Craftsman "Grip latch" and similar drawers ... is it just me ?

BillK · Feb 15, 2009

I have been looking to consolidate several tool boxes into one nice larger set. I want ball bearing drawers but it seems like all of the manufacturers have gone to some variation of the "grip latch" system where you have to pull up on the drawer front, or pull on a latch etc to get the drawer to open

Now I understand the reasoning for this, supposedly keeps the drawers closed while transporting, in a trailer etc but lets be for real .... how often is this feature really needed ????? I prefer to be able to walk up to the box and pull the drawer open with no added grief. Snap ON, Mac etc all have the same deal. Does anyone know of a nice ball bearing cabinet that does not have this type of system ?

Just venting, seem like they have to over complicate everything now days !

nissan_crawler · Feb 15, 2009

I love mine, I've seen many toolboxes dumped and the drawers folded because of not having it. The Craftsman system takes no time at all, it's a natural motion you do when opening a drawer anyway.

If my box is on a slope and a drawer isn't latched, it'll open like butter. Same if it's not latched and you're moving it, especially turning.

I won't buy a Snap-On box, solely due to the lock and roll system, it drives me nuts.

Diesel-Mech · Feb 15, 2009

I like the grip latch system on my SO box and it is useful to me, but if you don't like it the retaining slide comes out no problem which lets it act like a conventional drawer.

BillK · Feb 15, 2009

nissan_crawler said:
The Craftsman system takes no time at all, it's a natural motion you do when opening a drawer anyway.

The guy at Sears must have thought I was crazy. I sat there for almost 30 minutes trying to talk myself into thinking I might get used to it, but I cant see it happening. I guess thirty years of one type of box gets you set in your ways

My box never gets moved so that is not an issue. I have an older Mac box at the shop that has ball bearing drawers with no crazy latches, I have never had a problem with it either.

I guess I will look at the Snap On boxes when our guy comes around on Monday. I just would rather spend the money on tools instead of thier overpriced boxes, but I will have to live with whatever I buy for a long time, so I am going to make sure I will like it.

Joe B. · Feb 15, 2009

Sounds like you just need a larger vintage box.

Rickster · Feb 15, 2009

My Kennedy has roller slides that you push the drawer at the end of its travel to lock in place and then just pull to open. Also the Kennedy system allows you to reposition the drawers to your liking. Kennedy tool boxes are like Armstrong amd Williams, a high quality best kept secret.

folsom · Feb 15, 2009

In my office, none of the cabinets will open more than one drawer at a time. That is to keep the cabinet from flipping over and hurting someone. If tool chests had the same feature, this would almost be a non-issue. But since all of my drawers will open at once, the grip latch on my craftsman is nice.

caper · Feb 15, 2009

The snapon lock n roll system seems like a pain at first but it soon becomes second nature,much better than the heavy detents on some boxes.I think the heavy detents are the main reason the weld on the drawer of my Husky box broke.

MAD · Feb 15, 2009

BillK said:
The guy at Sears must have thought I was crazy. I sat there for almost 30 minutes trying to talk myself into thinking I might get used to it, but I cant see it happening. I guess thirty years of one type of box gets you set in your ways My box never gets moved so that is not an issue. I have an older Mac box at the shop that has ball bearing drawers with no crazy latches, I have never had a problem with it either.

I guess I will look at the Snap On boxes when our guy comes around on Monday. I just would rather spend the money on tools instead of thier overpriced boxes, but I will have to live with whatever I buy for a long time, so I am going to make sure I will like it.

You might want to try loading a drawer with tools and then try it, before you write off the Griplatch. I felt the same way when I tried out my most recent box empty, but with tools in it the drawers unlatch so easily I don't even lift the grip. Just pulling open the drawer unlatches it. I even had to test the drawers to make sure they were actually latching.

