Is there a market for custom built roll boxes?

[iandh]

I've been looking at some of the prices of the roll boxes available, and they can get rather astronomical. I got to thinking, and building custom electronics enclosures was one of the main things I did at my old job.

Now that I'm self employed, I realize I have a heap of time on my hands.

For the prices that people pay on some of these, I could build one hell of a box. 500lb double row slides, Square tube frame construction, removable side panels for cleaning and drawer/slide access, etc.

I've got so much time on my hands lately that I'm always thinking of something to do to keep myself busy, but this one actually seems to make a lot of sense.

If people are paying 10k+ for snap-on boxes, I'm sure they would pay $10k for a tougher, lighter box with custom drawer config, right?

Unless, of course, they're paying $10k just so they can show off their nameplate.


For instance, you could have a 48" cab with full width drawers, that easily fit all torque wrenches and breaker bars, or some of the folks here could actually fit their entire screwdriver collection in one drawer.

 

[lipadj46]

Snap On boxes have very low depreciation though, relative speaking. A custom box even if it is better built will depreciate like crazy, the owner would take a bath if they need to sell it.

 

[iandh]

Snap On boxes have very low depreciation though, relative speaking. A custom box even if it is better built will depreciate like crazy, the owner would take a bath if they need to sell it.

I take it that's because of the $2 nameplate.

I get the whole lifetime warranty thing, but honestly, if it isn't abused, the worst thing that can happen to a toolbox is that the drawer slides get replaced, especially if the finish was done correctly at manufacture. Also, if I build a box, the warranty would be useless, because nobody would ever need to cash it in.

Anyone who was going to the time and effort to have a custom box made, would probably not be very worried about depreciation.

In my old hobby, people paid $3-4k+ for custom built bass guitars, only to have them instantly depreciate to $900. It didn't seem to bother them one bit.



It kind of makes me laugh, *some* people buy the multi-colored snap-on stuff to try and stand out from the crowd, yet when you look down the bay and see a bunch of rainbow colored snap-on cabs, they've accomplished quite the opposite.



One thing I do know, from my already successful business, is that there are people that put the value of a well crafted custom above the value of anything else. Of all hobbies, ESPECIALLY car guys should understand that.




edit: I'm not trying to argue your point, it is totally correct. What I am saying is that I still believe there is a niche market to be served here. My business serves an extremely small niche, which would make the custom tool box market look gigantic, and still does fairly well.

 

[chadster1]

I think your biggest hurdle will be marketing and distribution. People will want to see an example of your product.

 

[Mike 47]

My opinion - Lista offers a lot of customization options for their cabinets, have a good reputation, and are priced less than the truck brands. Your likelihood of success would go up if you could beat Lista on something - cost, quality, options, appearance, whatever.

 

[Teken]

What are we talking about in terms of price, gauge steel, finish, casters, ?

 

[tonydanzah]

you should definitly look at lista.

 

[rsanter]

there are people that do pay for custom toolboxes.
they are generaly the same people that have very specific niche market tasks
to do
racing team pit box comes to mind

to answer a question you asked. yes they pay for the name and the fact that the tool guy comes to them and offers financing

if you want to make and sell these you need to figure out your niche.
how about a toolbox specifically designed to fit in the front of a enclosed trailer that someone will use for their show or race car?
make a deal with a local trailer dealer and make one on spec and leave it with them to see if someone bites
how about a toolbox made specifically for locksmith vans?
how about something that till compete with LISTA but made for the high end residential shop?

price
you need to start low and build your market
you need to sell you toolbox for $2500-3500 if its like the snap on $10,000 model
otherwise people will just get a montazuma or the like and bypass you

bob

 

[Skyline]

Snap On boxes have very low depreciation though, relative speaking. A custom box even if it is better built will depreciate like crazy, the owner would take a bath if they need to sell it.

You're kidding right??? Pay $10k + for a Snap-on KRL box, use it gently for a year, and you are doing great if you can get 30% for it in a private sale. You call that LOW depreciation?

On the other hand, the lucky fellow who buys this same box second hand, can use ot for 10 years, and still probably get 90% of his money back if he sells it.

I have bought many beautiful KRL boxes for considerably less than 30% of list. The last one was just yesterday, (it will be a great buy for someone when I post it in the classifieds next week), and I see them all the time on eBay and CL. These are the ones that actually sell...not the ones where you see the same listing 6 months later.

 

[iandh]

I think your biggest hurdle will be marketing and distribution. People will want to see an example of your product.

Agreed. I was thinking I'd make two boxes to start, a standard red, and then a gaudy red and white drawers with blue frame, for "Made in the USA" purposes.

I had it pretty easy with my current business, because I was a member of the hobby community for a good time before I started the business, and once I did, everyone already knew me and my name, and the products pretty much sell themselves.

My opinion - Lista offers a lot of customization options for their cabinets, have a good reputation, and are priced less than the truck brands. Your likelihood of success would go up if you could beat Lista on something - cost, quality, options, appearance, whatever.

We've got a few Lista cabs at my old work, they're very nice, although they are rather traditional in construction (not a bad thing necessarily). I plan on veering away from the beaten path a little.

