NEW White Viper Boxes 41" + 26" - PIC HEAVY

[Rockuf8]

Mancard revocation!

Someone is apparently insecure about their manhood.

Not if you are a Hazet fan...

+1 the teals are similar too.

Congrats on your new boxes, they rock man
I voted for the white Vipers too, so I think you made a very wise choice
Enjoy !!

Thank you sir, I appreciate the encouragement.

 

[purpurite]

I'm a little disappointed that the teal isn't offered in the 41" combo. Would be the closest I'd ever come to owning a Hazet tool chest.

I like the white, though. Very nice setup you have there. I'd be worried that I couldn't keep it clean enough to ever sleep at night. Looks great with the black hardware—nice Photoshop work.

You're making me rethink wanting the 41" in lime green now instead of the Menards Masterforce in black...

 

[matt1977]

Very nice

 

[Rockuf8]

I'm a little disappointed that the teal isn't offered in the 41" combo. Would be the closest I'd ever come to owning a Hazet tool chest.

I like the white, though. Very nice setup you have there. I'd be worried that I couldn't keep it clean enough to ever sleep at night. Looks great with the black hardware—nice Photoshop work.

You're making me rethink wanting the 41" in lime green now instead of the Menards Masterforce in black...

I think the new purple will be offered in the 41" box. Not sure though. The Lime would be nice if you could change the color of the drawer pulls, don't like the textured silver handles on the Lime Box. Even polished aluminum handles would look better but the upkeep would ****.

I have no concerns about the white getting dirty, it's gloss powdercoat and should wipe clean as long as I keep after it, plus the white will show less dust than the black I currently have.

Very nice

Thanks

 

[purpurite]

I like your idea of the black powdercoat on the pulls and handles, and would consider it for the lime green box. I think it would look killer...

Your dust on black comment made me stop in my tracks and completely rethink my want for the black 41" F from Menards. I do like the top box and drawer layout better on the Masterforce box, though, the colors are just not appealing at all.

I'm going to contact Viper today to see if there are plans to release the purple or teal in 41".

 

[mobiledynamics]

Any hesitation on white *turning off white-yellow* over time.
It will eventually happen. A guess it's just a question how how long that takes..

 

[purpurite]

Most powedrcoats are pretty color-fast. I would be shocked to see the white (or any other color) change over time, unless it was in a tremendously harsh environment.

I just got word from Viper that they will be releasing ALL colors in the 41" versions for Father's Day. Pretty good news, IMO. Looks like I have a target on the calendar now.

w00t!

 

[Rockuf8]

I like your idea of the black powdercoat on the pulls and handles, and would consider it for the lime green box. I think it would look killer...

Your dust on black comment made me stop in my tracks and completely rethink my want for the black 41" MC from Menards. I do like the top box and drawer layout better on the Mastercraft box, though, the colors are just not appealing at all.

I'm going to contact Viper today to see if there are plans to release the purple or teal in 41".

Yeah my black craftsman box shows a lot of dust. I usually don't have really greasy grubby hands and if they are dirty the black pulls will take care of that. It's not like I'll be smearing my hands all over the white box.

Def give them a call, they're really friendly. The 26" box loks bigger than I thought it would be. I almost could've just bought 4-5 of those instead, but would be missing the top long drawers.

 

[mobiledynamics]

We had custom white PC in a former space. This was right next to windows that were about 4 feet off the floor and went up 8-10 feet high. Plenty of sunlight during the say.

There was definitely a color differentiation over the year. Granted, I'm sure the sun played a role, but I'm not sure how well white PC changes in a not so sunny environment...

 

[Rockuf8]

Any hesitation on white *turning off white-yellow* over time.
It will eventually happen. A guess it's just a question how how long that takes..

As long as it's protected from UV/light I don't see that being an issue.

Most powedrcoats are pretty color-fast. I would be shocked to see the white (or any other color) change over time, unless it was in a tremendously harsh environment.

I just got word from Viper that they will be releasing ALL colors in the 41" versions for Father's Day. Pretty good news, IMO. Looks like I have a target on the calendar now.

w00t!