737JetMech · Feb 15, 2009

hey all, first post here. I would think the latches on a box are extremely important. I can not tell you how many times I have seen a box tipped over due to drawers opening while the box was being pushed. Having a positive latch on the drawers is a big plus IMO, but then again I have to roll my box daily, and keeping the drawers shut without having to lock it each time is important. If the box is not rolled a lot then I can see why they would not be as important, but it won't take you long to get used to them. Anyways, I hope this helps and good luck with your new box when you get it.

nissan_crawler · Feb 15, 2009

another A&P, welcome. :thumbup:

I agree, the first time you see somebody's box with all the drawers folded up at a 45* angle, you'll realize how nice those latches are. :spit:

Before somebody gets high and mighty, I've watched it happen on two different snap-on boxes, twice on one of them. It's such a pain having to lock a box to roll somewhere, and unlock it, expecially in aviation. I probably move my box 10-20x per day. I love the griplatch system because of it.

I prefer the griplatch because it unlocks when you pull the drawer open like normal, nothing extra is required, and you can grab any length of the pull to do it. THe lock and roll annoys me because you have to find the right place for your hand under the drawer, slide it sideways, then pull it open.

Diesel-Mech · Feb 15, 2009

nissan_crawler said:
I prefer the griplatch because it unlocks when you pull the drawer open like normal, nothing extra is required, and you can grab any length of the pull to do it. THe lock and roll annoys me because you have to find the right place for your hand under the drawer, slide it sideways, then pull it open.

The lock and roll really does become second nature after awhile, but I like the griplatch style too and I'm guessing so do a lot of other people since the new EPIQ Snap On boxes have went to that style of drawer retention.

Merkava_4 · Feb 15, 2009

The Grip-Latch system of the Sears boxes is nothing like the Lock'n'Roll system of Snap-on. With the Sears box, the whole damn drawer handle pivots up!! Just flat out idiotic and senselessly stupid in my sacred opinion.

r6_cannibal · Feb 15, 2009

The griplatch system felt so cheap to me, and the motion didn't feel fluid at all. I didn't try it loaded down with tools though, so that could be part of it. My current box has what feels like an indentation on one of the drawers and a ball spring that catches the drawer when fully closed. I love it.
I'll have to go to sears and throw some tools in a griplatch box to test it out. As of right now though I'm with BillK on this one :thumbup:

zuspiel · Feb 15, 2009

Welcome, 737! :beer:

tatra · Feb 16, 2009

rather have griplatch style instead of rubber detents....................

Merkava_4 · Feb 16, 2009

tatra said:
rather have griplatch style instead of rubber detents....................

What's wrong with rubber detents?

nissan_crawler · Feb 16, 2009

Merkava_4 said:
What's wrong with rubber detents?

Wear, tendency to let go when the box is on uneven ground, have to pull hard on new ones, etc.

That's one annoyance I have with the International box, but I knew that when I bought it.

tatra · Feb 16, 2009

don't care for them if the weather gets cold.............being rubber they make a drawer next to impossible to open...........plan on remomiving them from my costco box i bought for this reason............course in a controlled enviroment not that much of a concern, but even then i would still not want them..........just my personal choice............and yes i too have been the recpient of the tipping tool box experience....................not mine but the hero who insisted he could roll his behind me and just keep his hand on the drawers to keep them from sliding open..................gave me a wtf look as i jumped outta the way instead of attempting to "help" him from having his box dump it;s contenets..............

ImportTuner · Feb 16, 2009

I have the Craftsman Grip Latch boxes; never had any problems with them

speed bump · Feb 16, 2009

r6_cannibal said:
The griplatch system felt so cheap to me, and the motion didn't feel fluid at all. I didn't try it loaded down with tools though, so that could be part of it. My current box has what feels like an indentation on one of the drawers and a ball spring that catches the drawer when fully closed. I love it.
I'll have to go to sears and throw some tools in a griplatch box to test it out. As of right now though I'm with BillK on this one

It weird I tried a Craftsman Griplatch box and hated, then I tried a Waterloo Posilatch equipped traxx box which is supposed the same thing and it was a night and day difference. You couldn't even tell the system on the Waterloo just grab the handle you have lifted it enough to open the drawer.

Merkava_4 said:
What's wrong with rubber detents?

