Menards sell Masterforce toolboxes

[Deafautotech]

i was at my local menards store to buy more floor rugs that cost 7 dollars (4'X3') i just use it to put on my snap on toolboxes as liners. so i dont make stratch or make tools moving when i closed the drawers... it is handy for me... but i was looking around the menards and found new GREEN toolboxes as MasterForce toolboxes. it is looking nice and it is cheaper than Craftsman as price. i was surprised that it is Lifetime Warranty on that toolboxes.... :headscrat :wtf:

[wilbilt]

I have never heard of Menard's. Is it a midwest thing?

BTW, my mother-in-law is from Carmel/Noblesville.

[Deafautotech]

I have never heard of Menard's. Is it a midwest thing?

BTW, my mother-in-law is from Carmel/Noblesville.

wow, yeah i can found menards in most midwest area as alabama, wisconsin, michigan, illonis, ohio, and many...

i am live at Lawrence which are near Giest Lake. i am very familiar with around carmel, noblesville, and Fisher area. i had my harley ride around that area a lot...:thumbup:

[Deafautotech]

the menards sell Masterforce chest for 253 dollars for 36in wide, 283 dollars for 41in wide as it is both CHEST. the bottom box that only show as 36in wide for like 400 dollars. i did not see 41in wide bottom box... all masterforce boxes are covered by lifetime warranty...

[Detroit Diesel Man]

I think it is a Midwest thing..I'm in Minnesota and they are all over the place here...personally I cant stand that store..I absolutely hate going to a store that the Employees dont have a clue about what they are doing or where anything is. Not to mention the Forklift incident with My Suburban...lol


DDM

[eschoendorff]

I think it is a Midwest thing..I'm in Minnesota and they are all over the place here...personally I cant stand that store..I absolutely hate going to a store that the Employees dont have a clue about what they are doing or where anything is. Not to mention the Forklift incident with My Suburban...lol


DDM


Our Menards actually started selling groceries! I like teh fact that they sell the Allen brand hand tools...

[5.0vert]

anybody have those boxes I have been looking at them also?

[Kevin54]

There is a Menards about 45 munutes away from me that the wife and I went to the other day. I looked at the same boxes and was impressed. I think the top and bottom setup was like $298 top / $398 bottom. I also liked the large pop out work surface the bottom had. And the drawers were all ball bearing guides and seemed rather heavy. The only thing I did NOT like was the green color but I think I can learn to live with that. For the money, I think it beats Craftsman out. So after talking to the wife that is either going to be a Christmas present, or an after Christmas present:thumbup:

I'm in Minnesota and they are all over the place here...personally I cant stand that store..I absolutely hate going to a store that the Employees dont have a clue about what they are doing or where anything is.

The one that we were at, the people working were all real friendly, seemed (emphasis on "seemed") knowledgeable, and were more than happpy to help out in any way. Menards makes our Lowes and Home Depot look like a Big Lots. I just wish we had one closer to our town.

Kevin

[RWD]

I saw them also at the local Menards. Really impressed by the quality of these boxes. Very smooth operating drawers and heavy gauge steel. If I needed another box, I'd buy one.

[Brandon_Lutz]

Are these boxes available other than Menards? I made a google search but I can't find a mention about the brand period online.

[SpiderGearsMan]

must not be a race fan , menards sposors open wheelers , nextel cup , off road cars

[MarkH]

My question was how similar to TSC Farmhand branding? Those seemed to be a standard import that seems OK as the first ones come in and slip as production goes on.

[-lecroix-]

NO menards in Alabama, as previously stated. Only Lowes, Home Depot and your local Mom & Pop variety of Ace Hardware.

