Pictured: (Left to right) Sterling Tools Representative, Hayley McMahon, Winner, Rodney Cole, and Sterling Tools Business Development Manager, Andrew Fell.
A mechanic from Goulburn, NSW, has taken home a life-changing $25,000 after purchasing a pair of snips that turned out to be worth their weight in gold.
Sterling Tools Australia has announced the $25,000 winner of their Celebrating 25 Years of Sterling Black Panther giveaway.
All entrants had to do was purchase a Sterling Black Panther product between October 1 and December 31, 2024, and register for their chance to win.
Rodney Cole, a mechanic from Goulburn, NSW, was left speechless when he was called on January 15, 2025, after being told the exciting news.
“Are you serious?” he exclaimed, clearly stunned. For the first half of the call, he thought he was dreaming!
Once the news settled in, the Sterling team travelled from their Newcastle Head Office to Goulburn on January 23, 2025, to personally congratulate Rodney with his oversized cheque.
Rodney shared with the team how he entered Sterling’s biggest giveaway ever.
“I went to Rhys at the Industry Tool Co truck because I needed a pair of side cutters and he told me about the Sterling Black Panthers,” Rodney explained.
“I decided to give them a try, and Rhys helped me enter the giveaway right there.”
Pictured: The winning pair of Sterling Black Panther Snips that changed it all for Rodney.
Despite being new to the range, Rodney quickly became a fan of his new Sterling High Tensile Black Panther Industrial Snips.
“They live in my toolbox now and everyone in the workshop borrows them,” he said.
“They’re smooth, easy to use, and don’t jam up.”
Rodney also highlighted how the Black Panther Industrial snips transformed his work on rural equipment and created a safer working environment.
“We have customers with seeders and tractors, so we work on a lot of tyres. We cut thick rubber valves, usually with tin snips, but the Black Panthers cut through it like they are paper, they are just so awesome,” Rodney said.
“We used to use a knife, trying not to cut ourselves; you would need to slash the thick tyres two or three times to try and cut through.
“But these just slide, there is no fighting, they don’t slip, and I’m not worried about cutting myself—nothing compares to them.”
Pictured: Rodney cuts thick rubber valves and has found the Sterling Black Panther snips to be perfect for the job.
Winning $25,000 has been life-changing for Rodney.
He plans to tackle some immediate needs, like new tyres for his daughter’s car and truck registration, while saving towards buying a house for his family.
“Thank you so much to Sterling, this has seriously changed my life,” Rodney said.
“And this pair of snips are worth their weight in gold.”