New Craftsman Pro series toolbox

[Yankee]

Saw this today. Actually was very impressed. It was sitting close to the old Premium Series, and it's an improvement to it. 200lb slides and the center full length drawer has 2 slides. Drawers seem sturdier and roll very smoothly. Box is 21 inches deep.

It's not as good as my Waterloo HD box (same as Magnum) but at half that price, ($1,299) I think it's a very good box.

Good to see that they are trying to increase quality rather than just try to make things cheaper....

 

[phule]

I like that style lid. Been thinking about getting the 56" one.

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[Farmall450]

Looks pretty nice.

 

[Brownsfan]

That's good they are available in store. I'm going to stop by and check it out. Step in the right direction.

 

[Richard Cranium]

looks nice, I hope they keep going in the right direction

 

[Brownsfan]

I seen one today in store. It's VERY tall. But it's a very nice box with lots of storage. Seems very high quality. A definite step up. Side note is the premium heavy duty boxes are closeout. The 52" was $779 for the combo. First impressions are these are the nicest boxes and the closest thing to tool truck quality available at a big box store.

 

[Stuey]

This looks to be the same one I posted about over the summer.

http://toolguyd.com/craftsman-pro-series-connected-tool-storage/

I haven't seen it in person yet, but a eager to.

Smartphone-controlled locks - I don't know how I feel about this. But it also comes with keys.

No side handles? Why? Still waiting to talk with a Craftsman product manager about it.

And the largest model only has 4 wheels, not 6. Might mean that its rigid enough to skip middle set.

 

[brooksdr]

It looks like a nice box. Like the smart lock!

 

[d4dawg]

Went and played with it at the store. Wasn't too impressed. Felt no better than the HF 44", and definitely not as solid as the HF 56".

 

[Empty Pockets]

It's an improvement for CM, I'll stick with my current boxes for now...... besides the black and gold doesn't do it for me

 

[6PTsocket]

I have the HF 44 , top and bottom and along with many reviewers, I am very happy with it. I have a couple of old Waterloos and had a newer Waterloo/Craftsman at work. They were no great shakes to start with and are now really ****. Not having seen the box, it is a safe bet that Sears got it in China along with everything else they sell. That fancy paint job does not justify a high price. If you dun't make your living out of the box and even if you do and are on a budget, I think the bigger HF boxes are the most bang for the buck. IMO, that gold trim really looks tacky

 

[Brownsfan]

I have the HF 44 , top and bottom and along with many reviewers, I am very happy with it. I have a couple of old Waterloos and had a newer Waterloo/Craftsman at work. They were no great shakes to start with and are now really ****. Not having seen the box, it is a safe bet that Sears got it in China along with everything else they sell. That fancy paint job does not justify a high price. If you dun't make your living out of the box and even if you do and are on a budget, I think the bigger HF boxes are the most bang for the buck. IMO, that gold trim really looks tacky

It's USA made and quite nice and heavy duty. 200# drawer slides with griplatch drawer pulls. Light years ahead of any HF Box. Yes Sears doesn't give anyone much confidence but the HF box fandom is funny. It doesn't matter what the tool box discussion is. Someone will always talk about the HF boxes. Even if the discussion has ZERO to do with them.

 

[6PTsocket]

I am not a fan of the HF boxes
because of the reviews but because I own them. Reviews can make you buy something but not make you like it. Who makes the Sears box? I don't know what you plan to put in those drawers but I have some pretty heavy stuff in mine and they slide fine. Do you own the Sears boxes or are you just reading specs? I knew somebody that sold to Sears and they went over everything with a fine tooth comb looking to cut corners where it would not be noticed to save a couple of bucks. With all their tools reduced to garbage, why look at anything they sell. I read woodworking power tool reviews and their stuff always gets trashed. Most of the time anything giod they sell is a stripped version of something available elsewhere for less money. Their Kennore fridges are Whirlpool with less features at a higher price. Unless things have changed, the 3 digits at the start of the model number are the manufacturer.


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[Yankee]

Thought this was interesting, they have a price guarentee that it's 1/3 of the price of a Snap on Heritage series tool box....


http://i.sears.com/s/d/pdf/mp-tc/10081636/prod_2298968212

 

[exmaxima1]

Thought this was interesting, they have a price guarentee that it's 1/3 of the price of a Snap on Heritage series tool box....


http://i.sears.com/s/d/pdf/mp-tc/10081636/prod_2298968212

I don't see how they can list boxes with drastically different number of drawers and call that comparable (ie, 5 drawer vs 8, or 10 drawer vs 13 drawers)

 

[jerseykat1]

My HF 56" box is awesome. I haven't seen anything in a box store with the same level of sturdiness. I have seen a few nice boxes like the Milwaukee and Dewalt sold at HD but the metal used is not as thick. The HF boxes are no frills but built well. I have lost all faith in craftsman products.

