craftsmans new $10,000 tool box

[tpolley]

i saw it a few months ago but i didn't really look at it. today the wife wanted to look at a pair of shoes at sears and for the first time in my adult life there wasn't anything i needed at sears so i stopped to look at this box.

i'm not impressed. granted, i'm not a mechanic and i'm not around high end tool boxes much but i would expect more for almost 10 grand. theres paint missing from where the door on the top cabnet has been rubbing the frame. if you close the door it sticks and you can see the gap isn't even from top to bottom on the door frame. maybe the people who put it together didn't do it right.
also on the "grip latch" there's only one latch per drawer. other tool boxes have 2 per drawer. probably not a big deal since they don't accually lock the drawers, they just keep them from accidentally opening.
i'm sure it's a fine box but i wouldn't pay 10 grand for it even if i did have the money. and i'm a big craftsman fan.

 

[arkangel06]

made in mexico lol

 

[A_Pmech]

Where's the engine go?

For $10,000 I expect heated leather seats, at least 300HP, and cupholders!

 

[Bull]

Toolbox wars are getting the hell out of control. I don't know who started this big box big money ********, but as the economy tanks and people are trying to keep a roof over their heads a $10k box just seems...stupid.

I am trying to figure out how to afford a used CAR for not much more than that. I mean, come on. It holds tools fer crissakes.

Here's an idea: get two of the gargantuan 72" Harbor Freight toolboxes and stack them one on the other...you'd have to build a special frame to hold the top one, though. You'd STILL be thousands under the cost of this thing.

 

[lewis]

you'd only need 1 of the HF boxes, and a hutch. This 10k craftsman thing is just a bottom box and a hutch. and it's only 3 inches longer than the HF one.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Looks like they dropped the quality from the previous generation. Did it say where it was made and if they still have lifetime warranty?

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

300 dollars worth of steel
a steal

 

[autobody]

I looked at it Friday as I was killing some time before I had to be somewhere. I saw this monster as I strolled through the tool section. I couldnt believe it when I saw the price they had put on it. It seemed pretty poorly made and lightweight. Before I even saw the price I was thinking maybe $5k, which would still be too much for it. Maybe when they sell none of them they will figure out a better price...around $3500 maybe.

 

[Bull]

It's things like this that, to me, sound the death note for Sears. I grew up respecting that name, and still do respect their vintage products. But Harbor Freight kicks their *** in certain key areas these days.

 

[Fedwrench]

Did it say where it was made and if they still have lifetime warranty?

Hencho en Mexico at new Waterloo Plant. Lifetime warranty to original purchaser. The plant also makes the current Magnum line and Cornwell boxes.

It's things like this that, to me, sound the death note for Sears. I grew up respecting that name, and still do respect their vintage products. But Harbor Freight kicks their *** in certain key areas these days.

Harbor Freight can kick anyone's *** off the backs of Chinese workers that have no unions, retirement plans, etc. etc.
The death note for Sears won't be them selling a mega box, it will be those Americans that choose to buy Chinese made products at Harbor Freight instead of at Sears.

 

[krusty the clown]

300 dollars worth of steel
a steal

maybe, and a lot of mouths to feed from the steel mill to the store front.


for another couple grand you could buy a snap on.

 

[CamarosRus]

Fedwrench, Please educate...............

I understand anyone's point about ALL mfg leaving USA for offshore, somewhere !!!

but Why is it better to buy Mexican mfg boxes at SEARS than

Chinese mfg boxes at HARBOR FREIGHT........

Is it a political thing or ?????

 

[Mickey O]

Fedwrench, Please educate...............

I understand anyone's point about ALL mfg leaving USA for offshore, somewhere !!!

but Why is it better to buy Mexican mfg boxes at SEARS than

Chinese mfg boxes at HARBOR FREIGHT........

Is it a political thing or ?????

It's best to buy neither, find a USA made box, NOS or used (some new ones are still made here) until these a-holes running these companies, who I can assure you don't have Chinese or Mexican furniture, appliances or fixtures in their personal homes, get the idea.

 

[Bull]

I'm a patriot through and through. But Sears deserves no loyalty from me. They have already allowed their quality to drop, and their products to include offshore items. They had an identity as a quality US brand. Now, that's diminishing.

If you marry a sweet girl with a good heart and after the marriage she takes on a new identity as a meth head, what are you going to do? That's right, grab the buckets because I am BAILING. No negative identity changes for me, thanks, in women or companies.

A $10k box of Mexican manufacture and dubious quality thrown at the American public seems like an insult, to me.

So yeah, in that case, a 72" HF box for around $1.5k, which apparently is of very good quality, is, to my mind, HF kicking Sears' ***.

And it's not about a lack of Chinese unions being able to undercut American manufacturing with worker protections. This box is from Mexico! How are the unions and wages down there?

Hencho en Mexico at new Waterloo Plant. Lifetime warranty to original purchaser. The plant also makes the current Magnum line and Cornwell boxes.



