Difference between Cman griplatch and regular ball bearing?

[philw]

I'm saving up to get a new 26/27 inch cab and noticed the Craftsman griplatch cabs are rated for a higher drawer load (70 lbs) than the standard ball bearing (50lbs).

What's the difference besides the obvious griplatch mechanism which wouldn't affect load ratings. Are the drawers any beefier than the regular ball bearing models? Different slides? I have casually glanced at them at Sears but didn't seem to notice any difference in the gauge thickness. The one thing I worry about with the Cman models is drawer sag.........anyone had any problems?

I was thinking about going with a Kennedy 378 8 drawer or a Snap-on 2007 but it's overkill for my garage. It's hard to justify the difference from the $450 range for an 8 drawer Cman to around $700 for the Kennedy and over that for the Snap on. I have a Kennedy cab now and it's great but need more room for overflow. Have been keeping an eye on Craigs list but it seems there are few deals on cabs in my area.

 

[Merkava_4]

I like that Kennedy 3900MP.

http://www.toolstoragewarehouse.com/kennedy3900mpmaintenancecartsmoothyellow.aspx

 

[philw]

I do also but unless you want to make a charitable contribution to my roller cab fund than I think it's off the list.

 

[Stuey]

As far as I can tell (I've looked carefully but w/o calipers or a micrometer) the drawers are identical. The slides are different since each grip-latch catches on receivers attached to the slides above.

The slide fixture points on the inside of the carcass might be beefier or more secure as well.

 

[billymade]

I think that once you go from the ball bearing to the grip latch you are going to a heavier duty line of box; it seems to me (at least when I play with them at the store) the boxes are made of heavier gage steel. The top boxes usually are deeper and there is quite a jump in price between the lines as well.

The top boxes in particular are deeper and cover the same depth as the bottom boxes. They are calling them "High performance, heavyduty units".
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00959518000P

 

[Stuey]

Only some grip latch boxes are different than the standard BB or Quiet Glide. For example, the one Billymade linked to has a reinforced top lid to make it a bit sturdier.

 

[nytehawk]

If I was starting again from scratch today with a new toolbox stack, I might consider a Kennedy or some of Costco's latest offerings. However, after significant investigation I purchased a Griplatch set about five years ago and have no regrets.

If you plan to keep your box for 3-5 years or more, I'd suggest going for the Griplatch if you can afford it.

Here's my setup:

 

[nytehawk]

One additional note:

I haven't had any problems with drawer sag yet, but my drawers are neatly organized and not crammed full of stuff. However, I did recently purchase six extra BB drawer slides from Sears and customized my bottom box so the three deepest drawers (two 4" and one 6") now have double slides.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Griplatch is really nice if you move your box around much. It's also easy to use. Personally, I prefer it over the Snap-On system.

 

[Hoot]

One additional note:

I haven't had any problems with drawer sag yet, but my drawers are neatly organized and not crammed full of stuff. However, I did recently purchase six extra BB drawer slides from Sears and customized my bottom box so the three deepest drawers (two 4" and one 6") now have double slides.

Can the Craftsman friction slides boxes be upgraded to ball bearing slides? Has anyone done it? The dual drawer slides are definitely interesting..... Are the boxes set up for this to be a "bolt on" mod, or is there welding involved? I'm not at home, so I can't pull mine apart to see ........

 

[philw]

How much did the extra BB slides cost? The cab I'm looking at is on sale now for $450 but that is only $50 off, so I would think that a sale like that is fairly common.

The model I am looking at looks like nytehawks but 8 drawers and a little taller instead of 6. I have a Kennedy 285 (5 drawer) int. chest which I'm going to stick on top of it. It current resides on my Kennedy (Kencraft) 283 3 drawer and 275 roll cab.

I lucked into a deal on the Kencraft-- it's supposed to be a medium duty but I think I have an oddball. I have ball bearing slides and it seems the same gauge as my standard Kennedy 285-- I know the drawers are because I was able to mic them.

The place I bought them from had them priced as standard Kencrafts and then had them on clearance so I ended paying a little over $300 for both the 283 and 275 together!! I'll never get that lucky again.