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[BajaBound]

I love my 56" HF box aswell.

 

[autoace]

I saw this in the local Sears the other night, for the money I was impressed. I had a Snap-on heritage series; that wasn't quite as good as this. Great box for the money! I would have picked one up, if I hadn't bought a new dining room set for the family last week! Possible future purchase for sure....

 

[cool_as_crap]

Has anyone here bought one of these sets?
Any owner reviews or regrets?
I have a 26" friction slide cman set and I'm way overdue for an upgrade.

Seems like an ok deal for cman boxes with a lifetime warranty, but i'd like an owner opinion after some use.

 

[rsanter]

I saw those boxes at SEMA last year and was very impressed at their price point.
I think the key competitor for them is the HF boxes and not the snap on.
Lesser companies always want to compair up even if they are not a true comparison

Bob

 

[rsanter]

I saw those boxes at SEMA last year and was very impressed at their price point.
I think the key competitor for them is the HF boxes and not the snap on.
Lesser companies always want to compair up even if they are not a true comparison

Bob

 

[tjpavlov]

Has anyone here bought one of these sets?
Any owner reviews or regrets?
I have a 26" friction slide cman set and I'm way overdue for an upgrade.

Seems like an ok deal for cman boxes with a lifetime warranty, but i'd like an owner opinion after some use.

Check toolguyd.com. Stuey gave it a bad review. Lots of quality control issues iirc.

 

[1982fxr]

Who makes it?

 

[Stuey]

Check toolguyd.com. Stuey gave it a bad review. Lots of quality control issues iirc.

Ben reviewed it for ToolGuyd since I didn't have the space.

http://toolguyd.com/craftsman-pro-smart-lock-tool-storage-combo-review/

The last we spoke about it, he likes the size of the box and the nice deep drawers.

But the "Smart" aspect of it ws a total mess. They delivered a straight-off-the-assembly-line unit to Ben, and it STILL wasn't perfect. Some of the quality issues were fixed, and should be fixed in units shipping now.

We spoke to Craftsman's product team, and they seem to have been very thoughtful about the design. My opinion is that there must be something lost between "as-designed" and "as-produced."

Maybe it was rushed to market, or maybe the manufacturer stepped too far from their comfort zone and didn't work out all the bugs.

The box is great in theory, but the Smart Lock system isn't ready for prime time yet. Maybe that has changed, but I'm reluctant to be the guinea pig.

Who makes it?

Waterloo.

 

[cool_as_crap]

Ben reviewed it for ToolGuyd since I didn't have the space.

http://toolguyd.com/craftsman-pro-smart-lock-tool-storage-combo-review/

The last we spoke about it, he likes the size of the box and the nice deep drawers.

But the "Smart" aspect of it ws a total mess. They delivered a straight-off-the-assembly-line unit to Ben, and it STILL wasn't perfect. Some of the quality issues were fixed, and should be fixed in units shipping now.

We spoke to Craftsman's product team, and they seem to have been very thoughtful about the design. My opinion is that there must be something lost between "as-designed" and "as-produced."

Maybe it was rushed to market, or maybe the manufacturer stepped too far from their comfort zone and didn't work out all the bugs.

The box is great in theory, but the Smart Lock system isn't ready for prime time yet. Maybe that has changed, but I'm reluctant to be the guinea pig.



Waterloo.

Great review thanks!
The bottom of the link indicates an updated version will be coming for an updated review, any updates?

 

[bobcatdan]

Looking at the box in person, I think it's a nice set up. Maybe I'm too cheap, and I own three snap on boxes I bought new, but I thought they were a little spendy for a craftsman box. The 56" bottom alone is more then the old 52" grip latch combo.

 

[gsmith22]

Not sure if they still have them, but the Craftsman EDGE boxes are great. you won't find one in any store so you can't "touch" them but I took a chance on a 52" bottom cabinet and have since bought the upper and other length upper and lower versions. very pleased. Don't know how they compare with this pro series but I think the Edge versions have more drawers from when I looked last.

