Well, my "Smilco" wooden box has finally arrived from the US (€ 60.37 incl shipping), and while I'm very happy with it considering the price (and would never even entertain the thought of buying one of those overpriced leatherette boxes from India), here's a few observations:
It comes with a paper bag inside, I guess the purpose of it is to put your stuff into the bag, and then the bag into the box. I certainly won't need it.
The box itself is certainly well-made and has nice precious wood veneer. I had to dust it off inside to get rid of the wood dust from production though.
The hinges feel sturdier than some.
The lock and key aren't quite as precisely engineered as advertised though.
What surprised me is that although the dimensions are very similar to the cheaper laminated wood boxes I bought this year from German Amazon (current price is €30), my largest set, a 4.6" King Arthur set, doesn't fit into the Smilco box. I guess the maximum king's height for the Smilco box is somwehere around 4.3" or 4.4" max.
And although the lid of the Smilco box fits more neatly onto its body, it doesn't have an extra nut like the one from German Amazon to protect the inside from outside humidity interference.
Yes, the Smilco box is better made (I bought 5 of those German Amazon boxes, and there are ill-fitted lids here and there, and one had a crack in the bottom, so I had to send it back), and made of more precious veneer.
But given the price difference and all that I'm in no hurry to order more of the Smilco boxes. Of course, for American customers the prices might end up the other way around.
And DKW … you’ve got your photo editing skills happening…. adding dogs, changing bags …. but it’s a bit too confusing for me! I don’t know what I’m looking at and maybe that’s the point and the lesson? Who knows reality today?🤦♂️