To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Let's see your toolbox.

To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Greg85mcss

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
760
Location
Frederick MD
Random question: if you're a new tech just starting out and looking for a box, would it be better to buy used, or buy a new one like a Lista?


I would start with a decent cart & feel out what you need. I have the hf 5 drawer & can do most jobs without going to my big box. Wait until you can get the forever box. Many of us have bought a 40-52" x 18" & needed to upgrade in a year or so. Also when you're starting out you're usually helping someone else on bigger jobs & they'll have the specialty tools.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Rosso

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
454
Location
Scotland, UK
Decided i need some more space, so bought a new 40" roll cab.

Made the wooden top myself.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3647.jpg
    IMG_3647.jpg
    144.1 KB · Views: 376

dogzbody1

Well-known member
Joined
May 2, 2015
Messages
152
Location
Long Island, NY
I ordered an aluminum treadplate top for the SO box I recently collected off of Craigslist. I ordered it from Online Metals and the cost delivered was about the same as a new rubber mat from snap on.

Now I need some treadplate switch plates and outlet covers!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0124.JPG
    IMG_0124.JPG
    107.9 KB · Views: 296

dj spanners

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 20, 2010
Messages
105
Location
uk
I ordered an aluminum treadplate top for the SO box I recently collected off of Craigslist. I ordered it from Online Metals and the cost delivered was about the same as a new rubber mat from snap on.

Now I need some treadplate switch plates and outlet covers!


never thought of tread plate for the top, good idea, looks great that does;)
 

Gearheadwilly

New member
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Messages
2
I cut a section out of a stainless steel restaurant table at a scrap yard and polished it for the top of my KRL 1001.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20160222_165215767.jpg
    IMG_20160222_165215767.jpg
    147.9 KB · Views: 306

jz43

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2015
Messages
22
Location
Killeen, Texas
I ordered an aluminum treadplate top for the SO box I recently collected off of Craigslist. I ordered it from Online Metals and the cost delivered was about the same as a new rubber mat from snap on.

Now I need some treadplate switch plates and outlet covers!

Looks nice!
 

Rosso

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
454
Location
Scotland, UK
Nice!
The top looks nice and hefty, did you sandwich some 3/4 ply or make it out of butcher0block?

You won't believe this but the top is from IKEA....!

I bought it around 10 years ago, it was on clearance for next to nothing. It's a kitchen worktop made of ply. 2 inches thick. It was too big so I trimmed it down to match the curves of the box etc, fitted some mounting gear so its solidly bolted to the top of the box. Then gave it some teak oil and it was done.
 

trxrx7

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
65
ignore the fake brembo brake calipers on the wheels, co worker put them on there from a riced out customer vehicle. planning on getting a bigger box in the near future since its full as well is my cart.View media item 58548
 

mjoekingz28

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2011
Messages
717
Location
Mississippi
Ryanbabz71,

How are those waffle weave? Do they dry, polish or do something better than the regulars?

I have one drawer in my Craftsman cabinet for towels and a wooden cabinet inside the house for 'the keep' of new items 'n stuff.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

ClrkLndeKmt'su

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
179
Location
Dayton, TN
I've been away a while. Changed some things up. Unfortunately, this van seems to be shrinking and now I've gotten sucked into working on front end loaders. Fun times. Will upload pics of the inside if interested.
 

Attachments

  • 20160228_192349.jpg
    20160228_192349.jpg
    148.7 KB · Views: 281
  • 20160228_192440.jpg
    20160228_192440.jpg
    134.4 KB · Views: 247

CoogarXR

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
6,844
Location
Ohio
So I bought the Harbor Freight box that nobody seems to talk about. The 27" 11-Drawer unit. "But you could have got the nicer, bigger one for $3XX!" I know. I wanted this one because, for one, it was only $159, and for two, I wanted a shallow-depth box to fit in a specific spot. This is just for an occasional-use home shop.

My review is this:
It seems to be a nice box for the price. Sure, it doesn't have the ball-bearing slides, and the metal is a little thin compared to the more expensive boxes, but for what I need it for, it fits the bill. The only problem I had is with the large drawer in the middle box. I loaded most of my socket collection into it, and the drawer slide would catch. I had to rearrange it so the load was evenly distributed in the drawer. I normally have all the large sockets on the left. This made the left side much heavier and the left slide would stick. So I staggered the rows of sockets with some of the large ones on the left, some on the right, etc. It holds them all just fine with that small adjustment. So if you buy this box, it can handle heavy drawer loads as long as you load them evenly.