 

[bobcatdan]

Not sure if they still have them, but the Craftsman EDGE boxes are great. you won't find one in any store so you can't "touch" them but I took a chance on a 52" bottom cabinet and have since bought the upper and other length upper and lower versions. very pleased. Don't know how they compare with this pro series but I think the Edge versions have more drawers from when I looked last.

The edge series to me looks like an upgraded version of the former grip latch boxes. I don't know that line of boxes is bashed here so bad as I never saw anything wrong with them quality wise.

 

[gsmith22]

the edge series are identical to the older griplatch/ball bearing models that were a step below their professional boxes. I have an older griplatch/ball bearing model from the ~2001 and they are identical as far as I can tell. I don't get why they are bashed here either. I think most people test the really crappy homeowner type boxes with friction slides at the store (which truly are terrible) and assume everything else is the same. GJ is getting to the point where I come here to see what is recommended and then go the opposite way.

 

[bobcatdan]

the edge series are identical to the older griplatch/ball bearing models that were a step below their professional boxes. I have an older griplatch/ball bearing model from the ~2001 and they are identical as far as I can tell. I don't get why they are bashed here either. I think most people test the really crappy homeowner type boxes with friction slides at the store (which truly are terrible) and assume everything else is the same. GJ is getting to the point where I come here to see what is recommended and then go the opposite way.

I wonder how many times I have pondered if the bulk of the journal member are just HF employees on here to hype up HF.

 

[Brownsfan]

I saw the 54" I think at my local store and it was $1599 for the top and bottom. Which is pretty close to what the old premium heavy duty boxes sold for. They would go on sale for $999.99 periodically. Oh and I have said it before and it annoys me to no end. The HF box fan boys here can be overwhelming. I made a thread in the past about tool boxes. I specifically said please no HF recommendations. I am not interested in them. I don't want any version of them. I think it got to the third post in before one was recommended. I was basically called a fool for not wanting one. According to some here the HF tool boxes are pretty much made by the hand of god himself.

 

[mlum6969]

this would be interesting if we could get it in canada!

 

[Brownsfan]

As far as quality impression of the box. It seems to be a truly professional capable box. 200# drawer slides and the "griplatch" drawer pulls , the metal seems thicker than the older premium heavy duty. I'm sorry but I don't think the HF 56" is comparable. I think this craftsman box albeit one expensive is a better built better quality box. People will just blindly say it ***** because it's Craftsman. For the 54" top and bottom @ $1599. You are getting a lot of box for the money. Craftsman compares it to Snap On heritage series. I really don't care about the Bluetooth locking myself but overall this box is great for the money. A great pro capable box for the money.

 

[cheechi]

I think the HF 56" box is comparable to this in one key way. There are too many deep drawers on both to be of much appeal to me. You will run out of square inches WAY before running out of cubic inches and that ratio is my measure of a good box design. or not.

 

[JoJoSnap]

Anyone care to tell me coo of that craftsman tool chest with soft close drawers. Im fencing over that one and 50 plus" pro series. Few things I like about soft close bottom draw very cool design with peg board and can holders/ hooks.. and laptop drawer. Other than that Pro series has more sturdy look and feel


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[tjpavlov]

My craftsman edge had no COO information anywhere on or in it.

 

[gsmith22]

one of the boxes for my craftsman edge said mexico, but another said usa. 99% positive the edge series is made by waterloo so wherever they have factories is where they are going to be made (I think both usa and mexico). I was just psyched to get a box that matched the function of my older griplatch/ballbearing boxes and wasn't shipping money to china. the boxes themselves don't have a COO mark on them. The original OP was talking about the pro series boxes which might be usa but not positive. I considered the pro series too but they had a lot less drawers and the drawer layout didn't suit me

 

[Stuey]

Great review thanks!
The bottom of the link indicates an updated version will be coming for an updated review, any updates?

He's working on it.

Updated the firmware last night, and the locks worked perfectly with the iOS app. BUT, the Android app doesn't have full functionality yet.

He's got the full-width drawer loaded with sockets, and it opens smoothly. It has double drawer slides. I asked about sag, and he went hunting for it, said there's a tiny bit, but it doesn't hinder drawer performance.

 

[SS5150]

Anyone pick up a set of these? I need more storage space and they do look very nice at the store, just wondering what people think of them. The reviews on sears website seem positive but I don't know if they censor what gets posted.

 

[jd_1138]

It's an improvement for CM, I'll stick with my current boxes for now...... besides the black and gold doesn't do it for me

They should make it a Smokey and the Bandit edition like the black and gold Trans-Am. Put some gold eagles on it.