CAMMShaft
Well-known member
At the request of others, I agreed to share my thoughts and experience with the Husky 56” tool box.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-56...t-Textured-Black-Matte-HOTC5623BB1S/206842294
This is a fairly new box to Husky’s line up which I believe was released last fall. They seemed to have stepped up their game as the quality seems much better than previous Husky boxes. If you are looking to purchase one, you will most likely have to buy it online as these are not normally stocked in stores. One of the Home Depot employees told me that some stores had them for Christmas and if any stores still have them it is a result of Christmas leftovers. I bought mine without seeing one in person before which can be a little scary. It would be nice if these were stocked in the store. Home Depot does have the 52” version in stores, but there are some differences besides just size (e.g. the 56” is thicker gauge steel). I purchased the 56” version rather than the more affordable 52” version mostly because the quantity of drawers, 23 vs. 15. The additional eight drawers was very appealing and I plan to keep this for a very long time and anticipate needing the additional drawers. While I do not have enough tools to fill it, I am already using every drawer. My old smaller boxes were full so I needed to get something that would accommodate my current tool inventory with room to grow. I have been watching the “Hot Deals” section more regularly of late which will only result in increased tool volume .
To give some context to my review; my experience with expensive truck boxes is limited. I own an old Snap-On box that is a far cry from the current boxes. I have mostly owned and used inexpensive craftsman boxes for the last 20 years. Up until now, ball bearing drawer slides on a tool box is something I have only experienced from a distance, but never owned. I have used the Harbor Freight boxes a little as one of my good friends owns a few, so this is my best reference of comparison at this point.
The boxes came well packaged and it was a challenge unboxing and assembling them by myself considering the two pieces have a combined weight of 550 pounds. The only reason I was able to do it was because I have a motorcycle lift table that I could slide them out of my truck onto. I put the casters on the bottom box with it partly hanging off the lift table and then lowered it to the ground. With the lift table all the way up and an extra 8” of wood blocks I was able to get the top box high enough to slide it on the bottom box. There are then two small brackets to connect the two pieces. The included drawer liners are of good quality and fit very well. I had a trim a few of them (about 1/8”) so they would lay flat. I would much rather have them a little too big than too small. Assembly is now complete (and pretty easy).
The box is made of 19 gauge steel which seems pretty sturdy to me. As with any other box I have owned, this one feels sturdier with some weight in the drawers. The welds seem to be of good quality. Rivets are used to attach the drawer slides and there are also some rivets on the back of the box which I assume are attaching the back to some of the dividers. Some of the rivets on the back are do not appear to have been inserted straight, but it is not too concerning. The drawer slides work well and smooth. By far, my favorite feature of this box is the soft close drawer slides. They are great. I heard that the Milwaukee soft drawer slides do not work in the cold. I have had my box as low as 40 degrees and they still work flawlessly. If you work in temperatures lower than that you may want to investigate this concern. My experience with the HF box is that you sometimes have to give a pretty good tug to get them open and a pretty good push to get them closed all the way and as a result your tools slide around. That is not the case with this box. This box has a lot of drawers, most of which are not tall. This is not a problem for me as I have other options for storing my larger tools. If you need a lot of taller drawers, this box is not for you. The top lid has gas struts which work well and keep it from slamming or flying out of your hands. There is a power strip in the top compartment that has eight outlets and two USB ports. I have plugged my battery charges into this and it is nice have the charger next to the actual tool. The casters have a nice lock on them and the cabinet does not move when opening and closing the top and drawers. The finish on the box is black (another reason for my interest as I am tired of looking at red) and is a matte, textured powder coat. The finish looks great and seems durable, but it is harder to clean than a gloss finish. It takes a little elbow grease and a damp rag to get dirt off. This may prove problematic over time; I am worried it will get dirtier and stay that way. Hopefully, I am wrong.
Overall, I am really happy with my purchase, especially when compared to my old boxes. Having a new, larger box, has heightened by desire for improved tool organization within each drawer. I will soon be needing (maybe wanting is more appropriate) to purchase improved socket, wrench, screw driver, plier, etc. organization racks. Hopefully, some of you will find this information helpful. Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer.