[gerald]

Hi, jerry in wisconsin here. New to the forum but I just purchased the masterforce combo from menards in beaverdam wisconsin. paid 648.00 on sale for the 41 inch. don't like the green color but what the heck. I've been looking at craftsman, of course as i can't afford snapon or matco. Sears had the exact same set up on sale last week for 999.00. the masterforce is menards new house brand and the guy told me to let them know if i had any pros or cons and they would pass the info on to the manufacturer as it is a growing process and they would change things to the customers liking. the thing is pretty heavy duty with dual ball bearing slides on the deeper drawers, 2by5 inch heavy duty casters with zerk fittings so you can grease the wheels. never saw this befor. dual gas or hydraulic, im not sure, struts for the top lid and it goes up nice and smooth. 100lbs load rateing for each drawer, slide out work surface will hold max 100lbs, drawer slides work flawless, drawers like snap closed when you push them hard, like the old craftsman with ball bearing slides, not the griplatch. included all the drawer liners, all of them, including the top compartment of the top box, two sets of keys, and the packageing was really heavy duty for shipping . All in all, well worth the money and I looked at clark, husky kobalt, craftsman etc. this box is at least as good as the good craftsman stuff, maybe not as good as their professional grade stuff but that stuff is really heavy duty and expensive to boot. I will let them know to change the color and to add a side chest and maybe a long middle drawer between the chest and top. limited lifetime warranty to original owner and the top box has two brackets that you snap in , in the back and then bolt it to the lower chest for a little more safety.So far so good. Anyone can write me at djluedke@verizon.net if you have any furthur questions. Ps, wife got it for me. Gotta love um.
Jerry

[eschoendorff]

Hi, jerry in wisconsin here. New to the forum but I just purchased the masterforce combo from menards in beaverdam wisconsin. paid 648.00 on sale for the 41 inch. don't like the green color but what the heck. I've been looking at craftsman, of course as i can't afford snapon or matco. Sears had the exact same set up on sale last week for 999.00. the masterforce is menards new house brand and the guy told me to let them know if i had any pros or cons and they would pass the info on to the manufacturer as it is a growing process and they would change things to the customers liking. the thing is pretty heavy duty with dual ball bearing slides on the deeper drawers, 2by5 inch heavy duty casters with zerk fittings so you can grease the wheels. never saw this befor. dual gas or hydraulic, im not sure, struts for the top lid and it goes up nice and smooth. 100lbs load rateing for each drawer, slide out work surface will hold max 100lbs, drawer slides work flawless, drawers like snap closed when you push them hard, like the old craftsman with ball bearing slides, not the griplatch. included all the drawer liners, all of them, including the top compartment of the top box, two sets of keys, and the packageing was really heavy duty for shipping . All in all, well worth the money and I looked at clark, husky kobalt, craftsman etc. this box is at least as good as the good craftsman stuff, maybe not as good as their professional grade stuff but that stuff is really heavy duty and expensive to boot. I will let them know to change the color and to add a side chest and maybe a long middle drawer between the chest and top. limited lifetime warranty to original owner and the top box has two brackets that you snap in , in the back and then bolt it to the lower chest for a little more safety.So far so good. Anyone can write me at djluedke@verizon.net if you have any furthur questions. Ps, wife got it for me. Gotta love um.
Jerry

Welcome! :beer:


Some good food for thought there. Menards stores seem to be a little inconsistent. The store in Jackson, MI is pretty good - the employees know their stuff pretty well.

So they asked for review to send on to the manufacturer? Cool! And here I didn't think manufacturers really cared anymore....

[Abodyracer]

http://www.menards.com/

Menards is the 3rd largest retail home improvment warehouse in the country. They are only located in the midwest (North & South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnisota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio) Their corporate offices are located in Eau Claire, WI. They are also the largest privatly owned home improvement chain in the US.

[jusjunk]

Welcome! :beer:


Some good food for thought there. Menards stores seem to be a little inconsistent. The store in Jackson, MI is pretty good - the employees know their stuff pretty well.

So they asked for review to send on to the manufacturer? Cool! And here I didn't think manufacturers really cared anymore....


Hello .. new guy here in Jackson,Michigan..
I just bought these boxes in the 41 inch size last week.. I missed the sale though :confused:.. They are nice
Dave

[eschoendorff]

Hello .. new guy here in Jackson,Michigan..
I just bought these boxes in the 41 inch size last week.. I missed the sale though :confused:.. They are nice
Dave

Jackson, MI, eh? Welcome neighbor! :beer:

I like the Jackson Menards store...

