milwaukee vs us general tool box/chest?

[ridenrace6]

i’m in the market for another/bigger toolbox, my old ones are craftsman but i just don’t like the new craftsman boxes, so i’m looking at the 56” milwaukee home depot sells, although i really like the milwaukee boxes, i haven’t totally ruled out a 56” us general from harbor freight.
does anybody have any experience or comments on the milwaukee, ive seen several post about the us general but not the milwaukee?


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[X1 Mike]

This may not have been said very often on this site but I think the Harbor Freight has a more respected brand when it comes to boxes.

If you ever needed to sell it because you needed a bigger box the US General Series 2 is a pretty easy sale. It would take a lot for me to move off of my 56" US General box.

 

[jonshonda]

If you have a menards close, the Masterforce boxes are nice as well.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

I’ve looked at the Milwaukee they appear to be good but have read a lot of people wish they were bigger. I’ve also read they tend to be more unstable. I personally use the US General at work and home they are amazing boxes. Actually just left Harbor Freight and someone was buying one I told them how good they were and they were happy to hear.


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[dagofast]

The US General every day of the week and twice on Sunday's.

 

[Will_Yetter]

I looked at the Milwaukees the other day, and I think I'm more of a fan of the Harbor Freight US General and here's why: First, the HF boxes have a deep and wide top drawer- perfect socket drawer. They also have a double bearing setup on the big drawers which is honestly quite smooth. Second, they feel more suited for wrenching and filling with automotive tools than the Milwaukee, which feels more of a standard homeowner DIYer box with random stuff in it

 

[engineer2]

The Husky 52" is on sale at Home Depot for $798. It has the most storage space per dollar. I like the menards box, put it's pricey for the space you get. Milwaukee is not stocked by HD around here.
I did a little analysis.

 

[Mr_B]

wait for a top deal on 56" US General .
Could also keep eye on Husky 10 drawer 56" 24.5" depth box as they not bad if went on sale .

 

[Toyo72]

This 56" 23-drawer Husky box looks to be a good deal on their Black Friday sale at $998. Also, made with 18ga steel frame and longer 5 yr warranty. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-H...net-Set-in-Matte-Black-HOTC5623BB2S/303412321

 

[Jersey Drew]

If it has to be new I would go with the US general series 2. When I looked at the Milwaukee in person it really wasn’t that great, about on par with the Husky. If you are willing to be patient and buy used there are good deals to be had on the entry level snap on kra boxes.

 

[Toyo72]

After watching some review videos, the US General looks like it may be the better made for the money, compared to the standard Husky cabinets, unless something has changed with them recently. There is a detailed comparison video to a Husky (72" cabinets) and the inside of the two cabinets was quite different as far as paint (powdercoat) coverage goes. The Husky "Heavy-duty" model above might be different than the other Husky cabinet, so a detailed look at the store would be wise before purchase. Overall it looks like you can't go wrong with the US General.

 

[Toyo72]

Stopped by Home Depot to look at the "heavy-duty" and Industrial cabinets. They are really nice. The 52" x 21.5" Industrial version for $798 Special Buy price is really a good deal. Seems like solid construction, nice drawer slides without the side-to-side movement and clicking/squeaking I noticed with the US General v2 drawers. I was able to pull a drawer out and look inside with my flashlight, saw no issues with the powder coat on the inside. It has a power strip, a drawer with a work surface, and it is easier to access and see the entire top shelf of the cabinet as it sits a bit lower than the US General. For $100 more the same size "heavy duty" cabinet has two additional casters, slightly more volume (likely due to no work surface on one of the drawers), and 30lbs heavier, but outside of that not much different.
For me I guess it would come down to the warranty on the Husky vs the ability to add on side cabinets and expand the US General. The Milwaukees and standard Home Depot cabinets didn't seem anywhere near as nice.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-T...5&sortby=price&sortorder=desc&storeSelection=

 

[ridenrace6]

thanks for the reply’s everybody, ive got 2 craftsman boxes now, both are 26” boxes if i remember but one is a short box with only about 6 drawers, non roller or latching at that, with a big open cabinet in the bottom.
the tall box is actually 3 pieces and is about 6ft tall, i really like it but it’s just not big enough, it has roller drawers and it latches.
i was a interested in the 56” because it would be roughly the same footprint as the two 26” boxes, however i’m not sure if i wouldn’t be better of with two 44” boxes or maybe do a couple of the add on’s to the ends of the 56” box?
i also thought about getting three of the 26” boxes, i feel like the smaller boxes would be easier to move around if need be, especially once loaded with tools , however the drawer layout is somewhat different on each size box.

anybody got any opinions on box width and drawer layout?


