advice on large box

[4thhorseman]

i have finally chosen to quit buying more and more small tool chests.
its time to buy the big one... I have been looking at the matco MB4725DBB , a 57" rollaway, or similar snappy and mac models.
Anyone have any exp. with the following companys chests

Harbor F. stainless 41"(i could buy the top and bottom for under 1K)
Clarke CBB261BLB 56" rollaway
Waterloo Industries TRX5213 52" rollaway
International Tool Boxes CRN421011BL 42" combo

any other ideas are welcome.

thanks guys

 

[GearHead_1]

I don't have any experience with either the boxes you have listed or the ones I'm recommending (for lack of a better description). I saw that you mentioned a stainless box. I see that Craftsman now makes one and Sam's Club sells one that I thought looked pretty nice.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...es&vertical=TOOL&pid=009CH080000&tab=des#tabs

I believe if you were to post links would get you a few more responses with your post.

 

[4thhorseman]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91469
the harbor f stainless

http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2431&select
matco rollaways

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/ITB-CRN421011BL.html
international tool box

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/WAT-MG5612BU.html
waterloo

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/WAT-MG5612BU.html
clarke

 

[72Wagon]

I bought the 56 inch stainless from costco (900 bucks) , love it.

 

[4thhorseman]

Does it feel as solid as the nicer ones?
i have a lot of heavy tools, and I am a auto tech, so my boxes get used all day every day. i hate flimsy feeling slides.

 

[optikal]

I have a matco box like 2 bay you are talking about except mine is the 17 drawer 3 bay 4735 and I love it. It's a great box, you won't be dissappointed with a Matco rollaway.

 

[72Wagon]

Yes. roller slides. gas struts on lid, very heavy box.

 

[GearHead_1]

I am a auto tech, so my boxes get used all day every day.

I turned wrenches for many years too. Considering my stainless refrigerator I wonder if I would like a stainless box in an auto shop enviornment. Finger prints would be tough.

 

[4thhorseman]

eh.. that is true, however i always scape my boxes moving them around.(mine are painted not powdered) but i really think that my work tools and boxes are just that WORK, only the set at home stays waxed

 

[JeeperAz]

Matco premium boxes are wonderful. They are in my opinion, the best available.

Unfortunately, the one you mention is not a premium box.

Look for an MB7525. Each drawer of a premium box will easily support hundreds of lbs. Those costco and sams club boxes do not come close to the quality.

Buy used. Look at craigslist and ebay(sort results by closest first)... you will find a deal within a few months time.

 

[72Wagon]

Matco premium boxes are wonderful. They are in my opinion, the best available.

Unfortunately, the one you mention is not a premium box.

Look for an MB7525. Each drawer of a premium box will easily support hundreds of lbs. Those costco and sams club boxes do not come close to the quality.

Buy used. Look at craigslist and ebay(sort results by closest first)... you will find a deal within a few months time.

My Costco box is rated at 100 lbs per drawer and if I remember correctly it has over 20 drawers, thats a lot of tool storage for $900 . What is the cost of the Matco.

 

[4thhorseman]

lots.. the only one on their website right now is 5,360$. i have to wonder if it is that much nicer. 4400$ buys a lot of tools......

 

[Jared]

if costco is anything like it is up here, if the box breaks you can take it back to costco and they will give you your money back, so you mayaswell try it and if it doesn't hold up take it back.

 

[evildky]

just my two cents, but avoid any box that has more than one or 2 drawers shallower than 3 inches, I alwasy find myself wishing i had more deep drawers, alsi I wish i had longer drawers instead of teh 60/40 set up i got

 

[JeeperAz]

I paid $1500 for my MB7525.

Like I said, search for used Matco boxes. Try ebay at least once a week for local listings. Most people do not want to ship the boxes because they are so big... this limits the number of people who will bid on them and increases your chances. There are deals to be had, you just need to be look a little while.

For example, this is an amazing deal... http://tinyurl.com/o8whv

Look on craigslist or even the local paper (most mechanics arent on the internet)

I know not everyone can or even needs to spend a lot on tool boxes but there is a reason they are spendy.... and that is build quality. They will last a lifetime.

The minimum weight rating for a Matco drawer is 232lbs. The top drawer on mine is rated at 450lbs.

Snap-On boxes are nice too but you pay a premium for the name... even used.

 

[JeeperAz]

I paid $1500 for my MB7525.

Like I said, search for used Matco boxes. Try ebay at least once a week for local listings. Most people do not want to ship the boxes because they are so big... this limits the number of people who will bid on them and increases your chances. There are deals to be had, you just need to be look a little while.

For example, this is an amazing deal... http://tinyurl.com/o8whv

Look at this one... http://tinyurl.com/eqphu


Look on craigslist or even the local paper (most mechanics arent on the internet)

I know not everyone can or even needs to spend a lot on tool boxes but there is a reason they are spendy.... and that is build quality. They will last a lifetime.

The minimum weight rating for a Matco drawer is 232lbs. The top drawer on mine is rated at 450lbs.

Snap-On boxes are nice too but you pay a premium for the name... even used.

 

[chevy302dz]

just my two cents, but avoid any box that has more than one or 2 drawers shallower than 3 inches, I alwasy find myself wishing i had more deep drawers, alsi I wish i had longer drawers instead of teh 60/40 set up i got

Deep drawers are a waste of space after a couple of drawers, same with more that a couple of long drawers.

 

[evildky]

Deep drawers are a waste of space after a couple of drawers, same with more that a couple of long drawers.

I'm not suggesting a bunch of 6" or 8" dravers, but 3" and 4" drawers seem to be the most usefull