Tool Chest Thoughts

[Rocinante]

Is it me or are tool chests kind of a rip-off? I've been looking around for a decent 40" lower/upper tool chest combo, and was planning on spending a grand or less. This is for the home garage so I don't need anything too spectacular, but I'm hoping that whatever I buy, I'll have 20 years from now. Below is a list of what I've seen so far and my impressions. So far I'm a little disappointed.

Maybe I'm delusional, but I was expecting "more". Something that when I move a drawer side-to-side there isn't a large amount of play. Something with thicker metal, and that feels "substantial". Do the Snap-On/Matco boxes deflect a fair amount if you wiggle the drawers? Hell, I haven't opened a snap-on box in about 15 years. Anyway, for a thousand bucks or so, I'm just not that impressed. If anyone has some other brands worth checking out, or thinks I'm wrong about any of the one's I've looked at, let me know. I'm also keeping an eye out for used Snap-On boxes, but those seem to be out of my price range. I've seen used Lista and Stanley-Vidmar boxes on ebay, but shipping is too much.

Or, maybe I'm asking for too much and setting my sights too high. Let me know if I'm smoking something, and I'm not going to find anything that great for a grand or less.

Craftsman 41" upper/lower, on sale this week for 1000. Rollers had a nice smooth glide. But it just feels kind of wimpy. Metal is thin, large drawers only had one slider on them. The grip latch is probably a good idea, but I could see my self bending the catches.

Home Depot - they had a combo for about $800. Same thin metal as the Craftsman, but had some sort of magnetic (or spring loaded) drawer pull thing that required a strong effort to open up drawers, and conversely, when closing, the drawer would take over and automatically close quickly with a loud thud. I think I would get annoyed with this, but the drawers won't pull out accidentally.

Waterloo Series- local Farm and fleet had the "Pro" series chests on display. Again, flimsy feeling.

Harbor Freight - The had a combo at catalog pricing of around 800. This may have been the beefiest unit, but the drawer action was very inconsistent on the floor model. Some felt good, most weren't the smoothest and some were hard to open/close. Not sure what that means, and I didn't think to see if the slides were adjustable. The powder coating was a thick textured finish, which I may be the reason the steel looked thicker. I think the texture may be a bad thing as it would get dirty easier then a smooth gloss. The Drawers were roughly the same thin gauge metal as everything else.

Sam's Club - they had some chi-com SS setup for around $700. No better then the rest. The drawers front surface was diamond plate which I didn't really care for (the look).

Lowes - they had a SS (chi-com probably) upper and lower combo for about a grand. This one seemed the best of the bunch IMO. Smooth slides. Subjectively speaking, this seemed a little sturdier then the rest, but it's hard to tell as I'm not doing a side-by-side comparison. I'll probably go with this one if I don't see anything better.

 

[450 DUDE]

For the price your looking for , craftsman or a costco jobber might do the trick.
I think sears has a 40" roll away for 700 - 800 I just purchased it for the project Im working on, Its not top quality and the grip latch drives me nuts.

My personal box is one of those monster Mac tool deals and its all good (big $)

If you can scope a deal on a Vidmar I highly recommend that route.

Another note way back most of the boxes were made by Waterloo, not sure any more



ken

 

[-Spike-]

I had the Home Depot stack, replaced it with the Sam's Club SS stack to get full-width drawers. The side-to-side movement of the drawers is par for the course for roller bearing slides. The Sam's Club metal is thinner, would definitely dent easier, but I'm not planning on entering any demo derbys with the box. My only real issue is that they angle the slides on the drawers slightly, I assume so they won't open by themselves if the box is on unlevel ground. They succeeded, but as the drawer opens it rises, which makes the effective height diminish. Deep sockets that can stand upright at the front of the drawer can't at the rear.
I also have a Craftsman box with the grip-latches. I bought that box to use in a step van. I made the mistake of trying a box without the grip-latches, and every time I'd turn a corner all the drawers would come flying out. I would never remember to lock the box. I've since sold that truck, and the Crafstman is in my shop. The latches don't bother me except that if the drawer above the one I want to open is not completely latched, the latch mechanism hits it. That's my own fault though, and a minor annoyance. For the money the Sam's Club box is the best of the homeowner mid-quality boxes IMO.
I looked at the Harbor Freight box, at the same price as Home Depot's the quality was significantly less.