 

[PowderKeg]

Only differences I can see are the previously mentioned reinforced lid and drawer latches, slide hardware that is somewhat larger (apparently the 25lb load rating diff), and a tote tray in the top. There may also be a difference in the size/type of casters on the cabinets. There's only a 5 lb (and 21 cu.in.) diff between the 5 drawer BB chest I just bought and the identical sized Grip Latch chest w/ tote tray. The drawer and cabinet material and guage are the same. For me, not enough to justify the big price diff (at regular price), but my cabs don't get moved around. The Grip Latch chests appear to crush just as easily as the regular BB ones, courtesy of "Sears Best" warehouse handling

 

[Stuey]

I do NOT think that a chest with one type of slides can be refitted with better BB slides.

I took the drawers out of my Quiet Glide box once and tried to swap drawers with one of my identically sized BB drawers. It seems that the slides are fixed to different internal supports. This could also be that the two boxes were manufactured one year apart and have different "Craftsman" logos that suggest a different design generation.

So it could be possible, but I'd say unlikely.

 

[dps]

I have two each of BB and GL, and can't see a difference in anything. The GL out of the box are nicer to open and close because of the GL vs. the plastic retainers that the Ball Bearing chests use. Those require a good tug to get them open, and a solid push to get them closed, which makes the tools move around within. But I modded those chests by removing one of the two retainer pieces per drawer and trimming the remaining one. They are now much easier to open and close, but I don't roll the chests around, so don't know if the remaining trimmed retainer would hold the drawer closed.

 

[nytehawk]

My Griplatch chest was built with provisions for a drawer slide every 1" in order to accommodate the different drawer configurations that Craftsman offers. Also my 4" and 6" deep drawers already had provisions for double slides. So, all I had to do was order some drawer slides, pry off the GL tab, and install them onto the drawers and cabinet. No welding, cutting, drilling or other fabrication required.

NOTE: My GL toolbox set is now about 5 years old. During a recent visit to Sears, I was looking at a newer GL cabinet -- one of the stainless steel models, I believe -- and noticed that its deep drawers did not have provisions for the second slide like mine do. Make sure you verify both your cabinet and drawers have provisions for the additional slide before attempting this modification.

The drawer slides for my unit were Sears part # 27827 (left slide) and 27828 (right slide) for $13 each. I ordered 3 left slides and 3 right slides for my three drawers. Total cost: $78 + tax, shipping, & handling. I'll try to remember to take a photo and post it in this thread.

I don't own any regular BB (non GL) units, but I do have a Craftsman "work center" that has several friction slide drawers. I took a look and this unit definitely will not accept the GL slides (even if the GL tab is pried off like I did to install the secondary slides on my deep drawers).

 

[philw]

Thanks for the info!

I noticed on the Craftsman site that the black cab I was looking at is listed as available to ship only (not ship to store). I will have to call when I get ready to order and see if it's a website error. I have a hard time believing that they can ship to my residence at extra cost but can't ship to the store.

The color is not that big of a deal.....if the black is not available then I noticed the midnight blue is in stock at one of my local sears or I can have the red shipped to a store.

 

[nytehawk]

My Griplatch chest was built with provisions for a drawer slide every 1" in order to accommodate the different drawer configurations that Craftsman offers. Also my 4" and 6" deep drawers already had provisions for double slides. So, all I had to do was order some drawer slides, pry off the GL tab, and install them onto the drawers and cabinet. No welding, cutting, drilling or other fabrication required.

NOTE: My GL toolbox set is now about 5 years old. During a recent visit to Sears, I was looking at a newer GL cabinet -- one of the stainless steel models, I believe -- and noticed that its deep drawers did not have provisions for the second slide like mine do. Make sure you verify both your cabinet and drawers have provisions for the additional slide before attempting this modification.

The drawer slides for my unit were Sears part # 27827 (left slide) and 27828 (right slide) for $13 each. I ordered 3 left slides and 3 right slides for my three drawers. Total cost: $78 + tax, shipping, & handling. I'll try to remember to take a photo and post it in this thread.

I don't own any regular BB (non GL) units, but I do have a Craftsman "work center" that has several friction slide drawers. I took a look and this unit definitely will not accept the GL slides (even if the GL tab is pried off like I did to install the secondary slides on my deep drawers).

