rockingthe2
Well-known member
As the title says, why are they so pricey? I've been looking for a while and found a few but they want $200 plus shipping? I would be happy at $150 shipped, $100 or so picked up!
are craftsman red/silver toolboxes always really expensive?
- Thread starter rockingthe2
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OP
rockingthe2
Well-known member
Patience?Which ones are you talking about specifically?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-197...440?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19f0b0f1a8
One like this I haven't seen a more beat up one which is pretty !much what I'm looking for, but every time I see one its crazy expensive.
FJ 432
Well-known member
Just keep looking. I found a stacking set for $100 and sold it for $200.00.
The red and silver are enjoying a kind of renaissance at the moment.
Not my favorite boxes....
The red and silver are enjoying a kind of renaissance at the moment.
Not my favorite boxes....
OP
rockingthe2
Well-known member
I actually don't have room for a set hah. I want a 4/6 drawer top chest only.
softailgarage
Well-known member
You want one raw or restored?
Bill Ramsey
Well-known member
I note that auction closed with no bids at the $200 opening price.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Brother in law just sold a 10 drawer top, un-restored for $50 at his yard sale. I wanted to kill him when he told me AFTER he sold it. Was a bit rusty but drawers, lock, lid were straight. He said he paid $25 for it from sears in the mid 60's.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
People think just because they are old, they are worth more. They go and slap vintage on it and wait. As far as I'm concern the best examples are worth about $150 and price drops from there. I recently got my Grandpa's 1963 combo. 10 drawer chest and 7 drawer roller. As far I'm concerned, these are some of the best made boxes ever. He worked 7 days a week out this box for 50 years and it is still going strong. In comparing it to my 1963 SO kr300, the craftsman is a better box.
crewchief888
Well-known member
Bill Ramsey
Well-known member
Off topic. You got off easy. The father-in-law did that to me a number of years ago, but it was an all-original '65 Mustang that just needed a new engine - I had told him many times that if he ever sold it, I wanted it. ******* sold it to a buddy for $800. And it was even in Okla State orange original paint.
It's a waiting game. They pop up on Craigs list and in estate sales. I found mine on Craigs list for $30. I cleaned it up, lubed the slides and put it to work. I haven't decided if a restore is in the future. I may just buff the rusty spots and give it a shot of clear.
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rockingthe2
Well-known member
Well, seeing as I complained about the price, I obviously found a good one. Not exactly what i am looking for but i cant pass it up. 10 drawer top, 5 drawer and large compartment rolling cabinet. Decent condition, $200 with tools. Everything else I can find is in the $800 mark without tools, plus shipping.
7th Kahuna
Well-known member
As has been noted, you just have to be patient. For a couple yeas I have been looking for an even earlier model, but only seeing newer ones. Then in March, out of the blue, I picked this one up, with a key, for $40. Craigslist.
A couple weeks later I saw one the next size smaller for $45 but it was gone before I could get to it. Finally a week ago I saw another in an advertisement for an estate sale. I have no idea how much they wanted. Point is after over two years of nothing, three in five months.
Good luck to you. And hey, if you see a great deal on a newer one, pick it up. You can always sell it when you find the one you want. In my case the top box replaced a small 1990's three drawer Craftsman toolbox. Sold that for a $20 profit, so net, I'm only $20 into the top box.
A couple weeks later I saw one the next size smaller for $45 but it was gone before I could get to it. Finally a week ago I saw another in an advertisement for an estate sale. I have no idea how much they wanted. Point is after over two years of nothing, three in five months.
Good luck to you. And hey, if you see a great deal on a newer one, pick it up. You can always sell it when you find the one you want. In my case the top box replaced a small 1990's three drawer Craftsman toolbox. Sold that for a $20 profit, so net, I'm only $20 into the top box.
