So I've outgrown my current two boxes and have been on the lookout for something bigger.
The red box is a Toptul Pro series which I love and is built really well and the blue box is a Kincrome which is Ok (average ball bearing box).
One of the problems is that in New Zealand we are very limited on tool suppliers/vendors and everything bulky is very expensive because of the shipping. I wanted a 56" or 72" box that was at least 25"/625mm deep. These are very rare here, the two I know of which you can buy off the shelf are SP tools (about $6500) or snap on ($12000+). We have Machinery House boxes but they are 20"/500mm deep (their pro series is similar to HF US General.)
I've been watching the used market for about 2 years and finally came across a really good deal on a Pinnacle Pro Series 72". These aren't normally sold in NZ but are sold in Australia at Bunnings (for our USA friends think Lowes). You can get the smaller 26" boxes here but NZ never sold these. There was very little on the Internet for reviews so I figured I'd post up.
After agreeing to purchase, the seller offered me a second box a 56" with a hutch for a bargain to get them out of their shop. I had a friend who needed a box as well so we jumped on the deal.
I spent a bit of time the other day moving tools over.
The good:
1. They have pretty well built drawers, 1.5mm sides and bottom folded in one piece and 1.4mm fronts. The top 2 wide drawers have stiffening ribs under them.
2. The drawer slides are massive and made of thick steel. Everything slides nicely.
3. Casters are beefy and roll nice.
4. The outlets in the power drawer are nicely done, the cable management is done with a drag chain.
The ok.
1. My on my 72 the fit and finish is acceptable but not mind blowing. for example the edges of the chrome drawer handles are unfinished/sharp. Last time I was in the USA I made a trip to Harbor Freight and I'd say the Icon box is nicer finished, sadly we can't get those here.
2. Paint is a matte finish but if you look close its not 100% even texture.
3. In the power drawer the rest for the handles hit the flare for the batteries on my Makita gear so they didn't sit right in the holsters. This might not be a problem with other cordless brands. There was a row to adjust height but not spacing. I drilled another set further towards the holsters. This would be nicer if the mfg had included another column of holes, and if they had tapped them instead of using sheet metal screws.
The bad. Only really one thing:
1. The narrow drawers are 40mm deep and there are too many narrow drawers (2-3 per bay.) Many tools just don't fit, for example a 7/8 or 15/16 (22 or 24mm) wrench on its side is too high on its own. You would not be able to use a vertical or even angle style wrench rack. For example a toolbox widget is 1.5"/38mm high and raises the tool up, further limiting wrench sizes. Another example is a standard tape measure won't fit, so my measuring gear is occupying a deeper drawer which in other boxes it wouldnt need.
For reference the minimum depth on my Toptul box was 75mm and 70mm on the Kincrome, much more versatile. 40mm is just too shallow for most tools.
I have my pliers and wrenches in the medium depth drawers 6 or 7 rows down from the top. The slides and drawers appear to be able to be rearranged by drilling out the pop rivets and moving the slides to existing extra holes. I'll probably do this as I like having my top rows be my most used tools.
I did call Pinnacle customer support in Australia and asked about buying more mid depth drawers, they only import whole boxes and were uninterested in special ordering any parts from the manufacturer. The lady said they get this question quite frequently but had no intention of changing tactics despite me asking very nicely. If I paid retail for this box I'd be more upset. This is kind of a standard option for this grade of box with other suppliers. Also keep this in mind, of you were to damage a box (say by backing a car into an open drawer), repair parts are likely unavailable.
I'll check my friends 56" setup next week when I have a chance to go back to his shop, I think it's drawer assortment is better. The brief time I spent with it, my gut feel was the finish is a bit better for some reason (I also like it's black/black colour vs chrome)
The red box is a Toptul Pro series which I love and is built really well and the blue box is a Kincrome which is Ok (average ball bearing box).
One of the problems is that in New Zealand we are very limited on tool suppliers/vendors and everything bulky is very expensive because of the shipping. I wanted a 56" or 72" box that was at least 25"/625mm deep. These are very rare here, the two I know of which you can buy off the shelf are SP tools (about $6500) or snap on ($12000+). We have Machinery House boxes but they are 20"/500mm deep (their pro series is similar to HF US General.)
I've been watching the used market for about 2 years and finally came across a really good deal on a Pinnacle Pro Series 72". These aren't normally sold in NZ but are sold in Australia at Bunnings (for our USA friends think Lowes). You can get the smaller 26" boxes here but NZ never sold these. There was very little on the Internet for reviews so I figured I'd post up.
After agreeing to purchase, the seller offered me a second box a 56" with a hutch for a bargain to get them out of their shop. I had a friend who needed a box as well so we jumped on the deal.
I spent a bit of time the other day moving tools over.
The good:
1. They have pretty well built drawers, 1.5mm sides and bottom folded in one piece and 1.4mm fronts. The top 2 wide drawers have stiffening ribs under them.
2. The drawer slides are massive and made of thick steel. Everything slides nicely.
3. Casters are beefy and roll nice.
4. The outlets in the power drawer are nicely done, the cable management is done with a drag chain.
The ok.
1. My on my 72 the fit and finish is acceptable but not mind blowing. for example the edges of the chrome drawer handles are unfinished/sharp. Last time I was in the USA I made a trip to Harbor Freight and I'd say the Icon box is nicer finished, sadly we can't get those here.
2. Paint is a matte finish but if you look close its not 100% even texture.
3. In the power drawer the rest for the handles hit the flare for the batteries on my Makita gear so they didn't sit right in the holsters. This might not be a problem with other cordless brands. There was a row to adjust height but not spacing. I drilled another set further towards the holsters. This would be nicer if the mfg had included another column of holes, and if they had tapped them instead of using sheet metal screws.
The bad. Only really one thing:
1. The narrow drawers are 40mm deep and there are too many narrow drawers (2-3 per bay.) Many tools just don't fit, for example a 7/8 or 15/16 (22 or 24mm) wrench on its side is too high on its own. You would not be able to use a vertical or even angle style wrench rack. For example a toolbox widget is 1.5"/38mm high and raises the tool up, further limiting wrench sizes. Another example is a standard tape measure won't fit, so my measuring gear is occupying a deeper drawer which in other boxes it wouldnt need.
For reference the minimum depth on my Toptul box was 75mm and 70mm on the Kincrome, much more versatile. 40mm is just too shallow for most tools.
I have my pliers and wrenches in the medium depth drawers 6 or 7 rows down from the top. The slides and drawers appear to be able to be rearranged by drilling out the pop rivets and moving the slides to existing extra holes. I'll probably do this as I like having my top rows be my most used tools.
I did call Pinnacle customer support in Australia and asked about buying more mid depth drawers, they only import whole boxes and were uninterested in special ordering any parts from the manufacturer. The lady said they get this question quite frequently but had no intention of changing tactics despite me asking very nicely. If I paid retail for this box I'd be more upset. This is kind of a standard option for this grade of box with other suppliers. Also keep this in mind, of you were to damage a box (say by backing a car into an open drawer), repair parts are likely unavailable.
I'll check my friends 56" setup next week when I have a chance to go back to his shop, I think it's drawer assortment is better. The brief time I spent with it, my gut feel was the finish is a bit better for some reason (I also like it's black/black colour vs chrome)
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