HF US General Boxes, Are They Worth It?

[Renegade1LI]

Just a little update, so far I am very happy with all the boxes and accessories, plus they look good! For a home shop you can't beat em for the price vs quality though I'm not a mechanic in a busy shop I do use them on a daily basis in my garage. At first I thought 24" or 30" deep boxes might of been a better choice but I like the 22", fits great where I have it. Today I took advantage of their 20% off coupon & ordered the new 34" service cart, all the reviews seem pretty good so what the heck, hopefully it will be as good as the boxes.

 

[johnny_boy02]

Just a little update, so far I am very happy with all the boxes and accessories, plus they look good! For a home shop you can't beat em for the price vs quality though I'm not a mechanic in a busy shop I do use them on a daily basis in my garage. At first I thought 24" or 30" deep boxes might of been a better choice but I like the 22", fits great where I have it. Today I took advantage of their 20% off coupon & ordered the new 34" service cart, all the reviews seem pretty good so what the heck, hopefully it will be as good as the boxes.

Good to hear. I think I am finally going to bite the bullet and get the 72” box tomorrow before it gets any higher in price. I’m not a pro, and I keep my “every day” tools in a Snap-On cart, so the Harbor Freight box should last forever.

 

[Snapped-off]

US General 72 is up to 1,499.. That's more than I paid for my Icon.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I've had a 44" lower for almost (or maybe even) 10 years. It's been loaded down with sockets and slung into and out of a couple of places. It's now permanently fixed to a work bench frame with some matching side boxes and I just bought a second, newer gen2 44" for a fab bench.

They hold up to regular use very well for the input cost.

What is the difference between gen2 and original? I notice the price is about $150 more for gen2.

 

[bggrnchvy]

What is the difference between gen2 and original? I notice the price is about $150 more for gen2.

18" deep on the original, the gen2s are 22" deep.

 

[Ricky Joe]

18" deep on the original, the gen2s are 22" deep.

Thanks. The Harbor Freight manager here told me that there was no difference. I knew there had to be. I’m considering the 44”.

 

[ddawg16]

Thanks. The Harbor Freight manager here told me that there was no difference. I knew there had to be. I’m considering the 44”.

I have the 44". I think it's a perfect size. I have a Husky box on top (I like the top lid). Fits just fine.
I also have the side cabinet....Which is more useful than I expected

 

[Mr_B]

The current 10% off and 20% ITC worth taking advantage of, prices and deals not what the use to be and only way you get good value is making most of coupons/sales .
Is only single item single use per day so may need take wife and kids for multi item same day purchasing .

 

[Renegade1LI]

The current 10% off and 20% ITC worth taking advantage of, prices and deals not what the use to be and only way you get good value is making most of coupons/sales .
Is only single item single use per day so may need take wife and kids for multi item same day purchasing .

You can get another 10% if you get their card, 30% off is a nice discount, I was going to do that for the cart but I used a few gift cards so I'll save it for the next big ticket item.

 

[M635_Guy]

Today I took advantage of their 20% off coupon & ordered the new 34" service cart, all the reviews seem pretty good so what the heck, hopefully it will be as good as the boxes.

I'm really happy with mine.

 

[UglyViking]

US General 72 is up to 1,499.. That's more than I paid for my Icon.

I don't know how you managed to snag such a deal then! To my knowledge the Icon 72" box is at it's lowest retail cost since launch ($3,000) and even if you're able to stack a new card discount with the 20% off you're still looking at over 2k.

Sadly prices have gone up across the board because of steel and shipping costs. I had been waiting to buy a new box for a long while now and finally just pulled the trigger. I ended up with a 56" USG box, going to pick it up today. Time will tell how much I like it vs other potential options.

I was really eyeing a 72" as a "one and done" but considering the price difference I just couldn't see it as good value. It's almost $500 more to jump from the 56 to 72 box after the discount. and for less than $100 more I can get either a 34" service cart with nice deep drawers, or a top for the 56", or a 44" and save some cash or 2 26" banks. The only plus side I could see to the 72" at that point was a larger working area on top of the box.

 

[Mr_B]

You can get another 10% if you get their card, 30% off is a nice discount, I was going to do that for the cart but I used a few gift cards so I'll save it for the next big ticket item.

It might seem like it at first but these boxes gone up by 20 to 30% over last 18 months . you use to get the 72" for 999, the 52" for 700 and even 650 at best .
They not the steal deal they were but still a sensible buy if got go box store over used route, really do need milk all the discount options possible though .

 

[UglyViking]

It might seem like it at first but these boxes gone up by 20 to 30% over last 18 months . you use to get the 72" for 999, the 52" for 700 and even 650 at best .
They not the steal deal they were but still a sensible buy if got go box store used route, really do need milk all the discount options possible though .

