Thread: Tool shops in Hawaii

I believe Hawaii is technically part of USA so there should be some opportunities.

Yes but to get the kids to go shopping for me I need more info.. Tried googeling it , no luck

Maybe you have a bent or malfunctioning Google.

Mine found this. Woodcraft sounds a good starting point, Hawaii is more than one place.
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=e...ii&v=133247963

Thanks very much.

Originally Posted by Pagie

Thanks very much.

There are Home depots in all the bigger towns all over the islands The prices will blow your mind they're so cheap. It's like a third of Bunnings for the same (brand) item. Stpck up on all the top quality Canadfian and yankee hand tool brands like Crescent, Cooper Tools and all he others I can't think of.

Now to talk the kids into not buying clothes.

Originally Posted by Doggie

There are Home depots in all the bigger towns all over the islands The prices will blow your mind they're so cheap. It's like a third of Bunnings for the same (brand) item. Stpck up on all the top quality Canadfian and yankee hand tool brands like Crescent, Cooper Tools and all he others I can't think of.

In terms of the quality of mechanise I reckon Home Depot (HD) is no better (and in some cases worse) than Bunnings - i.e. most of the goods are basically junk and even most of the so called Canadian and US made tools are now outsourced to China. Unless you are talking about specials, and I admit they do have very good special at times, with the AUS$ back at USS87c it won't always be as good as one might think. Unless you specifically know what you want and can find it on line so the relatives can just go into a store and buy it, it's definitely not worth the hassle of wasting relatives time to bother with.

You can do all this for yourself on the web but here are a few examples.

I just checked out a Dremel 3000 kit
Bunnings price is AUS$97 and the HD price after currency conversion is AUS$79, to which you have to add sales tax of ~5% makes it $84 so nowhere near even a 1/2, in fact only 15% difference
Not that I'd buy power tools in the US anyway because of power compatibility probs.

OK lets try cordless
Ryobi 18V One+ chainsaw, Bunnings price is AUS$199 HD price is AUS$143, again no where near half
Not that you'd ask someone to carry a chainsaw home in their luggage although I have done this and got some strange looks at Sydney customs.

The one area where you might find a good deal is with mechanical hand tools which have the added bonus of no voltage problems.
I could not find a comparable set of Stanley sockets between the two stores but a 60 piece 1/2" Stanley socket set (no tool box) at HD costs about $35 whereas a 64 piece (with a metal tool box and the 4 extra pieces are very useful small drives) at Bunnings costs AUS$169.

170 piece Crescent Brand Tool kit in case
HD price is AUS$116 Bunnings is $129!
Asking anyone, even a relative, to carry a 12kg tool kit home and forgo their spare shopping/luggage capacity to save you $13 or 10% is sheer nonsense.

Not that Stanley or Crescent are hot brands these days as they are both made in China. If you want to buy class tools for a saving of about 40% you'd need to be looking at SnapOn or similar but these are not sold in places like HD. I have carried a 20kg bag of SnapOn tools with me from the US which also raised a few eyebrows at Customs.

Like I said, they occasionally do have very good specials but you have to be there on the day to get these.
The real finds are usually in speciality stores that sell unusual and specific tools but you can't expect relatives to go hunting these down.

If there was a Lee Valley store in Hawaii I would recommend that but there does not appear to be one.

Maybe not a good idea.

If there is something specific you want, it might save money to order it for delivery to their hotel, that way you save on the international shipping. This may backfire with Hawaii though, because they are often excluded from the free or cheap shipping which the lower 48 states are offered, as most stuff would end up being airfreighted in.

Originally Posted by Colin62

If there is something specific you want, it might save money to order it for delivery to their hotel, that way you save on the international shipping. This may backfire with Hawaii though, because they are often excluded from the free or cheap shipping which the lower 48 states are offered, as most stuff would end up being airfreighted in.

Most places will not ship to a hotel and unless you can get free shipping, by the time you pay for shipping the price differential is even less attractive.

I've brought back many things from the US for relatives - its a right PITA - the stress of making sure its the right one, of the stuff getting lost or stolen, and worrying if my travel insurance would cover it is not good. The only time I didn't mind was when I brought back an exxy Gibson guitar for my son and standing in airport queues in Denver and LA a number of the ladies thought I was "Billy Bob something or other" and I had multiple seconds of fame during that trip.

I went to Hawaii about 4 years ago for a holiday and found Woodcraft very good to deal with. They told me they have a number of Aussie customers who come every few years and load up on tools. A good tip they gave me to avoid disappointment was to email them a list of items and the expected pickup date, to ensure the desired items would be in stock. May require prepayment or a deposit for some items (if not normally stocked), but this way you have a better chance to get all your toys.

Checked out Home Depot but was very disappointed. Not much better than a Bunnings store (although cheaper).

Originally Posted by Pagie

My son and daughter are off to Hawaii. I have talked them into bringing me some tools, I think. Any good tool shops there?

Hawaii isn't just on the far outer reaches of the USA, it's also on the far outer reaches of Polynesia.......I'd bet that the Woodcraft store in Honolulu would have some pretty cool carving supplies.
If that's what you're into.

The Honolulu Woodcraft store is the most successful (highest turnover) Woodcraft store in the US. It's jam packed full of goodies.

Originally Posted by Doggie

There are Home depots in all the bigger towns all over the islands The prices will blow your mind they're so cheap. It's like a third of Bunnings for the same (brand) item. Stpck up on all the top quality Canadfian and yankee hand tool brands like Crescent, Cooper Tools and all he others I can't think of.

Yeah! But Home Depot is no where near as far upmarket as Bunnings. More like the the bargain bins at Kmart - on a massive scale. Rather depressing.

Agree with comments about Woodcraft, but you have to be selective. Lee Nielsen prices in Oz are competitive, Lee Valley prices are exorbitant - presumbly a greedy and short-sighted importer!

I used to like rumaging around Rockler in Boston: not sure if they operate in Hawaii. The following reference may be useful:
Hawaian Woodworkers, Woodworking resources and businesses in the state of Hawaii

Also, unless you and/or your personal shopper have specialist knowledge I would avoid electrical items. Some will work fine; others will have voltage and, especially, frequency issues. The trick is to know which is which.

And luggage weight limits on aircraft are dynamite - it is where their profitability lies.



Fair Winds

Graeme