i have been reading on these forums for a while but this is my first post. i have been in the market for a new tool box so i was looking around on my local craigslist and found a mac mb1700 base with a mac 1410 top. the guy is asking 2000 for both i wanted to see if you guys thought it was a good price. i know they are older boxes and the guy says they are in real good shape. im going to look at them this sunday. i would just like some input thanks guys
mac tool box question
- Thread starter yfz 450
- Start date
plinker
Well-known member
I'm not familar with Mac stuff in general, but what size are the boxes? Depending on size and condition they may or may not be worth it. Got pic's?
plinker
Well-known member
Sounds like a pretty good size box to me, And if it's in really good shape it likely is worth it. Just depends on how bad you want/need them, along with what your willing to pay.
Check it over good (make sure the slides are good, good casters & no real damage), you may be able to haggle some if you find something you dont like.
Disclaimer;
I'm not the best at valuing tool boxes (alot depends on your area and supply & demand), but it doesnt sound bad if it's in nice shape.
Check it over good (make sure the slides are good, good casters & no real damage), you may be able to haggle some if you find something you dont like.
Disclaimer;
I'm not the best at valuing tool boxes (alot depends on your area and supply & demand), but it doesnt sound bad if it's in nice shape.
plinker
Well-known member
I have not done any warranty dealings with them, but others have.
Thier warranty & contact info is in the link below.
Thier warranty & contact info is in the link below.
superleggera
Member
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2009
- Messages
- 21
one cavaet on big boxes -- make sure the prior owner has paid for it!
I know of one big box recently recovered that the prior owner apparently had bailed on payments and a collection agent was assigned recovery (new owner had little recourse) -- it was a distinctive box and the box truck owner recognized immediately when walking into the auto dealership post purchase where he set it up.
Last big box I purchased, I ended up calling and ran the serial number on it to make sure it wasn't reported stolen or had a lein against it in the SO database. (local box truck can run for you)
I know of one big box recently recovered that the prior owner apparently had bailed on payments and a collection agent was assigned recovery (new owner had little recourse) -- it was a distinctive box and the box truck owner recognized immediately when walking into the auto dealership post purchase where he set it up.
Last big box I purchased, I ended up calling and ran the serial number on it to make sure it wasn't reported stolen or had a lein against it in the SO database. (local box truck can run for you)
fatfillup
Well-known member
$2,000 is steep for those boxes. They definitely have some age and will be a tough sell. They do look in good condition though. $1500 would be more fair provided they are in great shape.
bobcatdan
Well-known member
I like the idea of $1500 for that box. I always like the mb1700, it's 4 ft tall! That box was made for a long time, that being a later one, it has the spring casters. One thing I would check, call Mac and see if they still have slides, caster, lock parts. I have heard Mac is not good at keeping parts for older boxes, that one was discontinued around '97. If you can see the box in person, make sure all that stuff is good, a well keep box shouldn't have any problems. Also to check price, I have seen those boxes pop up on ebay every now and then, not the end all in price, but just a gauge for how nuts people are.
The MB1700 was MACs top of the line rollcab in the late '80's early '90's. Catalog says it's all ball bearing slides and so is the top box. '92 list prices were $3,775 for the MB1700 and $1,317 for the MB1410.
Agreed 2 grand is a little high.
Agreed 2 grand is a little high.
JASTECH
Well-known member
I have a Mac/SO, I would have to agree 2k is too high. Maybe it's the poorness in me but IF the money was available 1200.00 would be my top.
Gtamazing
Banned
That design of Mac box is carried over to the proto line and still produced. Although the drawer configuration is different than what offered today. I have a Proto box and it is very nice.This looks like the top that your thinking about(proto version).
Honda guy
Well-known member
I agree that the price is a little on the high side. I have a Mac MB7100 and MB7200 top & bottom, that sold new for about $4500 back in the mid 90's. Even though they're in nice condition, I thik they'd only bring about $1200 or so.
It's a buyers market in toolboxes right now. Just be patient and keep looking. A killer deal will probably come along.
It's a buyers market in toolboxes right now. Just be patient and keep looking. A killer deal will probably come along.
caradiodoc
New member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1
I have the MB 1700 and 1720. Bought 'em new in the mid '90s. If the boxes you're looking at are in good condition the age is irrelevant. What makes it worth less if it's 15 years old vs. 2 years old? Tool boxes don't depreciate like cars do. Most of them get beat up from everyday use and that does lower their value. They also lose their value when you can't get repair parts for a discontinued model. That's not the case with these boxes. Of course I would not pay for a used box what I paid for a new one, but there's no reason to think they're worth only $1500.00 or $1200.00 just because they're almost 20 years old. By that logic, wait another five or ten years and they'll be worth $100.00, then you can buy two sets.