Here are a couple photos of my GL bottom box with additional drawer slides.

 

[dps]

My BB chest also has the holes punched for another set of slides.

 

[89MustangGX]

So, all I had to do was order some drawer slides, pry off the GL tab, and install them onto the drawers and cabinet. No welding, cutting, drilling or other fabrication required.

I checked and both of my GL boxes have provisions for the double slides on the big drawers. I may be interested in this. Can you elaborate more -- or maybe a step-by-step for someone who's never had a drawer out before?

Adam

 

[nytehawk]

I checked and both of my GL boxes have provisions for the double slides on the big drawers. I may be interested in this. Can you elaborate more -- or maybe a step-by-step for someone who's never had a drawer out before?

Adam

Sorry I didn't think to take any photos as I was installing mine or I would gladly provide them. Installing the second set of drawer slides is really quite easy. Here's a step-by-step description: (Be sure to read all of the following steps before starting.)

1) Order the appropriate drawer slides for your GL unit from Sears Parts. Note that the left and right side slides have different part numbers. The drawer slides for my unit were Sears part # 27827 (left slide) and 27828 (right slide) and cost $13 each when I purchased them earlier this year. You will need one left slide and one right slide for each drawer ($26 per drawer).

2) Upon receiving your new slides, note that each slide is actually a separable assembly of has two pieces: one piece that attaches to the cabinet (the "outside" piece) and one piece that attaches to the drawer (the "inside" piece). Separate the two pieces of each slide by gently pressing the black plastic tab as you pull them apart all the way (like opening the drawer all the way). NOTE: be sure to keep the two pieces of the left slide together and the two pieces of the right slide together so that you do not mix them up.

3) You will need to use an old straight blade screwdriver to carefully pry off the griplatch tab from the "outside" piece of each slide (the piece that attaches to the cabinet) -- both left and right. I found it useful to start with a smaller screwdriver first, then switch to a larger one to finish the job. The griplatch tab is attached to the slide like a staple (this will make more sense when you actually look at one in person) and with a bit of careful effort you will be able to pry them off without damaging the bearing race. Be sure to wear your safety glasses! After removal, you may discard the griplatch tabs as they are not needed.

4) Empty the drawer which is to receive the additional slides and remove it from your tool chest using the black plastic tabs identified in step 2 above. (See the owner's manual that came with your tool chest for more information on drawer removal if needed.)

5) Apply the "inside" piece of the left and right slides to the drawer. (See the instructions that came with the slides for more info if needed.) NOTE: before snapping them into place, double-check to make sure you have each one on the correct side and that it is right side up. (You could remove the slide from the drawer if you have to, but you may scratch the drawer in the process.) I found it helpful to turn the drawer upside-down on my workbench for this.

6) Apply the "outside" piece of the left and right slides to the cabinet by following the instructions that came with the slides as needed. NOTE: before snapping each "outside" piece of the slides into place, double-check to ensure you have them on the correct side and right-side-up, and that they are in the correct vertical location by matching them up with the "inside" pieces of the slides that you already installed on the drawer. (Again, they could be removed if necessary, but better to double-check first.)

7) Install the drawer back into the cabinet by pulling all four "outside" slides on the cabinet out to their full extent, then carefully lining up the four "inside" slides on the drawer and pushing the drawer fully closed. Open and close the drawer several times to verify that it operates smoothly and opens/closes fully. NOTE: You will notice that two ball-bearing slides do have more friction than one, so the empty drawer may not open and close as smoothly as it did with just one pair of slides. This will go away when you load up the drawer. You can also apply some Vaseline (the clear jelly stuff) to the bearing races in the slides to smooth things up a bit.

That's it! Other than prying off the griplatch tabs in step 3 above, this is exactly the same process you would follow to replaced a normal slide if it somehow became damaged. And other than the screwdriver(s) needed in step 3, no tools are necessary to accomplish this.

 

[89MustangGX]

Thanks.

I'm not having any issues but I might just give it a whirl for sake of having a little more metal in my box.

Adam

 

[nytehawk]

Thanks.

I'm not having any issues but I might just give it a whirl for sake of having a little more metal in my box.

