Good morning all,

I am looking to transfer my Monolith Flat from Greece to Belgium. However UPS requested a ridiculous amount of money to do so (250€).

There was a reference some months ago ( I cannot find it anymore), about a carrying case from a third party vendor, that you can order specifically with the dimensions of the grinder. Does anybody remember the name of that vendor?

What I am looking for is to transfer the grinder in the carrying case, inside my suitcase. I travel a lot, as a result, if this carrying case does the job, it will solve one of my major concerns (the other one would be the espresso machine).

Any ideas?

there is a risk they won't let you board with it..which would be really annoying

I was thinking of not carrying it with me on the plane but to check it in inside my luggage. I don't think that it would be an issue.

I think it would easily fit into something like Pelican case with that pick and pack foam.

Gataros wrote:I was thinking of not carrying it with me on the plane but to check it in inside my luggage. I don't think that it would be an issue.

sorry, got confused, surely that will be ok

The only thing worse than a UPS parcel handler is a airport baggage handler! You will be putting a lot of faith in the packaging.

Id bet even a Fabergé Egg would survive a baggage handler if it was first packaged in a Pelican case that is then packed well inside another suitcase.

Thank you guys, that was what I was looking for.

okmed wrote:The only thing worse than a UPS parcel handler is a airport baggage handler! You will be putting a lot of faith in the packaging.

Worst that baggage handlers can do is drop and throw your bags. Even then, if the bag is heavy enough, they won't (too much effort to throw).

The bigger issue is whether or not airport security will open it. This is most common when you have things like electronics or cables in the vicinity of materials like cheese, chocolate, or books - you're almost guaranteed to have your bags opened. I know some European airports still require you to be present when checked bags are being scanned, no idea if that's the case in greece. The TSA in the US are the only agency where I've seen obvious bag opening (they also tend to leave a thank-you note), but it can happen anywehere.

The gun "trick" (which is only relevant in the US) is that guns have to be in a locked container, the container needs to be locked with a non-TSA-approved lock that only the owner can open, and I think you need to notify the airline who in turn can notify the TSA. *if* the TSA then wants to inspect your bag, you get paged, go to wherever they inspect checked bags, and unlock the bag in their presence. I'm pretty sure you won't get very far trying to do this for an international flight - similarly you will probably run into serious problems if you claim to have a locked gun and the gun can't be found when you unlock the bag/container for the TSA.

Also, bags can be rescanned/reinspected at connecting points when travelling internationally (it might even be mandatory in some countries). Fairly sure Frankfurt and Brussels do this judging by my delayed bag record there.

FWIW I have travelled with my OE Pharos in carry-on, it didn't garner any second glances either from the TSA (with pre-check) or from Swiss security. If at all possible, I'd try to put the grinder in carry-on (leave all tools and sharp parts in checked bags), and even if it's too big you can still try to gate-check it to minimise the unaccompanied travel (but you'll need to have very good diplomatic skills to play that one right).