Oh AWESOME, that's good news, damn phone never posted my reply until after yours. I told them they need to market their boxes better, they should be selling a lot more of them than just the Lime Green and Pink Boxes in Sears.

 

[Rockuf8]

We had custom white PC in a former space. This was right next to windows that were about 4 feet off the floor and went up 8-10 feet high. Plenty of sunlight during the say.

There was definitely a color differentiation over the year. Granted, I'm sure the sun played a role, but I'm not sure how well white PC changes in a not so sunny environment...

The sun played a HUGE ROLE in them discoloring. My garage has NO WINDOWS, and they'll be on the rear back half of the garage and never see any sunlight at all.

 

[purpurite]

Def give them a call, they're really friendly. The 26" box loks bigger than I thought it would be. I almost could've just bought 4-5 of those instead, but would be missing the top long drawers.

Yeah, I have played with a lime green 26" combo at the local Sears (more than a few times). I currently have 2 old Craftsman chests that are both 26" and I want more width to hold all of my Hansen socket trays in one drawer or top of box. I'd also like to get rid of TWO tool boxes and condense everything down to one setup. A 41" wide chest is really appealing. I really love the quality of the Viper, though.

 

[Rockuf8]

You wouldn't be disappointed with a Viper. I hesitated and kept flip flopping between several brands because I never saw one in person except for the smaller stacked lime green and pink box which to me looked and felt like toys, hard to get an idea on the weight and overall feel on those. But I took a chance, bought them and couldn't be happier so far. Still weird to me how the drawer and depth of the 26" look deeper than the 41" but I've measured both and they are the same. It's an optical illusion due to the wider with and height.

 

[Souljer]

Hi,

Those look great.

Regarding coloring the handles I remember you mentioning white handles to match the white cabinets in another thread (I think you posted a pic?). The first thing that came to mind was, that white might show oil, grease, dirt, etc. a lot easier and be harder to clean aggressively if needed than the base aluminum handles, though that is a cool monochrome look and idea.

If you think black is too much of a contrast to white (although an all time classic combination), perhaps you could experiment with a few dark grey shades to soften the tone and contrast with the white/ off-white of the box. I'd (and I probably will) go with white walls or light grey walls. Different shade of grey floor. That way if you ever get other things that come in different colors in there (red sandblasting cab, purple top box?) it will still work, compared to having to work with browns & beige. I'm sure once you're done you will be smearing your hands all over the place as well as dancing around like a happy puppy! Followed by more box fondling.

I'm currently in the pre-production stage of my garage as I start to see what I have to work with as I gather tools and boxes. Thanks for posting this. Looking forward to your progress pix and final results.

Thanks.

 

[Rockuf8]

Hi,

Those look great.

Regarding coloring the handles I remember you mentioning white handles to match the white cabinets in another thread (I think you posted a pic?). The first thing that came to mind was, that white might show oil, grease, dirt, etc. a lot easier and be harder to clean aggressively if needed than the base aluminum handles, though that is a cool monochrome look and idea.

If you think black is too much of a contrast to white (although an all time classic combination), perhaps you could experiment with a few dark grey shades to soften the tone and contrast with the white/ off-white of the box. I'd (and I probably will) go with white walls or light grey walls. Different shade of grey floor. That way if you ever get other things that come in different colors in there (red sandblasting cab, purple top box?) it will still work, compared to having to work with browns & beige. I'm sure once you're done you will be smearing your hands all over the place as well as dancing around like a happy puppy! Followed by more box fondling.

I'm currently in the pre-production stage of my garage as I start to see what I have to work with as I gather tools and boxes. Thanks for posting this. Looking forward to your progress pix and final results.

Thanks.

Welcome Souljer, and thanks. Yeah, I'm partial to warm earth tone colors, which is why I will probably still go with a warm grey (beige) for the walls as opposoed to a cool grey, it's still considered neutral enough as it would work with other colors as you stated.

THe white handles would be a tough one because the white might not even match and I'm still uncertain what the texture on the handles it from, I def didn't want white textured handles, they would be the worst to keep clean.