Nothing until you try a system where the drawers are just as secure but it only takes 1 finger to open them.

nissan_crawler · Feb 16, 2009

question..for those that don't like the griplatch...are you talking the griplatch on the standard boxes, or on the professional ones? Maybe that's the difference.

speed bump · Feb 16, 2009

nissan_crawler said:
question..for those that don't like the griplatch...are you talking the griplatch on the standard boxes, or on the professional ones? Maybe that's the difference.

I just tried a regular griplatch and it was a pain to open the drawers. However the couple of Waterloo Magnum and Traxx boxes I have tried worked perfectly. I don't know if its what Waterloo sells Sears or if I just happened to run into the bad ones.

nissan_crawler · Feb 16, 2009

speed bump said:
I just tried a regular griplatch and it was a pain to open the drawers. However the couple of Waterloo Magnum and Traxx boxes I have tried worked perfectly. I don't know if its what Waterloo sells Sears or if I just happened to run into the bad ones.

ah, that might explain it. The C-Pro is equivalent to the top waterloo.

speed bump · Feb 16, 2009

nissan_crawler said:
ah, that might explain it. The C-Pro is equivalent to the top waterloo.

Supposedly the Traxx is the equivelent of the Griplatch but after playing with both I would take the Traxx over the griplatch anyday.

tsumetai-kokoro · Feb 16, 2009

i don't even notice the griplatch on my craftsman box or the lock and roll on my snapon box.

but i do notice the detents on my other craftsman box. so much so that in the morning i open every drawer just past the detent and leave them there until its time to lock up

Merkava_4 · Feb 16, 2009

tsumetai-kokoro said:
but i do notice the detents on my other craftsman box. so much so that in the morning i open every drawer just past the detent and leave them there until its time to lock up

You can switch to a softer detent. It takes more time to empty out the drawers than it does to remove the drawers and change out the detents.

autoace · Feb 16, 2009

Sears sells the regular ball bearing boxes with no grip latch still.

dps · Feb 16, 2009

I can't speak to the Pro version of Griplatch boxes, but on the Ball Bearing series you can adjust the amount of lift required to open each drawer. Because my boxes don't move, they're all adjusted to a minimum lift. If you only occasionally want the feature, you can also quickly defeat it entirely by slipping a penny between the top of drawer and the handle at each end of the drawer, thus keeping it in the "lifted" position.

If, for some unknown reason you preferred detents, they can also be added.

alex71 · Feb 16, 2009

MAD said:
You might want to try loading a drawer with tools and then try it, before you write off the Griplatch. I felt the same way when I tried out my most recent box empty, but with tools in it the drawers unlatch so easily I don't even lift the grip. Just pulling open the drawer unlatches it. I even had to test the drawers to make sure they were actually latching.

that has been my experience exactly. the drawer opens when you pull it--no extra effort or extra motion at all is involved. the drawer will not open on its own.. just that simple.

nismomans13 · Feb 16, 2009

nissan_crawler said:
question..for those that don't like the griplatch...are you talking the griplatch on the standard boxes, or on the professional ones? Maybe that's the difference.

I have a standard box with griplatch and never had a problem with it, but it is a little more fluid on the cman pro boxes.

nightrain00 · Feb 16, 2009

It may drive you nuts in the beginning but I have both the lock and roll on my Snap-on and the Griplatch on the craftsman sitting on top of it you get used to both. I HATED the lock and roll at first now its second nature. The Griplatch for the most part wasn't an issue because I tend to lift up on the drawer I'm opening any way.

Chris Adams · Feb 16, 2009

I actually prefer the Griplatch for a couple reasons.
One is it is very safe when you shove a box around, say to get behind it, and you don't think, want, care to lock the drawers.

Two, you can keep your chests top down and still access the drawers. You pull all the drawers out a fraction, then drop the top down.
The two stage feature of the Griplatch lets the drawers latch on the second stage when the lid is closed.

The rubber detents vary with temperature, which my shop means if you set them for morning, at evening they are too loose, or if you set them for evening, the next morning you have to yank on the box.