OP
rockingthe2
Well-known member
Picked this up
<a href="http://s293.photobucket.com/user/VARockR17/media/00707_6XqpFiGbwTQ_600x450_zpsh0hkupmv.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm49/VARockR17/00707_6XqpFiGbwTQ_600x450_zpsh0hkupmv.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 00707_6XqpFiGbwTQ_600x450_zpsh0hkupmv.jpg"/></a>
Needs:
New casters (opinions?)
Craftsman logos
Deep cleaning
Lock and key
Want:
Pinstriping
Moar toolz!!!
<a href="http://s293.photobucket.com/user/VARockR17/media/00707_6XqpFiGbwTQ_600x450_zpsh0hkupmv.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm49/VARockR17/00707_6XqpFiGbwTQ_600x450_zpsh0hkupmv.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 00707_6XqpFiGbwTQ_600x450_zpsh0hkupmv.jpg"/></a>
Needs:
New casters (opinions?)
Craftsman logos
Deep cleaning
Lock and key
Want:
Pinstriping
Moar toolz!!!
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He's either mistaken about the original price or he got one helluva special deal at a time when Sears didn't have to discount things very much just to sell them.
List price for the 10-drawer chest in 1966 was $59.99. I can see them possibly having it on sale for $49.99 back then, but not for $25.
1966 catalog listing:
For comparison, here's a combo I got in the early '70s:
$145.00 for the two pieces. I've got the receipts. The 5-drawer roller cabinet was a Christmas present, and I bought the 6-drawer top box myself a few months later.
1966 price for the 2 individual pieces would have been $130.98, $14 less than in 1972.
Cato
Well-known member
Is the gauge really thicker than modern Craftsman boxes? Has anyone gone out and measured them?
bobcatdan
Well-known member
I don't know exact specs to how they compair to modern craftsman, but just by feel, they are built like tanks. My '63 is every bit as good as a comparable SO. I had a 26" 7 drawer SO roller for a while, the common one but I forget the model for a while. It was dated '79. Side by side, the craftsman was better.
Very nice, pretty quick 2 day turnaround. I assume you found it at a more resonable price? As for the casters, I'd start with a good clean and grease, then go from there.
Yes, but that is not the only factor, the sheet metal folds are different (what really adds strength). The slides are of a higher end design, the same that was used on Mac, Matco and Waterloo boxes back in the day.
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Nice find for $200!
OP
rockingthe2
Well-known member
I've been looking for months found pretty much what I want, in Tampa. I'm in MD so its a bit of a drive. The one I got was $200, but had tools so it works out. Caster is done, not coming back so I'm looking to replace all of them to match.
I can speak from experience on these boxes. I restored one in 2002 and was featured in the Craftsman Club magazine....
1) Yes, the prices come and go. Yes, be patient they are out there. That same style lasted up through circa 1977-1978 and then they changed to the red frame/charcoal drawer color scheme. The earlier lower rollaways most times had "cabinet drawer" style rollers on the bottom, later lower units were compound slide (still good, but the rollers are better).
2) I paid $75 for a 15 drawer (5 drawer with bulk storage lower/10 drawer top unit) as recent as earlier this year. I had a chance for the same basic unit for $40 in New Jersey, but the guy seemed a little shifty (wanted me to Paypal for it to hold it and it was listed on Craigslist....).
3) In 2003, while out for a walk, I found a 6 drawer unit from 1968 tossed out. I cleaned it up, fixed the bent drawer slide, rattle canned it and it's been in service since.
4) On the one I restored in 2002, I paid $50 for at a yard sale, top and bottom. I told the seller that the old Buick books in it were coming at the same price or no deal. He agreed and I flipped the books in one day, financing the toolbox and cleanup/resto).
They are out there, and I'm always on the hunt for them in the NYC/NJ area. The later 70's and mid 80's ones are good too, as long as they have the spring steel clips to hold the drawers in. Things started getting a little "thin" when they went to the lance style drawer retention system (where you push the flap on the drawer inward to bypass the lance on the drawer slide).