Only t front of the Ulti-MATE white cabinets are actually a metallic white, the main part of the cabinet is grey, so I could do a grey handle. After seeing this pic with the pulls on the cabinets black, I wonder how they would look with grey pulls, probably would look pretty good, I still think the black might be too much contrast even on the cabinets? The lighting in the first pic is way off, they look yellow.

I think beige walls look fine with the white cabinets.

 

[Rockuf8]

If it turns out the texture on the VIper pulls is powderocat and we can strip it off down to smooth aluminum, I will think about coating them in a black chrome powderocat, with a clearcoat. I've used this color before on various parts including some coil springs, it's one of my favorite colors and I think it will look really good with the white and will flow better with the Ulti-MATE cabinet bodies.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Anything can be sandblasted and PC...

Just curious. Are you planning to DIY the PC yourself.
I have a shop I use. The kid *literally* is awesome. Knows colors, get colors. Will do a base, with flake in the clear, etc. He's not just *look at the swatch* and tell me what you want.

 

[Rockuf8]

Yes, but I'm just wondering if the texture on the pulls is too rough. The black chrome really needs a smooth surface to look right. No, I use a few local powdercoaters who are really good, one better than the other, he blasts EVERYTHING before coating, even if it's bare metal, the other coater is not as detail orientated. Where are you located?

 

[mobiledynamics]

NYC. Every good PC does clean, sandblast, etc to get the medium just right.

What color are you cabs.
Flooring ?

Depend on what look you're going for but when I saw your white cab, I was thinking that would be awesome for a white sterile look and a nice dark wood top. But design is more a personal subjective answer...

 

[Rockuf8]

Yes, prep is everything when it comes to powder coating.

I have some current wall cabinets on one side of my garage that are all white that will have an 8ft tool bench under them and the two 26" Viper boxes on either side of the bench. Then I will be adding a whole wall of similar plain white upper kitchen style cabinets to the other side of the garage above where the 41" Vipers will be.

The tool bench I am going to order is a white Gladiator 8' tool bench with a wood top, it's not dark wood though.

Thinking of a neutral warm grey (beige) wall color, and a medium to dark warm grey (brown) floor color for a subtle contrast. The Ulti-MATE cabinets that will be on the back wall have a white metallic finish.

 

[Super Sport]

Oh AWESOME, that's good news, damn phone never posted my reply until after yours. I told them they need to market their boxes better, they should be selling a lot more of them than just the Lime Green and Pink Boxes in Sears.

Some Sears stores carry a better line of them. My Sears before Xmas has the pink, green, and white 26" stacks, along with black 26", 33" and 41" stacks. Xmas about cleared them out though.

I'm wondering if Viper just can't keep up with demand. My store sold the display 41" bottom box and still hasn't replaced it, nor have they replaced the black 26" display. The 72" box on their website won't be available until March.

 

[mobiledynamics]

What type of flooring. Any sunlight.

It depends on the space. I'm generally not a fan of *all out modern* , but white walls, white cabs, rustic pine/oak or $$ walnut - is a Combo I'd do again . I had a custom shelf powdercoated in a dark brown, bronzish - with shelving painted in French Grey.
Add the above combo and INSANE sunglight during the day, the space had some *warmth* too it, even with the white painted walls.


BTW, have you seen the matte black (too many varying shades) with a hint of flake. They have one with very small gold flakes and one that has multi color flakes. WHAT I think I might look awesome for yours is this very same matte back with SMALL silver flakes. It's very subtle to the eye and looks awesome when you look at it closeup !


I don't recall seeing the black with small silver flakes though. I know they make it with large flakes...but that is a different look, as the flaking is obvious from a distance..

 

[padronanniversary]

I'm curious, how much does this powder coating cost you ?

 

[Rockuf8]

Some Sears stores carry a better line of them. My Sears before Xmas has the pink, green, and white 26" stacks, along with black 26", 33" and 41" stacks. Xmas about cleared them out though.

