When to buy tool cabinet? And which one?

I've been looking around for a tool cabinet - upper and lower - setup for a couple weeks.
Looking in the $500 - 800 range, 40-46".
I think I'm leaning towards either the 46" Milwaukee, the 44" that harbor freight has, and I've recently come across the masterforce options at meynards.

I'm not in any hurry (though, by summer would be nice).

A fellow at work mentioned waiting for deals around father's day.

Or is 11% rebate time about the best to expect?

I'm looking to see if anyone had input on when is a good time to buy and thoughts on which one? Maybe there's another model I should consider?

If you're not in a hurry, flexible about the brand or model, aren't specific to one particular big box store, and are looking for the best deals with minimal legwork, December 1st or June 1st, roughly.

i'm going to keep my eyes posted on this thread. rockin tool boxes has a sale on a decent roller for 2400 https://www.rockintoolboxes.com/72inch-18drawer-roller-cabint

reptilezs said:

i'm going to keep my eyes posted on this thread. rockin tool boxes has a sale on a decent roller for 2400 https://www.rockintoolboxes.com/72inch-18drawer-roller-cabint

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I've never heard of those boxes before, but they look very interesting.

reptilezs said:

i'm going to keep my eyes posted on this thread. rockin tool boxes has a sale on a decent roller for 2400 https://www.rockintoolboxes.com/72inch-18drawer-roller-cabint

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That's quite a bit different from what the OP is looking for.

However,, I have one of those boxes under a different brand and it's a great box but the detents are pretty stiff. Also check out vipertoolstorage.com. They sell the same box under their name and I've seen it as low as $2000, but in black it does not have the stainless top included.

i have the harbor freight set, love it. running out of room but i can add the side cabinet for 150 bucks and get more drawers.

masterforce has deeper models, which means TONS more storage, but also sticks out from the wall further.

the milwaukee looks cool, but IMO if you go that route go with the husky.

this is a lot of bang for your buck for 598 bucks

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-5...abinet-Set-in-Black-HTC5206-HMT5212/205431577

keep in mind, if your Home depot matches a local menards during 11 percent, you'll be getting 60-something bucks back on rebate as well. makes that husky VERY hard to beat. had i done it all over again and known about the husky i'd still be fighting in my head on which one. i can add the cabinet to the HF box, but more storage in the husky, and the top is lower and more accessable, i'm 5'8 so to access the top of my HF chest is nose level.

either way i'm happy with the HF, but i'd seriously consider the husky, especially at the price (and especially if you can match the 11 percent from menards)

reptilezs said:

i'm going to keep my eyes posted on this thread. rockin tool boxes has a sale on a decent roller for 2400 https://www.rockintoolboxes.com/72inch-18drawer-roller-cabint

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Yeh, this is a bit to far out of my target price range.

Sh40674 said:

keep in mind, if your Home depot matches a local menards during 11 percent, you'll be getting 60-something bucks back on rebate as well. makes that husky VERY hard to beat. had i done it all over again and known about the husky i'd still be fighting in my head on which one. i can add the cabinet to the HF box, but more storage in the husky, and the top is lower and more accessable, i'm 5'8 so to access the top of my HF chest is nose level.

either way i'm happy with the HF, but i'd seriously consider the husky, especially at the price (and especially if you can match the 11 percent from menards)

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My HD does match the menards rebate, so I've been keeping that in mind. My concern with the husky, despite the good reviews, is that the frame is only 21 gauge. Maybe I'm wrong here, but seems thin to me. I'm 5'5 so height is a big concern for me as well.

HF box FTW! I have the 44" with 2 side cabinets. Now if you are not in a hurry, wait on the new line up to hit the stores. They are jumping from 16" deep drawers to 22" deep drawers. I also understand new color choices are coming too.

I went absolutely overboard trying to find the best bang for my buck on a toolbox from July until Black Friday 2017.

Give a good hard look at anything you're considering. Does it shake, rattle and so one? The rattling is why I passed on the black and red Craftsman box I really liked. Push lightly on the front and something in all of them went tickticktick. I went to three sears stores just to make sure it wasn't a problem w/ the display at my store.

How are the wheels mounted? Looking under nearly all of the silver handled husky boxes looked like the wheels were bolted to sheet metal. These boxes all shake too.

How much side to side slop is in the pulls when the drawers are extended? In this pricepoint there is a lot of wiggling, but my box has the least.

What will you tolerate? I have an unreasonable disdain for Harbor Freight products. If I went w/ US General I would never be happy. They are built nice, but I can't get passed the brand. I know this is ridiculous.