Harbor Freight can kick anyone's *** off the backs of Chinese workers that have no unions, retirement plans, etc. etc.
The death note for Sears won't be them selling a mega box, it will be those Americans that choose to buy Chinese made products at Harbor Freight instead of at Sears.

 

[Rnz520]

For 500 dollars more you can buy a krl1032 which is a much better box, even without the hutch. Love those super wide drawers.

 

[Snappy]

Craftsman box = $10,000 That just doesn't look right !

 

[Fedwrench]

Once again, some of you have missed my point.

First, I didn't recommend buying the Yellow Submarine Craftsman mega box. Unless of course, you can get a sweet deal on a floor model when Sears realizes that they aren't selling, discontinues them, and starts selling rebadged Harbor Freight boxes at a lower price to satisfy the I want something for nothing crowd.

Secondly, I find it insullting to recommend Harbor Freight and their inventory of fine PRC made tools and equipment over an American Institution such as Sears. Sears is by no means perfect and there is room for improvement in a lot of areas. I never thought of Craftsman for their quality, only their warranty and price but, that's just me.
I know that the only things made in the USA today are Whoppers and Big Macs. I know the main reason why Ford didn't have to borrow money and is starting to turn a profit, is that most of their line comes from Mexico. I also know that Waterloo industries used turn out good tool boxes and that the Magnum line was a sturdy quality setup for anyone not wanting to spend tool truck coin on a house for their tools. Sadly, Waterloo found it necessary to move operations South of the Border. I don't want to turn the thread about the 10k box into a political post. By the way, the box and hutch here is only $8400, maybe we're closer to the distribution center. I'll save my lunch money and pick up one of the smaller units next year and see how it works out.

 

[truckdriver]

Who's idea was it to paint that box 1980's refrigerator yellow?

 

[King Me IRL]

what color is that? it looks like it's from the 70's

edit: lol, beat me to it

 

[Bull]

No, I get your point. I just don't accept the logic.

So, anyone who expresses appreciation for a quality 72" HF box for $1.5k is in the "wants something for nothing crowd?" Dubious correlation.

It is irrelevant if Sears "has been" an American institution. Now, they sell foreign made boxes for US made prices. In other words, they believe the American consumer is stupid enough to think that is a good value.

Thanks so much, Sears.

Once again, some of you have missed my point.

First, I didn't recommend buying the Yellow Submarine Craftsman mega box. Unless of course, you can get a sweet deal on a floor model when Sears realizes that they aren't selling, discontinues them, and starts selling rebadged Harbor Freight boxes at a lower price to satisfy the I want something for nothing crowd.

 

[Mickey O]

Who's idea was it to paint that box 1980's refrigerator yellow?

Harvest gold, the pictures are not showing the actual color, it's more of a piss yellow.

 

[Merkava_4]

They need to get it down to the price of a Montezuma to be competitive. For the price they're asking, I can get a new KRL1023 on promo.

 

[Rusty Kustoms]

I saw one at a sears last weekend, marked down to $6,999. I looked it over and decided it was junk, thin metal, flimsy drawers, bad griplatch design, no double slides on any of the drawers. I tried to put my weight on the open top drawer and it about buckled, on my meager tech 1000 I can hang my 225lbs off of the top drawer that is full of wrenches and sockets.

 

[Mike83]

Where's the engine go?

For $10,000 I expect heated leather seats, at least 300HP, and cupholders!

Theres a BMW 540i for sale by me for $7900. Made about the turn of the century. That has everything you ask for, for less!

 

[truckdriver]

I saw one at a sears last weekend, marked down to $6,999. I looked it over and decided it was junk, thin metal, flimsy drawers, bad griplatch design, no double slides on any of the drawers. I tried to put my weight on the open top drawer and it about buckled, on my meager tech 1000 I can hang my 225lbs off of the top drawer that is full of wrenches and sockets.

A friend of mine is a truck mechanic. His 1st box was SO rollcab/top box combo. He used to stand in the bottom drawer to get stuff out of the top of the top box. He weighs 225# and I don't think that CM box would take it.

 

[Deafautotech]

A friend of mine is a truck mechanic. His 1st box was SO rollcab/top box combo. He used to stand in the bottom drawer to get stuff out of the top of the top box. He weighs 225# and I don't think that CM box would take it.

jeez! how tall is your friend?

 

[Mickey O]

A friend of mine is a truck mechanic. His 1st box was SO rollcab/top box combo. He used to stand in the bottom drawer to get stuff out of the top of the top box. He weighs 225# and I don't think that CM box would take it.

It's a pretty sturdy box, just not $10,000 sturdy.

 

[crashbumper]

There are two Sears near my house and both have the yellow submarine pictured here. It is definitely the brightest f'ing shade of steal me yellow I have ever seen.