I'm wondering if Viper just can't keep up with demand. My store sold the display 41" bottom box and still hasn't replaced it, nor have they replaced the black 26" display. The 72" box on their website won't be available until March.

I asked Susan at Viper, she told me most Sears only allow them to display boxes that are much different from the Craftsman boxes, so it's a space limitation. Because I felt if they were able to get some of the bigger boxes in their stores they would sell more. I've heard some guys say they saw 41" Viper box in a Sears near them, lucky, all I saw in 4 different Sears I went to was the lime or pink box in the smaller sizes.

What type of flooring. Any sunlight.

It depends on the space. I'm generally not a fan of *all out modern* , but white walls, white cabs, rustic pine/oak or $$ walnut - is a Combo I'd do again . I had a custom shelf powdercoated in a dark brown, bronzish - with shelving painted in French Grey.
Add the above combo and INSANE sunglight during the day, the space had some *warmth* too it, even with the white painted walls.


BTW, have you seen the matte black (too many varying shades) with a hint of flake. They have one with very small gold flakes and one that has multi color flakes. WHAT I think I might look awesome for yours is this very same matte back with SMALL silver flakes. It's very subtle to the eye and looks awesome when you look at it closeup !


I don't recall seeing the black with small silver flakes though. I know they make it with large flakes...but that is a different look, as the flaking is obvious from a distance..

The flooring will either just be painted, or I might go with the mesh style grey(w/ white border or accents) Racedeck flooring although I'm concerned about sawdust getting in the mesh and how easy clean up will be.

Only sunlight would come through the garage door if it was left open, no windows in my garage. Yeah the black powder with the multiple color flakes is cheesy, the one with silver flakes is ok. The choices in colors are overwhelming, that's for sure.

Have any pics of the walnut/grey combo you did?

 

[Rockuf8]

I'm curious, how much does this powder coating cost you ?

Depends on the piece, if stripping is required, if masking is needed, how many different colors..etc

My one pcoater told me he would charge me $300 to run the oven basically. As long as he could get all the pieces in there together at once is all he cared about. There are a lot of pieces to these boxes once you figure in the handles, pulls, the wheel hardware which is either 3 pieces each, or 5 pieces each for each of the swivel wheels. So paying for a one time oven run would be cheaper than if you tally up seperate pricing for all the small pieces. Two different colors would affect the price slightly, afar all he has to clean the gun when switching out colors.

Bottom line is anytime you go custom the $ adds up, I've powderocated so many parts for my car and truck I'm used to it now.

 

[mobiledynamics]

How about this....
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/PMB-1842/
With matte clear.
Pics are poor, but with the clear on it, it has some depth
If you go the black route.

Different look, feel if on black chrome.

 

[Rockuf8]

I've used Prismatic before, in fact I have a pretty large selection of samples from them, including speedway black. Only thing with that color is the flakes are so heavy they really change the appearance of the color, whereas some metallics have a flake that can only be seen at various angles which is kind of cool too.

They're really slow at shipping powder which is annoying if you're in a hurry. I have some time, so I'll have to go look through the site at options and check my sample rings to see if any color would really stand out with the white.

 

[purpurite]

Have them stripped and then hard anodized. Would look killer on the white.

 

[mobiledynamics]

Nice. I should order a set of swatches myself......it never
Did dawn on me on having a set of their swatches

 

[Rockuf8]

Have them stripped and then hard anodized. Would look killer on the white.

That is a cool look, I really like that. Finish looks like it would show fingerprints and/or grease/dirt easily? I could also match that finish with a two stage powder coat. They make a really flat clear that makes any color look like a flat anodized color.

Nice. I should order a set of swatches myself......it never
Did dawn on me on having a set of their swatches

Yeah, they're pretty helpful, forget about trying to order free swatches on their web site, you can only order a couple. I just call the sample dept and ask them to send me a ring with all blacks, or silvers, or any combination of colors you want. They'll grab all the samples in the color you desire and ship them to you free of charge.

 

[Rockuf8]

I used Kingsport Grey which is a dark silver metallic, as you can see it has A LOT of metal flake, this has a mirror clear over it too for added outdoor protection so it's super glossy which I don't think is what I'm striving for now.