-Spike

 

[alex e]

I am looking for used pro stuff on Craigslist, gonna blast it and repaint if I find something heavy duty enough. That stuff is crap from Home Cheapo and HF. Call me old-fashhioned.

 

[IBCRUSN]

$1000 is kind of low for a serious top/bottom combo setup. To get the quality you're looking for you might concentrate on a decent bottom box for now and add a top box later if you need it. Not knowing what you have for work space a lower might be a good setup because it'll give you bench space.

Keep an eye out on Craig's list and eBay for used top brand stuff. You might want talk to your local Snap-on, Mac or Matco dealer and put a bug in his ear for what you're looking for in a used box, they get trade-ins fairly regularly and look to turn just as quickly.

Some of the better Craftsman and Waterloo boxes are built well but like anything else you pay for what you get. If nothing else don't buy anything w/out ball bearing drawer slides regardless of brand you'll be glad you did if you load up your box.

I personally have a three bank 7000 series Snap-on which I purchased when I was wrenching for a living so it was much easier to stomach the high cost plus it was a tax deduction. It is now a major PITA when we move at 6' and approaching 2000lbs but I would have a difficult time parting with it ( the wife plans to bury me in it). If you can stomach the extra investment go for a used Snappy, Mac or Matco unit. It doesn't need to be the top model but in 10, 20 or 30 years down the road you'll never regret buying a quality unit.

Lista is nice buy seriously $$$. If you're not in a big hurry keep an eye out for local shops (body, auto, truck, aviation, etc) that are closing their doors and selling and/or auctioning off their shop equipment. I have seen some great buys at these types of sales.

Sort of a helter skelter response but you have the right idea leaning towards the better boxes, you'll appreciate it more.

 

[kulangot]

Check out a Lista box.

Do an ebay search for "lista"

Swiss owned company that makes boxes for the USA market up in Mass.

My top of the line KRL Snapon box has a 250 pound per drawer rating - and that is about as good as you get in a "normal" tool box, Craftsman is only 75 pounds per drawer. Lista is 440 pounds per drawer...that says it all.

You can find a good used one for less than a grand or check ebay or lista for a "scatch and dent".

Good luck.

 

[Rocinante]

Hey thanks guys for the responses. I've been keeping an eye out for used snap-ons and such. A mechanic friend is going to talk to his tool guys next time their around. I was thinking about getting a big 56" used snap-on roller, which should be plenty of storage, and using the top as a workbench. I've seen one for 1300 on CL. I was looking at Lista's and Stanley-Vidmar's on ebay, but shipping costs are a major fun killer (around $4-500). I still need to call around the used office furniture places and see if they might have any of the industrial stuff. Anyway, it doesn't sound from the responses that there isn't a killer deal out there that I'm missing.

As far as the order of quality of the high end stuff (Snap-on vs. Mac vs. Matco) how would you rate them? What makes one better then another?

 

[D'Animal]

Hit a pawn shop in November. They are full of tool boxes and sell them dang cheap right after new years.

 

[lx450landcruiser]

costco. i got there stainless one 3 years ago and id say its just as good as any crapsman or snap on.

mike

 

[MRibz]

look on e-*ay, ive seen snap-on boxes go dirt cheep, you have to be patient though.... mac makes a real nice box too!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Snap-on-TOOL-BOX-TOOL-CHEST-TACO-WAGON-NO-RESERVE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35001QQihZ009QQitemZ190137199605QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


snap-on also has a lifetime warranty, lista makes real nice stuff, when i get to build a real work area you can bet ill have a few ..but its big bucks and i dont really need 450lbs a drawer, wheels are nice too

i say go take a test drive of a few sanp-on, lista, mac, craftsman, lows, home depot and the choice will be clear(er)

i am a bit biased, ive had my box about 14 years, i love it, damn near part of the family now
good luck
Mike

 

[MRibz]

here is another one, the more weight the better, its smooth as butter

 

[619TOY]

As far as the order of quality of the high end stuff (Snap-on vs. Mac vs. Matco) how would you rate them? What makes one better then another?

