The Milwaukee PACKOUT system launched several years ago with only a handful of stackable units. Modular tool storage had been popular only with smaller niche markets with Festool Systainers, Bosch (Boxx) Sortimo and few others. There was never really mass appeal to general tradespeople before the PACKOUT, but that all changed when these super tough, rugged tool boxes hit the market. The price tag was a bit high, but not unreasonable for the level of overall engineering. Demand was instant and PACKOUT was very hard to find for the first year or so. When PACKOUT launched in Europe they were all Black, and everyone in the US began to wonder, when can we get the Black PACKOUT!? Well, the time has come. Today, the first black PACKOUTs are officially being launched in the US–with 2 Tumblers! The 20-oz 48-22-8392B ($29) and the 30-oz 48-22-8393B ($34) both clad in all black! Which begs the question, is this just the beginning?
PACKOUT Tumblers 20oz and 30oz
These new models appear to be identical to the Milwaukee Tumblers launched about a year ago in every way other than that they are black. Do we think that’ll matter if there’s no functional difference from existing red 20oz 48-22-8392R ($29) and 30oz 48-22-8393R ($34) tumblers? Nope. Will PACKOUT fans still go crazy for these when they release? Very likely YES! Does black make any sense for coolers & drinkware, where you are probably trying to keep the contents cold and often outside in the sun? Not at all, but they look awesome, so we want one!
Are all the PACKOUT in Black Coming to the USA?
Although Black PACKOUTs are still only available overseas, that’s not to say that people haven’t gotten their hands on them here in the states. We’ve seen it all at this point–people importing the PACKOUT units from abroad, painting boxes, building their own, whatever it takes. While the bright RED boxes are good branding for Milwaukee, many people would prefer a different color for multiple reasons. Personal style, for one. Red isn’t most people’s first choice, and you also don’t necessarily want to draw a ton of attention to your valuable tools sitting in your pickup truck bed. Unfortunately, we don’t have any official word on if all the other Black PACKOUT options will be coming to the US, and the fact that the Red Tumblers launched with the “R” at the end of SKU and black Tumblers have a “B” suggests they planned from the beginning to have multiple colors, as they do with their Heated Jackets that also end with a letter to indicate the color. Still, with enough demand, we think Milwaukee will eventually have to listen to their customers and bring the black PACKOUTs here.
Both new Black PACKOUT Tumblers are available for Pre-Order now and expected to ship out from Milwaukee in early May. If you have any questions on any Milwaukee Tools, accessories, work wear, PACKOUTs or any other things from team red, please do not hesitate to reach out to the team at Ohio Power Tool. Give us a call at 800-242-4424 and we would be happy to help! Also be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our e-newsletter to stay up-to-date on all of the latest and greatest tool news and deals!