CAMM
Before
After
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-56...t-Textured-Black-Matte-HOTC5623BB1S/206842294
This is a fairly new box to Husky’s line up which I believe was released last fall. They seemed to have stepped up their game as the quality seems much better than previous Husky boxes. If you are looking to purchase one, you will most likely have to buy it online as these are not normally stocked in stores. One of the Home Depot employees told me that some stores had them for Christmas and if any stores still have them it is a result of Christmas leftovers. I bought mine without seeing one in person before which can be a little scary. It would be nice if these were stocked in the store. Home Depot does have the 52” version in stores, but there are some differences besides just size (e.g. the 56” is thicker gauge steel). I purchased the 56” version rather than the more affordable 52” version mostly because the quantity of drawers, 23 vs. 15. The additional eight drawers was very appealing and I plan to keep this for a very long time and anticipate needing the additional drawers. While I do not have enough tools to fill it, I am already using every drawer. My old smaller boxes were full so I needed to get something that would accommodate my current tool inventory with room to grow. I have been watching the “Hot Deals” section more regularly of late which will only result in increased tool volume .
To give some context to my review; my experience with expensive truck boxes is limited. I own an old Snap-On box that is a far cry from the current boxes. I have mostly owned and used inexpensive craftsman boxes for the last 20 years. Up until now, ball bearing drawer slides on a tool box is something I have only experienced from a distance, but never owned. I have used the Harbor Freight boxes a little as one of my good friends owns a few, so this is my best reference of comparison at this point.
The boxes came well packaged and it was a challenge unboxing and assembling them by myself considering the two pieces have a combined weight of 550 pounds. The only reason I was able to do it was because I have a motorcycle lift table that I could slide them out of my truck onto. I put the casters on the bottom box with it partly hanging off the lift table and then lowered it to the ground. With the lift table all the way up and an extra 8” of wood blocks I was able to get the top box high enough to slide it on the bottom box. There are then two small brackets to connect the two pieces. The included drawer liners are of good quality and fit very well. I had a trim a few of them (about 1/8”) so they would lay flat. I would much rather have them a little too big than too small. Assembly is now complete (and pretty easy).
The box is made of 19 gauge steel which seems pretty sturdy to me. As with any other box I have owned, this one feels sturdier with some weight in the drawers. The welds seem to be of good quality. Rivets are used to attach the drawer slides and there are also some rivets on the back of the box which I assume are attaching the back to some of the dividers. Some of the rivets on the back are do not appear to have been inserted straight, but it is not too concerning. The drawer slides work well and smooth. By far, my favorite feature of this box is the soft close drawer slides. They are great. I heard that the Milwaukee soft drawer slides do not work in the cold. I have had my box as low as 40 degrees and they still work flawlessly. If you work in temperatures lower than that you may want to investigate this concern. My experience with the HF box is that you sometimes have to give a pretty good tug to get them open and a pretty good push to get them closed all the way and as a result your tools slide around. That is not the case with this box. This box has a lot of drawers, most of which are not tall. This is not a problem for me as I have other options for storing my larger tools. If you need a lot of taller drawers, this box is not for you. The top lid has gas struts which work well and keep it from slamming or flying out of your hands. There is a power strip in the top compartment that has eight outlets and two USB ports. I have plugged my battery charges into this and it is nice have the charger next to the actual tool. The casters have a nice lock on them and the cabinet does not move when opening and closing the top and drawers. The finish on the box is black (another reason for my interest as I am tired of looking at red) and is a matte, textured powder coat. The finish looks great and seems durable, but it is harder to clean than a gloss finish. It takes a little elbow grease and a damp rag to get dirt off. This may prove problematic over time; I am worried it will get dirtier and stay that way. Hopefully, I am wrong.
Overall, I am really happy with my purchase, especially when compared to my old boxes. Having a new, larger box, has heightened by desire for improved tool organization within each drawer. I will soon be needing (maybe wanting is more appropriate) to purchase improved socket, wrench, screw driver, plier, etc. organization racks. Hopefully, some of you will find this information helpful. Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer.
CAMM
Before
After