For the guys who think $2000.00 is too much, there is some validity to that too. Some of us want the newest models with the latest features, so it's only natural that the older ones would have a lower value. There are two 1700s on eBay right now that will be ending in less than a day. One is priced at $1300.00 and one is listed as "never been used" for $2750. That's $350.00 more than I paid for my 1700 and it doesn't have the same wheels. I'd consider the $1300.00 box if they also had the top and it wasn't so far away. No one ever has enough tool storage space.
I'm not familiar with the 1410 but it would have also had a lifetime warranty. I don't know if that transfers to a subsequent owner.
As for the slides, mine developed a severe case of dry-rotted plastic inserts that click the drawers locked to prevent them from sliding open when you wheel the box around. You can't get just those inserts. You must get new slides. I was the fourth person in line waiting for my local dealer to order them. He said he had to pay for them, (about $1000.00), then get reimbursed when he sent the old ones back, and he could only afford to do that for one person at a time. Three years later I just found out we no longer have a local dealer so I called the company in Ohio. My new slides showed up in four boxes two days later, no charge. That was two days ago. (I found this forum today while searching for a side cabinet to add to my box).
I have over a dozen Mac socket sets and a lot of their other tools. I don't break them very often but when I did there was never a problem getting them replaced. Some cities have Mac tool guys who have been around for a long time and some cities like mine can't seem to keep one for more than a couple of years. The same can be said about Matco and Snapon. Both of mine have been around for decades but that's not true in every city. Now if I have a broken tool I just take it with me on road trips to other states in case I run into a Mac man. They have always been more than happy to warranty a tool even though they know I'll never be their customer in the future. I have nothing against Matco, and other than the price I have nothing against Snapon, but Mac has always been good to me. This latest issue with my slides proves that. Just wish I hadn't waited three years.
For hand tools stick with the guys in your area who have been there a long time and will still be there if you break something. Tool boxes are a different story. We make our living with our hand tools and we need them replaced when they're broken. We don't make our living with a tool box. If a wheel or slide breaks we can still work on cars and trucks.
For the guys who think $2000.00 is too much, there is some validity to that too. Some of us want the newest models with the latest features, so it's only natural that the older ones would have a lower value. There are two 1700s on eBay right now that will be ending in less than a day. One is priced at $1300.00 and one is listed as "never been used" for $2750. That's $350.00 more than I paid for my 1700 and it doesn't have the same wheels. I'd consider the $1300.00 box if they also had the top and it wasn't so far away. No one ever has enough tool storage space.
I'm not familiar with the 1410 but it would have also had a lifetime warranty. I don't know if that transfers to a subsequent owner.
As for the slides, mine developed a severe case of dry-rotted plastic inserts that click the drawers locked to prevent them from sliding open when you wheel the box around. You can't get just those inserts. You must get new slides. I was the fourth person in line waiting for my local dealer to order them. He said he had to pay for them, (about $1000.00), then get reimbursed when he sent the old ones back, and he could only afford to do that for one person at a time. Three years later I just found out we no longer have a local dealer so I called the company in Ohio. My new slides showed up in four boxes two days later, no charge. That was two days ago. (I found this forum today while searching for a side cabinet to add to my box).
I have over a dozen Mac socket sets and a lot of their other tools. I don't break them very often but when I did there was never a problem getting them replaced. Some cities have Mac tool guys who have been around for a long time and some cities like mine can't seem to keep one for more than a couple of years. The same can be said about Matco and Snapon. Both of mine have been around for decades but that's not true in every city. Now if I have a broken tool I just take it with me on road trips to other states in case I run into a Mac man. They have always been more than happy to warranty a tool even though they know I'll never be their customer in the future. I have nothing against Matco, and other than the price I have nothing against Snapon, but Mac has always been good to me. This latest issue with my slides proves that. Just wish I hadn't waited three years.
For hand tools stick with the guys in your area who have been there a long time and will still be there if you break something. Tool boxes are a different story. We make our living with our hand tools and we need them replaced when they're broken. We don't make our living with a tool box. If a wheel or slide breaks we can still work on cars and trucks.
I'd be tempted to spring the $2000 for that box if it is was in nice shape. The MB1700 is one of my all time favorite boxes. It has the classic MAC look with the traditional butterfly drawer pulls. I used to have an MB1500 and although it's a very nice box, after getting it, I wished I had gotten the MB1700 for the extra hight.