Agreed. I just paid $720 for my 56". I know they have been cheaper for sure, and part of it is likely due to HF increasing prices since demand is so high, but it's also the current costs of shipping and raw material due to this never ending pandemic. We are gonna be pretty bummed once inflation starts to hit because I don't think prices will ever go back to as low as they were pre-covid and inflation will lower buying power.

 

[Mr_B]

I don't know how you managed to snag such a deal then! To my knowledge the Icon 72" box is at it's lowest retail cost since launch ($3,000) and even if you're able to stack a new card discount with the 20% off you're still looking at over 2k.

Sadly prices have gone up across the board because of steel and shipping costs. I had been waiting to buy a new box for a long while now and finally just pulled the trigger. I ended up with a 56" USG box, going to pick it up today. Time will tell how much I like it vs other potential options.

I was really eyeing a 72" as a "one and done" but considering the price difference I just couldn't see it as good value. It's almost $500 more to jump from the 56 to 72 box after the discount. and for less than $100 more I can get either a 34" service cart with nice deep drawers, or a top for the 56", or a 44" and save some cash or 2 26" banks. The only plus side I could see to the 72" at that point was a larger working area on top of the box.

put 1 26" next to the 56 and you got more working area. is a few plus points with 2 boxes over 1 in the home shop scenario such as layout flexibility, easier logistics and saving some coin .
Single and 2 bays can be great used buys, 3 bays tend be spendy new or used .

 

[tez929rr]

I was really eyeing a 72" as a "one and done" but considering the price difference I just couldn't see it as good value. It's almost $500 more to jump from the 56 to 72 box after the discount. and for less than $100 more I can get either a 34" service cart with nice deep drawers, or a top for the 56", or a 44" and save some cash or 2 26" banks. The only plus side I could see to the 72" at that point was a larger working area on top of the box.

My 56 was last year’s Christmas present and I’m still happy. I would have liked the extra room of a 72 but making it fit would have invoked too much other stuff moving. Having the top surface work area is outstanding.

 

[Mr_B]

Yes top work area is a must really, full size top boxes on a 72 not great route unless need go vertical storage due to floor space constraints.
I don't like the carts as no real worktop, I find a 26 or 36" cabinet makes a better roll around cart as the worktop area right at the job is massive time saver and practical perfection .
Most of common used tools are out on the top or in top 2 drawers, I don't want be ******* about opening drawers all day long or trying find a tool dumped in the top of a cart that got over packed, I also like a place rest parts a scanner, dmm, air tools etc and 36" cabinet works great, add some can holders and air tool hooks and in daily use it saves a lot of ******* about and fatigue.

 

[ddawg16]

I'm sure glad I bought my 42" when I did

 

[Snapped-off]

I don't know how you managed to snag such a deal then! To my knowledge the Icon 72" box is at it's lowest retail cost since launch ($3,000) and even if you're able to stack a new card discount with the 20% off you're still looking at over 2k.

Sorry I wasn't clear, my Icon is a 56". I got it 30% off before the price increase on it.

The USG 72 used to be half the price of the 56 Icon

 

[UglyViking]

Sorry I wasn't clear, my Icon is a 56". I got it 30% off before the price increase on it.

The USG 72 used to be half the price of the 56 Icon

I was gonna say, I wanted to know your secret!

 

[UglyViking]

Well, I've started to move over my vastly overstuffed 5 drawer cart to my brand new 56", I had done some rough checking in store (I snagged 2 sets of icon wrenches to see if they would both fit in the second drawer down, they did). One thing I wasn't expecting, the socket trays did not organize like I was hoping they would. I wanted to store all my metric on the left and SAE on the right side the the drawer, largest on the outsides working towards small in the middle.

Sadly, the metric organizer won't fit depth wise in the drawer (huge bummer), I'm sure it would have in the icon box, but I'm not gonna open that can of worms. So I made it work as best I could for the time being. I also am now just realizing how many skips the pittsburgh sockets have for impacts, I usually just snag a chrome socket since I just recently got a impact gun, but I'm realizing I'm probably doing that a bit more frequently than I should. Live and learn…



Anyway, overall I've had this box less than 12 hours, so I can't give any long term review but for the price I am decently happy with it. I'll be interested in seeing if the long term durability is there, but I don't know that I feel these are massively better than the Husky model to be honest. Notably better than Craftsman, at least the models I've seen in store, but I don't know that I'd consider it way better than Husky. Husky seems to have the fit and finish a bit better, with things like the soft close drawers and all that jazz. I was hesitant to judge the USG boxes by the floor model too much considering people treat them like **** and they are on display in a high traffic area for years.