I wouldn't buy it, only because there is a HF closer to my house that can special order the 72" box for me. No shipping charge either on special order items from the store.

With all that leftover money I could get that TIG welder and Bendpak I've been eyeballing. That's a HUGE f'ing difference in price when the difference can furnish the rest of the shop.

It's almost like spending all your money on a nice wallet, only to realize you have no money to put in it.

 

[truckdriver]

jeez! how tall is your friend?

He's about 5'8". When the boxes are about that tall it's hard to see what's in there. He said he originally had a small step stool but the older techs would hide it to mess with him so he just started using the bottom drawer.

 

[tpolley]

What's wrong with yellow? I have a yellow/black honda foreman. Best color scheme in my opinion. I would own a yellow tool box in a hearbeat.

 

[Mickey O]

What's wrong with yellow? I have a yellow/black honda foreman. Best color scheme in my opinion. I would own a yellow tool box in a hearbeat.

Tool boxes should be red, black and blue are acceptable, yellow is not. Just kidding, it's all personal preference, I personally don't like yellow, although I did have a bright yellow 'Cuda years ago. But for the right price and country of origin I'll use a pink tool box.

 

[mkdive]

Blue is my color of choice. I will have to get a larger garage to fit a bigger box in the garage at its current state. (or get rid of some toys). Decisions, decisions. Next box for me I think will be a blue maximizer.

 

[TireTracks]

Wow, Thats amazeing, huge ammount of money for a metal box, that holds tools.

Think about this, my truck( my avatar) is worth roughly $2000, or so. 1985 dodge w250.
So you could buy a used pickup truck for less than 5 times the amount of money. that you would spend on that box.

 

[Toolhorder]

No, I get your point. I just don't accept the logic.

So, anyone who expresses appreciation for a quality 72" HF box for $1.5k is in the "wants something for nothing crowd?"

umm, Yes!
HF doesn't exactly attract the pay for quality crowd.


I'm not trying to get into a fight or anything about toolbox prices but 1500 is nothing for a toolbox. If you're a professional tech you'll want a "monster box" to hold everything you have. I don't see it as a new thing I see it as cars are becoming more and more complex and need more and more tools to repair them. I have two SO boxes and total for both new is over 16K. I'm sure those will never hold all my stuff eventually. I'm looking at getting a bigger one still.

 

[Toolhorder]

Wow, Thats amazeing, huge ammount of money for a metal box, that holds tools.

Think about this, my truck( my avatar) is worth roughly $2000, or so. 1985 dodge w250.
So you could buy a used pickup truck for less than 5 times the amount of money. that you would spend on that box.

I would spend more than 5 times and get 100 times my money back over my career. It's all how you look at things. Toolboxes tend to hold value cars don't. I would rather have a 10K metal box than a used car anyday. If your just storing your tools in your garage I see your point (sort of) and I would probably think the same thing.
My father was a contractor and had tons of tools. He always told me tools are investments to make your more money. I have never looked at tools any other way.

 

[Bull]

1. Then how do you explain the fact that people on here have purchased and reviewed the HF 72" box and say that it is, in fact, of quite good quality? Heck, people have even said that their smaller boxes are of good quality.

2. Yes, exactly, $1500 is a fantastic price for a toolbox, especially a 72" monster with the specs of the HF piece. So, a company is providing consumers with a low-priced yet excellent quality product. Are you telling me that two 72" HF boxes would not hold all of your tools? In that case, buy a third, even a fourth and be at $6k instead of $16k.

3. Don't be worried about "starting a fight." We are talking about toolboxes, maybe even disagreeing about them, but it's still just a talk.

umm, Yes!
HF doesn't exactly attract the pay for quality crowd.


I'm not trying to get into a fight or anything about toolbox prices but 1500 is nothing for a toolbox. If you're a professional tech you'll want a "monster box" to hold everything you have. I don't see it as a new thing I see it as cars are becoming more and more complex and need more and more tools to repair them. I have two SO boxes and total for both new is over 16K. I'm sure those will never hold all my stuff eventually. I'm looking at getting a bigger one still.

 

[yogitech]

Id gladly buy another Mountain 72" box over that overpriced craftsman junk....

 

[ihredo4]

I just can't get past the fact that anyone would pay 10K for a metal box. Hell for that amount of money buy an old bread truck and a couple good locks. Or do one better and buy a Lista type box of E-pay. Hell I am redoing a barn and WILL NOT spend that much money on the rebuild. Sorry but even as a pro I dont see the value in those toolboxs.

 

[Mike83]

I know that the only things made in the USA today are Whoppers and Big Macs.

Sorry to burst your bubble but most of the ground beef at fast food joints and stores is from South America iirc from my environmental ecology class in college.

 

[nissan_crawler]

For $10k, I don't get it. It looks cheaper made than my old c-pro, and my montezuma box is better than my c-pro. I don't see what the extra $5-6k are getting you, especially considering it's a hutch on top.