Modern day Craftsman toolbox quality

[Bruce Wayne]

http://m.craftsman.com/craftsman-40-inch-11-drawer-premium-heavy-duty/p-00958624000P

I bought this bottom box a few months ago and have been storing it at a friends house since then. I bought the top chest over a decade ago & with Craftsman tools being made of the finest quality Chineseium these days I'm concerned that the quality has gone downhill.

Do I have any reason to worry?

Thanx!
Charlie

 

[77Ford]

Yes


DeWalt

 

[Ign]

Yeah, you do. You'll likely find the sheetmetal thinner and the overall feel of drawer action less positive.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

HF 44"

 

[mach2mack]

I'm a tech and used this box from 09 until a few weeks ago. I would take the top box to the race track with me in the summer and stuff. It held up ok then about 2 years ago it started falling apart. Wouldn't lock anymore the drawers started sticking all that stuff.

 

[crewchief888]

my CM top ('99 or so) has literally disintegrated....

 

[B17E1943]

Tinfoil ****. Sad.

 

[Alchymist]

http://m.craftsman.com/craftsman-40-inch-11-drawer-premium-heavy-duty/p-00958624000P

I bought this bottom box a few months ago and have been storing it at a friends house since then. I bought the top chest over a decade ago & with Craftsman tools being made of the finest quality Chineseium these days I'm concerned that the quality has gone downhill.

Do I have any reason to worry?

Thanx!
Charlie

HF 44"

Interesting - I was called a troll and other labels in another thread I started when I compared the Craftsman and the HF.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321620

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Thanks for the responses. Anything that I can do to reinforce the box before I put it into use?

 

[yamaha0343]

Throw away the metal part and use the cardboard part it came in.

Seriously, there isn't much. You already bought it, so use it till it breaks.

 

[kd3pc]

You are now stepping in to an education...the Craftsman stuff of the last decade is pretty much junk, at any price.

Husky is no better, one of my class mates brand new box is so flimsy the drawers sag with a handful of pliers and a few screwdrivers. The lock latch bent the first time he closed the top, and that top has to be closed with both hands - one on either side, as it is so weak it bends if you use just one hand to do so.

An older, heavier box is much more useful. Or as some have mentioned the HF units, for the money, are a decent value and may serve your needs better.

There is little that you can do to preserve the function of this box. It is poorly implemented of even poorer materials and hardware.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Thanks for the responses. What do you guys think of Waterloo boxes? If they're lousy too I might have a lead on a decade old bottom box.

 

[CJM8515]

Thanks for the responses. What do you guys think of Waterloo boxes? If they're lousy too I might have a lead on a decade old bottom box.

It might be worth it, but generally not.

Seriously there is a HUGE reason many recommend the harbor freight boxes. i had a husky 3 tier box. I bought the top and mid box first on clearance in like 05 and just had them on a bench. The bottom box was slightly different and I bought it in 08. Honestly, the drawers were flimsy without weight in them and even then still flimsy with tools in them. Bought the HF 44" box and its no snap on but its held up to my abuse as a home user fine and its loaded so much I had to put the side drawer box on it.

 

[SJR033]

The Craftsman box in the link is made by Waterloo. Craftsman has several levels of boxes and your box is near the top. Depending on what you are doing with it, I would not worry. I have the next step down from that box and have had no problems with it. My point is, you have the box already so use it.

 

[CJM8515]

Thanks for the responses. What do you guys think of Waterloo boxes? If they're lousy too I might have a lead on a decade old bottom box.

It might be worth it, but generally not.

Seriously there is a HUGE reason many recommend the harbor freight boxes. i had a husky 3 tier box. I bought the top and mid box first on clearance in like 05 and just had them on a bench. The bottom box was slightly different and I bought it in 08. Honestly, the drawers were flimsy without weight in them and even then still flimsy with tools in them. Bought the HF 44" box and its no snap on but its held up to my abuse as a home user fine and its loaded so much I had to put the side drawer box on it.

 

[skipnay]

If your top box is a 41'' the bottom 40'' box isn't going to work. I'm trying to sell my 41'' boxes and everyone keeps telling me the box is cheaper. Though the boxes are cheaper made, smaller, less drawers. Unless your putting hammers, sockets in each drawer you can't put more in the newer stuff.

 

[Al Borland]

I've had a red (all red) craftsman box (27" upper, lower) for 24+ years... $125 back then.
Still going fine. WAY too small nowadays.
The new ones...
Played with them in the store a month or so ago. Cardboard box would probably be more durable.