Here are some A Arms for my truck I had coated.

Kingsposrt Grey

In direct sunlight

I like the idea if flat finish medium grey handles, would make for a nice contrast with the gloss white powder coat without being over the top. These are sort of similar to the anodized pistons ApecSpeed posted.

Dull Steel
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/PMB-4657/

Starnight Silver
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/PMB-5752/

Autumn Black
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/UMB-1851/


This one looks cool but it is too glossy.
Lazer Crystal
http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/P-4167B/

I'm really leaning towards dark grey now. You just have to choose something that looks darker then it's portrayed on the site because I ordered 'Southern Silver' from them and it came out way lighter than was shown in the example photos so I had to strip and recoat it in a darker silver/grey metallic.

 

[CudaChick1968]

I've used Prismatic before, in fact I have a pretty large selection of samples from them, including speedway black. Only thing with that color is the flakes are so heavy they really change the appearance of the color, whereas some metallics have a flake that can only be seen at various angles which is kind of cool too.

They're really slow at shipping powder which is annoying if you're in a hurry. I have some time, so I'll have to go look through the site at options and check my sample rings to see if any color would really stand out with the white.

Rockuf8, I believe you're giving out some bad information here.

NIC Industries / Prismatic Powders has been my exclusive powder supplier for many years even before I went pro and hung my own shingle. They have over 6,500 powder colors, finishes and textures available and, if by some VERY small chance they don't already have your exact color, can produce a custom formulation to match your sample at an affordable cost.

Their color match expert is so good I call her "Eagle Eye." She can even match powders to a digital internet photograph if she has to! The swatch she sends me in return is either a dead-on match, or she sends several swatches that are often so close to right that it's often tough to choose. Moreover, the swatches are extremely accurate.

I live about 2,000 miles away from their headquarters in Oregon and have NEVER experienced any delays in receiving my orders. In fact, they offer a 3-day flat rate for $13.95 (for up to ten pounds) and most of the time I have it here in my shop in Tennessee within two days. They also offer overnight / air shipping if you have a serious rush.

 

[Rockuf8]

Rockuf8, I believe you're giving out some bad information here.

NIC Industries / Prismatic Powders has been my exclusive powder supplier for many years even before I went pro and hung my own shingle. They have over 6,500 powder colors, finishes and textures available and, if by some VERY small chance they don't already have your exact color, can produce a custom formulation to match your sample at an affordable cost.

Their color match expert is so good I call her "Eagle Eye." She can even match powders to a digital internet photograph if she has to! The swatch she sends me in return is either a dead-on match, or she sends several swatches that are often so close to right that it's often tough to choose. Moreover, the swatches are extremely accurate.

I live about 2,000 miles away from their headquarters in Oregon and have NEVER experienced any delays in receiving my orders. In fact, they offer a 3-day flat rate for $13.95 (for up to ten pounds) and most of the time I have it here in my shop in Tennessee within two days. They also offer overnight / air shipping if you have a serious rush.

I compared a swatch of the color from them to the end result color and it was several shades off. When I called them to complain they offered no solution to fix the problem. They're not perfect, it could happen. I too have PERFECT color vision BTW. I learned swatches aren't an accurate representation of how the color really looks since the material they're on is so thin.

I'm aware different substrates and other variables can have slightly different end results, but this wasn't the case, it looked like a much different color than the swatch which led me to believe I was sent the wrong color.

As far as their speediness to get powder shipped. I order from Powder365 and PBTP and from the day I order to having it in hand is usually 2-3 days. With NIC it's more of an issue of being across the country really, so I may have worded that wrong, but I have experienced processing/shipping times of 3-5 days or more. One of my powdercoaters has had issues with getting powder from them in years past, maybe they're a lot better now. The free swatches are really great though, others charge for samples. I wasn't really bashing, I'm still a big fan of their selection.

I only order from them when I need a particular specialty color the others wouldn't stock.