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[BlakeTheCarGuy]

thanks for the reply’s everybody, ive got 2 craftsman boxes now, both are 26” boxes if i remember but one is a short box with only about 6 drawers, non roller or latching at that, with a big open cabinet in the bottom.
the tall box is actually 3 pieces and is about 6ft tall, i really like it but it’s just not big enough, it has roller drawers and it latches.
i was a interested in the 56” because it would be roughly the same footprint as the two 26” boxes, however i’m not sure if i wouldn’t be better of with two 44” boxes or maybe do a couple of the add on’s to the ends of the 56” box?
i also thought about getting three of the 26” boxes, i feel like the smaller boxes would be easier to move around if need be, especially once loaded with tools , however the drawer layout is somewhat different on each size box.

anybody got any opinions on box width and drawer layout?


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I personally like the 56 the best. In my opinion the 26 inch ones aren’t laid out right the top drawer needs to be deeper because most guys use that for sockets. I’ve never used a 44. The add ones are helpful too like the extra drawers and the locker. If you plan on moving tools around maybe get the bigger box and get a cart that’s what I have I have two carts actually the 1 drawer and 5 drawer US General and they are great I keep my most used tools in there and the extras and not as common in the box.


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[Mr_B]

you could go a 44 and 26 which give you good range of drawer sizes and keep it easier sizes for logistics .

 

[M635_Guy]

thanks for the reply’s everybody, ive got 2 craftsman boxes now, both are 26” boxes if i remember but one is a short box with only about 6 drawers, non roller or latching at that, with a big open cabinet in the bottom.
the tall box is actually 3 pieces and is about 6ft tall, i really like it but it’s just not big enough, it has roller drawers and it latches.
i was a interested in the 56” because it would be roughly the same footprint as the two 26” boxes, however i’m not sure if i wouldn’t be better of with two 44” boxes or maybe do a couple of the add on’s to the ends of the 56” box?
i also thought about getting three of the 26” boxes, i feel like the smaller boxes would be easier to move around if need be, especially once loaded with tools , however the drawer layout is somewhat different on each size box.

anybody got any opinions on box width and drawer layout?

On your original question, I'm another vote against the Milwaukee boxes (or really, any of the box-store boxes - e.g. Husky). I've heard good stuff about the Menards box, but we don't have those locally. I went with USG and I'm very happy.

As for the which size question, consider the USG 5-drawer cart as a companion for whatever you get. I agree the top drawer is shallow if you want to have sockets in there, but I have a 26" and the 5-drawer and it's a great setup for me. All the stuff that might need to move is in the cart and the more home/general-use tools are in the box.

I highly recommend the folding side-tray if you go with the cart. I threw a piece of scrap leather cut to size on there, attached with contact cement.

As one last piece of cheerleading for the cart, I think it's faster to work out of the open top vs. opening the drawer all the time for sockets/ratchets. The space isn't huge, but it holds a fair bit of stuff:

 

[Hack Fabrication]

I recently purchased 2 sets of USG Series 2 boxes. 26" (for me), another 44" (for my son):

I don't particularly like the drawer layout on my 26", but it's not a primary tool chest, as it's in my garage at a lake house.

I tried to talk my son into the 56" box (after all, dad was footing the bill), but he had a specific space that he could only fill. My son really likes the 44", and he's already got it filled having moved from a 26" Husky stack.

My suggestion would be to go to the stores, see if they have a display model in the size you want, then evaluate the drawer layout/depth for what your needs are.

BTW: If you opt for the HF credit card, they will take 10% off your entire first purchase. This is how I bought the above boxes. $1130 including taxes for all four boxes.