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Costco Excel Tool Box Reviews

3baysofplay

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Mar 25, 2008
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Has anyone bought one of the Excel toolboxes through costco? They look to be substantial weighing in at 491 lbs, with 21 bearing slide drawers. Listed for $959.99 including shipping online for the 42" chest.

I like the black idea so you don't get lots of greasy fingerprints like on their polished stainless steel ones.
 

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maximus96

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i'm waiting for the black csps 41" from costco to be in stock. i called a local costco and they told me they have it on order, but have on ETA. the cost is $589.99.
 

brrman

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I have looked at the Excel 42" and it looks substantial. I am thinking about picking it up - I don't want stainless, thats for sure. They have a 26" version on Costco.com for $519.00
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and a matching rolling cabinet for $559.00
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I think it all might make an awesome set.
 

nmk_61802

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I have a set of the Excel in all black from an online vendor, let me rephrase that I have a set coming to me again. The first set that I ordered the shippping company crushed the front of the boxes. From what I handled of them they seemed much nicer than my little Craftsmen set. The are very heavy and have double slides on all of the deep drawers and detent locks on the drawers.

I was told that they also have a PC finish, but on handling it seemed to be more of a baked enamel, but the black is a gloss finish and not a wrinkle (a big plus as I was going to go with HF until I found these).

I was also told that these are produced by the same company and to the same specs as the Craftsmen Pro line, although the Pros have a clam shell top and these do not, they look more like the next line down from the CM Pros.

Hopefully that is somewhat helpful, I will post more when they arrive, again.
 

Kevin54

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Check a Menards if you have one around. I bought my top and bottom (46") for around $700 for both. Not Excel but a MasterForce, which was pointed out to me is a Montezuma I believe. All bearing slides, powdercoated finish. Pretty nice for the coin :thumbup:
 

PoorOwner

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From what I have seen in the pictures of excel boxes, it is nice.. the weight is on par with the "good" boxes. The cheap craftsmans 41" weight 100lbs less. The excel has dual slides on any of the thicker drawers. As for damages this it can happen with any brand.. I am sure costco will take care of it.. but they really have no control over it, it is drop shipped though.

This particular one is powder coated.. from the costco information here

http://www.costco.com/images/content/misc/pdf/Excel International product facts.pdf

I havn't pulled the trigger on this one yet. I suspect they will have a sale eventually as not alot of people will order this, probably $100-$200 off, that would be a good deal to get it then. On Ebay it's always like $850 shipped for a black one and no tax.
 

PoorOwner

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to be honest the casters look a bit cheap like ones from HF bins but I never move my box at home so it doesn't matter. The drawers look like have plastic stops on the end and I am sure alot of people here will complain just because it's got plastic...
 

brrman

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I guess it all depends what you use the chest. I am going to buy this for my home garage. I work on my own vehicles and thats about it. I am not hard on my tools and they don't get used every single day.

For someone who lives by their equipment, I can understand how they would not want any plastic parts. However, people in that position should not dis the product just because it does not fit into their scenario.

To me the Excel feels a lot more robust that any Craftsman box I have looked at.

You can also find Excel tool chests here (a little pricier than Costco obviously)
http://www.toolboxesdirect.com/tool...487.cfm?source=overture&kwid=excel tool chest
 
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PoorOwner

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Brrman are you getting the 26" and the 41" roller cabinet in the pictures?

I suggest you wait a bit if you could, I feel they will do a promotion on these soon.
The prices on these now are not rock bottom and Costco knows this..

I gave patience on the trinity 27" stainless box for $700 few months ago, just ordered it yesterday for $150 off. $549 The vendor called me and made sure I undestand it's 27" because they had a customer return it because they thought it's the same as the 41" CSPS sold in stores!!

duh..
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Of course if they had the CSPS black 41" for $589 like maximus96 mentioned in my area, I think would definitely go buy that.
 

brrman

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Yeah, thanks PoorOwner. I am patient - I realize Costco sees these as stock that does not move quickly, so I think they may drop the price perhaps prior to fathers day.

I am indeed looking at the 26" chest + 51" rolling cabinet. I think it would be perfect in my garage. The CSPS is an attractive buy as well if I could find it in black.
 

markha

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Does anyone have an update to the Costco 41" Excel Tool Chest combo? Has anyone actually received one? If so, how do you like it? What things do you like and what things do you dislike?

I am really close to ordering this set, but I am having a really hard time finding any feedback from someone that has actually used one. I saw one about six months ago at my local Costco. Not sure why they had it. Maybe it was a return. At the time I did not realize it was an online only item or I would probably have bought it on the spot. It looked nice and well built, but because I was not buying right then, I only spent about 2 minutes looking at it.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
 

markha

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Does anyone have one of these? I pulled the trigger, but am now getting nervous.
 

