HF 56" or two HF 44" for custom bench

[Montosi82]

I'm joining the club and looking for opinions. I have an old craftsman that will also be integrated. I have room for either but for 700 plus tax I can get either the. 56 box or two 44's. Opinions wanted. Thanks

 

[j.stanton2009]

I would get the 44" ones, they have a ton of options for expansion. The 56" is great too.

 

[AV tinker er]

Two 44"ers. More room, great options for organization: one for sae one for metric; one for mechanic tools the other for wood working; see what I'm saying?

 

[LXCam]

I was on the fence just a year ago and went with just a single 56 because of the depth and how I wanted to organize my stuff. Now I kinda wish I had gone with the two 44's instead. Matter of fact I just got back from HF, went down to buy the 56" top box, wouldn't ya know it, they only had the floor model and wouldn't sell it the rat basturds.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

I like the 56 better, but I have two 44s on the back wall.

 

[Montosi82]

Thanks for the tips

 

[the spyder]

I'm buying a 56" later this month. For your project, it's honestly what ever fits your needs. I would probably use two 44" with a piece of Ikea butcher block as a top. Would look awesome IMO.

 

[nolimits76]

My vote is for (2) of the 44" boxes. If you haven't yet, go look at them in person. While the 56" unit is a monster, I didn't like the drawer configuration. Maybe it works for some, but the 44" fit my needs better.

My long term plan is to have (2) of the 44" boxes under a custom bench, and also to squeeze in my 26" unit in an adjoining bench that forms an L shape.

I picked up one of the 44" units this weekend....on sale for $349!

 

[OrneryDuck]

I'd go for two 44's, same price (maybe cheaper depending upon current sales) and offers more lateral storage. I'm not a huge fan of tall boxes as it is a pain to see inside the upper drawers, even at 6' tall.

I picked up a 44" this weekend and am already scheming to add another 44" in the future for similar purposes of an integrated workbench.

 

[WDEagle]

I debated this as well. I decided on 2 - 44s as they will fit inside 2 - 48" shelving units legs that I am purchasing. Tool boxes at bottom and shelving above.

 

[mrjaw14]

I have the 44", and I hate that it has only one full length drawer. makes it hard to keep like things together. The drawers are wider on the 56", so you could have one socket drawer, one wrench drawer, etc.

So if you just needs lots of drawers, go with two 44's. If you want longer drawers, go for the 56. what ever fits your tools organization strategy.

 

[Jack Olsen]

The depth of the 44 ended up bugging me. It left empty space behind the bench, which I felt was wasted. It's a great tool box, relative to its price. But the depth is its one (minor) shortcoming when it comes to used underneath a bench.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I just picked up two 44's. Store manager told me they're coming out with a 72" one soon.

 

[akdiesel]

The depth of the 44 ended up bugging me. It left empty space behind the bench, which I felt was wasted. It's a great tool box, relative to its price. But the depth is its one (minor) shortcoming when it comes to used underneath a bench.

This is exactly why I went with Lista / Vidmar. Not to discredit HF or similar boxes. They will work for a good price, they are just limited.

 

[Jack Olsen]

You and me both. Still, there's no beating the bang for the buck of the 44 inch box.

 

[mf44]

I just picked up two 44's. Store manager told me they're coming out with a 72" one soon.

Hmm, wonder if they're bringing back the 72" they had a few years ago. Was about $1200, I think?

 

[Montosi82]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I also will be doing an l shape bench. I'm leaning towards 2 44s but I like the idea of the depth of the 56. The 56 would make the bench a bit high I think. I'm working to get the wife's list done today and tommorow so I have next weekend to pull this together.

Any pics of this ikea butcher block top?

 

[nolimits76]

This is exactly why I went with Lista / Vidmar. Not to discredit HF or similar boxes. They will work for a good price, they are just limited.

You and me both. Still, there's no beating the bang for the buck of the 44 inch box.

It's super hard to beat the bang for the buck on the HF box. I agree...it bugs me to have wasted space, but if done properly it could be used as a place to hide cash, guns or maybe something more simple like lumber scraps, etc for future projects.

I haven't seen any Lista or Vidmar boxes that didn't cost 4-5x as much as the HF ones or I probably would have went that way myself.

 

[taumac]

I got 2 44's myself

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have neither but if I were incorporating them into a bench, I'd take two 44"s

 

[akdiesel]

Montosi82

Symetrically I would do two 44's with a seating area between them, but for tool storage options a 56" and the smaller 7 drawer side cabinet would work better giving you a total of 32,900 cubic inches versus 28,400 for two 44's.
I have a similar set up and I like the availability of having wide drawers for various tools.

 

[OrneryDuck]

I have to admit akdiesel, you make a compelling case!

I already acquired a 44" yesterday and am loving it so far. The lock was junk and broke within a minute but otherwise it is a nice piece. I'll likely add another 44" in the future if storage becomes an issue, unless something even-more suitable comes to market that will offer me a bit of diversity in storage options.