10yo US made or new US general/Icon/Husy?

[chtucker]

I don't want to spend more than $3k. Not locked into form factor too much, but I don't want anything too long. First new box in 25 years. My 28" Crafstman/Kobalt runeth over. At my age I have accumulated a good amount of high quality tools.

I really like the idea of Snap on/Matco/Mac box. But even at 10yo+ they are still $$$. The newer boxes from HF and the big box have decent features, improved capacity etc.

Is a 10yo box better than something new from the other stores?

 

[M635_Guy]

You're not likely to find much under $3K for SnapOn/Matco/Mac box.

USG is great value for money. StrictlyToolBoxes.com seems to be a popular recommendation here. They're more at the level of HF's Icon line.

 

[Mr_B]

matco or mac used you will find something decent with a 3k budget, Marketplace and looking couple times a day nets results .
Snapon pretty much always overpriced these days .
Older Matco boxes are proper stout, I got 4 of them in daily auto shop, all bought used .

 

[Rusted Nut]

My 40 year old Craftsman combo box was too small and I recently purchased a 41” Husky combo, I like it. Really well laid out. Quality seems very good, a bit sturdier than HF. At $700, probably much cheaper than a used SO or Mac.

 

[BigLeagueSmoes]

I think that you'd be better off buying something new. +1 for U.S. General being a great value. Lot's of people on here have good things to say about U.S. General. I have a "newer" husky rolling work bench/tool chest and I really like it (pictured below). No complaints, built very solid and the drawers roll nicely even when loaded down, very heavy. I picked it up for $600 used on facebook marketplace from a older gentleman who was upgrading to the big ICON boxes. Also the Home Depot list price for the workbench tool chest was $1178 with the peg board option and $898 without the peg board option so I don't know why amazon's price is so high. I find the tool truck brands hard to justify purchasing if you're a DIYer. The quality of lower cost options still seem to be very good. I also have two older craftsman usa boxes (circa early 80s) that I really like but they're not very big (26" wide rolling bottom with the slightly smaller top box sitting on it).


Here is the old Home Depot link (this exact one is not sold anymore)

Husky 61" wide 23" deep 10 drawer mobile workbench with solid wood top and flip-up peg board in textured black

 

[fatfillup]

I buy and sell used boxes

$3000 will get you a nice deep double bay Snappy with stainless top in my store. $3500 if it is pristine

Less condition = more box and or less money

Sold a nice deep Matco double bay for $2400 recently
$3000 is a good budget for a nice used truck brand box
Don't be afraid to check out boxes where people are asking more. Its quite hard to find people who have cash to buy a box and while folks can ask anything, but there comes time when they want to sell more then they want to hold out for big money.

I ALWAYS show up with cash and a way to transport on the spot if a deal is made. While boxes aren't big sellers for me, I can always find them within a week or 2 when I need to restock inventory

Personally, I would buy a used truck box vs a new HF box

I would never buy a new truck box though

 

[1982fxr]

3 grand is into new vidmar or Rousseau territory.

 

[HPRifleman]

Is the $3K budget for both the roller AND the top cabinet? Based on the US General option that seems reasonable. I don't know if that budget would still buy both items in a used tool truck brand.

If we're talking about just the roller, the US General 72" is $1700. That seems awfully cheap for an equivalent Snap-On/Mac/Matco.

 

[LWB]

It's a coin toss. I think the older truck boxes would be better built but I also don't think you're going to wear out a USG of Husky box,

I have a vintage Gray tool box that I love. I also have two 52" Husky boxes. If I had to get rid of one it would be the Husky's. One thing about some of the older boxes is you get more narrow drawers, if that appeals to you.

 

[WWheeler]

My 40 year old Craftsman combo box was too small and I recently purchased a 41” Husky combo, I like it. Really well laid out. Quality seems very good, a bit sturdier than HF. At $700, probably much cheaper than a used SO or Mac.

I have a 52 inch Husky top/bottom chest cabinet and a 44 in US General lower cabinet. The Husky is weak sauce when loaded up with tools compared to the US General. Thinner metal and weaker slides. I regret ever buying the Husky, a LOT.

 

[fatfillup]

I have sold several truck brand 24 inch deep top and bottoms for $3000 or less, they just aren't pristine. Still function well but will be older, showing signs of wear, maybe drawer or 2 doesn't open as smooth as it used to.

To the poster who mentioned new vidmar, you are right I think and a great choice if configuration works for you. Will outlast a truck brand easily. I have about 10 of various brands and configurations that I display tools in. I don't sell those, too hard to come by at good price.

 

[CJM8515]

the us general is the way to go if you got 3k. unless you want one of them nicer icon boxes. i have the gen1 44" box with side drawers and a gen2 26" stack and like them alot. for home gamer use they have held up great and they are overloaded. if i had to do it all over id buy the 56" box probably or 2 44's

 

[Michael_in_DE]

Truck box no question. American made. Better built, better reputation, and far better support. I just called Snap-on about my 22 year old box for parts. I had them in 3 days. If you think you'll get that kind of support form Harbor freight in any length of time close to that, you're dreaming.