I thought that it was a nice touch that the drawers came with liners too.

I think it's a great box so far. I am upgrading from the smaller Stanley box on the right. It was a Wal-Mart special from about 10-15 years ago. It also is kinda thin, and doesn't have ball-bearing slides. But I figure it has served me well for all these years without all the bells and whistles, so another box of the same type should serve my needs just as well. There is nothing wrong with the Stanley, I just needed more space. So I bought this HF box to park next to it.

And since this is a tool forum, I threw in a pic of my Hitachi 10.8v impacts that I used to assemble it. The WH10DFL impact for the side handle and casters, and the WH10DCL right-angle impact for the drawer handles. I love the hitachi 10.8v tools and I will brag them up any time I can, LOL!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20160227_151145.jpg
    IMG_20160227_151145.jpg
    136.3 KB · Views: 202
  • IMG_20160227_151152.jpg
    IMG_20160227_151152.jpg
    139.4 KB · Views: 194
  • IMG_20160227_191634.jpg
    IMG_20160227_191634.jpg
    146.3 KB · Views: 235
  • IMG_20160227_151226.jpg
    IMG_20160227_151226.jpg
    140.5 KB · Views: 211
  • IMG_20160227_151137.jpg
    IMG_20160227_151137.jpg
    136.3 KB · Views: 229
  • IMG_20160227_141056.jpg
    IMG_20160227_141056.jpg
    138 KB · Views: 178
Last edited:

MagnumForce

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
Messages
1,392
Location
Ohio
Glad you like the box, but know I haven't seen one last more than six months in the plant. They fall apart.
 

Outlawmws

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Messages
39,089
Location
The Badlands
It may not be too productive to the OP, but that Q and his response to the OP's question back may help others avoid that box.

Making an assumption here, but if that is the same brown wrinkle paint finish box they were selling about 2 years ago, I wouldn't trust it to store shop rags.

About that timeframe, I walked over to Sears to "review" what the show room boxes were like. Then I walked over to HF to look at their suite.

The best box of all IMO was the HF 44. The things I didn't like were it's only 18" deep, and it's chicom made. The best made box at Sears wasn't even a Craftsman, it was some off brand (Gladiator?) made by Whirlpool IIR, and that wasn't as good as the 44.

All the other boxes had thin materials for the drawers, and would collapse with the tools I would put in them. That brown wrinkle finish box was the absolute worst of the bunch. Even staying within the (very low) drawer max weight capacity, if you happened to slam it shut with that weight in it, it would be catastrophic.

Possibly HR has improved the game for that box, but I doubt it at that price point. If they had the price would also have risen.

I wish the OP had asked here before buying, he would have gotten much better alternatives given him.
 

CoogarXR

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
6,844
Location
Ohio
Well, if it ends up being junk, then I'll call that a lesson learned. But like I said, I have had my little Stanley wal-mart wonder for probably 15 years. I'm not real hard on my shop boxes.

I searched and didn't really find anything negative about the HF box other than people saying it was damaged in transit (dented in the shipping carton, ect).

That's why I posted it up, to get some examples of actual ownership of that model out there. I'll report back after using it for a bit, how it's holding up.
 

toolferone

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2016
Messages
93
Location
Raleigh, NC
I bought the Craftsman bottom 1st as a discontinued model number at Sears for $160, the Craftsman top from a Snap-On guy who took it on trade, $150 for it. Bought the Kennedy top and bottom at a pawn shop full of tools for $450. Don't remember what I paid for the 2 Kennedy middle boxes. Bought the 1 at a time. I had to make a plywood spacer to get them to mount together. Paid $75.00 each for the 2 parts drawer boxes on the left, from a sheet metal fab shop going out of business.



 

MagnumForce

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
Messages
1,392
Location
Ohio
Well, if it ends up being junk, then I'll call that a lesson learned. But like I said, I have had my little Stanley wal-mart wonder for probably 15 years. I'm not real hard on my shop boxes.

I searched and didn't really find anything negative about the HF box other than people saying it was damaged in transit (dented in the shipping carton, ect).