[billymade]

Are these the boxes?
http://menards.inserts2online.com/MenardsMenardDaysSaleI/breakouts/b351974_3.jpg
Here is a link to their current ad:
http://menards.inserts2online.com/customer_Frame.jsp?drpStoreID=1
Looking over their ad; looks like a pretty cool store, needless to say I have never been to one (I live in New Mexico) but I wouldn't mind checking one out if one was in my area!
That bottom cabinet seems pretty good for $319; who makes their boxes? I like how wide the drawers are.

[old salvage]

I like that green.:drool:

[Lyaec350]

Menards >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Home Cheapo or Blowes... (and cheaper in most situations). Then again we have Fleet Farm, which is even better (and usually a bit cheaper than even Menards).

When doing home improvement projects I generally go Fleet Farm->Menards->Lowes->Home Depot in order of preference.

[SpiderGearsMan]

would paul menard have a nascar ride without poppy sponsoring him ? we used to have channel lumber , rickels , pergaments !! all done in by the rancid home depot

[vertigo_2_20]

While I agree these chests appear to be of excellent quality, I was wondering if anybody else has noticed the measured capacity of the lower portion doesn't add up to the stated capacity of ~23,000 in^3? And I didn't bother to measure the top part. I only took rough measurements, but I overestimated and, even when adding a significant additional over-estimation to that, I still don't come close to calculating the claimed 23,000 in^3. Actually it seems to be closer to 15,000, making it much less appealing for the price. I noticed the Harbor Freight 90320 tool chest seems to have the same problem. I can't figure out if I'm missing something or if these companies are manipulating the numbers somehow to trick consumers that don't do the math themselves. I calculated the capacity for a Craftsman chest and it very closely matches its rated capacity, so it doesn't seem like all companies figure it out in the same way. Any thoughts on this?

[BrushApe]

Jusjunk,
Go to Menards. They should give you an in-store credit on the difference. The customer service is usually pretty good at all Menards

[CBSuperDuty]

On sale for $688.00 for top and bottom 41" through 06/15/08 for fathers day. I tried to tell the wife that I would really like this for my first "official" fathers day so I would have something to remind me of it for years to come. Doubt it works but who knows.

[vertigo_2_20]

Well, I was right about the rated capacity being way more than the actual capacity. I brought this up to the general manager of my local Menards and told him it was between this set and a Craftsman on sale ending that day, and I was willing to pay a premium for the extra quality of the Masterforce chest, but not that much, considering the capacity is only slightly more than the Craftsman set, and far less than what it says on the box. I asked him if he could lower the price because of it, and he took 10% off the sale price. Plus, I got $20 off the top because it was dented a little, so I got the whole chest, top and bottom, for $600+tax ($640 total). Only problem is one of the drawers doesn't work right on the damaged (top) unit, and it apparently doesn't have its stoppers to keep it from closing too far, and it also doesn't stay shut without locking the chest, so now I have to see if I can fix that. Since I plan on keeping it locked all the time anyways, though, it's not a big deal and worth the $20 saved.

[danski0224]

i was at my local menards store to buy more floor rugs that cost 7 dollars (4'X3') i just use it to put on my snap on toolboxes as liners. so i dont make stratch or make tools moving when i closed the drawers... it is handy for me... but i was looking around the menards and found new GREEN toolboxes as MasterForce toolboxes. it is looking nice and it is cheaper than Craftsman as price. i was surprised that it is Lifetime Warranty on that toolboxes.... :headscrat :wtf:

They can offer the lifetime warranty because the boxes are just more made in China private label junk.

Do you really think the warranty is worth more than the paper it is printed on?

[Terrapod]

I just bought a set of these from Menards 3 weeks ago. 41" wide model and I am now looking for the side cabinet (TSC has the same items under a different logo and the side cabinet at $199.00) at a reasonabe price.

Having filled the entire lower and upper chests with tools, initial observations are as follows:
Chest rolls OK when fully loaded and the ball bearing drawers slide well. A bit stiff to close the last bit to get over the "latching" bump, may improve with use.

