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Shipping Komo with me in plane

ant bro's picture
ant bro

Shipping Komo with me in plane

Hello everyone.

 

I bought a new komo classic and I am flying out of the us and thinking of ways to take my komo classic with me.

It is still in it's own package. It could fit in carry on but I am not sure if there is tsa regulations against it having it in my carry on bag or not... My second option would be to put it in a checked in bag with lots of clothes around so it doesn't break when moving the bags. between airports. What do you guys think I should do ?

 

Thanks

clazar123's picture
clazar123

You would not believe what I have "moved" via checked and carry on baggage. About 1000# of stuff so far on domestic flights where they allow 100# per person per flight of checked baggage (limited to 50# per bag to avoid overage fees). My KA mixer was taken by disassembling the head from the base. Luckily I didn't have to take the bowl as I had an extra at the new location. Vacuum cleaners, tools of all sorts, including saws, drills,etc. Most of the bags were inspected by TSA but I never had anything missing or messed up. They really inspected the KA mixer box!

HOWEVER, the trick to getting everything to arrive intact is to pack everything in boxes that wedge firmly inside the suitcase  to absorb the impact of all the items rattling around in the container (suitcase). Sometimes boxes-inside-boxes for maximum protection. Nothing should rattle when you shake the suitcase. Even things packed inside boxes need to be cushioned-clothes,bubble wrap, whatever. But make sure it is not such a finely tuned puzzle-pack that the inspectors opening it can't get it back in the suitcase after they've taken it out and looked at it. Also make sure that anything that can escape and drip/leak is contained in plastic with an absorbent material around it to soak it up. Don't ask how I learned that! Also-suitcases are NOT waterproof. Our luggage sat outside in driving rain once and arrived with everything inside soaked and dripping. That's when I started packing clothes and shoes in plastic bags.

I would think the Komo's most vulnerable part are the stones. Can they be locked in place so they don't rattle or does it have to be disassembled to be wrapped individually? Plan the wrapping well ahead of time and test.

I had a liquor store owner tell me he flies internationally all the time with liquor in his checked bag in 2 layers of bubble wrap securely taped around the bottles and never had a problem. It must have occupied the whole bag!

Good luck and have fune!

Our Crumb's picture
Our Crumb

? to everything above about "moving" via airplane luggage.  Small corrugated cardboard boxes recommended!

And I second BUBBLE WRAP.  We fill every empty cc with it in all our checked bags on every flight and recommend doing so to anyone who flies.  It weighs nothing, keeps things from moving around and is invaluable for protecting fragiles on return flights.  Corrugated cardboard box corners are not sharp enough to pop the bubbles, in general.  You can also buy (and re-use indefinitely) dedicated, inflatable bubble wrap bottle protectors to protect fragiles small enough to fit inside them (often + some socks).  Not just for alcohol and olive oil.

So yes, given your mill's native packaging and your added bubble wrap coverage, in hard shell luggage of course (not necessarily Rimowa ?, but reasonably sturdy), your Komo should travel safely in checked baggage.

Does your destination have the same household electric specs as your Komo's current home?  It may require more than just a plug adapter. 110/120 VAC @ 60 hz US and 240 VAC @ 50 hz in Europe.  Electric motors especially care about that 50 vs 60 hz difference!

Tom

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

I would think that if it is still in it's orignal shipping box, I would use that and it should be fine, since that was designed to protect it from rough handling in the mail system.  If not in the original shipping box, I would follow the above post, take off the hopper and place a sheet of bubble wrap on the lower stone, the put on the hopper and tighten so that the upper stone is in contact with the bubble wrap.  That should protect both stones, and the rest of it is pretty sturdy