What are we talking about in terms of price, gauge steel, finish, casters, ?

The cheapest boxes would start around 2k for a single stack drawer cab, and go up from there.

I don't have the design quite hashed out yet, but the frame would be TIG welded 16ga square tube, and the drawers would be either 16 or 18ga. I'd be using 300lb slides on the smaller drawers, and 500lb (the kind with 1/4" balls) in the larger ones.

The standard finish would be powdercoat (I have a VERY good shop, show quality work), and it would be about +$1k for custom auto paint, since it is more intensive.

You're kidding right??? Pay $10k + for a Snap-on KRL box, use it gently for a year, and you are doing great if you can get 30% for it in a private sale. You call that LOW depreciation?

On the other hand, the lucky fellow who buys this same box second hand, can use ot for 10 years, and still probably get 90% of his money back if he sells it.

I have bought many beautiful KRL boxes for considerably less than 30% of list. The last one was just yesterday, (it will be a great buy for someone when I post it in the classifieds next week), and I see them all the time on eBay and CL. These are the ones that actually sell...not the ones where you see the same listing 6 months later.

I agree, snap-on boxes depreciate heavily upon purchase, but if my custom cabs sold low, they actually would probably hold a good bit of their value.

The cool thing about them is they are valued only on quality and construction, not on name. Someone who appreciates a truly rugged cab would definitely appreciate my boxes.



edit: Here's some pics of machinery frames I've made, just to get an example of what I mean by powdercoated tube frame contstruction, and where my skill level is at. The tool boxes would NOT look like these though, they will be more "toolbox-ish".

These are scratch built from 16ga mild steel square tube in stick form, then TIG welded, ground, and powdercoated.

I've actually built some custom drawer cabs as well, unfortunately they aren't accessible to me for pictures.

Any boxes I built would be much more sleek/attractive, all of the below pictured frames are built for utility with little regard for looks.

 

[Mickey O]

There is a company that builds custom boxes, not necessarily custom, but it's a smaller place that build a few different models. There was also the guy in I think Canada that is building those boxes with the rounded drawers. I'm not sure how well (profitable) you could do if you were building one offs, unless tools boxes took off like choppers did for Orange County Choppers. But if you came up with something special there might be a market. Snap-On has made a wide variety of boxes, some not as well known that I thought would have been good sellers but since they no longer sell them they were not to desirable or poor marketing. I'd like to see a nice modular tool box, other have done it before but I think there would be a market for the right one at the right prices.

 

[iandh]

There is a company that builds custom boxes, not necessarily custom, but it's a smaller place that build a few different models. There was also the guy in I think Canada that is building those boxes with the rounded drawers. I'm not sure how well (profitable) you could do if you were building one offs, unless tools boxes took off like choppers did for Orange County Choppers. But if you came up with something special there might be a market. Snap-On has made a wide variety of boxes, some not as well known that I thought would have been good sellers but since they no longer sell them they were not to desirable or poor marketing. I'd like to see a nice modular tool box, other have done it before but I think there would be a market for the right one at the right prices.

I also did consider the modular idea as you mentioned... it would be pretty cool if you had some type of rail system, and quick releases, and you could rearrange drawers as needed.

As far as profit, I already pay my bills with my business, but due to the nature of it (manufacturing), I have large periods of time when I am literally sitting around, waiting for something to happen. If I could even get one build per month, it would be a notable boost to my income.

This isn't something I plan on getting rich from, but if I could build a really good product, make people happy, and make a buck on the side, that would be great.

 

[bgott]

I bet there would be some good money in building pit boxes for racers.

 

[Merkava_4]

Is there a market for custom built roll boxes?

Yes!! A huge market!! If you could offer custom drawer configurations like Matco does, but made with THICKER steel, you'd have the market cornered.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

For the prices that people pay on some of these, I could build one hell of a box. 500lb double row slides, Square tube frame construction, removable side panels for cleaning and drawer/slide access, etc.

I've got so much time on my hands lately that I'm always thinking of something to do to keep myself busy, but this one actually seems to make a lot of sense.

If people are paying 10k+ for snap-on boxes, I'm sure they would pay $10k for a tougher, lighter box with custom drawer config, right?

We'd love to see what you come up with.

 

[iandh]

I didn't even think about this until now that you guys mentioned pit teams, but my brother is a business partner with the owner of a Nascar truck team... that could end up being HUGE for me.

 

[Teken]

I didn't even think about this until now that you guys mentioned pit teams, but my brother is a business partner with the owner of a Nascar truck team... that could end up being HUGE for me.

Good, then you can pass on the saving to the GJ members! I have no problem dropping $$ for quality what so ever . . .

But, I balance that with value . . .

If I was asked to drop down 2K for box, said tool box would have to meet my expectations to be expandable, stackable, and offer unique storage solutions that others do not . . .

I have been around all the major players for box's and none of them reflect any value what so ever . . .

Don't matter who the maker is in the main line, none of them offer any value . . .

When a box costs you 15K that fucken box better have 3 blonds in there to wipe my aszz, give me a ********, and do my bidding for life . . .