Gauge of lower cabinet and drawers is adequate. Gauge of the lid of the toolbox is too thin, it arrived in a perfectly intact box but was bent inwards by the weight of the stacked boxes above it. I hand punched the lid back into close proximity of original shape, some paint marring where the manufacturer put a spacer between the lid and lower box to allow the spray to dry. As few people are that tall I can live with it :)

Wheels and tip latches bolted on easily. Do recommend two person job to place the top chest on the lower unit, it is heavy enough to cause back pain issues.

All in all it seems to be a very good value for money. Menards has been dropping the prices by about 40 bucks each time a sale is held, which is about every 3 weeks. Paid 687 for the set 3 weeks back, today advertised for 644 for same set :(

If anyone knows of a good cheap source of side cabinets, let me know.

[rodm1]

WWW.montezumamfg.com has the same lower box the top box doesn't have the pull out work surface. The slides and pull handles are the same and build quality is to.

[myers212]

I was in Menards today. They now have a 26" box along with the 36" and 41" The bottom is 6 drawers with the top drawer being deep enough for deep sockets to be stored upright. The top is 7 drawers (3 full width and 4 half width). Design is the same as the other two, just not as wide. Price was $299 for the bottom and $199 for the top.

[Halsey Taylor]

First time poster. Was looking for info on the Masterforce toolboxes and this site popped up. Looked interesting so I joined.
I recently purchased the 26" base and top box. I replaced a smaller Homak set that I had for years. It is a very HD unit with great drawer slides and a lot deeper than the Homak, height and depth wise. I have about 5 Menards stores within 30 miles of my house but usually go the one in Lafayette, IN. The employees have always been helpful and knowledgeable. If they didn't know the answer, they would find someone who did. As far as the side box, Menards had the Masterforce one for 179.00 and if you ask, they can probably order it for you.

[tonydanzah]

They are rebadged montezuma boxes and very nice at that.

[Joe69]

I think it is a Midwest thing..I'm in Minnesota and they are all over the place here...personally I cant stand that store..I absolutely hate going to a store that the Employees dont have a clue about what they are doing or where anything is. Not to mention the Forklift incident with My Suburban...lol


DDM

Easy there trigger. My wife is the assistant manager of the wallcovering department at our local Menards. She worked for Home Depot when she lived in Cali, worked at a local Mom-n-Pop hardware for several years locally, and now for Menards. She knows a helluva lot about hardware, and they treat her good. Most of her coworkers that I've met seem reasonably knowledgeable. The local Lowes sounds like you describe, the employees seem to hide from you when you need assistance. Menards seems much better about customer service. Plus, she gets an employee discount.

Joe

[dustin19]

i have the largest of the masterforce toolboxes with the pullout writing shelf and i prefer it to the 41inch craftsman proffesional i bought that i returned cause it was a piece of sh*t compared to the masterforce.. the craftsman had thin sheetmetal welds look like a blind 5 yearold did them and not to mention on the inner left support was twisted where it was either dropped or someone really stupid welded it up.

[tonydanzah]

You have the 56" special order box?

[dustin19]

You have the 56" special order box?

wasnt special order at the menards i got mine at they had one

[tonydanzah]

is the 56 still 18" deep? Ive got the 41 with side cabinet and i just bought a 37" Looking at them, the 41 is a 26 and 16" side cabinet attached, with one full length drawer at the top. I would bet the 56 is a 37 with a 16 side cabinet joined. I'm going by the length and interchanbility of the drawers. I have a 26" ss craftsman i bought a few years ago that is a rebadged montazuma. I ccan swap the 26" drawers between the 26" and 41.

[dustin19]

is the 56 still 19" deep?

not sure ill have to check tommorow when i go to the shop tommorow and unload it and prepare to bring it home.

[tonydanzah]

uh oh, that doesn't sound good.

[dustin19]

uh oh, that doesn't sound good.

telling the newkid who keeps taking ur tools out of ur box and leaving them lie around ull break his arm if he doesnt keep his hands out of ur box if hes not gonna put them back is not a good idea. even though he has all his own tools he prefers mine.

[tonydanzah]

Nothing wrong there.

