Menards tool box

[boomer12831]

I will be traveling out west in the very near future and will be going by several Menard's stores. I am in the market for a new tool chest (top). I am wondering if anyone has their brand " Masterforce" tool box and what your opinion is of them. I realize they are not Snap-on or Matco but at $399.00 for the 41'' top chest are they good enough for the home shop. Thanks, Ed.

 

[Kamanhart]

I have the 26" wide top chest as my road box in my truck I picked up on sale a while back. I love the thing it is a fair bit heavier then the old 3 drawer craftsman it replaced and at 1/2 the price. I has been loaded down heavily for the past couple months bunching around the back on my truck and still works good as gold!

 

[HD FLHX]

For about the same money take a look at the Homak brand Northern Tool has. I looked at them in the store a while back and thought they were pretty nice for the money.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200580384_200580384

 

[diggerrick]

One feature I really like about the 41" Masterforce top chest is the slide out work surface.

 

[Askme42]

It was between the HF 44 and menards box back when I chose. I liked the menards box better but price won out. They are very nice boxes.

 

[finn]

So, when Menard's sources their boxes to China to compete with HF on price, do we get to "pile it on" them, like we do to Sears now for switching Craftsman hand tool production from China?

 

[signcrafter]

The menards boxes are the best bang for your buck in my opinion. I like them better then the HF boxes.

 

[oak_park]

Looks like Kamanhart's box shown above looks like the Performax box that is sold at Menards, but is not a MasterForce box.

They are fine for home use, search the forum and you'll see many members here like them. Also try to buy them on sale.

 

[Askme42]

So, when Menard's sources their boxes to China to compete with HF on price, do we get to "pile it on" them, like we do to Sears now for switching Craftsman hand tool production from China?

When? Their boxes are already made in China I believe. To get an American made box you're talking some bucks I do believe.

 

[Loscaldazar]

When? Their boxes are already made in China I believe. To get an American made box you're talking some bucks I do believe.

Or terrible quality (looking at the entry waterloo boxes).

 

[rockfordmarv]

I don't know where they are made at, but I like them a lot. Probably going to swap out my craftsmans for them on black friday.

 

[Kin Creed]

I own Harbor Freight, Homak and Masterforce toolboxes. Hands down winner among these three is Masterforce. I rate Homak and Harbor Freight about equal, although Homak gives you better options to choose from, or at least more options.

You can't wrong with Masterforce for a home shop, you can even special order different colors for no extra charge and they deliver pretty fast to the store and the boxes arrive in great shape.

Look for a sale, they cycle through the different sizes each month it seems and on sale the price is very competitive. I just picked up the Masterforce 16" side box for $184 on sale and I believe HF's lowest price is $199 for the same. And the Masterforce is better to boot.

 

[donthelegend]

So, when Menard's sources their boxes to China to compete with HF on price, do we get to "pile it on" them, like we do to Sears now for switching Craftsman hand tool production from China?

The issue with Craftsman boxes isn't that they're made in China. It's that they're ****** boxes made out of extremely thin steel and don't hold up. I could bend my Craftsman box in and out of square. Not so with my 44" HF box.

OP:
The MasterForce boxes are generally well regarded here, if you like the configuration and price, you shouldn't be disappointed by one.

 

[abachman]

I have the Masterforce bottom box and think it is great. Quality is quite good. i put a piece of masonite on the top and usse it as another workbench. It rolls around well and is very sturdy.

 

[zkling]

HF takes the cake for highest ammount of storage at a resonable quality for the price, NEW. Very little options (color, drawer layout, etc) to keep costs down.
Menards boxes, some might be a step or two above in build quality, features and quite a few more options for a little more cost over the HF boxes.

Look for a sale, they cycle through the different sizes each month it seems and on sale the price is very competitive. I just picked up the Masterforce 16" side box for $184 on sale and I believe HF's lowest price is $199 for the same. And the Masterforce is better to boot.

Do you really think the Masterforce side box is that much better then the HF side box? With the HF box you get 1 more drawer over the Masterforce.

 

[1940_dodge]

I have the 72" box and I have to say when I got it I was s little disappointed. The spot welds/rivets stand out in any kind of lighting and the metal itself just screams harbour freight. But it does the job I want, and the price wasn't too steep. Depends on what you're looking to use it for. I can take some pictures later if you want.

 

[Kin Creed]

Do you really think the Masterforce side box is that much better then the HF side box? With the HF box you get 1 more drawer over the Masterforce.

I actually have both (HF and MF) 16" side cabinets sitting next to each other, one is under my bench top drill press and the other is under my small band saw. The lift and lock drawers are what makes all the difference on the Masterforce. They are so much easier to operate, especially in cold weather. The HF detents are ok, but compared to ease of operating the Masterforce drawers it's no contest.

So you get spoiled quickly and end up disliking using the HF drawers. I guess it's relative, but side by side I would definitely pay extra for the Menards unit. But it was actually cheaper and I got to pick the color so I would say that's hands winner in my book.