The plastic clips on the back, like on my Waterloo and my Craftsman Industrial are just annoying, especially if you have a light drawer. You have to YANK it open, and SLAM it shut.

Griplatch works better if you have more weight in the drawer so testing one at Sears is pointless.
You become used to it in about a day.

Sears still makes non-Griplatch boxes but they are not as heavy duty as the Griplatch ones.

Sears make MANY levels of box. The 'entry level' ball bearing is defiantly a level below the Griplatch boxes.

sgavin83 · May 18, 2009

Hey everyone,
First post on garage journal, so here goes. I'm currently looking at buying a 23 drawer 46 inch craftsman professional griplatch roller ball tool chest combo. The top box is 10 drawer and the bottom cart is 13 drawer. Here is a link for what I'm talking about:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00995472000P?
Is this too much for my first professional box? I don't have near enough tools to even halfway fill it up, but I figure why buy small when I can get a decent deal on a big box that I can grow into so I don't have to upgrade sometime in the near future? I just can't see spending more money than I paid for any of the vehicles I've ever bought combined on a shiny red snap on box. That and I kinda dig the sunburst orange color. It's kinda ugly, but I'd rather not have a red box in a garage bay full of red boxes.
Sean

rsanter · May 19, 2009

the grip latch is so when you move the box around the shop the drawers dont come open. if you are transporting the box you need to lock it

I cant seem to get used to the grip latch and I have seen several of them at sears as markdowns returned because the griplatch came off the drawer

since wrenching is a hobby I really dont move my boxes much anymore so that feature dosent do much for me

bob

bmxr4life87 · May 19, 2009

this is a display of tool snobbery at its finest. anyone who says the griplatch is a pain should be mentally evaluated. ive been using my griplatch box for over 2 years now professionally with zero problems. the drawers glide very smoothly and its a very fluid motion for me ever since day one. ive tweaked my latches a little bit so they release easier but that only took maybe a minute and now its gravy. im not saying its the greatest design ever but it is a very good one.

Borrego · May 19, 2009

In this poor economy, I have had the opportunity to upgrade my tool boxes at a fraction of the normal cost. In the past few months, I have acquired a Craftsman Pro 7 drawer side chest and a regular ball bearing 40" top box, both with the Griplatch system.
At first, it seemed awkward and downright unnatural. But I gave it time. I now consider them head and shoulders above the Craftsman ball bearing 40" bottom box with regular, non Griplatch drawers I bought last week.

nissan_crawler · May 19, 2009

sgavin83 said:
Hey everyone,
First post on garage journal, so here goes. I'm currently looking at buying a 23 drawer 46 inch craftsman professional griplatch roller ball tool chest combo. The top box is 10 drawer and the bottom cart is 13 drawer. Here is a link for what I'm talking about:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00995472000P?
Is this too much for my first professional box? I don't have near enough tools to even halfway fill it up, but I figure why buy small when I can get a decent deal on a big box that I can grow into so I don't have to upgrade sometime in the near future? I just can't see spending more money than I paid for any of the vehicles I've ever bought combined on a shiny red snap on box. That and I kinda dig the sunburst orange color. It's kinda ugly, but I'd rather not have a red box in a garage bay full of red boxes.
Sean

Not too much at all. If I may, I would suggest getting the 60" pro box. It'll hold as much as both of those combined for about the same price, give you a nice work surface, and if you need more room later, you can buy the top.

caper · May 19, 2009

After using my Snap on lock and roll box now for a few months I've found an extra benefit to the locking drawers.When some idiot comes into the shop and tries to open a drawer and can't figure out how to do it it makes enough noise that I know someone is at my box.It's happened three times since I bought the box a few months ago.

dps · May 19, 2009

On the Sears version, you can easily adjust the amount of lift you want; generally, the lighter the (loaded) drawer, the less lift. But you only need stick a penny under each end of the handle to continually "lift" it if you want to disable it completely.

Craftsman "Grip latch" and similar drawers ... is it just me ?

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