[5isalive]

The one with the pull out shelf is the 41". I have special ordered the 56" but they are telling me it will be up to 8 weeks before they can fill the order. I got it for under $1k and 12 months no interest. It looks like it also comes with 6 wheels.

[dustin19]

Nothing wrong there.
boss didnt see it that way

[tjohnson]

I too have this tool chest. Menards did come out with the side chest (which I have yet to get). These are the greatest tool boxes I have ever seen and the price was right too. The color mached my garage just fine...:bowdown:

[Mickey O]

I too have this tool chest. Menards did come out with the side chest (which I have yet to get). These are the greatest tool boxes I have ever seen and the price was right too. The color mached my garage just fine...:bowdown:

Do you own Menards, if not you need to look at some more toolboxes. They are decent boxes for being imports but you can get a nice high end box used for a little bit more (sometimes less).

[tonydanzah]

Best. Toolboxes. Ever!

[Serious Machining]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion, I have found it to be very informative and helpful in my quest for a 3rd rolling tool cabinet (I have 2 Kennedy cabinets) that does not cost a small fortune. Since it was noted that the Masterforce (Menards) and Masterhand (Tractor Supply) look to be rebranded Montezuma boxes, I thought I'd ask Montezuma Mfg. about this. I promptly received a very cordial and thorough reply from Montezuma. Following is a summary of their letter:
.
Neither the Masterforce or Masterhand cabinets are made or imported by Montezuma, there is simply a styling resemblence; Montezuma Mfg. has no involvement with either of these other 2 brands. The Masterforce cabinets are similar to the 'previous generation' of Montezuma's cabinets. The current Montezuma cabinets have improved handles, drawer pulls, and casters. The top chest also has what's called an "open till" design, allowing for an easier view of the contents in the top compartment.
.
Montezuma cautioned me about Menards "lifetime warranty" as it might have lots of exclusionary conditions. For the Montezuma products that do have a lifetime warranty on the cabinet construction, their exclusions are the "usual wear items" such as drawer slides, casters, and gas springs.
.
Montezuma's response concluded with the note that all 3 brands are good value for their respective pricing. Admitting to their obvious bias, they said an absolute rating of the 3 brands in order from 'good' to 'excellent' would be Masterhand, then Masterforce, then Montezuma.
.
So now it appears my next step is to find a Montezuma dealer/distributor in Minnesota and find out what the pricing is on their cabinets. :headscrat

[Kevin54]

For the money I find the MasterForce a very good box. I bought the 41" bottom a couple of years ago, then bought the top box shortly after. I liked them well enough that I bought another 41" bottom for work. After that, the Menard's started selling side boxes so I picked up one of those. I think in a few weeks I will pick up another side box. The only thing that I found that I do not like is the side box drawers are hard to open and close due to the rubber catches. I imagine they will wear in eventually.

[Deafautotech]

For the money I find the MasterForce a very good box. I bought the 41" bottom a couple of years ago, then bought the top box shortly after. I liked them well enough that I bought another 41" bottom for work. After that, the Menard's started selling side boxes so I picked up one of those. I think in a few weeks I will pick up another side box. The only thing that I found that I do not like is the side box drawers are hard to open and close due to the rubber catches. I imagine they will wear in eventually.

you can pull the detent out of one slide to make it easier to open and close... i did play a lot on it at menards... i really like it but i have way many toolboxes and no room for me... so well..

[BigK600]

I want that 56" Masterforce box. It is pretty much the same as this,

http://www.strictlytoolboxes.com/all-toolbox/56-mountain-tool-boxes-18-drawer-tool-cabinet-tool-chest.html

Same draw configuration anyway. And it sells for about 1,000 and goes on sale for 800 sometimes.

[global72]

I want that 56" Masterforce box. It is pretty much the same as this,

http://www.strictlytoolboxes.com/all-toolbox/56-mountain-tool-boxes-18-drawer-tool-cabinet-tool-chest.html

Same draw configuration anyway. And it sells for about 1,000 and goes on sale for 800 sometimes.

The Mountain linked to above is much heavier than the Masterforce boxes.

[onewaydave]

anybody have those boxes I have been looking at them also?

