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$399 Trinity/Costco 48" Stainless steel toolchest mini review

xanmato

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Feb 20, 2015
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20
Hi guys,

First post here, I though you guys would like a mini review of the Trinity 48" Stainless steel tool chest which appears to be a Costco exclusive. First off, I have been lurking a little while here since I needed a new tool chest, and was pretty much set on the HF44 due to the reviews. I was actually going to HF after my Costco run but decided to pickup this gem instead, it was just soo shiny. I couldn't find much of anything on these Trinity boxes so it was a gamble.

Anyways, the review:

box1.jpg


The Trinity 48" is a Stainless steel chest with a supposed 2200lb capacity, 10 fully extending drawers, 9 slim and 1 deep. All use 100lb rated ball bearing slides with the deep drawer using 2 pairs.

The stainless is 1.5mm, with full inner walls. It is also 'fingerprint' resistant, but my quick play with it left it with the usual oil residue smudge. The bottom frame is a 2mm thick single piece dual U channel that run down the length of the box. I could not check without drilling holes but I believe the U channels may be folded completely over for more of a box channel.

box2.jpg


The casters are a beefy 5"x2", with the metal being 5mm thick. I am not sure if the wheel is ball bearing, though they are sure smooth, almost too smooth. My 1" grade of 20ft causes the chest to roll down hill quite readily.

box3.jpg


The drawers are 1.1mm thick with an angled lip, not folded over. There is no latch mechanism, just a pretty strong detent at the beginning of the slide. All drawers extend fully with no detents along the way. Clearance for the shallow drawers is 2.5", and the deep drawer is 8.25". The deep drawer has a crazy strong detent, so an empty drawer is quite difficult to open, it definitely takes two hands. Once it's loaded up I am sure it won't be so bad.

box4.jpg

The image below shows the full inner stainless wall. As far as I could tell, the entire box minus the top was like that.
box5.jpg


Lastly the top is a 38mm (1.5") finished slab of rubber wood, quite shiny. There are also optional handles for the sides made from 1.5mm stainless. They also give you a complete set of perfectly pre-cut drawer liners.

Cons?
-There are no medium depth drawers, anyone who wants to vertically position their deep sockets as I have mocked up below will be a disappointed that they don't fit.
-The lock is not a barrel style key lock. I don't feel comfortable putting that amount of torque on a flat key to lock the chest. I may replace it.
-No side lips. I will have about 24" of extra space to fill up and was thinking of hanging a side cabinet, but the Trinity's wood top prevents this.
-I would have preferred the full length slim drawer to be at the top.
-The drawer handles are finger pinch style.

box6.jpg


In conclusion? I found it to be a really nice box. It definitely does not feel cheap, the thing was rock hard and had no flex at all. At $399 I think it's a hell of a deal, up there with the HF44, it just depends on what style of box you want. You can also miraculously fit it into the back of a Rav4 with only 1 seat folded down :thumbup:
 
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tank4114

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AUSSIELAND
as soon as the first picture loaded i can see one major flaw in the design the two full width drawers are on the bottom WTH? that alone is enuf not to buy it for me
 

cheechi

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Feb 29, 2012
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Triad, NC
as soon as the first picture loaded i can see one major flaw in the design the two full width drawers are on the bottom WTH? that alone is enuf not to buy it for me

Cons?
-There are no medium depth drawers, anyone who wants to vertically position their deep sockets as I have mocked up below will be a disappointed that they don't fit.
Got to say these two points are the most significant to consider.
 

BK13

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Yeah, it looks like it might be a decent box, but the layout kills it for me.
 

ninjamunky85

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Jan 22, 2015
Messages
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Gotta agree with the previous posters. Having both of the full length drawers at the bottom and not being able to store sockets standing up would be a deal breaker for me.

It's a nice looking box but for the price I probably would have went with the Husky 52", which has similar specs.
 

Vantastic

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Jan 1, 2015
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Penns Woods
Looks like it was designed for someone who thinks they need a big mechanics box.
I guess if you didn't have a lot of tools it would work. Maybe store a circular saw and soccer balls in the bottom drawer. It does look nice though.
 

ChrisPace

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Mar 18, 2013
Messages
309
The Butcher block top is awesome. Two or three of these side-by-side would make a nice looking complete garage storage system. No big deal on deep well socket storage there are ways to organize deep wells in shallower drawers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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xanmato

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Feb 20, 2015
Messages
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Gotta agree with the previous posters. Having both of the full length drawers at the bottom and not being able to store sockets standing up would be a deal breaker for me.

It's a nice looking box but for the price I probably would have went with the Husky 52", which has similar specs.

I looked at a Husky 52 a couple weeks back. It was a piece of garbage. The steel thickness is almost half compared to this box. The wood top on this one is also 50% thicker, I am almost thinking of mounting a vise on this thing.

The full length drawer at the bottom is puzzling, but was not a deal breaker for me. My OCD will actually nag me to find a complete set of something to fill a single drawer, as I hate when stuff is mixed together.

