Anything new with mid-level home gamer toolboxes?
- Thread starter Armatron
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iamhomeless
Well-known member
US general boxes are still a pretty decent deal and should last pretty well as long as you don't abuse i
They look okay, but is there a non-HF brand out there that competes?
No, not really. Every time this comes up (and that's a lot), people bring up Craftsman and Husky, and someone points to the specs on how they actually use thinner steel and are not up to the USG quality.
Other than that, people bring up Extreme Tools, Gator Built, Tool Vault, etc along with some Homak boxes and and Tekton (Rousseau) etc. but now you're back in Icon range (or higher) and according to you, that's overkill.
Someone will also tell you to shop used which can work out well for some folks, but isn't for everyone in every situation.
So, like I said, no, not really. I would love to discover that's not the case.
Good luck!
iamhomeless
Well-known member
For the size, it's going to be really hard to beat US General or Icon.
For the same money as icon you can get a tekton which is a Rousseau Industrial box, that will last forever, but the drawer slide system does eat some space.
For in between the icon and the US general in price, you can get a Proto, which is the industrial line for Mac Tools. It won't slide quite as smooth as a truck box, but it was designed to get rolled around factories and foundries, so it should last a while in your garage.
If you ha e good eyes and like hunting for deals you can find a used truck box for a couple of grand, and if you are really lucky you can find a Rousseau, Lista, or Vidmar tool box or cabinet for craftsman money.
Some of the boxes at menarda and rural king can be had on sales that make then worth it, but craftsman, kobalt, and husky all cost way too much for what you get, they will look nice and big and will impress people, but the drawers are wobbly and they sizes and layouts are inconvenient.
Boogerman
Well-known member
I spent three days helping my brother shop for toolboxes for a new mechanical space (aka a garage door on the back of the barn), we narrowed it down to USG both for size and value for a dollar. He really wanted a Craftsman, til we looked at them. They were nothing like the 26" triple stack in his wood shop from 1986.
The night before we were gonna go get one he finds a clean used Homak stack (46" I believe, I didn't see it before I left) the only drawback I pointed out in the ad he showed me was the 19" depth.
He has implied that his new box is nice, but he should've got the USG.
The night before we were gonna go get one he finds a clean used Homak stack (46" I believe, I didn't see it before I left) the only drawback I pointed out in the ad he showed me was the 19" depth.
He has implied that his new box is nice, but he should've got the USG.
Damon L.
Well-known member
I was looking at getting a set of the Masterforce boxes a couple years back, but now the pricing is astronomical compared to US general.
Snapped-off
Well-known member
Masterforce has nearly doubled in price since I got my 36" top and bottom. No color selection anymore either. They are deeper now than they used to be though. I prefer them over USG because of the drawer latch setup.
CHI_Tool&Die
Well-known member
Yeah, the drawer latches are what always made the Masterforce and Homak RS lines so appealing but holy cow have those prices skyrocketed.
milkovich
Well-known member
Husky is about Yukon quality. USG on sale is really where it's at. Lots of dealers/suppliers want to get into storage but you're just making shipping companies rich by shipping metal boxes full of air. I think if people realized how much the cost of shipping plays on storage they'd be outraged.
There are tariffs on tool boxes right now AND 40' containers were going for 19K per trip and those costs are rolled into the current retail prices. The tariffs aren't gone yet but the price of shipping is back down so I would expect HF and HD to start running promotions on storage again for the holidays.
There are tariffs on tool boxes right now AND 40' containers were going for 19K per trip and those costs are rolled into the current retail prices. The tariffs aren't gone yet but the price of shipping is back down so I would expect HF and HD to start running promotions on storage again for the holidays.
56” USG is on sale. Sign up for their credit card and get another $85 off.
I have one because I decided the Icon was very nice but overkill for my needs and I wanted to put the difference towards tools. I’m very happy with my purchase and I’m thinking about getting a second one while they are on sale.
I have one because I decided the Icon was very nice but overkill for my needs and I wanted to put the difference towards tools. I’m very happy with my purchase and I’m thinking about getting a second one while they are on sale.
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Colin Len
Well-known member
Actually seeing and feeling them in person is huge. You can look at websites all day, compare specs...etc but nothing beats getting your hands on each. I've found most of the people hyping up the Husky options haven't actually cross shopped and felt for themselves how flimsy they feel compared to the USG.
I just recently bought a new USG box and went thru this same situation checking in on whether or not there were better options. There weren't. I'm very happy with the 56" USG I just brought home. Would have been hard to touch this quality and strength for 150-200% what I paid.
Alright..... Went with 56" USG in black.
Next up, any suggestions for storing drills/drivers/impacts, grinder/oscillating saw in that lower right drawer? I like the icon setup for this. I have a cabinet for charging already, but need a good place to store the tools themselves.
Next up, any suggestions for storing drills/drivers/impacts, grinder/oscillating saw in that lower right drawer? I like the icon setup for this. I have a cabinet for charging already, but need a good place to store the tools themselves.
iamhomeless
Well-known member
Depending on how man and what you need to mount HF might have you covered. They have a magnetic sidetrack for their service carts and you can always order the rack out of the icon power drawer.
sparky 1971
Well-known member
I love my 56" Masterforce that is sold by Menards. But if you're not near a Menards, it's a mute point. I used to know what company made them but have forgotten. Should be a fairly easy find though. It cost a little more than the USG, but is deeper and has a much better latch system.
I purchased that holder and love it. The instant accessibility is great. I wanted a drawer like the icon and hadn’t planned on hanging tools outside the box but being able to grab the tool without going into the box is nice.
Snapped-off
Well-known member
Montezuma
dnschmidt
Well-known member
On this one Harbor Freight IS THE ANSWER. Might not like that answer but that's the fact Jack.