15 year old krl 1003? questions about SO boxes

[murphaayyy]

hey everyone, i guess let me introduce myself for my first post. i am 23 years old and a senior in college. i go to school for finance however i have been working in shops/on cars for like 3 years now. cars and working on cars has absolutely consumed me, it truly is my passion. i intend on graduating this december but will remain a mechanic for quite some time and will never give up working on cars. hopefully own my own shop one day, the american dream (owning a business). and i do like this forum a lot, seems very helpful.

with that said my current kobalt box is full. i no longer want to put stuff in it because i dont want to overload it and want to continue its use for as long as possible as my roll cart.

i have found a krl 1003 used on craigslist for $3500, in 'excellent' condition. i dont intend on paying that much, but are these snap on boxes really built to last for ever? i was thinking 3k, would 2.5k be reasonable?

if these boxes carry a life time warranty why would anyone buy a new box?? it makes absolutely no sense to me... i know some snap on dealers wont warranty second hand boxes but will ask him this friday if he will. i think he will because i'm one of three guys at my shop who will buy snap on, the rest wont. so with that said, if the box isnt warrantied, how many years of abuse can i expect out of one of these boxes before it is better to get rid of it instead of keep repairing it?

the rest of the forums i frequent like pics, so here is a pic of my old car (kinda relevant cause of tools and such). i got a g35 now but miss this thing dearly..

 

[Murphy4570]

I'd say $1,500-2K. Older box, serviceable though.

 

[murphaayyy]

oh wow, thanks for the heads up. i thought it would have ball bearing for sure. my budget is ~3,000 give or take 250, 500 would be pushing it. you think it would even be worth investing 1,500? ill have to research more about these friction slides...

edit for your edit: yea i do believe the krl 1003 has ball bearing. but again, why would anyone buy a new box if these boxes are supposed to last a life time? especially if they are still warrantied and serviceable. i want something that will last me a longggg time.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

oh wow, thanks for the heads up. i thought it would have ball bearing for sure. my budget is ~3,000 give or take 250, 500 would be pushing it. you think it would even be worth investing 1,500? ill have to research more about these friction slides...

edit for your edit: yea i do believe the krl 1003 has ball bearing. but again, why would anyone buy a new box if these boxes are supposed to last a life time? especially if they are still warrantied and serviceable. i want something that will last me a longggg time.

As far as I know all KRL's are ball bearing slides.
Considering a new version is probably 7k or more (not looking up details), I would not think 3000 is unreasonable - lots of factors play into used boxes, IMO - A good box at a low price is great unless you have to go half way across the country to get it (or spend as much as the box cost on shipping).

Technically the warranty is with the original purchaser. You need to ask your dealer if he is willing to work with you. When you ask for warranty, he has to order that part and have it on his books 'till they credit him back for the returned part -- he is carrying the cost of the item for however long it takes. This cuts into the balance of his tool account for what he can order in for regular paying customers. That having even more effect on dealers in this tougher economy. Guys buying stuff regularly can usually get their dealer to work with them on these used purchase warranty issues with no problem, though.

As for why trade in a good box? Usually, you trade up when the box is full / need more space. Since guys generally trade a newer box, it's usually worth a good bit. In my case, I always bought new ones on deals at about 25 / 30% off list and then got that price back as trade 3 / 4 years later towards the next box. My latest box order is the first one I'm getting more because I "want" it more than "need" it.

 

[DandDMachine]

I sold a KRL1003 in great shape this fall for $2600. Put the ad on Craigslist sunday night and was sold monday morning. He tried to offer me $2400 but I wouldnt budge on price. I think $2500 is reasonable price to pay if its in good shape. I think that a new similar model is $10,000 on the website.

 

[murphaayyy]

thank you both for your replies. i am going to ask snap on man if he will warranty it and then set up a time to check it out hopefully (box is local).

edit: and after thinking of it, i believe most guys buy new is because of financing too. lol as a finance major it shouldnt have been so hard to figure out but it makes sense. have the newest box now and pay for it weekly/monthly.

 

[Nick.Watson]

If your looking to spend $3k on a box you can talk a dealer down to that on a new one that lists for $4k but if you want a used one they will last probably your whole life time even if you do abuse it. I have a snap on top chest from the 60s and its just needs to be repainted and I also fixed the lock on it. I have seen people on this forum with boxes from the 40s in decent condition too. Good luck!

 

[Skyline]

thank you both for your replies. i am going to ask snap on man if he will warranty it and then set up a time to check it out hopefully (box is local).

edit: and after thinking of it, i believe most guys buy new is because of financing too. lol as a finance major it shouldnt have been so hard to figure out but it makes sense. have the newest box now and pay for it weekly/monthly.

There's really not much to worry about in terms of warranty. About the only parts that can go bad are slides and the plastic strips for the "Lock-n-Roll". Slides will last a really, really long time if cared for properly. In general, if they do wear out, it's not supposed to be a warranty item anyway. Once in a while they will fail, and even if your Snap-on guy does not take care of you, you can just send them in to Snap-on. But you must call first, and you might not want to tell them you are not the original owner. Slides are about $70/pair, and the plastic strips are cheap.

I would not buy this box unless it is in excellent condition. There are plenty of these on the market, if the condition is not right; wait for one that is. I currently own a KRL box that is at least 15 years old, and it could pass for new. While you will certainly see some beat up boxes out there, there are plenty of techs that take great care of of their expensive boxes to protect their investment.