And as has been said, showing up with cash and a trailer to transport, knocks down prices pretty fast. Especially if you're buying in the next week.

 

[Drunkonunleaded]

FWIW, this pricing with regards to used boxes is location dependent. For two years I've scoured Marketplace and Cragslist for a good truck box in the $2500 range and everything I found was rusted or abused. Boxes here in the Detroit area seem to be going for a bit more than other places.

I considered the Homak RS Pro/Carlyle/Masterforce as alternatives, but the recent price jumps put them near the price of the clean used truck boxes that I was looking for.

Ended up with a USG and have been very happy with it. I don't doubt that a used truck box is better quality, but I don't have the luxury of spending a weekend driving somewhere to save a few hundred dollars, nor could I wait much longer.

 

[Steve_P]

Of course location matters, but I'm surprised you couldn't find anything nice in Detroit for $2500. The nearest big city to me is ~200k population and the county is almost 500k; and there are two beautiful KRLs on Marketplace right now for $2800. Epics are selling for at least twice as much.

 

[victor252]

I believe Rousseau in Canada makes Tekton boxes. They look nice, but I have no firsthand experience. Does anyone else?

Tool Cabinets - Professional Quality | TEKTON | Made in Canada

Shop our lineup of rolling tool cabinets, offered in multiple sizes, colors, and drawer configurations. Add on a cabinet top, upper drawer cabinet, or drawer dividers.

www.tekton.com

Here's a 48 inch model with 7 full-width drawers for under $3,000 and free shipping.

7-Drawer Tool Cabinet, Red (48 W x 27 D x 41.5 H in.) | TEKTON

Our mid-sized rolling tool cabinet features 7 full-extension drawers, each with a 400 lb. weight capacity. Made in North America. 90-Day Trial. OCL43200.

www.tekton.com

 

[tarbellb]

^^^^^ best box per buck right now^^^^^

Tekton/Canadian made Rousseau with grip latch, c'mon!

 

[TJMtl]

I really like my Rousseau’s. I have a 60” roll cab, two 24x36x18” deep that I found on marketplace, from a Sprinter work van. And a Spider shelf set with 48” tall x 24” deep drawers.

 

[VolvoRyan]

If you're pulling drawers all the time, I'd be thinking used "tool truck". If only because you can get parts.

For spillover tools that you don't grab often, HF and the box stores seem to be the way to go. Once you get into shipping, either the price goes way up, or the quality goes way down.

People forget that "cheap" boxes of today are probably nicer that the tool truck boxes of the past.

-Ryan

 

[mikew13]

Take a serious look at Proto boxes, made in the same factory as Mac toolboxes, very nicely made for the price.

US Generals are garbage and overhyped.

 

[Mr_B]

I wouldn't go as far as to say USG boxes are garbage but with current price jumps they not the bargain option they were .
Used Mac Matco (SnapOn if can find or haggle true good price) is best value/quaity option, trick with used is planning in advance to give time to find them, you ideally need transport on hand and be prepared do few hundred round mile trip if want proper good used buys .
In my 4 decades of professional use I never needed buy new as always planned and found used, lot of times finding good deals on box that not suited to my needs but would take them and flip for little profit that would go into my tool box funds .
I wouldn't of been able setup my own shop if had spent/borrowed thousands on new truck boxes but used Matco boxes saved me thousands & still all in use daily .
New box deals can work too, I see a few start outs using USG with some success & lad working with me had 2 SPG 2-bay boxes open box clearance silly cheap from HD, got milk clearance/sales/coupons as much as possible ...

 

[kngelv]

The Rousseau made Tekton boxes are super nice and pretty equivalent to a truck box. Finding a good used 56" - 60" truck box at the $2500.00 -$3000.00 price point is a unicorn in most places. Certainly in Metro Detroit. Way too much hassle waiting for that special deal. The U.S. General are still at a better price point and gives you better value than any of those Husky boxes people keep bringing up. Has anyone ever looked at the riveted slides on those Husky boxes? If I had 3K to spend today then the Canadian made Tekton/Rousseau boxes make the most sense. Plus you get 10% reward on any Tekton purchase so you can get some free tools to put in the new box.

James

 

[corn chip]

husky is ok for home use. i got one about 2yr ago from homedepot and every drawer is full. its been fine for occasional use but i wouldnt want it for every day proffesional work

 

[bmdubya1198]

Older thread, but I'll chime in with support for the US General boxes. They're great quality for the price, even with the price increases. I bought my 44" USG a year or two ago from a guy on Facebook who buys a bunch of open box/returns/etc. for $325, and it was in perfect condition. Look for those deals, they're almost $600 new now... which seems nuts, but compared to other brands, I guess it's actually still a good price.
I was just saying in another thread that these boxes beat the hell out of my old Craftsman box I had in terms of build quality. Obviously it's not top of the line, but it gets the job done.

Husky is pretty good too, best to catch those on sale. They had some decent sales over black Friday and Christmas.

 

[chtucker]

I bought an Icon 56" when it was 20% off a few weeks ago. Should be delivered on Saturday. I really wanted the power drawer and I didn't want to have to make one.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Solid choice! I like the Icon boxes.