The very latest from Qbrick

Polish company QBrick are all about tool storage. Unlike many other brands, who also do power tools, hand tools, merch, clothing and the like, that's all they do. Tool Storage. They've been quick to attract attention based on a number of headline grabbing concepts. Now, we've been lucky enough to meet with them here at Shadow Foam HQ. Here, we bring you the full inside skinny on this up and coming toolbox brand.

About QBrick

We first came across them back in 2017 when they launched their QBrick System One. That's been quickly joined by their System Pro, System Two and System Prime ranges. They're part of the Krakow based Patrol Group, who've specialised in innovative storage solutions since the early 90's.

A significant feature of what the Patrol Group do is finding sustainable solutions. They use advanced injection moulding technology and prioritise recycling, reducing reliance on raw materials. This is something we therefore see encapsulated in all QBrick do too.

Whilst all their cases and ranges aren't entirely made from recycled material, they do use high quality recycled polymers for most models. Their approach is to balances eco-conscious production with robust and durable professional grade products. Certainly their "black" options contain 100% recycled material which is a great feature.

We've recently done some filming with Key Account Manager Lukasz Janosik. Where we were able to get all the information everyone's been asking about the system. 

QBrick's brand colours and identity

Interestingly on the subject of colours, they've perhaps learned from the hot "red versus black" potato of Milwaukee. So where, with Packout you can only get the red cases in the US and the black cases in Europe, the Qbrick ranges offer you the choice of red OR black. Which is a pretty rare thing.

It might seem a brave move to take aim at tool box colours which are so inextricably linked to the powerful Milwaukee brand. However, according to Lukasz, they were chosen with good reason.

"So the black was obvious because of the recycled material. Also when you're using with tools it doesn't get marked easily. This is why everyone likes to use black. The red gives a nice colour combination with the black. So that's just people's preference, and it looks good. But if you want something really eco-friendly then you go for the black one."

Why you might have seen QBrick before

Throughout Europe they're stocked by all the big name sellers like OBI, Leroy Merlin and the usual suspects. Here in the UK they're perhaps a little less known. But it's clear they have the makings of becoming real contenders in our demanding and competitive marketplace.

Though anyone who's already come across Ox Tooltrek storage will know their cases as they're exactly the same as the QBrick Prime System. Ox are the guys who famously take a hammer to their cases to demonstrate how strong they are. With their polycarbonate composition, you can be assured you're getting a tough case with these.

Equally you'll have seen their System 2 sold here as Trend. And if, like us you frequent a lot of tool shows you may have spotted their iconic Multi-Box Tool Organiser. This is a wall-mounted unit and which you might have also seen an Ox version of, but that's because the organiser in any of their ranges will fit into this Multi-box organiser. Wall mounting is a bit of a theme with the Qbrick brand, and something we talk to Lukasz about in more detail. They really do seem to listen to what their users need, and that transferability between workshops and mobile solutions is clearly an important feature.

You may also have heard of the less well known HMT or Holemaker Drilling Solutions. They're another, less well known brand within the Qbrick ecosystem. There've been some speculative comparisons drawn between their systems and the Versa Stack. While the colours might be slightly similar, that's where the comparison ends. They're very different products from different manufacturers.

Yet more impressive features

As if the recycled material use isn't headline grabbing enough, they also have a number of other super impressive features. As with any professional tool storage system, they're IP rated. That means the design prevents ingress from dust and water. However unlike most products which are IP65 rated, many of the QBrick range go one step further. Bringing the rarer and more superior IP66* rating. In simple terms, as Lukasz explained it to us, IP65 gives you the equivalent protection from water ingress as being able to wash your tool system with a garden hose. Conversley the IP65 means you could take your pressure washer to it without fear of leaks. You'd hope then that this would be absolutely fine for use in even typical extremes of our great British weather!

(*System One and System Prime are IP66 rated, except for the drawers. System Pro is IP54 rated. System Two has basic weather protection)

Additionally they have quite an intuitive approach to attachments for the drawers and boxes. There's a standard M8 bolt to attach their adapter clip which you can then use for mounting anything from a caddy to a saw horse. But these come with matching wall brackets which let you easily adapt between workshop and mobile set ups with the minimum of fuss. While you do get the brackets when you purchase the boxes, you can obviously use those fixings with QBrick accessories. But better still with any accessories you have which have an 8mm hole in them. Which gives a lot more flexibility than a lot of other brands can offer you.

The latest from QBrick

Their rise to promenance since 2017 has been fast and relentless. In that time they've created a total of four tool storage systems to date. Additionally they're constantly adding new items to each of those systems.

While they're the top tool storage brand in Poland and becoming increasingly well known in Europe, others further afield in the USA, Africa and Asia parficularly have historically found their systems tough to come by. But that's all changing, at a pace. With resellers now in the USA, Africa and Japan already coming on line, it's only a matter of time until anyone can find a QBrick seller in a town near you. 

At time of interview, Qbrick are about to release their new System Pro cart with drawers. We know this is something people really want. Why have a toolbox on the bottom of your stack that you can't open when cases are loaded on top? Surely a set  of drawers on the base for ease of access makes much more sense?! 

Lucasz told us how the name of the brand was derived. Partly from the "brick" shape and modulation elements of the stackable system when their directors were looking to name the system. With the "Q" most likely referencing "Quality". Certainly from what we've seen these do seem to be a quality bit of kit, particularly the System One and System Prime ranges.

We'll be putting them to use and reporting back on our findings in due course, and for now we've mapped the cases and added QBrick foam inserts to our range so you can really optimise on the quality of this great range of products.