Adam

Yeah, I wasn't having any issues either but it wasn't too much money and I thought it would be a fun upgrade for potential future capability and something to do before parts became obsolete or something like that.

 

[philw]

I checked the new Griplatch at Sears and it appears they have the holes to mount an extra set of slides in.

 

[nytehawk]

I checked the new Griplatch at Sears and it appears they have the holes to mount an extra set of slides in.

Yeah, I took a look at my local Sears last week. The regular Griplatch toolbox drawers do have the extra holes, but all of the Craftsman stainless steel toolboxes I've seen do not have the holes for extra slides. (Probably means someone else is making Craftsman's stainless boxes for them...)

 

[Ye Moderne Locksmitherie]

I went to Sears, looked at the boxes, and walked out, totalyl dissapointed.

Kudos for the concept of the GripLatch, none for the execution. 3 of the drawers on floor model jiggled open.

I was considering using them in my van.

Found a product with a tilting front that is an all-aluminum box, made in USA, heavy duty BB 140 lb plus rated drawers.

For home, the latching drawers will not be under a load, like in a van, so the Sears one might suffice.

MOST Craftsman boxes are USA made..... some are not.

Jeff

 

[nytehawk]

I went to Sears, looked at the boxes, and walked out, totalyl dissapointed.

Kudos for the concept of the GripLatch, none for the execution. 3 of the drawers on floor model jiggled open.

I was considering using them in my van.

Found a product with a tilting front that is an all-aluminum box, made in USA, heavy duty BB 140 lb plus rated drawers.

For home, the latching drawers will not be under a load, like in a van, so the Sears one might suffice.

MOST Craftsman boxes are USA made..... some are not.

Jeff

For what it's worth, I wouldn't recommend trusting anyone's (not even Snap-on's) drawer retention mechanism for a toolbox in a moving vehicle. The only safe solution there is to lock the drawers with the key lock. Craftsman's owner manuals say to lock the drawers with the key before moving the box, and I've noticed my employer's Snap-on dealer always has his boxes locked in his truck.

 

[MarkH]

Three things about the Griplatch.

The first one I got, I was thinking the slides were so rough why was I getting these. But the floor model had one drawer that was smooth, the loaded one. That has been the same for all of them, they got smoother as the drawers loaded instead of becoming harder to pull.

The Griplatch has always needed to be adjusted. Once we get the drawer loaded we bend the latch until it works right. After that no problems they engage easily and hold tight even pushing boxes around with Bobcats. Not sure about mobile. I usually like the box with the fold down lid even though quiet glide for that role.

The last thing it is also like a mouse on a computer, the first time you try one it feels strange and hard to operate. Griplatch was the same after years of just grabbing a handle and pulling a drawer open, remembering to swivel and pull took a few times and now like a computer mouse it is second nature.

For Craftsman boxes, Griplatch has become the main ones we get except for situations that need a cheap disposable option.

 

[PurdueSD]

Griplatch is very annoying. Trust me, i have a upper and lower box thats about 3-4 years old. Some of the drawers dont like to open. I have to pull up on the grip latch until rubs on the drawer above it and even then some of the drawers dont like to open. I guess i need to bend the tabs on some of drawers but havent ever got around to it. This will be my last craftman box.

 

[dps]

My first GL annoyed the hell out of me for the first couple days because I wasn't used to the slight upward lift. Now I prefer them for the gentle clicking shut. PurdueSD, it seems silly that you would fight a box for 3 or 4 years without taking 5-15 minutes to adjust it until it works perfectly. I think they're a great box for the money and offer a pretty wide range of sizes, configurations, and colors.

 

[Tool Pants]

This thread is 12 years old and that's about when I wanted to get the 40" black top and bottom grip latch. But I did not have the room in the home garage for another 40 inch. I remembered that owners back then were adding slides to the bottom deeper drawers (as the holes were there) or moving/swapping drawers around.

About a year ago I got rid of the washer and dryer in the garage to make room for another 40 inch just like I wanted years earlier. Found it on Craigslist. Made in 2004. But I did not have enough weight in the drawers to justify adding slides.