I definately think Snap-on boxes have better fit, finish and overall cosmetic appearance than the others and they definately use thicker steel.

costco. i got there stainless one 3 years ago and id say its just as good as any crapsman or snap on.

mike

Maybe in a garage but not for a professional. There's no comparison. That said, if I ever get a big box for my garage, I'd definately get the Costco box.

i am a bit biased, ive had my box about 14 years, i love it, damn near part of the family now

Is that how you show it that you love it



For most people an expensive box just doesn't make sense. I'd go with a Craftsman or the Costco box personally. I spend alot of my time at a desk now but I used to make my living with mine and it's contents. Here it is:

 

[MRibz]

Is that how you show it that you love it

why because its a mess... my tool box is just that a tool not something i eat off of and it gets messy sometimes esp when im in the middle of a few projects. im not anal enough that i have to clean it every night when ill be back at it tomorrow or the next day. i do admit it needs a wipe down and needs some stuff put away, but i wont loose any sleep over it.

I used to make my living out of my box too (not as a mechanic) and for what you can buy a used snap-on or mac box for (the one above wnt for about $700) id never buy a craftsman or costco ect... even if its just for the garage. they dont even compare. time is money even when working on your own junk. as a bonus i get just a little pleasure when im on the truck and a mechanic tries to give me s*** because hes bent that i have better tools than he does lol i tell 'ya its the little things in life haha

 

[619TOY]

I was just giving you a hard time because of all the stickers. I know alot of stereo installers that addorn their boxes like that

 

[Rocinante]

What do you snappy guys think of this deal? Found this Snap-on on CL locally - the guy will go $1100 for it and says it's near perfect. Dimensions are 54x19x40. He said it's an industrial model not in the snap-on catalog, didn't have a p/n to give me as it's in storage. I haven't looked at it yet.

Looks like the blue point models maybe?


Thanks,
Jeff

 

[D'Animal]

SNAP On does have an industrial series that has thier own reps and thier own catalogs. They generally call on the fleet shops and vo-tec centers, schools, etc.

Does the box have bearing in all the drawers or just the bottom three big ones?

 

[450 DUDE]

What do you snappy guys think of this deal? Found this Snap-on on CL locally - the guy will go $1100 for it and says it's near perfect. Dimensions are 54x19x40. He said it's an industrial model not in the snap-on catalog, didn't have a p/n to give me as it's in storage. I haven't looked at it yet.

Looks like the blue point models maybe?


Thanks,
Jeff

I beleve thats their "skid row" line that box used to be placared ( Blue point)

Still a good deal IMHO


ken

 

[Rocinante]

They guy called me back just after my last post. So, I just got back from checking it out. It's a nice box - all bearings, and the drawers are definitely beefier then the non snap on stuff I've been looking at. It's obviously a quality piece. Doesn't have the lock and roll, but that's fine, it's just hanging out in my 3 car garage. The guy bought it and never used it, except for a scratch or two it looks new. Not a smudge of dirt inside the drawers, and the liners look new.

I forgot to write down the product line (darn it). It wasn't blue point. Something industrial.

Anyway, it's probably not the killer deal of the century, but I'm buying it. He's going to deliver to my house for free later in the week, which is a bonus as I don't have a truck. I'll post up a pic after I get it.

 

[Rocinante]

I thought I would also mention a couple more boxes I checked out lately during my tool box odyssey in case anyone is interested.

Tractor Supply Co - Farm Hand (store brand): They had a 41" upper/lower all bearing combo for just under $700. They also had a 50-54" lower for something like $590, the upper was around 400. These seemed to be of similar quality as any of the other brands in this price range so I think that makes them a decent deal. If I hadn't found the Snap-On I think I may have settled on 50 inch'er for the bang for the buck factor.

Northern Tool - I checked out the "Torin" tool boxes they sell. Looked very similar to the HF tools, had the same wrinkle finish. The display units easily had the poorest quality of all the boxes I looked at. Some of the drawers would not open at all, and some would not close properly. Some drawers were noticeably off kilter. I'm not sure if someone was beating the s*** out of these things or what, but since the display is all I have to go on, I would never buy one.

Clarke HD tool chest. Menards had these on sale last week (26" wide units) for a good price so I checked them out just for the heck of it. These seemed pretty good, the drawers seemed pretty rigid. They didn't have larger models so I wasn't interested, but if you're looking for something smaller at a low price these would be worth checking out.

 

[Rocinante]

FYI, the box I got was a Snap-On KIQ series 54". Pretty nice box. If anyone has an idea what these list for, I'd be curious to know. Thanks.

Strangely, the two bottom drawers do not lock. The catch on the drawers are lower then the locking mechanism. Not a big deal for me but I thought it was odd.