All said, they seem to be a pretty solid value, and I like they are a cheap option with a good reputation. I'm happy with it so far, very happy to have the extra space if nothing else.

P.S. I won't clutter this thread but if anyone has any great pictures/videos of socket organization with a 56" USG box PM me, I'm interested to look/watch. Trying to figure out how to organize these 6/12 point sockets with impacts.

 

[Old Donn]

All I've ever seen is some of the You Tubers suggest upgrading the casters.

 

[merkyworks]

Had a Craftsman 26” upper and lower but needed more space. Opened up a HF credit card to got 10% off USG 44” and replaced Craftsman lower. Then made countertop out of 2x6’s and put Craftsman upper on top. Future plans are to mount vise on countertop but for now couldn’t be happier.

 

[GeoBruin]

I also bought a 44 today. There's a "holiday special" that has it marked down to $499 from $599, though I can also find it online as $499 regular price. Anyway, I was hoping the holiday thing didn't cause issues because I wanted to use the ITC 20% off. It ended up not being an issue at all, so I ended up paying $399 (plus tax).

Now when I say I "bought it", that means I ordered it because they don't keep anything in stock around here. That's actually not a bad thing. I need the time to make room...

 

[speedracerfx]

I have an original Series 1 44" bottom, top and 6 drawer side box. These are the old rough textured powder coat finish boxes. I've had them a good 13 or so years now, and they're grossly overloaded. Not a damn thing wrong with them. They've held up amazingly well. I'll be selling them shortly though. I recently bought two new Series 2 44" bottom boxes, and I was given my Uncle's old Mac MB1600 and MB1760 boxes.

 

[Renegade1LI]

This is what they were in February

 

[Renegade1LI]

Prices went up quick!

 

[Odd-job]

Prices went up quick!

Wow wonder why the 72 inch went up so much relative to the 44 inch. Shipping is more and they can't stuff as much in a container?

Pulled the trigger on a 44 inch this weekend to help absorb all of the tools I have been buying. At $399 (with ITC membership) it doesn't feel like inflation has impacted them as much. I vaguely recall they were going off at $325 a while back probably around when I got the five drawer cart for $169.

Blue is all they had left in stock. Fork lifted it right on my trailer nice and easy.

 

[Terra Nova]

Well, I've started to move over my vastly overstuffed 5 drawer cart to my brand new 56", I had done some rough checking in store (I snagged 2 sets of icon wrenches to see if they would both fit in the second drawer down, they did). One thing I wasn't expecting, the socket trays did not organize like I was hoping they would. I wanted to store all my metric on the left and SAE on the right side the the drawer, largest on the outsides working towards small in the middle.

Sadly, the metric organizer won't fit depth wise in the drawer (huge bummer), I'm sure it would have in the icon box, but I'm not gonna open that can of worms. So I made it work as best I could for the time being. I also am now just realizing how many skips the pittsburgh sockets have for impacts, I usually just snag a chrome socket since I just recently got a impact gun, but I'm realizing I'm probably doing that a bit more frequently than I should. Live and learn…



Anyway, overall I've had this box less than 12 hours, so I can't give any long term review but for the price I am decently happy with it. I'll be interested in seeing if the long term durability is there, but I don't know that I feel these are massively better than the Husky model to be honest. Notably better than Craftsman, at least the models I've seen in store, but I don't know that I'd consider it way better than Husky. Husky seems to have the fit and finish a bit better, with things like the soft close drawers and all that jazz. I was hesitant to judge the USG boxes by the floor model too much considering people treat them like **** and they are on display in a high traffic area for years.

All said, they seem to be a pretty solid value, and I like they are a cheap option with a good reputation. I'm happy with it so far, very happy to have the extra space if nothing else.

P.S. I won't clutter this thread but if anyone has any great pictures/videos of socket organization with a 56" USG box PM me, I'm interested to look/watch. Trying to figure out how to organize these 6/12 point sockets with impacts.

This is the best I’ve come up with. I keep the Impact and sockets in the top right drawer. The westling trays are two piece for 1/2 drive so that may work for the way you want to organize them.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Just noticed the us general side cabinet is listed on the hf website, but not available? And only red, i am hoping they release them in all the colors, anyone know if they are being released? Haven’t been to hf in a while, maybe have to go in and all the manager.

 

[corn chip]

i got a new chest setup over the weekend and this is what i think after looking at us general ,husky ,icon. im just a weekend warrior but only buy mainly top tier tools which meens i cant afford thousands on a chest so icon ,snapon etc , are way out of my price range. us general and husky were my only options. both are bottom barell no question about it but husky seemed less junky and seemed to have alot of height/width /drawer count options so i went husky. for home use and the price ,it will work fine. it probly wouldnt last a week in every day use though.