The shallowness of the drawers does kinda ****, as I cannot use my socket holder plate for the deep sockets. It does force me to find a horizontal socket solution, which in the end works better for me as I prefer seeing the sides of the socket to read the sizes. I hate the Hansen holders, OCD incomplete set thing..

With all it's compromises, would I swap it with another box? For me personally, no. The only box I would consider a swap with is the HF44, IF it came in something other than red. I hate red boxes, so you can see the stainless sealed the deal for me.
 

lilcraigford

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Oct 19, 2014
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Portland, ME
That is a good looking chest. For the heck of it I looked up their site to check out other options. I like the layout of their 41" Combination Box (pictured) better, but it obviously doesn't serve the purpose of a bench like your 48" or the HF44".

41-stainless-steel-tool-chest-combo.jpg
 

tedsters

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Oct 29, 2012
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:rocker:WELCOME TO GJ
for what you paid for it i can't see where you went wrong especially if the butcher block top was on it that alone is a heck of a work bench plus its still portable and the deep bottom drawer is double slided heck i think you did good looks like its built pretty decent
 

mrvm

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Feb 12, 2014
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Nice looking SS tool chest / work bench. One positive is you won't have to remove the emblems like one would with some brands
 

rancherbill

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Foothills County, Alberta, Canada
Cons?
-There are no medium depth drawers, anyone who wants to vertically position their deep sockets as I have mocked up below will be a disappointed that they don't fit.

as soon as the first picture loaded i can see one major flaw in the design the two full width drawers are on the bottom WTH? that alone is enuf not to buy it for me

This is not a Mechanics Box. It is a Homeowner/DIY box. The big drawers are for circular saws etc. Most homeowners do not have 23 Ratchets and 16 set of deep sockets.
 

C96

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Nov 30, 2013
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xanmato Welcome and thanks for the review. It looks to be a nice box, well made and good looking. I think the drawer arrangement will be fine after some getting used to. Again it would depend on what you’re going to use it for. Like rancherbill said, it may not be the perfect mechanics box for the professional, but it sure seems like it will work very well for most shops along with the ability to solve many other storage needs.

I like the stainless, getting tired of the traditional colored boxes, goes with any color décor you may have going on in your garage.

For the price, it looks like a winner to me and a great addition for any garage.
 
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xanmato

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Feb 20, 2015
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Thanks man. Rancherbill did hit the nail on the head, it is definitely not a mechanic's oriented tool chest. This choice of box was really a result of needing something better than using some put together shelving racks as workbenches, and out growing / being dissatisfied with my pegboard setup.

I did manage to solve my deep socket issue, though it does cost me a double socket footprint for those sets. Courtesy of the $5 HF magnet rails:

box7.jpg


Surprisingly it works really well, the rail had enough pull to slightly stick to the bottom of the drawer, so pulling out sockets is a 1 handed ordeal and it does not pull up. One more rail for the impact socket set and I should be good to go on that front.
 

225

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Jan 6, 2015
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Lafayette, La.
I looked at a Husky 52 a couple weeks back. It was a piece of garbage. The steel thickness is almost half compared to this box. The wood top on this one is also 50% thicker, I am almost thinking of mounting a vise on this thing.

The full length drawer at the bottom is puzzling, but was not a deal breaker for me. My OCD will actually nag me to find a complete set of something to fill a single drawer, as I hate when stuff is mixed together.

The shallowness of the drawers does kinda ****, as I cannot use my socket holder plate for the deep sockets. It does force me to find a horizontal socket solution, which in the end works better for me as I prefer seeing the sides of the socket to read the sizes. I hate the Hansen holders, OCD incomplete set thing..

With all it's compromises, would I swap it with another box? For me personally, no. The only box I would consider a swap with is the HF44, IF it came in something other than red. I hate red boxes, so you can see the stainless sealed the deal for me.
That HF 44" box is such a killer. It's like to I buy a SO box used for $3,500, or buy a HF box and paint it. And spend the extra cash on tools.

It's crazy how well it's actually built.

I plan on buying one and give it a pro paint job.
 
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zbyler

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Jun 3, 2014
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CT
I had never heard of these before but it looks like a solid box. Is it possible to rearrange the drawers at all? I see there is a barrier piece between the top few drawers, is it removable by chance? I find it a little strange that the full drawers are all the way at the bottom.

Also, I didn't see it mentioned anywhere, but is the wood top removable?
 
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xanmato

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Feb 20, 2015
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I had never heard of these before but it looks like a solid box. Is it possible to rearrange the drawers at all? I see there is a barrier piece between the top few drawers, is it removable by chance? I find it a little strange that the full drawers are all the way at the bottom.

Also, I didn't see it mentioned anywhere, but is the wood top removable?

I pulled out all the drawers on my initial inspection, and both the vertical and horizontal beam separators are welded in place. If you were a clean welder you could absolutely move them around, as there is a rear channel brace that goes all the way down the back that connects the vertical separation wall.

I wish they sold the drawers separately, as there is another model floating around that has full length mid height drawers on the bottom, which I want to switch with my big drawer.