 

[murphaayyy]

If your looking to spend $3k on a box you can talk a dealer down to that on a new one that lists for $4k but if you want a used one they will last probably your whole life time even if you do abuse it. I have a snap on top chest from the 60s and its just needs to be repainted and I also fixed the lock on it. I have seen people on this forum with boxes from the 40s in decent condition too. Good luck!

hmm good to know. i am pretty much set on used though do to the initial depreciation hit. seems like the first owner takes a hugee hit, but the 2,3,4,5 owner will not take such a big hit, assuming the box is kept in good condition. realistically if the next box lasts me 25+ years id be happy. thanks for the good luck!

There's really not much to worry about in terms of warranty. About the only parts that can go bad are slides and the plastic strips for the "Lock-n-Roll". Slides will last a really, really long time if cared for properly. In general, if they do wear out, it's not supposed to be a warranty item anyway. Once in a while they will fail, and even if your Snap-on guy does not take care of you, you can just send them in to Snap-on. But you must call first, and you might not want to tell them you are not the original owner. Slides are about $70/pair, and the plastic strips are cheap.

I would not buy this box unless it is in excellent condition. There are plenty of these on the market, if the condition is not right; wait for one that is. I currently own a KRL box that is at least 15 years old, and it could pass for new. While you will certainly see some beat up boxes out there, there are plenty of techs that take great care of of their expensive boxes to protect their investment.

oh thanks for the tip. yea the warranty is starting to not mean so much to me the more i read. also i do keep good care of my tools to the point of my coworkers going 'oh man, murph cleaning his **** again.' lol, but i believe that is how it should be with anything and everything, take care of it and it will take care of you.

i do agree with you too on waiting for the right one, kinda like buying a used car. i saw a 3 bay snap on going for 2k but it looked beat in pictures and know the seconds thoughts already were no good.



I am kinda ocd when it comes to my things, would it be unreasonable to ask the guy to remove one of the bottom drawers? one thing im worried about is fluid that has been pooled up inside the box on the bottom with cancer waiting to show its head one day. is that really an over the top thing to ask for?

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

I'm pretty sure the slides are covered by the warranty.......just sayin'.....

 

[oneandgone]

^^^I thought so too. I know I'd be pissed if I needed one warrantied on the box I spent over $6000 on new and was told no. It would, without a doubt, be the last time I ever bought from my dealer. Speaking of which, here's a link to my KRL 1003B that I just repainted. It has BB slides, but I can't say if the earlier versions of this box do or not. I assume they do. Notice this one has 1 lock for all drawers, the earlier versions had one lock per bank of drawers.

I'd also like to add that I think a lot of guys move from one box to another because they want the newest, greatest thing. Example, I really like the drawer latches on the Epiq boxes and I like how there are more of the really large drawers. However, I felt that if I prettied my box back up I would fall in love all over again for a lot less money than getting a new box. I wouldn't be afraid to keep this box another dozen years and do it all over again.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=184292

 

[murphaayyy]

Interesting, thanks for telling me about the versions ill be sure to mention that. the one i saw is an earlier version. heres pic:

i liked your box restore thread. turned out great, brand new.

 

[oneandgone]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm still not finished, still trying to decide for sure what to do with the trim.

That box looks pretty clean in the pic. I think having three locks probably hurts the value a little, and I would definitely use it as a bargaining point with the seller. Less convenient than one lock, and 3 times the chance of having a lock fail. Still looks like a nice box though.

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

I have a KRL-1003B that I bought used for $1500. They're solid boxes and the KRL-1003 should be very similar with the only difference being the three locks.

If the box looks as good in person as it does in the picture I'd say it's worth $2,500.

 

[crewchief888]

the 1st set of big boxes i bought was a kr550/555b

in '85

i've only replaced 1 set of friction slides

i have SO boxes dated from '76 to '95

ZERO issues with any of them, friction or BB slides

 

[murphaayyy]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm still not finished, still trying to decide for sure what to do with the trim.

That box looks pretty clean in the pic. I think having three locks probably hurts the value a little, and I would definitely use it as a bargaining point with the seller. Less convenient than one lock, and 3 times the chance of having a lock fail. Still looks like a nice box though.

i liked the brushed idea the best. either way the all black looks pretty nice though, i like simple usually. how do you think that paint will hold up? did you etch primer?

i am definitely going to mention its an older version for bargaining purposes. also the fact that you see snap on boxes all over, the market right now for them isnt what it used to be i feel.

I have a KRL-1003B that I bought used for $1500. They're solid boxes and the KRL-1003 should be very similar with the only difference being the three locks.

If the box looks as good in person as it does in the picture I'd say it's worth $2,500.

yea im thinking 2500 will be what i stay with, all 20s so it looks nice. 2750 would be my final offer.

thank you for the input

the 1st set of big boxes i bought was a kr550/555b

in '85

i've only replaced 1 set of friction slides

i have SO boxes dated from '76 to '95

ZERO issues with any of them, friction or BB slides

man thats a lot of box, great picture. thank you for the words of confidence

 

[crewchief888]

man thats a lot of box, great picture. thank you for the words of confidence

heres the oldest '76 KR300E / '79 KR537A
and the newest '94 90th aniversary SO/HD