That's why I posted it up, to get some examples of actual ownership of that model out there. I'll report back after using it for a bit, how it's holding up.
Do you use it daily? It may hold up at home but I know they don't hold up with day to day use here at the plant.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
 

Outlawmws

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 9, 2011
Messages
39,089
Location
The Badlands
It's not just daily use that can kill them: The metal is VERY thin and the parts are all spot welded together; in thicker materials it will hold (most of the time - I have had to spot weld box drawers back together several times to restore vintage boxes).

With the thin material the spot welds won't take any significant shock to fail as while the spot weld holds the parts together, it also provides a ready made stress riser, and the metal fractures at that point around the periphery of the spot weld. A few impact shocks under a load (heavy load in a drawer, and slamming it shut is the usual scenario) and the parts pop apart leaving a hole on one side...

IF you treat it with kid gloves, and GENTLY open and (especially) close the drawers, it will last longer, but sometimes the load alone is enough. So check the box out for this box (if they bothered to tell you); what is the drawer's weight rating? Those Craftsman boxes I was looking at were rated for 25 lbs.... A Lista is rated at 400 per drawer... (SO is also way up there I can't remember if its 400 or not though) My socket drawer probably has 100 lbs or more in it. So you can guess how long that would last for me...

My old Craftsman 10 drawer top from the 70s was so heavy two strong men could not pick it up. I had to remove the two bottom drawers to budge it, then reload them after it was in the truck to go to the races. I later replaced that box with a Kennedy 6 drawer + a 2 drawer mid for the track so I cold move them separately.
 

mjoekingz28

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2011
Messages
717
Location
Mississippi
Outlawmws,

Do you use a jeweler's microscope to judge furgazies?


It is something that you could put a tool truck box and a total knock off side by side and look closely to tell the difference.


I wonder how the jewelers can tell a diamond from a cubic zirconium or 14ct gold from the .999 kind.
 

Timmeh90

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
48
Location
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
May as well post this. 72" x 30" Montezuma with raise and release drawers. Want to drawer pics once I have kinda figured out a layout I like.

Finally upgrading from my 56" Mastercraft. This box is massive. Swallowed everything in my 56" roll away + 26" top chest. The 30" (27.5" actually) deep drawers are really quite nice. Finally able to lay tools out square, not diagonal due to lack of depth. Had a 1/8" steel top made to go over the supplied mdf top. I work on the box, so I wanted something that was going to stand up.

I am looking into the possibility of getting a few of the 2.5" high smaller drawers to replace some of the mid height ones. I prefer square inches to cubic inches.

One critique. The drawer slides do not open all the way. With a drawer at full extension, I am left with about 2" of drawer that is still tucked into the box. That being said, all in, I paid $2100 Canadian. For a box that I would say is 80% of the quality of a comparable snap on. I am happy.

3c773f82c94a1bed49b28b28e7300c71.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Funny thing is, Canadian Tire sold this same box under Mastercrafts Maximum name. :)

6861c20ff86cd743e3e4fc9157f1f995.jpg

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

mjoekingz28

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2011
Messages
717
Location
Mississippi
Those are not the same boxes.


Look at the drawers on the left.


Plus there could be many, many differences in the metallic makeup and thickness, drawer slides, etc.


Craftsman did this when I picked out my box. There were several which looked identical all at different prices. I almost got the cheapie, until I started flexing/twisting the metal on the top of the box and noticed the more expensive box was stiffer, thicker, or stonger.



This is why we need not cheapout on things, even if we think we understand them. We dont know what all went into a box from the ground up- especially the metallurgy which you get very few clues.


That is why, so to speak, I like to order the day's special while at restaurants. It is probably in season, they ordered a bunch of it, it is their specialty- win, win, win!
 

Timmeh90

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Messages
48
Location
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Those are not the same boxes.


Look at the drawers on the left.

Though the top two drawers on the left are swapped, they are the same box in most ways. I cannot speak about the difference in build quality but,

- Mastercraft Maximum 72"
- Tool Vault Classic 7215TC
- Montezuma 7215TC

All are 72" x 30"

They are all made by QCI, Quality Craft Industries Ltd. www.qct.net

Tool Vault:

f2f594c888f30f5123551d4de32bfb9c.jpg

Montezuma:

c2b87a69c77b1275861647c259c04664.jpg

Mastercraft:

655fbac1ed8ecb938f08e69c76a3dd65.jpg

They may have different quality standards, but I doubt to a large extent. Cheers!


Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom