9GUY9
Well-known member
I'm sitting in a Dallas hotel room again for work training, so I figured it would be a good time to write a review of the tool box I spent endless hours researching from the same hotel a couple months earlier. I have a bit over a month using the Chest every day so I feel I have a good idea how it will hold up over time.
I'm a dealership auto tech, I have been a pro tech for about 10 years now. I started with a Craftsman box, traded the Craftsman box for a Cornwell box, then bought a SnapOn KRL722. About a year ago I began looking for a larger replacement for my KRL. I have been extremely happy with the SnapOn box and was really hoping to find a great deal on a used triple bank KRL box. However after a year of watching for the "right" deal I never found one I was happy with. Through GarageJournal I learned about Strictly Tool Box's and Montezuma Tool Chests. After countless hours of reading everything I could find I had decided on a Montezuma Pro triple bay. A call to Strictly Tools Boxs and speaking with Shanon had me second guessing my decision and looking at the Extreme 72" Pro chest.
I was not able to find too much info on the Extreme Tools line of tool box's. I had seen them in the independent tool truck fliers, however the tool guy had never sold one and didn't have experience with them. I read a review on here, read the reviews on Strictly Toolbox's web site. I compared all the specs to a similar size and layout KRL chest.
Another call to Shanon and I bit the bullet and ordered a Blue 72" Professional triple bank. Shanon at www.strictlytoolboxs.com was extremely nice to deal with, and I couldn't have asked for more as far as customer service goes.
I ordered the box on a Thursday. I received a couple emails from strictlytoolbox's shortly after placing the order, one of which had the tracking info showing a delivery of the following Tuesday (the Monday prior was the 4th of July). The box was shipped to my dealership in MN directly from the Extreme Tools warehouse in IL.
I ended up being sick the Tuesday the box was scheduled to be delivered. In the early afternoon I got a call from the truck driver saying he was about a hour away. I had explained the delivery details to our parts guy who would be unloading the box. I made it very clear to him not to accept the toolbox if it showed any signs of damage.
The next day I made it to work. I found a very large wooden crate in my bay. There was a hole in the bottom of the crate, but inspecting it showed that the hole was between the bottom of the toolbox and the pallet. The toolbox came very well wrapped, its in a full wooden crate (thin weak wood, but still nicer than cardboard). Under the wood the tool box is completely wrapped in a cardboard box, and under the cardboard the whole thing is wrapped in foam. It took the fork lift to lift the toolbox off the pallet it comes on, it is not light and would be tough to lift it off without one. Once it is all unwrapped and off the pallet the only thing to do is put the handle on, 4 bolts, nice and easy.
Immediately I was impressed with how solid the box felt. The paint has a nice glossy finish and looks quality. The slides roll very smoothly and only get smoother with weight in the drawers. I felt the big Extreme Tools logo looked a bit tacky so I pulled it off rite away. Lots of double sided tape holding that thing on.
My biggest reservation with purchasing the Extreme box was the fact it used detents to hold the drawers shut. Boxs I have had in the past with detents have bothered me because of the force to open and shut the drawer tools slide around a good bit. The Extreme box suffers this same issue. Adding to the sliding tool problem is the slippery drawer liners. The Extreme box come with simple foam liners like thise found in most non truck brand box's. I really like the SnapOn lock and roll system, but not enough to spend 10K on a toolbox to get it. The Extreme box comes with a second set of stiffer detents. I thankfully did not install any of them. About the only drawer that I don't notice the detents on is my top socket drawer that has a couple hundred pounds of steel in it. I have actually lubed a few of the lighter drawers rubber detents, and while it makes them a bit less stiff I still have to give a solid push to get the drawer all the way in and locked in the detents. I am hoping with more and more use the detents will wear in, and get softer.
Extreme uses a spring loaded lock system, so if a drawer is still open when the box is locked the drawer can still be closed and locked. I have never seen this on other box's but it is a great idea and works well
The drawer layout is nice and I really like the two long top drawers. More long drawers wouldn't hurt, but I guess thats a personal opinion.