I'd put my old Craftsmans against anything out there...they are nice boxes.
1) Yes, the prices come and go. Yes, be patient they are out there. That same style lasted up through circa 1977-1978 and then they changed to the red frame/charcoal drawer color scheme. The earlier lower rollaways most times had "cabinet drawer" style rollers on the bottom, later lower units were compound slide (still good, but the rollers are better).
2) I paid $75 for a 15 drawer (5 drawer with bulk storage lower/10 drawer top unit) as recent as earlier this year. I had a chance for the same basic unit for $40 in New Jersey, but the guy seemed a little shifty (wanted me to Paypal for it to hold it and it was listed on Craigslist....).
3) In 2003, while out for a walk, I found a 6 drawer unit from 1968 tossed out. I cleaned it up, fixed the bent drawer slide, rattle canned it and it's been in service since.
4) On the one I restored in 2002, I paid $50 for at a yard sale, top and bottom. I told the seller that the old Buick books in it were coming at the same price or no deal. He agreed and I flipped the books in one day, financing the toolbox and cleanup/resto).
They are out there, and I'm always on the hunt for them in the NYC/NJ area. The later 70's and mid 80's ones are good too, as long as they have the spring steel clips to hold the drawers in. Things started getting a little "thin" when they went to the lance style drawer retention system (where you push the flap on the drawer inward to bypass the lance on the drawer slide).
I'd put my old Craftsmans against anything out there...they are nice boxes.
He's either mistaken about the original price or he got one helluva special deal at a time when Sears didn't have to discount things very much just to sell them.
List price for the 10-drawer chest in 1966 was $59.99. I can see them possibly having it on sale for $49.99 back then, but not for $25.
1966 catalog listing:
For comparison, here's a combo I got in the early '70s:
$145.00 for the two pieces. I've got the receipts. The 5-drawer roller cabinet was a Christmas present, and I bought the 6-drawer top box myself a few months later.
1966 price for the 2 individual pieces would have been $130.98, $14 less than in 1972.
---This makes sense as your lower is the same as my "$75 special" off of CL and mine had a chrome handle to pull it around and my top box has "luggage handles" held in with three screws over the formed handles you have there.
Waterloo (who of course made them for Sears) varied them over the years. The rare duck of these in this era is the Commercial Version which was the color scheme that would come out circa 1979. I have an original owner's guide I got off Ebay recently and it shows that unit as well as the "how to" of these old "basic units".
Here are some of mine as described above. The stickers are gone on the 15 drawer unit. I removed them just the other day
I've also got a few "modern" boxes, circa 1992 (used for NOS parts storage only), some 2004 middle 65120 Craftsmans I got on clearance brand new and a Husky (made in Canada) unit, as well as a JC Penney (made by Kennedy...actually saw it in a neighbor's garage, admired it, then I saw it thrown out after he died and I grabbed it), and some newer Craftsman (circa 2006).
In in all, enough to go wall to wall in a garage (or two)
.---What I've noticed between new and old:
1) The older ones are thicker metal.
2) The drawer retention system (metal clip) lasts for years and years.
3) The lower rollaways had rollers like your kitchen cabinets and roll as good as a box costing 3x more.
4) You can tell a pre-1985 box from the earlier years, because in '85 Sears typically went from "Sears Craftsman" on the box to just "Craftsman". That and of course, the date stamped into the box along with Made in USA.
5) Some parts (clips for drawers, slides, tote tray, etc) were still available from Waterloo in 2002 when I did the first one, I think they are. I actually had a machinist friend make the lock bars because Waterloo sent me newer ones which were wrong. They sent me the blueprint for the old lock bars, and the machinist smiled and said, "just a little while". He made nice duplicates that work great.
6) 1/4 turn cam locks replace the originals if you don't have the key, or guys on Ebay can rekey based on your original locks (if they are still there). I used Fort Locks (from True Value) on the one I did in 2002.
All in all, these are fun projects!