 

[M635_Guy]

i got a new chest setup over the weekend and this is what i think after looking at us general ,husky ,icon. im just a weekend warrior but only buy mainly top tier tools which meens i cant afford thousands on a chest so icon ,snapon etc , are way out of my price range. us general and husky were my only options. both are bottom barell no question about it but husky seemed less junky and seemed to have alot of height/width /drawer count options so i went husky. for home use and the price ,it will work fine. it probly wouldnt last a week in every day use though.

Either would be fine, though I don't think the build details of Husky are better than USG overall. Maybe they've upgraded their castsers/metal/powdercoat/etc., but when I was shopping they were a more consumer-grade than prosumer-grade.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I have both, i think the us general is built better, but Husky isn’t bad either. It does seem like they have upgraded their boxes, looked at them in hd yesterday, they looked better, thicker metal. I have Husky boxes on a couple job sites, holding up fine. I would buy either for the job site, if they get trashed you’re not out big money. I bought my us general boxes a year ago, for home use they’ll last forever, i just m need two cabinets now to complete my ensemble,lol.

 

[corn chip]

Either would be fine, though I don't think the build details of Husky are better than USG overall. Maybe they've upgraded their castsers/metal/powdercoat/etc., but when I was shopping they were a more consumer-grade than prosumer-grade.

theyre both ****. cat **** vs dog ****. which **** does a person like better is the question. i knew immediatly i wanted husky over usg for a couple reasons. i didnt think the husky was really constructed any better, atleast not appreciably better but i much prefered the husky height/width/drawer configurations and i like the drawer handles far better than usg , personal preference i suppose. for cheap junk within my budget ,im happy with the husky. if anyones considering husky or usg just go look at them in person and decide yourself what you like better. alot of it just boils down to preference

 

[Renegade1LI]

I also like that us general has so many accessories, matching carts, they thought it out. To each his own, i am very happy, no complaints, especially for the price point and i disagree i don’t think they’re ****. I could but better buy why.

 

[M635_Guy]

theyre both ****. cat **** vs dog ****. which **** does a person like better is the question. i knew immediatly i wanted husky over usg for a couple reasons. i didnt think the husky was really constructed any better, atleast not appreciably better but i much prefered the husky height/width/drawer configurations and i like the drawer handles far better than usg , personal preference i suppose. for cheap junk within my budget ,im happy with the husky. if anyones considering husky or usg just go look at them in person and decide yourself what you like better. alot of it just boils down to preference

I agree it mainly boils down to preference. For most home-gamers like me the differences aren't probably very noticeable.

But I don't agree that they're ****, at least for the most part. The Craftsman and other really cheapo ones are though...

 

[corn chip]

ya newer craftsman are the worst of the worst. dont get me wrong usg and husky are fine for the weekend joe. another some what cheap option is if you can find a husky industrial on sale. appears to be the same 20ga steel but has sturdier drawer arms with a bit higher weight rating

 

[Model A Fan]

I have a 44", 2 x 26", and the mechanic's 5 drawer cart. All bought over a year ago as the prices are hard for me to choke down now (even though compared to Snap-On, they're quite reasonable).

I also have Craftsman from the early-mid 2000s. They were my first boxes and still work fine. Just not as heavy as the US General. I like my US General boxes and would buy more if I could justify the cost vs my needs. I need shop organization stuff rather than tool organization. I'd buy the boxes again without a doubt.

 

[RedneckWelder]

That isn't a little bit more, that is more than four times the price. They look like nice boxes, but I doubt they are four times as nice.

I have a suspicion he’s trying to sell them, not merely recommend them.

plus many here do not understand the concept of a budget and like to fall into the fallacy of recommending a $100 gold plated hammer to do a 5 cent job.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I have a suspicion he’s trying to sell them, not merely recommend them.

plus many here do not understand the concept of a budget and like to fall into the fallacy of recommending a $100 gold plated hammer to do a 5 cent job.

I agree, the right tool for the job, the amount of storage i got with us general for the price i paid can’t be matched. I had a 5 drawer cart for 7 years, sold it when i bought a different color, didn’t loose money on it, there boxes hold their value. I try to always buy the best bang for the buck, i really don’t care about names.

 

[bscman]

I've got two harbor freight /USG 44's. one with a side box attached.

No, I don't use them professionally, but they are very much FULL and get used frequently.

My only complaints are that each 44" box only has one full width drawer, and I wish each of th shallower drawers was 1/2" deeper. Neither are deal breakers, you just adapt your organizations

Mine is also the narrower version--I think they new ones are a few inches deeper front to back, which would be nice.

But for $718 OTD for two 44" tool chests and a side box, it was hard to say no.
7yrs later, I'd gladly buy the setup again...even at the current, slightly higher prices.