 

[Rockuf8]

I'm having a hell of a time getting the handles off. Using a Makita impact driver and new Wera diamond coated bits. The small screws are on so damned tight and hard to get to. I'm about ready to just leave the front pulls in the textured silver at this point. Not worth all the trouble, slipped a few times and scratched the inside if the drawers slightly. Def going to pcoat the caster parts black, and I'll probably pcoat the side handle white to match the boxes.

 

[archirelic]

I'm wondering if they applied loctite to the screws?

 

[Rockuf8]

I'm wondering if they applied loctite to the screws?

They might have been put on with an impact driver. Once they break loose they come off easy.

They're black, small and the rolled lip of the top of the drawer makes them a bit tricky to reach. The woman at Viper told me to just use a screwdriver and make sure to apply pressure when removing them, YEAH RIGHT lol. I tried that a few weeks ago and stripped two screws. Like I said once they are broken loose they spin freely by hand. It's a combination of the angle, lining up the bit/driver. I got 3 pulls off, two ladt screws on rhe 4th drawer seem to be stripped, now. Each drawer pull has 4-5 screws. I might order a couple more bigger diamond bits. If I can get all but one put then I can spin/twist the drawer pull off which loosens the screw.

I'm not giving up completely, but close to it.

 

[archirelic]

Ah, I see. In the end, I think it will be worth it. Those renders w/the black pulls against the white of the box look awesome.

That's one of my biggest issues w/the Viper boxes, the drawer pulls...I dunno, they just look "tacky" to me and I'm usually all for satin chrome, etc. Somehow, on their boxes it just doesn't work though.

 

[Rockuf8]

Ah, I see. In the end, I think it will be worth it. Those renders w/the black pulls against the white of the box look awesome.

That's one of my biggest issues w/the Viper boxes, the drawer pulls...I dunno, they just look "tacky" to me and I'm usually all for satin chrome, etc. Somehow, on their boxes it just doesn't work though.

I agree with you, the texture looks tacky, not sure why they do that, a polished handle would look really good but cost too much to have done. although I have to say, the only color I think they look ok on and less noticeable, and cheesy on is a white box.

What I might do us replace them all with hex head screws if I can figure out the thread pitch. I figured a hex head would be easier to tighten/loosen and would hold up better. I can order a box from McMasterCarr.

 

[purpurite]

That's one of my biggest issues w/the Viper boxes, the drawer pulls...I dunno, they just look "tacky" to me and I'm usually all for satin chrome, etc. Somehow, on their boxes it just doesn't work though.

Agreed. I would prefer a different finish on the pulls. I don't like textured—almost sandblased—bright silver finish. Just feels cheap to me. I know it's not, but it's a very tactile part of the toolbox, and it feels "off."

I'm still not sold on the lack of a full width deep drawer for sockets and such. It's the one thing I like better about the HF and Masterforce 41s. How are you liking the drawer layout so far?

 

[Rockuf8]

Agreed. I would prefer a different finish on the pulls. I don't like textured—almost sandblased—bright silver finish. Just feels cheap to me. I know it's not, but it's a very tactile part of the toolbox, and it feels "off."

I'm still not sold on the lack of a full width deep drawer for sockets and such. It's the one thing I like better about the HF and Masterforce 41s. How are you liking the drawer layout so far?

Yeah, not sure is this is a powdercoat finish or not. Don't you think a black fine texture powdercoat would look good against the gloss, smooth white boxes? I think a gloss smooth black would also look good but I'm not sure if the texture is powder and it can be removed with chemical strpping and bead blasting, or if it's just the aluminum itslef that was textured, the backside and underneath parts of the pulls are smooth aluminum. If the pulls were bead blasted and coated in a smooth powder I'm wondering if the texture would still show through, unless it was applied thicker perhaps.

I haven't switched over my tools yet since my garage isn't set up for it yet. but I think I will find the drawer layout to suit my needs pretty well being I don't currently stand up my sockets. I have realized though, especially after joining this site, some of my current tools are crappy chinese made, which I plan on eventually replacing with better quality tools overtime, I already started scouring ebay and Amazon and have started buying some nice USA and German made tools.