Oh Yeah, My box is a "standard" and I beat the **** out of it...

 

[Jeremy77]

Craftsman "Standard Duty" tool boxes are thin, weak and generally intended for sitting in the utility room holding your wife's scrap booking stuff. Not sure of their COO as I've never been in the market for one. However.... Their current lineup of "Heavy" and "Premium Heavy" duty boxes are made by Waterloo in Sedalia, Missouri. I have two 26" three pc. stacks in my shop and have been more than pleased with them. At work, we purchase through industrial vendors and several carry the Waterloo boxes. I know of around a dozen scattered around our facility (petro chem) that are the "Waterloo Series" boxes which are the same as the Craftsman "Heavy Duty". These things are bought by the company, not the employees, overloaded with chain falls and large tools, moved with Lulls and forklifts.....you get the idea.......and have held up well over the years. Are there failures, sure, but I've also seen Kennedys, Protos and Armstrongs break as well. The Craftsman boxes get a bad rap, IMHO, due to people comparing their "Standard" duty boxes and not their higher quality offerings to other brands.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Thank you for your response it puts my mind at ease.

 

[M1N1ON]

I work in aircraft maintenance and most of the boxes you see now are Harbor Freight, Snap On (for the guy thats making good money), or i have started seeing a lot of those high density foam boxes (plastic). Rarely do you see a Craftsman anymore and if you do, its an old school box that someone has kept up.

 

[mdtaylorjr]

I used a craftsman man 40 inch combo that got me 10 years. This box was used professionally. The only reason I got rid of it was because I needed more room. You don't see cman in many pro shops because they are very limited in space cman bottoms are 18" deep and tops are only 16". My snap on is 30" deep.cman pro boxes were actually pretty good but most techs couldn't shell out 5-6k in cash a sears card is hard to get to finance but snap on is pretty easy credit. Plus the driver can actually call in and overturn a no if he thinks you'll actually pay it. That's why you see so many snap on boxes. Techs can afford the weekly payments and usually the tool guy comes by the day after payday to get his money.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I got it home on Wednesday & I'm going to be happy with it. Now I just need to pick up the middle full width drawer.

 

[Steve_P]

These boxes are fine for a homeowner and more. I've owned a bunch of them for 5 yrs and no issues. May not have as thick metal as HF but they do not fall apart as people say here if used even semi-sensibly. 99% of the naysayers here have never owned one. You get a lot of drawer space for a good price when compared to other brands.

 

[cgrutt]

I needed an extra box for a second home and decided to buy a Craftsman set rather than spend big money on a truck box. I think the set was about $750, so not super cheap by any stretch. Got it out of the box and the whole box was out of square, drawers didn't open or close correctly, etc. This was still in the cardboard! I didn't even try to straighte things out, put it right back in the box and returned it. I wound up buying a Masterhand from Tractor Supply and it has been great so far. Seems every bit as strong as my MAC and Snap-on Boxes actually. This was probably about 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[4 FN 27]

I have guys in our shop who have used their Craftsman Boxes (Roller Lowers and Uppers)daily for 10-20 and 30 years plus and they still are in great shape. Any of the guys with boxes less than 10 years old are falling apart. I purchased a HF for our Laser department and so far they are happy with it...

Personally I had an accident with a newer 2008 Craftsman. The lower drawer latch quit engaging unknowingly to me. While working on a part in a Press Brake here in the shop all by myself the drawer worked its way open while I was moving it around. The bottom Drawer full of "Set Angle Tooling (over loaded, my bad). On top of the Box I had a 200 pound Die Set and when that drawer got far enough open it started tipping and pinned my steel toed boots to the floor with my back up against the front of the Brake. All I could do was lift the 200 pound die set off the box and drop it on the floor. I worked my feet out and needless to say the bottom 2 drawers were junk.

A week later I had a new Mac Tool Box sitting where that one was.

 

[TK LP]

The HF boxes are pretty hard to beat for value, especially at the coupon prices, but for the home wrencher, the heavier duty Craftsman boxes compare pretty well. You also get some choice in box/drawer configurations, so depending what you put in them, and the drawer sizes you need, they could offer better value. I own and like them both.

 

[Sanny81]

I have a stack of the Craftsman heavy duty boxes at work and have no issues....BUT these aren't boxes you can slam the drawers open and closed all day long. Opening and closing normally they're fine but I don't think they'd put up with heavy abuse over time.