Lastly, the wood top is removable, provided you can get at the underside screws holding it down. Note that there is no top metal panel, the wood acts as the top and box brace to the chest. So it is replaceable if needed, now I am just working up the courage to drill holes in it for my vise.

Also, sqrly1776, magnets do stick to the stainless. I have a couple of HF magnet rails slapped on the side.
 

stephen4785

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Benbrook, TX
I think the larger drawers are on the bottom to prevent it from flipping over. If they were on top and you loaded them down with sockets it would flip over when you pull the drawer out. Those stainless boxes are narrower then average boxes. Ask me how I know...
 
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pablo94sc

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Jul 28, 2014
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Any updates on how you're liking it? I went to a local Costco and they had a similar box with a storage locker instead of the narrow drawers on the right. I passed on that style, but am thinking of ordering this one.
 
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xanmato

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Feb 20, 2015
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Any updates on how you're liking it? I went to a local Costco and they had a similar box with a storage locker instead of the narrow drawers on the right. I passed on that style, but am thinking of ordering this one.

The box is exceeding my expectations. I have most of the drawers loaded, and the heavier the drawers get, the better they feel. The bottom drawer is a bit of a wash. Doesn't hold any tools, but I have stuck odd things like my stock of oil filters, air filters, and other boxy stuff. I may find a better use for it someday.

The storage locker style is the same box, but with the noted locker, and 2 medium depth drawers replace the single big one in my model. It ***** cause I want those bottom drawers.

Praises?
-The damn casters. They are just amazing, all swivel, and the one way brake system is awesome.
-The solid build throughout. Not just the bottom frame, the entire thing is a solid beast. Feels like I am pushing a coffin around. No twist, no flex, no nothing. I removed all the drawers because I put one of the brake casters in the wrong corner, it still didn't flex when I laid it down on the side.
-The top. Along with the solid box beneath it, it feels like a real workbench, not just some crappy cart with a slab of wood on it (Cough..Husky..Cough..)
-The warranty! This is a Costco product, full warranty forever!

Peeves?
-Well this is a workbench, its only 18" deep, drawers are 15.25". I don't have a ton of tools, so I can manage.
-The 'detent' method of keeping the drawers closed gets kind of annoying. I may modify the slides and make a latch style system.
-The fingerpinch style handles are annoying on lightly loaded drawers, just because the detent is so strong. After my mods it shouldn't be a problem.

I bought a HF27 roller cart on the weekend cause it was only $100, and was disappointed with the build/fit once it was all put together. If I had the space I would have spent more for another one of these babies.

Conclusion for GJ members? This is not a mechanics box. This is a really nice homeowners workbench.
 

pablo94sc

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Thanks for the update. Didn't think to look at Costco initially for boxes, but this may be the answer to my needs.
 
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vdubpower

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Mar 16, 2014
Messages
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hi, so i just picked up this box...its my first tool box for my garage...i dont have too many fancy tools, just basic stuff....but ive always wanted a box.

so my other choices i looked at was the 46 husky, possibly the 52 husky or HF stuff.

Sears, Lowes were all more than I wanted to spend

i had never heard of the trinity brand and their website seems pretty minimal for tool boxes, but i read this review and for the other boxes and decided to get this one

i think it looks alot better than the black or red boxes.

i got it home last night and had fun unboxing it myself and carefully flipping it around to get the wheels on ..

once i flipped it back over...i noticed that the trinity logo is upside down.....I hope the quality control didnt miss any other vital issues with this box

does anyone know the gauge of the steel?
 

ADSR

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Cell phones didnt take videos back then. I bought a stainless box from Sams and loaded the top drawer with sockets. First time I opened the drawer the freaking box fell over on me.

Didn't you have to load the drawer with it open already? :headscrat
 
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xanmato

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once i flipped it back over...i noticed that the trinity logo is upside down.....I hope the quality control didnt miss any other vital issues with this box

does anyone know the gauge of the steel?

You can pull out the first couple drawers and get to the backside of the logo, I believe it's held in by screws or nuts.

Main box and handles: 16ga
Bottom channel: 14ga
Caster plate: 6ga
Drawers: 19ga
 

vdubpower

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Mar 16, 2014
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its just ridiculous that it was put on wrong and not checked....i guess thats china for u

hopefully thats the only flaw i encounter....taking that thing back to costco for a refund would **** big time
 

redsand187

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When I worked in a dealership, one of the GM tech's had the trinity top and bottom from costco, probably 48-52" box. 10+ years later he still has it, and it's in great shape. It's stuffed to the gills, and has been forever. If this think is built the same (which it looks like it is) $399 is a great value. A lot of box for the money as good or better than a HF box, plus if stainless is your thing you're not going to find anything better for the money.
 

vdubpower

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Mar 16, 2014
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yeah, pretty happy right now...the handles are not as good as typical pull handles, but for my needs its fine...as long as it opens and closes nicely im good

stainless looks is nice...so happy about that

what other companies do stainless?
 
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xanmato

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Feb 20, 2015
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I know Kobalt has a 53" top/bottom for about $1900, Craftsman has a 52" bottom for $1500, and there is a Husky 40" top/bottom for $700, and a 46" halfsie for $400.
 
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