Buying aKolbalt tool chest read here first

[mudflap]

The frigidater on the kobalt is too small for beer, i know because my next door neighbor has one, they couldnt even get that right.... It holds just enough PBRs, so when you gotta go in the house to get more, the wife askes why you are half drunk, you gotta explain to her you are only half drunk because you ran out of beer.

 

[DekeT]

of course they would ... just like the kobalt


it's like I said in my first post.... justify the ****, bag the quality... go figure

So what do you suggest as an appropriate box for this use?

 

[mudflap]

So what do you suggest as an appropriate box for this use?

This will do it..... I have one of these at the shop to keep all my bigger tools locked in. 1/4in steel, its nuke-proof. LOL.....

 

[shoturtle]

We crane lift this knaack and jobox all the time, they are some heavy duty steel boxes.

 

[3dkustoms]

This will do it..... I have one of these at the shop to keep all my bigger tools locked in. 1/4in steel, its nuke-proof. LOL.....

That beast should handle any tool you toss in it..

 

[Roots]

In fact, I applaud the management at that company for buying a kobalt box for < $1000 knowing their employees would do that to it. They could have bought much more expensive boxes and they would look EXACTLY the same.

Please explain to me how a "heavy truck shop" can fill a seemingly 10x2x18 drawer to the point of it breaking. You could fill it up with lead weights and it would be fine. Thats just called abuse. Its a standard drawer. You can pack it full of large diameter sockets, or whatever you want. To get it so that it doesn't mount is just careless.

I take the opposite view, I'd be livid at any supervisor who orders a home owner grade box like that for a heavy commercial/industrial environment. A box in that condition needs to be taken out of the field, it's a major liability and safety issue, not to mention a productivity drain.

I have had a large Kobalt chest for perhaps 8 years now that's held up wonderfully, at home. I personally consider them quite a bit better than what Craftsmen labels. As I've had similar Craftsmen chests fail spectacularly in the same length of time; slide failures, metal flexing, etc. Yet I still wouldn't dare bring it too a heavy commercial or industrial facility, it's just a different environment, even if it's not for community storage.

As to overloading drawers. I've seen some pathetically low drawer capacities listed on homeowner grade storage that just a handful of industrial tools would easily overcome. I can easily see some industrial tools overcoming the capacity of a 10x2x18 homeowner/light commercial grade drawer.

 

[lennoxlennox]

In regards to how you view anything not made by SO, this describes you perfectly. "Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity."

Einstein... go through my posts... count how many times I mentioned SO. Let me help you ... ZERO

Maybe it's you, not me that has a hangup about SO

 

[NC-Fordguy]

My box is just a Husky (Made by Waterloo, Assembled in USA with US and global materials) but it has held up fine for what I use it for. The Hong-Kong Kobalt boxes scare me in the store. You know, the gimmick ones with the radio and mini-fridge in them? I would hate to see how they would hold up over time.

Id say this box has had a rough life, but being a cheap-azz chinese box doesnt help.

Gotta have somewhere to store the cold beer to drink before using power tools

 

[lennoxlennox]

So what do you suggest as an appropriate box for this use?

well if you haven't gathered from my posts, or the posts of others, i wouldn't show up to a gun fight with a knife


and contrary to some postings above, any (pick one manufacturers) professional tool box is designed to handle the weight, load and constant use a truck shop would throw at it.


This box is clearly the wrong box with a 99lb drawer load capacity... I mean seriously... 99 lb capacity? if the fridge and stereo didn't scream toy, then the shiny exterior should scream box for tool polishers only

The point being, there a scads of posts trumpeting **** like this as being on par with professional grade boxes and berating the "overpriced" "greedy" professional tool companies

This is a prime example of you get what you pay for and even pointing it out you get the howls of protest by people trying to justify it

it's like whatever... knock yourself out... buy this ****...

 

[pipsters]

A DIY homeowner grade tool box bought at a big box store isn't fit to be used in a heavy equipment shop?