When I was inquiring about the box in a email to strictly tool box's. They mentioned the double drawer fronts, and I wasn't sure what this meant. As they say a pic is worth 1000 words, it does look nice. Notice also the nice heavy duty handles.
vs single front (SnapOn)
I mentioned how solid the box feels. I measured the steel thickness. My KRL is the exact same, my Craftsman is about half as thick.
I wanted a large bottom box because I use it as a work bench. I had a stainless top on my SnapOn box and loved it, so finding another box with the same top was a priority. The SS top on the Extreme box is nice and actually seam a bit thicker than the SnapOn top. However it does not have the turned up front, which was nice to keep sockets and tools from rolling off. The top on the Extreme box has a slight grain texture to it, when wiping it off with a microfiber cloth it will catch the fibers of the cloth. Not a big deal, but it wold be nice if it were polished.
I did not choose to get the faultless casters. I couldn't justify $500 more for different casters. I have a smooth shop floor and don't plan to move the box often. The loaded box weighs a ton and is not at all easy to move anyways. The regular casters have worked perfect for me and I have no regrets about not getting the faultless ones. When it is time to move the box the handle is very heavy duty, it looks very industrial but it is solid.
The upper right drawer has a locking top, which doubles as a writing surface. This would be nice if the box was used in a shop where you want access to your tools, but want to keep personal items (wallet, phone) locked up. One problem I have found with this top is it is not braced across its width. If the top is allowed to fall shut under its own weight it will bend the center down into the drawer.
Overall I am very happy with the box for the money involved. There are a couple little things I don't like; drawer liners, no lip on the top edge. The drawer detents bother me, but I knew of this before hand and am willing to deal with them for the money saved. This box feels very sold and I think it is built to last. I have no doubt it will hold up to daily use for years to come. Comparing it to the various truck brand box's of coworkers I don't think the Extreme box gives up anything in build quality. Best of all I payed less for my NEW Extreme Tools Box than I would have for a used SnapOn.
Here's some additional pics for those interested;
I'm a dealership auto tech, I have been a pro tech for about 10 years now. I started with a Craftsman box, traded the Craftsman box for a Cornwell box, then bought a SnapOn KRL722. About a year ago I began looking for a larger replacement for my KRL. I have been extremely happy with the SnapOn box and was really hoping to find a great deal on a used triple bank KRL box. However after a year of watching for the "right" deal I never found one I was happy with. Through GarageJournal I learned about Strictly Tool Box's and Montezuma Tool Chests. After countless hours of reading everything I could find I had decided on a Montezuma Pro triple bay. A call to Strictly Tools Boxs and speaking with Shanon had me second guessing my decision and looking at the Extreme 72" Pro chest.
I was not able to find too much info on the Extreme Tools line of tool box's. I had seen them in the independent tool truck fliers, however the tool guy had never sold one and didn't have experience with them. I read a review on here, read the reviews on Strictly Toolbox's web site. I compared all the specs to a similar size and layout KRL chest.
Another call to Shanon and I bit the bullet and ordered a Blue 72" Professional triple bank. Shanon at www.strictlytoolboxs.com was extremely nice to deal with, and I couldn't have asked for more as far as customer service goes.
I ordered the box on a Thursday. I received a couple emails from strictlytoolbox's shortly after placing the order, one of which had the tracking info showing a delivery of the following Tuesday (the Monday prior was the 4th of July). The box was shipped to my dealership in MN directly from the Extreme Tools warehouse in IL. I ended up being sick the Tuesday the box was scheduled to be delivered. In the early afternoon I got a call from the truck driver saying he was about a hour away. I had explained the delivery details to our parts guy who would be unloading the box. I made it very clear to him not to accept the toolbox if it showed any signs of damage.