Sadly, there is no blond, just one huge aszz bill! Do I appreciate the quality, and level of craftsmanship?

Yes . . . But, there isn't 15K worth of steel in there, nor is there anything out of this world about them as others like to infer so much on this board . . .

When you have the likes of HF, and Stricklytoolbox's etc selling comparable box's at a fraction of the costs . . .

There's a problem . . .

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

I didn't even think about this until now that you guys mentioned pit teams, but my brother is a business partner with the owner of a Nascar truck team... that could end up being HUGE for me.

Google "custom pit box". You would have an assload of competition...

 

[danski0224]

edit: Here's some pics of machinery frames I've made, just to get an example of what I mean by powdercoated tube frame contstruction, and where my skill level is at. The tool boxes would NOT look like these though, they will be more "toolbox-ish".

These are scratch built from 16ga mild steel square tube in stick form, then TIG welded, ground, and powdercoated.

I've actually built some custom drawer cabs as well, unfortunately they aren't accessible to me for pictures.

Any boxes I built would be much more sleek/attractive, all of the below pictured frames are built for utility with little regard for looks.

The fit and finish in those pictures is pretty damn good. Sometimes, utilitarian is cool.

I see a whole bunch of expensive looking equipment there, which leads me to believe that the customer has deep pockets.

I noticed the evenly spaced welds. Layout like that takes time. Finish grinding takes time- don't know if the added time to TIG weld is offset by the minimal grinding compared to MIG welding.

Square tube frame is probably easier to rough out than bending up a big sheet of metal. No need for big metal brakes, either. Takes a big chunk of cast iron and steel to bend up a 8' length of 16 ga hot rolled steel.

You won't know if there is a market for your toolboxes until you try to build and sell.

They will have to be quite special or extremely well made to compete with stuff available from Lista, for example.

It is doubtful you will get any sales from those that want a particular logo on their toolbox.

You will have to market to clients with enough cash, take credit cards or offer financing.

I would suggest getting pics of the boxes you made mentioned in the edit above. Post them here, and see what comments are made.

Just remember that comments are not the same as deposits.

 

[bobadame]

I think that certain people will want to have the "best" fill in the blank, available and they will be willing to pay for it. I would start by doing a survey of what current owners would like to have added or changed with their current tool cabinets. Build your version that incorporates the best features, workmanship and materials available. Advertise in publications that cater to high roller gearheads. What I would like to see is a line of boxes built to this standard that would also have art deco accents like rounded corners and polished stainless steel trim.

 

[poprockcrusher]

rick hendrick invented the whole "war wagon " concept 25 years ago
the fabricator on the 25 tim richmond team had some extra time on his hands .....

 

[poprockcrusher]

the only lista stuff I have seen at the dealership is in the parts department , next to the equipto stuff

 

[Corsario]

Well, it seems I had the same idea you had. The problem here is that there are no tool boxes at all. That's why I began thinking on making a tool box from scratch.

The second problem is that I don't have the skills you have!!!!

Anyway, I will post some pics of my project. Nothing fancy but it would be very useful in my shop

Take care


Corsario

 

[Corsario]

Let me explain better.

I live in Argentina, in a medium size city near Buenos Aires. Although there are a lot of shops and industrial facitities that would use snap-on alike tool boxes and rolling carts, that kind of tool storage solutions are not usual in local (I mean the whole country) shops nor garages.

That made me think a couple of month ago on the that there is a great opportunity to start a business out of it.

The usual work benches you see here are the normal benches with all the hand tools dispaly on the wall. That is the only solution you may found in local shops. In racing pits, I saw the normal tool boxes made of plastic, where all tools mix together and you never found anything.

Being honest, there are some local people building tool storage solutions, but believe me they dont't offer decent stuff for their prices they ask.

For instance, a small rolling cart with 7 drawers, nothing fancy would cost 500 bucks.

On the other hand there are some china tool boxes in Wall Mart but they ****! (Very thin gauge and no bearing mounted drawers)


Believe it or not, the idea came to me after searching for a decent tool box for my garage.


Take care


Corsario

 

[Fedwrench]

Yes and no. I think you may be better off marketing to private collectors or maybe dedicated hobbists than pro techs. Two reasons pop into mind. First and foremost if a tech is going to drop a lot of money on a box, he'll do it on well established brand or not do it at all. I walked through the local Chevrolet dealer last week on my way to the body shop where they needed to show me hidden damage not covered in the initial estimate. Anyway, in addition to seeing several techs standing around without work, I noticed that most techs were using Craftsman 40 inch carts or the Harbor Freight cart. There were still a few Snap on and Mac setups but, the generic 40 inch cart was by far the most common. Secondly, at a couple of other dealership I take warranty work to, they have the built in cabinets for a more uniform shop appearance. No rainbow of colors except for small tool carts. Techs place their tools in the shop cabinets. I have to say, that the shop is the cleanest and most organized looking service area I frequent.
Lastly, car guys aren't as free with thier money as you may think. Yes, pro techs will often pay $12 for a 1/4 drive shallow 10mm socket but, there are also many that won't and pump that money into their cars or whatever. I wish you good luck in your endeavor.