Pretty sure that is common knowledge...

But on the same token there is really also no reason to buy a $5000 tool box when used in a home garage either. I've been using a "homeowner" grade Value series box and before that a Harbor Freight 42" special (required to be bought if you are a member here) and honestly they are really good for home owner use and cost 10% of a similarly sized SO box.

 

[lennoxlennox]

agree

 

[thejudges69]

Sorry but I don't believe this, I would have the know the circumstances as to how it ended up this way. The fact its a truck shop does not tell me jack squat, to me it looks like the typical mechanics using company supplied boxes, some.mechanics don't care because it isn't there's. They know if they destroy it the company will buy another one.

 

[Bullitt427]

I should take a pic of the Snap-On company owned cabinet at work. Looks worse than the Kobalt box.

Point being, if YOU own it you take care of it. If the COMPANY owns it nobody cares.

Josh

 

[Bikes&Bowties]

A friends farm that has full time shop work has the top box on a 3 bay maximized and it's the same age and holding up just as well as the MAC. The employees who use it don't abuse any of it and the drawers are all organized etc. It's no way a pro quality box but it can work and last well if used correctly in a pro enviroment. Just my two cents

 

[2oolhound]

If we had a HF here in Canada I'd own one or two of their 53" boxes after what I've read about them here. What I don't like about many of the new breed is how shallow their depth is. I've stopped and looked at a few in Office Depot err I mean Home Depot and other big box stores because they look nice but when you see how short the drawers are it puts me off. Many newbies and diy'ers don't benefit from advice from journeymen or other pros and may not be aware of what a storage disadvantage that is. Longer tools MUST go in side to side, they just don't fit any other way. You won't get anything longer than 15 or 16" in those narrow drawers period so the wider ones have to be dedicated to the long stuff in a sideways fashion. A squarer rectangular space is much more efficient for storage than a long narrow rectangle. A shallow box can tip over easier too. They probably make them like this because they can use a poorer grade steel and make it thinner than a box 20" or more in depth. They look the same in the flyers (where a lot of consumers make their buying decision) and really nice to the untrained eye but they are a different breed than the traditional boxes of yesteryear.

 

[5mall5nail5]

I should take a pic of the Snap-On company owned cabinet at work. Looks worse than the Kobalt box.

Josh

Do it!

 

[bobbar]

Simple idea. Take care of your stuff...
looks abused to me. Kobalt is not an industrial type box. Maybe they bought it because they know there employees dont care. A snap on or any other brand can be destroyed if abused....
i blame user error not kobalt

 

[Boost Creep]

i've got the same model as the beat up one pictured. i've had it for 3 or so years and its pretty filled up and still working great. still looks like new too.


that being said, i'd imagine if i was banging in and out of it all day as a pro it would be near the end of its life and if i were to try and use it in a heavy duty shop it would probably look like the one in the pictures. works fine for a weekend warrior. if i was a pro i'd be looking somewhere else

 

[mscribellito]

In my opinion any of the boxes at Sears, Lowes or Home Depot ***** now. You are better off getting a Homak from Northern Tool or a US General from Harbor Freight!

 

[BoostAddiction]

One word: Lista.

OTOH, It's clearly been abused.

But the Lista stuff I have is built strong, here in the USA, and each drawer is rated for 440 lbs.

 

[Brownsfan]

I use a 53" Kobalt everyday at my shop. I have had it for a year and have no issues other than for some reason it is a dust magnet. Ihave the one with the fridge and it is very convieniant to have a good amount of water for these hot days. They just replaced the fridge version with one that has 2 extra drawers. I would have rather had that one. It holds up to the every use put it through. I looked at all kinds of boxes and this one is a better quality than Craftsman, Huskey and dare I say it HF. I couldnot afford a Snap On or a Cornwell at the time I bought it, I know a manager at Lowes and got it for 1400 with 18months no interest