Angelfire - Yes!! Thank you!
motormitch - thank you! I'm feeling pretty awesome already!
Your comments have made me realize I should come up with criteria:
1) will it be big enough to hold his tools (the important tools first)
2) does it function well
3) will i get my money's worth
4) does it look good
I had to stick number 4 in there since I'm in the field of design and am a bit particular about what items I purchase for our house. If you had to do it all over again, would you still buy the snap on and the husky? What cool tool did you have in mind? And P.S. I think you have a cool wife because you seem pretty cool as well! Were you the lucky recipient of the miller welder?
Jessica,
Here are some of my responses and remember, my advice is worth exactly what you are paying fo rit
Just opinions....
1) will it be big enough to hold his tools (the important tools first)
Very, very important and glad to see you think of that. A lot of tool boxes have a combination of shallow and deep drawers and that is a good thing and most have a depth of 18" or 22". If I only had one box, I would want the 22" assuming the space I was using it could hold it. Also, I would want it as long as I could get it again accommodating any space restraints. I have been seriously considering the 56" Harbor Freight rather than the 44", but I would be happy with the 44" if space or budget were a little tight. The 56" has 22" drawers and 44" has 18". Here is the way I think about size. If you need a bigger drawer, you can't add it, but if the drawer is bigger than you need, you will eventually fill it. If possible, go big.
http://www.harborfreight.com/56-inch-11-drawer-industrial-roller-cabinet-67681.html
2) does it function well
The Harbor Freight box will absolutely function well, but a Snap on or similar high end box will feel better. What I mean is the HF box will open and close just fine and smoothly, but when you open and close a high end brand box, you will feel heavier drawers and smoother sliding. If you open and close the drawers on my old Husky, it doesn't even have bearings so it feels flimsy and will even stick with a heavy load. I hate it and only have because it was the first box I ever bought after being married and can't seem to throw it away or donate it. The HF box is much better than the Husky and has bearings. They say you get what you pay for and with roller cabinet boxes it is true, but not to scale. My snap on box sells new for around 13K and I would not pay that for it. I bought it lightly used for 5K and frankly only did that because I was building my dream shop and thought it would be cool to have a Snap on box. The difference in "value" between a HF 56" and a Snap on similar size is not worth it for a home user unless brand matters. Snap on is truly made for professionals who use and abuse it all day long, day after day.
Summary:
Husky, Sears, Kolbalt - NO
Harbor Freight - US General larger Red boxes (not smaller gray) - Yes, great value for the money
Snap on, Matco, other higher end - Yes, if money is not an issue and brand matters
3) will i get my money's worth
Harbor Freight - Yes
Higher box boxes - Yes, but it measured with a lot of value on personal opinion depending on importance of brand.
4) does it look good
With Harbor Freight you only get one choice. Bright Red (which I personally love and even painted the inside of the man cave part of my shop with a big white racing strip around the room) More color choices in the higher end brand boxes. I recommend Red or Black. Yellow just shows grease and dirt too much for my tastes.
I had to stick number 4 in there since I'm in the field of design and am a bit particular about what items I purchase for our house. If you had to do it all over again, would you still buy the snap on and the husky?
Snap on yes if used, no if new and the Husky no.
What cool tool did you have in mind?
Wow, whole other thread possible on that question. It's so opinionated it is almost political. Generally, a cool tool is something you wish you had, but can't really seem to justify buying. My wife got me a borescope for Xmas because she knew I thought it would be so cool to look inside engines or tight places around the car with a camera on a cable, but I wouldn't buy it because I knew I wouldn't truly need it more than a few times a year. Strangely enough, I have used it a lot and my friends borrow it often but if I am honest, I could have gotten by without it. Borescope is good one. Mine is also wireless for display and record video on a SD card. AWESOME!
And P.S. I think you have a cool wife because you seem pretty cool as well!
I am cool, just ask me anytime
Short summary for wife. Her first car was a 455 Tran-am and she has owned 3 vettes since marrying me and she actually let me drive one, once. She is a car chick. She once tried to push my old Harley into the garage because it was outside for detailing, it was going to rain and she had sent me to the store on an errand. It started to fall over and rather than let it hit the ground, she got under it and let it lay on her until I got home. Foot peg marks marks, bruises and covered in gas. I bought the engagement ring later that month. No lie. She just let me build my dream garage to house and work on the 8 old cars she has patiently watched me acquire over the years and slowly destroy the driveway with as well. Did I mention she was, is and always will be HOT!
Were you the lucky recipient of the miller welder? Nope, but the borescope is pretty bad ***.
Keep us posted! I'm watching this thread with interest.....
