand attracts their attention. They did this with Southwire and then Ideal. They’re out of professional electrical hand tool brands.
I think Klein is looking for growth, which is smart in today’s market, but their strategy seems to be tall and broad at the same time, and this carries greater risks.
JR Ramos
Klein still has major sales in supply houses across the country, which has *always* been their bread and butter, plus connections with union apprenticeship programs and vo-tech schools. The strange explosion of the DIY market in the last decade or so caught them resting on their laurels a little bit as the big box stores grew even bigger and many smaller distributors contracted or went out of business. So while I don’t think big box stores are vital to their survival and prospering, it’s clear that they do want (or maybe need a little) to get a slice of that pie now. Broadening their categories as they have been is perhaps a natural evolution in todays manufacturing market and the trends. It’s such a different landscape now.
I’m sure it’s different with the big box stores and all that jazz behind the scenes but Klein still fosters a very archaic and limiting model of pricing and distribution for most normal channels and THAT is what, in my opinion and experience going way back, is what has always limited them and set the stage for losing some market (and perhaps relevance, now…sadly and strangely). They are too strict and too demanding for many businesses to get on board as distributors, set the bar too high, and then on top of that, if a business does get in they are slapped in the face with much less competitive pricing and terms unless they happen to be able to really sell higher volume…and it’s harder for them to do one-offs and small parts in the lines to boot. I think (hunch) that this was Klein’s method of protecting their traditional channels and many companies did/do the same, but today it’s not a very good approach for long term competitiveness and success.
Other competition surely matters. Knipex has been in the US market for nearly 30 years now and they’ve sure made inroads to the professional trades with pliers, strippers, and cutters, and lots of specialty items. Previously it seemed that it was mostly Channellock (and GB) they competed with the most for hand tools but nowadays…whew what a market. And venturing into the retail DIY market where they will eat your lunch for saving 50 cents or marketing sway, etc….makes it a real chore. Since they seem to have increased focus there it must be a challenge for them to truly adapt, and then overcome the successful competitors. Hence, broadening the offerings (Lowe’s or not….because many of these things predate any relationship with Lowe’s or HD…..) makes sense.
On the flip side, this kind of growth/change also makes it hard for their traditional supply houses to compete and be successful as well. Plenty of pros will also choose to save two, five, or ten bucks by buying something elsewhere, and many of the supply houses need that margin.
I think Klein is a really good study example of a company weathering the changes of a shift to global manufacturing and ebbing and flowing with the market changes. And yet still clinging on to old habits that can be a threat to their own well being.
Ultimately in the DIY and home center markets, the customer types can be fickle and one-time sales, more or less, and that’s rarely good for a company that has a more limited range and exposure. Klein is probably taking the right moves over the last several years, as long as they don’t let quality, design, or QC issues tarnish the reputation they built for generations (and it seems like that is also a challenge now).
JR Ramos
I’ll say, too, that most people forget (or don’t even know about) all of the other lines of products Klein has for trade and industry that fall outside of the typical hand tool and accessory categories. Those often don’t have a lot of competition and Klein has been offering those for decades, doing well, and with established channels. They seem to have taken a fair amount of business from Greenlee and such in these “smaller” industrial categories as Textron (like Mitutoyo) began to focus on higher categories. Most in retail/DIY won’t ever even see these products or have a reason to, but it’s still probably a fairly large chunk of business for Klein. Milwaukee has tinkered with a few items there but it doesn’t seem like they’re gaining much traction and certainly don’t have the breadth of offerings.
Stuart
The expansion, I think, is necessary. Some brands no longer exist, and others are in trouble.
According to news stories, Vaughan was bought out at the brink of closure under desperate circumstances. Malco was acquired by a private equity firm.
When is the last time brands like Channellock or Estwing launched new innovative tools? Companies must adapt to changing times or fall too far behind.
This week I was emailed by a company describing themselves as a leading tool brand with a vast catalog. Their website didn’t exist 2 months ago. There are countless brands slapping their name on customized tools.
Why buy a Klein new category tool or product offering over other brands? In this case, their sunscreen is DOUBLE the price compared to that from other reputable brands.
From what I’ve seen, their pipe wrenches cost more than other imported models, and a little less than Milwaukee and Ridgid tools. Their ModBox tool boxes are premium priced, and while decent, in my experience they’re not up to the fit and finish of Packout or ToughSystem.
A few years ago I asked Klein about one of their then-new products, and their answers were disappointingly shallow, suggesting that they were just putting their name on it. That was a one-off, but with all of the new products coming out, I’m wondering how much development is done by Klein.
Milwaukee Tool tends to enter a new product category in phases. Out of nowhere, Klein launched an entire line of plumbing tools. How much of the know-how was developed in-house, or are they heavily relying on 3rd party ODM partners?
fred
Any company that rests on its laurels is sooner or later doomed to extinction. As Satchel Paige is often quoted: “don’t look back something might be gaining on you.” We had a fleet of nearly 50 trucks in our plumbing business. Most had a few pairs of Channellock pliers onboard. Once the guys started using Knipex pliers (now 25 years ago) we switched over – with the last Channellock pliers bought in 2020. We were still buying some of their adjustable wrenches – but the OEM for them was Irega in Spain.
mat
I can see this doing well at a wholesale house, If i’m getting ready to spend the whole day out side during the summer, go to pick up conduit and remember that I finished off my bottle of sunscreen the day before I’d definitely let the company buy me a bottle of this, especially if it means not having to run to walmart or cvs and grab some.
Frank D
Good idea. Yes.
I would not mind carrying a bottle in the truck or van; picking up some sun screen protection at the big box store seems fine by me. But not at double the cost.
And, especially while buying in bulk !!
Fortunately ( I hope ) I have purchased a number of summer weight protective pants and long sleeve shirts; and try to wear those diligently when working outside. Much easier and more convenient than applying lotion or cream, since I am fair skinned and my arms & legs do have some hair on them.
Wayne R.
The aerosols are very easy to apply, and cover well – and leave your hands clean, too. Well, not any worse.
Eric
Spray on sunscreen still needs to be rubbed into your skin. And you’re not supposed to spray your face at all. Just spray it into your hands and rub it on. So your hands still get covered in it.
CoBlue
It’s very thin, so it’s much faster and easier to spread, but it still does needs to be spread for proper coverage and absorption.
David
“80 minutes on wet screen” should be on wet skin I think.
Stuart
Thanks, *fixed*!