Then about 2 months ago I found the middle/intermediate single drawer (also on Craigslist). That drawer is 37" wide with 1 set of slides, but has the holes for a second set. That drawer deserves a second set of slides, compared to the others that are only 22" or 12" wide. Moreover, there is no stiffener under the 37" wide drawer.

Part numbers change. The grip latch design changed. Over the long run of this model, which was made by Waterloo for Sears. Plus Stanley not only bought the Craftsman name from Sears, but also bought Waterloo Industries about 3 years ago. Which is why you see Craftsman tool boxes at Lowes with the 706 Waterloo number.

So I contacted Waterloo (now owned by Stanley) to see what was still available. I obtained the part lists for all 3 boxes. There are 2 types of grip latch slides depending on when it was assembled. The slides have a tab/plate added to the top of the slide for the grip latch feature. Whichever version you have this what I will call the grip latch plate, and it needs to be removed when the slide is mounted in a lower position on the drawer. Otherwise the drawer can't close.

People long before me were buying the grip latch slides and prying the grip latch plate off the top of the slide. So I asked Waterloo if there were slides that did not have the plate, as it needed to be removed anyway when the slide is installed in a lower position. Waterloo came back with 4th picture - ball bearing slides without the grip latch plate. I though the slides without the grip latch plate would be cheaper but, instead, they were more expensive. So like others before me I bought the less expensive grip latch version of the slides from Waterloo and pried the grip latch plates off.

 

[mkdive]

This thread is 12 years old and that's about when I wanted to get the 40" black top and bottom grip latch. But I did not have the room in the home garage for another 40 inch. I remembered that owners back then were adding slides to the bottom deeper drawers (as the holes were there) or moving/swapping drawers.

About a year ago I got rid of the washer and dryer in the garage to make room for another 40 inch just like I wanted years earlier. Found it on Craigslist. Made in 2004. But I did not have enough weight in the drawers to justify adding slides.

Then about 2 months ago I found the middle/intermediate single drawer (also on Craigslist). That drawer is 37" wide with 1 set of slides, but has the holes for a second set. That drawer deserves a second set of slides, compared to the others that are only 22" or 12" wide.

Part numbers change. The grip latch design changed. Over the long run of this model, which was made by Waterloo for Sears. Plus Stanley not only bought the Craftsman name from Sears, but also bought Waterloo Industries about 3 years ago. Which is why you see Craftsman tool boxes at Lowes with the 706 Waterloo number.

I was very active on the forums back when this was posted (got an email about your post). You brought me back to GJ after 10y or more away (and thinking about it I remember some of your posts from back then)!......congrats on the box my friend! You ****

 

[DFB]

After reading some the complaints on grip latch actually glad I have just the regular ball bearing with the regular detent lock all these years

Though maybe I was missing out on something with that lift type handle but guess not.

Overall the Craftsman ball bearing drawer slides have been flawless for me over almost 25 years now I bought a 40" combo in the late 90's...

Some of my drawers are seriously fully loaded too with 3/4" drive stuff, triples on combo wrenches, puller sets, tap and die sets, drill bit indexes among other tools

 

[Steve_P]

I have four standard width grip-latch stacks that are 6 feet tall each. At the time they were very good for the $. For replacement slides, get the number off of it and search online. I haven't done that in a while, but the last time I did, there were plenty of exact matches, including on Amazon. I have all of mine way overloaded- and for a homeowner, no issues at all after ~10 years. I do not move them around. At the time the HF boxes were that horrible flat red wrinkle finish and there was no way I could stand that.

 

[unslow1]

I have the stainless version and really like the Griplatch. The only thing I don't like about the box is that some of the drawers are too shallow. I've never had a problem with the handles and I had each one open multiple times today. I'm trying to reorganize some toolboxes.

 

[Tool Pants]

Now it is 13 years old. So I did it again. Guy at a storage unit had the matching side locker and one drawer middle (would be my second) that I wanted. I did not want or have room for another top and bottom. But an offer was made that I could not refuse. So I bought all 4.

When I added slides to the one drawer middle last year it made a difference. The seller even told me that he didn't like the wide one drawer middle because it rocked. But I had extra slides that I bought the year before that I never used. So I knew how to fix. And added a second pair of slides.