Craftsman Quite Glide Opinions

[PDXCummins]

Just stumbled onto this cool website a few days ago. I wish i had found it a lot sooner as its got a lot of info and talks about everything any normal man finds awesome. I was curious if anyone has had an expierence with the Craftsman Quiet Glide five drawer bottom chest. I have been looking for a couple bottom chests to stick under my workbench for a while and i have the opportunity to grab a couple of these pretty cheap. I know they are made in china and not the same quality as snap on, mac, etc. I dont want to spend that kind of money so they are out of the question. Any feedback would be really appreciated.

 

[info2x]

A lot of us like the harbor freight boxes, cheap and surprisingly good quality.

 

[PDXCummins]

Ya i have seen that am very familiar myself with harbor freight. Defiantly a place you can accidentally spend a whole saturday or sunday. None of the harbor freight ones will work with the dimensions i need and i can also get this one for significantly cheaper than them.

 

[sonnyboy]

I've got a couple of the Quiet Glide bottom boxes (two 4 drawer, and one 5 drawer). I use the ball bearing cabinets that are stacked for the heavy stuff I use regularly, and I use the three Quiet Glides for storage of some of my more infrequently used tools and as the base for my workbench. They are pretty decent if you don't load up the drawers heavily. In fact, I would have preferred the quiet glide for my top chest, as the ball bearing drawers don't really have any advantage until you really start to load them up.

 

[PDXCummins]

Thats more or less what im going for. I got a butcher block 8 foot top on a steel frame and i want to stick two five drawers underneath the workbench on both sides with my stools inbetween. The quiet glides are the perfect height for this application. One of my main questions regarding the quiet glide was how big of a difference there was between them and the more expensive ball bearings. I dont plan on having anything ridiculously heavy in the drawers.

 

[sonnyboy]

I don't really think there is that much of a difference, other than the slides themselves. Before I bought them, I thought they might even be interchangeable, but they are not. The ball bearing lower boxes (all three boxes stacked in the photo are ball bearing, while all three under the bench are quiet glide) appear that the location of the drawers can be changed around, while the mounts for the slides in the quiet glide boxes are welded in, and cannot be reconfigured. I had the BB boxes first, and was hoping the QG boxes would allow for reconfiguring (so I could turn one into a 3 drawer, and another into a 5 or 6 drawer), but it didn't work out.


My ball bearing boxes are just your standard "Heavy Duty", and not the C'man "Professional". I would say all my c'man boxes are fine for hobbyist use (as long as you don't get the "homeowner grade" - that stuff looks like junk), but we have some similar c'man boxes at work, and with continuous daily use, they definitely do not hold up as well, or are as nice to use as the Lista's!

On my bench in the photo, I changed all the casters to the locking swivel type. Now I can pull out the center cabinet and pull up a stool if I want, or I can easily move the entire bench anyplace in the garage I want.

 

[PDXCummins]

Thanks for the info defiantly helps me make my decision. If i was going to make my living using these 24/7 365 then i would consider something more expensive and ultimately more heavy duty. I plan on just having these in my garage with mostly sockets, rachets and other randoms. I feel like these days its really hit and miss with Craftsman stuff so i feel more confident in getting these after hearing from you.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Quiet glide is only frustrating if you use them a lot and also have some drawers with bearings right next to the quiet glide drawers. Otherwise, they works fine. Keep them clean and lubricated.

 

[1949 caddyman]

I have a quiet glide and it is ok for the money.

 

[lowbucktruck]

I have one Craftsman Quiet-Glide roller box left... and it is just okay. Mine is the black regular-grade box, not the home-owner, industrial or pro-grade roller chest. Thin as a beer can and I would not load it up with heavy stuff. The drawers flex a bit too much for my liking. You will need to lube the Quiet-Glides with silicon spray once in a awhile. For light use and light load, it does the job. Would be fine for a drawer set for under a workbench. You could do something like Steevo did and build your own frame for a couple of those Quiet-Glide boxes to make a workbench.

I definitely would not use it as a base box to do a full stack on top, I can tell you that. I built a frame base for mine out of steel with casters that my box just sits on (heck, the cheapie plastic casters that came with that Craftsman Quiet-Glide box are still in the cardboard box!).

 

[Falcon67]

Quiet glide is only frustrating if you use them a lot and also have some drawers with bearings right next to the quiet glide drawers. Otherwise, they works fine. Keep them clean and lubricated.

This. I have 30 drawers worth of Quiet Glide, including a 40" roll away, and they all work fine. Several drawers are over the posted limit - no problems. Just keep them lubricated and don't treat it like a rental.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have Quiet Glide top and bottom. Much better than the plain (no bearing) type and much cheaper than the ball bearing ones.

My only issue is they no longer offer black. Just red.

Wait for a good sale (should be some good ones with Christmas coming).

 

[retrobuilder]

Quiet Glide are very good in my book. Simpler (more durable- no ball bearings to loosen out) with good economy and made by Waterloo. Metal frame wise maybe same as Ball bearing versions? I have two over 30 years old and three over 8 years old. Light oil lube keeps them going and going.

 

[PDXCummins]

Im going to be able to pick up the five drawer for right around a hundred bucks apiece. The price is really right so its hard to pass up.

 

[retrobuilder]

I'll buy if you don't, sounds good and welcome.