I bought the 48" stack, oh November or so. Moved it and all my crapsman boxes out on the drive (under the porch) to move things over. Well about that time came snow and temps regularly below 0 F. I still haven't moved them inside. I like the tool boxes but I will say you have to pull a little harder on the drawers to get them open at -19' F:confused:

Oh yes, the other drawback, they fill up too fast so you need to buy 2 sets:thumbup:

[rhastings80]

IMHO the Harbor Freight tool box is better quality then the Masterforce.

[tonydanzah]

IMHO the Harbor Freight tool box is better quality then the Masterforce.

absolutly not:shocking:, the paint is not the garbage wrinkle finish and the slides are alot smoother.

[Mickey O]

IMHO the Harbor Freight tool box is better quality then the Masterforce.

No way, I've seen and "used" (at the store) both of them, the Masterforce is a much better box by far, the Harbor Freight display one at the store out here is a piece of junk, drawers don't work properly or slide well and nothing is lined up, like the box was twisted or something, that being said, I wouldn't buy either of them.

[Serious Machining]

For those of you who have a Menards store close by, their sale flyer for
today (03/21) shows the 41" Masterforce combo of the 8 drawer upper
chest and 11 drawer lower mobile cabinet on sale for $688. The chest
alone is $289 and the cabinet alone is $399 ($289 + $399 = $688). No
mention of if the 36" unit is also on sale. Sale good thru April 4th (Easter).

[pubes2942]

Hey does anybody have a link to there online catalog. i cant seem to find it. I found that flyer on there website tho.

[shovel]

No way, I've seen and "used" (at the store) both of them, the Masterforce is a much better box by far, the Harbor Freight display one at the store out here is a piece of junk, drawers don't work properly or slide well and nothing is lined up, like the box was twisted or something, that being said, I wouldn't buy either of them.

I have to disagree. While I have never seen a Menards or the Masterforce boxes, I own the HF unit and it is far from junk. It is hell-for-stout and the one I bought has no problems with any drawer slides or hardware. While I do have to agree with Mickey O on his buy USA stance and tonydanzah is right about the wrinkle finish powder coat. It is a tough finish, but looks cheap and will probably fade to pink if it sees too much sunlight. It is only 16" deep (like the Sears boxes), so storage is limited. For an Asian made box, it is very well made and would last a lifetime for the home user.

One of these days, I hope to upgrade to a larger, American made box. I want to purge my garage/shop of any Chinese made product. Gonna be hard to do with limited resources, but that is the plan anyway. Who does make the masterforce box? Anyone know?

[Serious Machining]

PUBES2942 wrote: "Hey does anybody have a link to their online catalog?
I can't seem to find it. I found that flyer on their website though."
.
My Answer: I don't believe Menards has an online catalog, I've tried
to find one several times; their online flyer appears to be all there is.
If someone manages to find such a site, please tell the rest of us !
.
.
SHOVEL wrote: "One of these days, I hope to upgrade to a larger,
American made box. I want to purge my garage/shop of any Chinese
made product. Gonna be hard to do with limited resources, but that is
the plan anyway. Who does make the masterforce box? Anyone know?"
.
My Answer: All we (I) know for sure is that Masterforce is NOT made
by Montezuma. The instruction/warranty pamphlet included with the
Masterforce boxes is devoid of any manufacturer's I/D; in fact, the
only catalog/part #'s listed in the pamphlet ID'ing the specific boxes
are Menards stock #'s for the units. You could try asking someone
working in Menards 'Tool Dept' who looks like they know something as
to who the manufacturer is. At least they should be able to say if the
boxes are "American Made", especially since Menards likes to promote
this with their periodic "Made in America" sales. I don't recall ever seeing
the boxes advertised during these sales.

[tonydanzah]

I have the exact same box made in all stainless as the menards box with craftsman logos on it, along with the menrads box. The PNs for that are box are sears numbers, but when i ordered a new key, the lock cylinder number wasn't in sears system.

[1299]

Menards owns the Masterforce brand. You can exchange them without a receipt because they're the only ones that carry it. I've returned Tool Shop items with no hassle before.