The next day I made it to work. I found a very large wooden crate in my bay. There was a hole in the bottom of the crate, but inspecting it showed that the hole was between the bottom of the toolbox and the pallet. The toolbox came very well wrapped, its in a full wooden crate (thin weak wood, but still nicer than cardboard). Under the wood the tool box is completely wrapped in a cardboard box, and under the cardboard the whole thing is wrapped in foam. It took the fork lift to lift the toolbox off the pallet it comes on, it is not light and would be tough to lift it off without one. Once it is all unwrapped and off the pallet the only thing to do is put the handle on, 4 bolts, nice and easy.
Immediately I was impressed with how solid the box felt. The paint has a nice glossy finish and looks quality. The slides roll very smoothly and only get smoother with weight in the drawers. I felt the big Extreme Tools logo looked a bit tacky so I pulled it off rite away. Lots of double sided tape holding that thing on.
My biggest reservation with purchasing the Extreme box was the fact it used detents to hold the drawers shut. Boxs I have had in the past with detents have bothered me because of the force to open and shut the drawer tools slide around a good bit. The Extreme box suffers this same issue. Adding to the sliding tool problem is the slippery drawer liners. The Extreme box come with simple foam liners like thise found in most non truck brand box's. I really like the SnapOn lock and roll system, but not enough to spend 10K on a toolbox to get it. The Extreme box comes with a second set of stiffer detents. I thankfully did not install any of them. About the only drawer that I don't notice the detents on is my top socket drawer that has a couple hundred pounds of steel in it. I have actually lubed a few of the lighter drawers rubber detents, and while it makes them a bit less stiff I still have to give a solid push to get the drawer all the way in and locked in the detents. I am hoping with more and more use the detents will wear in, and get softer.
Extreme uses a spring loaded lock system, so if a drawer is still open when the box is locked the drawer can still be closed and locked. I have never seen this on other box's but it is a great idea and works well
The drawer layout is nice and I really like the two long top drawers. More long drawers wouldn't hurt, but I guess thats a personal opinion.
When I was inquiring about the box in a email to strictly tool box's. They mentioned the double drawer fronts, and I wasn't sure what this meant. As they say a pic is worth 1000 words, it does look nice. Notice also the nice heavy duty handles.
vs single front (SnapOn)
I mentioned how solid the box feels. I measured the steel thickness. My KRL is the exact same, my Craftsman is about half as thick.
I wanted a large bottom box because I use it as a work bench. I had a stainless top on my SnapOn box and loved it, so finding another box with the same top was a priority. The SS top on the Extreme box is nice and actually seam a bit thicker than the SnapOn top. However it does not have the turned up front, which was nice to keep sockets and tools from rolling off. The top on the Extreme box has a slight grain texture to it, when wiping it off with a microfiber cloth it will catch the fibers of the cloth. Not a big deal, but it wold be nice if it were polished.
I did not choose to get the faultless casters. I couldn't justify $500 more for different casters. I have a smooth shop floor and don't plan to move the box often. The loaded box weighs a ton and is not at all easy to move anyways. The regular casters have worked perfect for me and I have no regrets about not getting the faultless ones. When it is time to move the box the handle is very heavy duty, it looks very industrial but it is solid.
The upper right drawer has a locking top, which doubles as a writing surface. This would be nice if the box was used in a shop where you want access to your tools, but want to keep personal items (wallet, phone) locked up. One problem I have found with this top is it is not braced across its width. If the top is allowed to fall shut under its own weight it will bend the center down into the drawer.
Overall I am very happy with the box for the money involved. There are a couple little things I don't like; drawer liners, no lip on the top edge. The drawer detents bother me, but I knew of this before hand and am willing to deal with them for the money saved. This box feels very sold and I think it is built to last. I have no doubt it will hold up to daily use for years to come. Comparing it to the various truck brand box's of coworkers I don't think the Extreme box gives up anything in build quality. Best of all I payed less for my NEW Extreme Tools Box than I would have for a used SnapOn.
Here's some additional pics for those interested;