PoorOwner

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Sorry Mark I don't think anyone has it, why don't you give us a review when it comes in. I ended up getting the Trinity stainless and I am quite happy with it.
I don't think you will have a problem with the excel though.
 
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FakeName

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markha

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Not sure the Torin is the same.

I am going to go through with the purchase. I will let everyone know what I find when it shows up. I know the company is only about 30 miles from my home, so hopefully it will not take too long to be delivered.
 

charlie_nj

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The Torin that they had is a completely different box. I got one of the last ones on closeout about a month ago for $489 at one of the local Costco's. It's a decent box, and the exact same thing does sell for about $2000 plus shipping from the Northern Tool catalog. I havent seen the stainless boxes at my local Costco's, just on their website. From all the reviews I've seen though, it's supposed to be a good box for the money.
 

Sparkland

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I just saw the Torin matte black 56" combo unit at my local Costco and that is one sweet tool box. The price was just as previously mentioned $699.

The width might be a little large for my space. Seems to be good quality and would certainly suit my needs.

The weight seems to be around 400 lbs for the top chest and 500 lbs for the bottom section. That compares to 250 lbs for the Craftsman 40" bottom chest that seemed too heavy to handle for my son and I. Guess we have to rent a truck from HD and find some unknowing volunteers.

I could buy more tools and never fill that thing up.

Brad
 
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ZRX61

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Torin are just CSPS boxes with a different badge. Pepboys sometimes have them.

Minimum order is a 20ft conex full, we could even order them with "Garage Journal" badges :)
 
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markha

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But are the Torin and CSPS the same as the Excel boxes on their web site. These are the boxes that the thread originally referred to and is what I ordered. At least in the very brief moment I had to look at the Excel box, it looked very nice. It seemed constructed a little better that the current stainless version at Cosco. Please don't take that the wrong way if you own or are looking at the stainless boxes. They are nice and I have no specifics to backup my feeling at this point. As I mentioned before, it was about a 2 minute look at the Excel box, because I was not buying and did not have time to look.

No word yet on my Excel box. My guess is that they are extra busy due to Christmas.
 

mkdive

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Torin are just CSPS boxes with a different badge. Pepboys sometimes have them.

Minimum order is a 20ft conex full, we could even order them with "Garage Journal" badges :)

Im in for one....a 56"er would be nice!
 

Sparkland

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I just saw the Torin matte black 56" combo unit at my local Costco and that is one sweet tool box. The price was just as previously mentioned $699.

The width might be a little large for my space. Seems to be good quality and would certainly suit my needs.

The weight seems to be around 400 lbs for the top chest and 500 lbs for the bottom section. That compares to 250 lbs for the Craftsman 40" bottom chest that seemed too heavy to handle for my son and I. Guess we have to rent a truck from HD and find some unknowing volunteers.

I could buy more tools and never fill that thing up.

Brad

I finally settled on the 41" matte black CSPS combo unit from Costco. The 56" Torin was sold when I went back to look today--but it was too large for my space anyway. The CSPS is not the best nor the worst, just seems mid-line. It will suit me fine for a cost of $499. Another Costco in town was selling them for $549, so I thought it was a good buy.

The CSPS weighs in at around 370 lbs. The sides of the drawers seem a little flimsy, but the unit is otherwise satisfactory.

Have a great Christmas, no I have to get some more Craftsman tools to fill it up with.

Brad:bounce:
 

markha

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My Excel 41" Chest and Box showed up today. The delivery was not as easy as some claimed, but that probably depends on the driver. The driver brought the pallet into my garage area but that was it. I saw somewhere that someone said that their driver waited for them to unpack it and took away some of the trash. Mine was not that nice, but he also did not drop it at the curb.

Everything was packed well and in good condition. I have a few photos. There are a few things that seem strange, but this maybe the way the CSPS boxes are also. Overall the box seems good, but here are the items that struck me as odd.

1. Like someone else mentioned about the CSPS boxes, the slides do have plastic stops on them. Maybe not an issue.

2. Lots of pop rivets. All the slides are installed on the drawers and on the box with pop rivets. Maybe no issue, could always be drilled out and replaced with screws if necessary. Just struck me as odd.

3. The hinge for the top box lid is held in place with pop rivets (see photo). This one seems very odd. Not sure why they don't just spot weld it in place.

4. The drawers with double slides are a little stiff to open. I think this is due to the double slides not being lined up perfectly. I am assuming this will improve as they loosen up. They are not bad, just not as smooth as others.

5. Nit pick... but bought a set and they came with two different keys.

Things that looked really good.

1. Powder coating. The drawers are completely powder coated. On the ones I took out, I could not find an area that was missing powder coating. The box its self looks good also. I tried to get a photo of the lower section where the powder coat looks like it might be a little light, but it looks pretty good.