I ended up getting this on Black Friday for $598. It is built way better than the typical husky box. I have it loaded and it shows no signs of distress. I'm exceptionally happy with this box. I look at tool chests everywhere that sells them, I've not seen anything that makes me regret this one, but plenty that reassure my choice.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-5...PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-205431577-_-302962883-_-N


So, when? Well, in my search I found that HD cleared out a lot of their boxes by February last year. Some people were finding that Milwaukee top box for $25. I've been watching very closely, I've not seen them cleared out around here. Most stores actually increased their stock.

I didn't see anything that tells me "spring black friday" will have a decent deal.

I think the next best bet will be father's day. It's when I bought my old Craftsman toolbox combo for a decent discount. I think they'll have some deals for this since it's a "guy holiday". If I were still looking I would continue to watch for oddball markdowns while waiting for the Father's day ads.

I don't have a Menards here so that 11% sale isn't on my radar for something that I absolutely need to handle before buying.

ScottsGT said:

Now if you are not in a hurry, wait on the new line up to hit the stores. They are jumping from 16" deep drawers to 22" deep drawers. I also understand new color choices are coming too.

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Disregard questions below. I found the thread in the General Tools section.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384700

Does anyone know more specifics about these 22" boxes? I noticed the 44" top cabinet and both side cabinets (small and large) are no longer on the HF website.

I have the new deeper model Milwaukee box that I got a deal on due to mislabeling on black friday. Very pleased with it thus far.

If you have a Costco membership, keep an eye out for the coupon book. I've never owned a Costco tool chest, but they seem to have nice tool chests and rolling work benches. And the "forever" Costco return policy can't be beat.

BLUE72CAMARO said:

I have the new deeper model Milwaukee box that I got a deal on due to mislabeling on black friday. Very pleased with it thus far.

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I got the same one. I'm not a pro, but it seems really high quality. The casters are huge and beefy, the soft close drawers work great, and the red powdercoat is beautiful!

I used to buy Gladiator boxes from Sears. Today I found Sears don't carry Gladiator any more. It's amazing Sears is still alive.

Thin gauge isn't really a concern if it's built right. I played with the husky box and it's slightly more flimsy than the HF, but looking back it's nothing that would concern me. If I was a full time mechanic, sure, but I kept in my head to not over think it. Good luck!

so I have been in need of a bigger tool box for a couple years. Always had an excuse for not getting one. For our 9yr anniversary the wife made it a point that I fix that. I have been happy with my Craftsman toolbox I had for over 5 yrs.
so to sears we went to look.

ended up with the following combo for $850'ish
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-new-53-inch-6-drawer-stainless-steel/p-00958654000P?rrec=true


http://www.sears.com/craftsman-new-53-inch-9-drawer-stainless-steel/p-00958655000P


its a great box with tons of room. felt like way better quality than the standard stuff

was the floor model that was also on sale plus received military discount

Sh40674 said:

Thin gauge isn't really a concern if it's built right. I played with the husky box and it's slightly more flimsy than the HF, but looking back it's nothing that would concern me. If I was a full time mechanic, sure, but I kept in my head to not over think it. Good luck!

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That's kinda what I'm wondering. I'm an avid DIY'er, doing 98% of any home, car, etc repairs, but I'm no mechanic. Do I want something nice? Absolutely. Do I need snap-on quality. Not at all. Will a standard issue box work? Probably.
But I'm willing to wait around for a good deal on a better box.

volunteers said:

I used to buy Gladiator boxes from Sears. Today I found Sears don't carry Gladiator any more. It's amazing Sears is still alive.

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Probably because Gladiator is owned by Whirlpool. And Whirlpool severed relations with Sears in 2017.

Probably another vendor worried about not getting paid if/when Sears goes bankrupt and closes their doors.

nafterclifen said:

Disregard questions below. I found the thread in the General Tools section.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384700

Does anyone know more specifics about these 22" boxes? I noticed the 44" top cabinet and both side cabinets (small and large) are no longer on the HF website.

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The new boxes aren't online yet. I hope they don't discontinue the side boxes all together

evercl92 said:

That's kinda what I'm wondering. I'm an avid DIY'er, doing 98% of any home, car, etc repairs, but I'm no mechanic. Do I want something nice? Absolutely. Do I need snap-on quality. Not at all. Will a standard issue box work? Probably.
But I'm willing to wait around for a good deal on a better box.

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The deeper new matte finish husky boxes are pretty well built and good value if get it on sale .
If want be fussy on boxes as home user but still low cost then masterforce is not bad option at lowest sale price, I seen husky and masterforce used in pro shops for years so more than good enough for home use, keep eye open for used MAC Matco too as bargain here will hold same money put into it .

Update: i purchased 36" masterforce couple weeks ago. It was on sale for $20 more than if i had waited for 11% rebate. Figured it was prob worth it to not have to deal with the rebate. Took 10 days to arrive (special order color). Im still in process of sorting where i want things. Overall, im rather pleased.