Professional Electrician joined Product Tester, Andy McCarron, from Palmac Electrical Services, on site as he tried out the Rolling Delux Electrician’s Tool Case from Wiha.
Back in the September issue, Professional Electrician covered Wiha’s launch of its new Professional Tool Case concept to the market. The 80-piece and 115-piece sets promise to ensure you have all the tools you need on site exactly when you need them, raising the efficiency of your work and keeping your tools tidy and safe in the process.
Having all of your tools together in a professional, durable case is a great idea, but a 115-piece set is a heck of an investment to make. So, just in case you were on the fence about it, we decided to take the XXL set out for a test drive with our Product Tester, Andy McCarron behind the wheel.
We caught up with Andy a couple of weeks after he received the case, just as he was finishing up a job at a hotel in London, to find out what he thought…
What were your first impressions of the case and the tools inside?
On first glance, the case looks like a very well-presented, professional bit of kit. The box itself doesn’t stand out. However once it’s opened you soon realise it’s more than your run of the mill tool case. Clearly a lot of care has gone into the manufacture of the case itself with the hinges and wheels working smoothly but feeling robust enough to handle conditions on site. The flexible design of the tool holders is also a nice touch so I can store my tools in a way that suits the way I like to work.
What sort of work do you think this is suited to?
It’s very versatile; I could really see this being used on both domestic and large commercial sites without a problem. Personally I could see it being best suited to maintenance type work given the tools included, but as I say you can use it anywhere. It’s got additional space underneath for any other tools you may need that aren’t included so you can tailor what’s in the case depending on the work you are covering.
What did you like about it?
What really impressed me is the way the tools are stored 
within the main unit. You can open it up and in a quick glance know exactly what you’ve got and what you haven’t, which is obviously a big help, and great for when leaving site as you know you’re not leaving anything behind. Recently we’ve been working on a roof area with quite restricted access, instead of running up and down every five minutes I had a very mobile, practical set as opposed to a big box with your tools piled on top of one another.
Is there anything you think could be better?
Really not much you can fault, the only thing I could personally think of is there is no real means of locking the whole unit when you’re not using it – I personally would prefer if there was a more secure lock on the actual container. However, a lock isn’t going to stop someone picking the whole thing up and walking off with it anyway (the same as any other tool box).
Which tools included in the set stood out for you?
I found the BiCut Diagonal Cutters to be a really handy tool. A good standard set of cutters but with the added benefit of being able to cut heavier materials like screws, nails etc. without the worry of damaging them. Very comfortable to use, and didn’t find myself putting in too much effort cutting through the heavier duty stuff.
I also liked the slimTorque set; the case looks professional and gives you peace of mind that you’ve got all the bits neatly in one place when you need it so you can just get on with the job in hand.
Personally my favourite of all the tools included in the set was the LiftUp VDE Magazine Bit Holder (pictured). It’s a really clever, well put together, bit of kit. Rather than carrying five or six drivers in your pocket you’ve got them all contained in one place, which was ideal for going job to job.
The verdict…
The main benefit I found using this set was practicality; I knew where everything was whenever I needed it. The tools themselves are of a very high standard and there is a huge amount included. You’re not going to be buying this for your first year apprentice, but this tool kit offers great value and would be a great investment for a professional site engineer.