2. The finish. I was concerned that the black finish was going to be a gloss based on the photos on Excel's web site. It's not. The black is a matte finish with the wrinkle gray drawers. My only concern is that the matte finish picks up every little piece of dust you get on it. Looks cool when clean though.

3. Caster. Large hard rubber casters that should be on every box. These are pretty nice. I will try to post more photos, but they have Zerk fittings to grease also.

4. Handles. The roller has inserts to install the handle on either side and is strong. The top box has handles on both sides (not flush though) and are strong. I did not have anyone to help me put the box on the roller and the wife said it was too heavy. I hooked the one handle to a hoist and lifted the other side by hand. No issue.

5. Pads and Inserts. The roller had a nice thick pad on it for the box to sit on. This was nice. All the drawers have liner inserts (some needed trimming), but the top of the box did not have anything. That was a little puzzling.

So... I guess overall pretty good for the price. I would like to see some responses as far as the things I found as odd. Are these the same on other boxes in the $500 - $1,000 range.

OK... now to start filling it. I already bought all new Hansen organizers for it. Interesting how as you grow older your addictions change. :lol:
 

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edboyles

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The exact drawer configuration and photos of your Excel box are the exact same (it appears) of the Harbor Freight US General box I brought home Saturday. Your description fits even with the cast iron casters with rubber outer and zerk fitting. With a 25% off coupon, the chest was $300 and the top box was $225 or $525 plus tax. normally the cheapest price is with a 15% coupon or around $580 plus tax. I do like your color better than the red at HF and your drawer panels are a nice add......

How does that compare to the price with shipping on the Excel set? If the shipping was included in the Excel price, it looks like you get a nicer looking box at HF prices......
 
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edboyles

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This morning I went to Sams, Costco, Menards, Lowes and Harbor Freight to check out the toolboxes. All use rivets for their slides and top hinge (I was not able to open the Boxes at Sams). To be honest, at sales prices all of these boxes represent good value when sales priced or discount % applied. It seemed like Kobalt at Lowes had the smoothest drawer action.

I have the 56" box Sams had about a year ago and am pleased with the smooth drawers and rolling ability. I do not like their current 56" offering (drawer configuration) but it boils down to personal preference. I also own the HF red series and it is great value for the $.

Bottom line is choose the drawer configuration you like in conjunction with color/appearance.
 

markha

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This morning I went to Sams, Costco, Menards, Lowes and Harbor Freight to check out the toolboxes. All use rivets for their slides and top hinge (I was not able to open the Boxes at Sams)... <snip>

That is interesting and good to know. I do like the box. Now I just need to figure out how to organize it. Anyone know what the tabs are for at the base of the Hansen socket organizers? Sorry... totally off topic.
 

TeaMan

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I'm guessing lots has changed since 2008, but I went to SAM's, Mendards, Lowe's, TSC and Sears last night to look at boxes. Sam's didn't have any in stock, but the rest did. TSC had the cheapest looking box by far, it was not sturdy at all. Next would have to be the Craftsman at Sears. It wasn't terrible, just not as sturdy in comparison. The next would be the Kobalt, which I'd have to agree with a previous post had a very smooth slide and was very sturdy looking. My best pick, and only my opinion was the MasterCraft at Menards. It was very sturdy looking, looked very well built, and had smooth slides. One of my tests is to open the drawer and push it from side to side. The Kobalt and MasterCraft moved the least, almost not at all. The think I liked best about the MasterCraft is the depth of drawers on the top box. It was the same depth as the lower cabinet, where the other brands were smaller.

All looked like they would work, except the one at TSC. It looked like you wouldn't be happy with it very long. Not sure about Sams, since I couldn't compare that one. They said they usually get them in around fathers day, so I'll have to go back to look before I buy one.

Costs were in the $350 to $550 range for the boxes I was looking at. Kobalt and Mastercraft both in the $550 range. This was for the upper and lower cabinets.

TeaMan
 

bigpasta

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When I saw that Excel 42" Tool Chest on costco.com (they still have it available) the first thing I thought was, "Wow - they're asking $950 for the same chest combo you can get at Harbor Freight for $650."

The black and silver looks cool, but not cool enough for me to pay $300 more.


-Bp
 

nonhog

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Yes, I have one very similar. It's a Torin that Northern carries for a LOT more money. I paid $699 for the top AND bottom box. I'm impressed with it's construction, my buddy less so, because he squashed his finger helping me unload the beast. Here's the link to the Northern item for just the top box alone:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200321999_200321999

I think it's a great box.

I have that box also. Heck of a time unloading it myself. I did it.
Not crazy about the big drawers I'd rather have more smaller. Oh well.
I'd consider 2 or 3 of the HF bottom boxes as bench supports if I were to do it again. All in all its a good box.
 
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