 

[metaldad]

I have the 41'' top and bottom.
only problems are i shoulda got the 56'' and mine is green. (they brought out the colors after i bought)
menards is due for an 11% off sale............ any week now

 

[Hiball]

IRC menards has a limited lifetime warranty, where is HF is 90 days.

 

[monomach]

They have slightly thinner steel than the HF boxes on both the drawers and the walls, or at least they did when a forum member went to all of the retailers with a mic a couple years ago.

They do have some nicer features (nicer drawer latches in particular) than the HF boxes and the color selection sure beats HF hands-down. The quality is good enough that I don't want to take a hammer to my dad's big green Masterforce box when I'm over at his house.

They are perfectly decent and usable boxes. For me, though, with the higher price and the thinner steel, it's still not worth it if there's a HF within driving distance.

So, when Menard's sources their boxes to China to compete with HF on price, do we get to "pile it on" them, like we do to Sears now for switching Craftsman hand tool production from China?

They're already made in China, dude. Have been forever.

 

[johndeereman]

I have a masterforce 41'' roller w/ sidecar and a 31'' roller and love them both great quality for the price i'm planning on picking up additional unit's. Beat's sear's hands down for sure.

 

[mstewart]

You can't wrong with Masterforce for a home shop, you can even special order different colors for no extra charge and they deliver pretty fast to the store and the boxes arrive in great shape.

You better open that box before you leave and inspect it.

I have 3 56" Masterforce roll cabs in blue and one 56" chest in blue. I had to special order them due to the blue color. two of the cabs were damaged and the chest was damaged as well. These were ordered at different times and not on the same shipment. I got $100 off each damaged cab and $75 off the chest.

I also had one trip to pick up a cab and it was so damaged that the top drawer wouldn't latch and one of the lower drawers had a big dent in it from the inside to out (not outside to in like a forklift hitting it) so it looked like factory damage to me. I wouldn't accept it and made them order another. This was a wasted trip one hour each way...

The 41" chest looks good for the drawer layout for hand tools that lay flat. I don't like the big drawer on the 56". I've considered getting a Tool Vault 56" to replace this the Masterforce 56" cab even though it cost more $.

 

[jefferyb_2]

I have the 41" top and bottom in red, and I like it a lot. I wish I would have bought the
56" instead, but otherwise no regrets in buying it.

 

[youngridge]

Have one and love it, wating for the 16 side cab to come on sale in green and the cabinet. Does anyone recommend putting casters under there side cab?

 

[zkling]

Have one and love it, wating for the 16 side cab to come on sale in green and the cabinet. Does anyone recommend putting casters under there side cab?

I have a 16" side cab on 4 swivel casters. It's super handy for rearranging.

 

[frankush]

I had the 41" top box for about 3 years. Good for what I used it for. Much better than the Craftsman it replaced. They are made in China. With that being said, when I sold it, I had no desire to lift it by myself. Way too heavy.

 

[Snapped-off]

Owned the 1st gen 41" with detents. Now I currently have a 36" Top/Bottom/Side locker in red.

The raise and release is a great update over the detents. If not getting a big name box, I suggest Masterforce over HF if available.

I believe the stores only stock green though.

Great home boxes.

 

[mstewart]

I believe the stores only stock green though.

Great home boxes.

I was in a Menards in Madison, WI this summer and they had other colors on the floor. None of the stores around me (K.C., MO area) had colors.

They even had this on the floor in the Madison store:
http://www.menards.com/main/p-2414904-c-9188.htm
I find it interesting, it looked decently made and that being said I don't know what I would do with one. Kind of pricy compared to traditional roll cab/chest.

 

[Kin Creed]

Have one and love it, wating for the 16 side cab to come on sale in green and the cabinet. Does anyone recommend putting casters under there side cab?

Since I have benchtop tools (drill press & bandsaw) on mine I went with mobile bases over casters. This allows for better stability than casters.

I used the HTC2000 universal base ($60 at Acme tools) and they work nicely. Much nicer lifting mechanism than the Portamate bases (had to return one of those) which are only slightly cheaper.

The bases lift and roll very easily when needed and they are reasonably stable when lowered. The front feet are solid to the floor when lowered.

 

[youngridge]

What about when it is attached to tge box?

 

[Kin Creed]

What about when it is attached to tge box?

Attached to a box I think you could just use casters if needed. If it's a wide box you shouldn't need anything. I am using the side cabinets as stand alone tool stands, so that's why I wanted a little more stability.

I like the stand alone set up because I have very limited space so I tuck the tools into a corner until I need them. Then to use them I roll them out so I have room to use them. Takes a little more setup time, but for me it's the only realistic option.

 

[youngridge]

It would be attached to the 41" bottom

 

[Kin Creed]

You shouldn't need anything, a 41" box is big enough to support a side cabinet without adding casters.

 

[zkling]

What about when it is attached to tge box?

Not typically necessary. It can be a bit challening to get 6 non sprung casters to all sit on a floor. If you do it, make sure they are swivel casters otherwise you may "lock" your box wheels.