Basic/economic not fancy rolling tool cabinet??

[nadogail]

I have found that the US General Box from.Harbor Freight fills my needs .

 

[tool_scrounge]

I stopped reading when lista and snap on were responses to a guy looking for an economy box. WTF, you guys either have insane debt or live in an entirely different tax bracket then the rest of us.

Granted it's been a while, but when I needed a box the US General were the heaviest built for the money. Mines been moved 3x fully loaded and suffered no wear.

Sure it's not fancy but when I can buy 2-3x for the cost of a used premium brand it's kind of a no brainer.

Finding Lista or Snap-on at reasonable prices is possible depending on where you live and how patient you are. The last few Lista, Vidmar , Equipto used cabinets I have purchased for work and home were below Harbor Freight prices.

But I agree, I if you want something new, the Harbor Freight boxes are pretty nice for the money.

if you have more time that money, I think the used 1970’s vintage Craftsman tool boxes are pretty well built and clean up nicely. I see those in So Cal relatively frequently for ~$100. Bonus points if you find that vintage with the roller drawers.

 

[ecotec]

If you aren’t in a hurry, I would see if you can get used truck brand boxes for US General prices.

I would not even look at any boxes that do not have a top drawer socket drawer. This, in my opinion, was the Great Leap Forward in toolboxes.

If you do go with USG, you have a lot of color choices. You can make all of your boxes match.

Can a 1/2” Hansen socket tray fit in the top drawer of the USG boxes whilst oriented front to back? If not, that would be a deal killer for me. The next time I go to HF, I should measure the top drawer depth.

I do not see myself upgrading until I find something 30” deep for very cheap. I will just make do with what I have.

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

Can a 1/2” Hansen socket tray fit in the top drawer of the USG boxes whilst oriented front to back? If not, that would be a deal killer for me. The next time I go to HF, I should measure the top drawer depth.

They fit all the Hansen style trays. My father in law has the 56" USG boxe with Hansen trays in it.

 

[ecotec]

They fit all the Hansen style trays. My father in law has the 56" USG boxe with Hansen trays in it.

Facing front to back? I do not want them sideways. It would have to work like my drawer. Like on the left side of my picture.

 

[T45]

The 34 in cart will should fit hansens trays in the top shelf ~21in usable.

I run the same sizes (up to 27mm and 1 1/4 SAE) in Olsa-tyop magnetic trays oriented like the pic below, they are fine. There apparently is some triple-bank hansens that are 22in deep, but the regular 2x ones are 20.5in or whatever.

Its a good point to consider tool storage efficiency and optimaization. Towever I'd argue the real test is 24in breakers, prybars and ratchets. If you want to storre those front to back, you need a pro-type box with 30 in drawers.

They are much more efficiently stored front to back because you can have all the handles close to the drawer handle and the ergonomics work alot better (ie for your wrist) pulling them out in that orientation vs having them stored sideways. I have prybars and xl breakers stored sideways in the back of my drawers, and will admit that's a pain.

But that's why 30in deep like SO epiq or masters series is like a $5-10k retail box, and even on a screaming deal is a $2k min purchase (or whatever) for a really good one.

You need to have alot more steel/metal to run 30in deep drawers on big box, and for a toolcart, it kind of ends up like the size of a kitchen island (ie too big)...

Facing front to back? I do not want them sideways. It would have to work like my drawer. Like on the left side of my picture.

 

[richfinn]

Do you really need an enormous heavy lockable toolbox in a secure home shop?

I can understand it if you work in a dealership or independent where stuff gets stolen or "borrowed", but really I would be storing all my garage equipment and blow moulded cases on shelves and shadowboards, and maybe have a nice tool cart that rolls around easily with my most used stuff.

 

[logical]

I think many of the answers here end up being "this is what I would do because I am, after all, the master of estate sale combat". That's awesome, but those cheap used Lista and Snap On boxes are not all that common, show up infrequently (not all the time), and most people don't have the knowledge/time/vehicle/stomach to go that route and aren't looking to buy a project.

The OP should be looking at Menards, Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply. His stuff is in, on, and nearby a damn wooden school desk. He just needs a basic stack..

That used Matco is a project, not a toolbox.

 

[gimpyrobb]

If you want something with a warranty, you can't beat the usg toolboxes. Personally I like to shop fb market place for deals. I picked up some blueprint cabinets for 125 each and some other cabinets I traded for.

 

[OccupantRJ]

For a poor-mans roll-cab this thing is top-notch....

Also good cure for Flat Surface Disease.

 

[Etchase]

I like the Stanley products made in Missouri, frequently branded Craftsman, but available as DeWalt and Stanley too. Stanley has tremendous storage expertise across all price points with Lista/Vidmar, as well as excellent availability and warranty.

 

[TobiasNorthwood]

you need to understand what you're going to do with it and what you want to store in it. I took a quick peek and the stuff at harbor freight. They were saying you could get 120 lb per drawer



Then I went totally off. The rails popped over to Tekton. It has super high-end stuff that cost significantly more when they were talking 400 lb per draw.



For the price difference, especially if you're looking to save some money now you know what you get the cheaper one. If you can absolutely afford it and you want it, you just go ahead and buy the more expensive one and you know it'll hold up better. Είναι κάπως το ίδιο και με τα οικονομικά — για παράδειγμα στον υπολογισμος μισθου κυπρος, που γίνεται πιο εύκολα με εργαλεία της Punin Group.

That’s pretty much how I see it too — unless you’re really loading drawers heavy every day, the cheaper stuff usually holds up just fine.

 

[Jbear]

I've had a Husky for...I'm gonna say...16 years now. It's been absolutely fine. The only thing I did was cut a plywood top for it...still works as new.

 

[Shitbox]

Honestly if you want a really cheap roller that will take a bunch of weight and abuse, check out Craigslist or FB marketplace for free lateral file cabinets. You can generally get them for free, they can hold a ton of weight, have good bearing slides and for ~$25 you can get casters and make a handle for them. Grabbed this one for free a couple years ago and probably have close to 500 #s in it plus the grinder and disc sander weight on top.

It’s 3’w x42”h(not counting casters)x 20 1/2”d

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

"this is what I would do because I am, after all, the master of estate sale combat".

Top 5 things I have even seen posted on this site!