New ICON Tool Box

[Marc Voorhees]

If I ordered a box, told it was in stock only to be told afterwards that it was months out, I probably would have cancelled the order right then and there.

I didn't find out for two weeks. Still might cancel. Just had an insanely frustrating conversation with a manager who seemed to have no clue what was going in.

I want to talk to the competent manager who I ordered from originally, then I will decide from there. Also planning on calling the dedicated line to sort out what is possible.

All in all, this is insanely frustrating.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I didn't find out for two weeks. Still might cancel. Just had an insanely frustrating conversation with a manager who seemed to have no clue what was going in.

I want to talk to the competent manager who I ordered from originally, then I will decide from there. Also planning on calling the dedicated line to sort out what is possible.

All in all, this is insanely frustrating.

I get it man, I get it. Years ago there was smaller department around here (possibly up in Mich too) called Pamida. They were notorious for having stuff featured in a sale flier and always being out of stock but would give you a rain check for the item. It was like they wanted to know how many to order before ordering them. Kind of crooked if you ask me.

Maybe HF is using the same business practice. If they are not on hand, they don't have to pay taxes on the inventory ?

 

[Two Door]

Maybe HF is using the same business practice. If they are not on hand, they don't have to pay taxes on the inventory ?

Or they're still testing the market and haven't decided whether to produce and stock these in mass quantities. That would be a major red flag for me....

 

[Marc Voorhees]

Or they're still testing the market and haven't decided whether to produce and stock these in mass quantities. That would be a major red flag for me....

Genuinely, I think there is a supply chain from Asia issue. With the global shipping issues these days who k ows.

The weird thing is that when they check stock, it says they are in, but the shipping estimate is still august. Very confusing.

If anything, this thread may exist as a warning to a future buyer I was genuinely quite excited about these boxes and getting them all set up and using them. Alas. Poor customer service and communication....

 

[javyLSU]

Marc, sorry to read about your experience. I was shopping for a new large box this past March, and was dead set in buying a 73” Icon box until I started hearing about the HF card credit limit nonsense and backorder/delivery times. I started looking at other 72” boxes, and found Rollcabs.com (which are Extreme Tools boxes). An email, a phone call, and $3499 later on a Friday, and my 72” box was being delivered 3 days later, in a blue I like better than the USG blue:

 

[Marc Voorhees]

Marc, sorry to read about your experience. I was shopping for a new large box this past March, and was dead set in buying a 73” Icon box until I started hearing about the HF card credit limit nonsense and backorder/delivery times. I started looking at other 72” boxes, and found Rollcabs.com (which are Extreme Tools boxes). An email, a phone call, and $3499 later on a Friday, and my 72” box was being delivered 3 days later, in a blue I like better than the USG blue:

That is a sharp box. I looked on line, but I struggled not being able to touch and feel (plus, that is 15% more than the comparable icon and double the comparable USG)

That said, I am curious

a) how does it compare to the icon you wanted?
B) any issues buying on line with no touching/feeling before hand
C) how was the value compared to the other two.i. Your opinion?

Edit: I see the box you bought, I think I only looked at the lower priced ones. so the one you bought is fairly comparable to the ICON numbers wise it seems! Interesting interesting. This is a more interesting option than I think I realized at first glance

I appreciate the feedback!

 

[BlackBowtie]

What do the supports under the top drawer look like on that one?

 

[javyLSU]

That is a sharp box. I looked on line, but I struggled not being able to touch and feel (plus, that is 15% more than the comparable icon and double the comparable USG)

That said, I am curious

a) how does it compare to the icon you wanted?
B) any issues buying on line with no touching/feeling before hand
C) how was the value compared to the other two.i. Your opinion?

Edit: I see the box you bought, I think I only looked at the lower priced ones. so the one you bought is fairly comparable to the ICON numbers wise it seems! Interesting interesting. This is a more interesting option than I think I realized at first glance

I appreciate the feedback!

I’m sure I went through the same thing you l’re going through, but I’m very familiar with tool truck boxes, (my Snap-on and MAC dealers regularly make stops at my house) and I knew what I wanted - a 30” deep box with as many wide, thin drawers as I could get, and “pull-to-release” type latches that I could open anywhere along the drawer. This box checks all those boxes for one third of what I could get the equivalent Epiq box for from Snap-on. To answer your questions:

A) It blows the Icon away. The additional 5 inches of depth makes a HUGE difference in storage to me. I don’t have “overflow” drawers for my wrenches, pliers, and drivers. There also no wobble at all on any of my drawers, and they open and close very, very smoothly. I also like the additional extra-wide thin drawer, this was a big selling point for me.
B) I watched as many YouTube reviews as I could find (of which there are few, it seems) and I got the “feel” I was looking for from the sounds the latches and drawers made when the reviewers operated the box. The latches and drawers just sounded solid, and they truly are. If you’d like to FaceTime to see the box, let me know - I’m more than happy to help.
C) I’ve owned every U.S. General box there is, and this is a totally different animal. I’m very, very happy with this box, and this gets reinforced every time I walk into Harbor Freight. The Extreme Tools box is a heavier duty, and better box in my opinion.

What do the supports under the top drawer look like on that one?

 

[Marc Voorhees]

not for nothing,

BUT, after poking around a bit, this set up could be interesting if I wanted to not get a side locker and go full length instead

72" Rolling Tool Cabinet + 72" Top Tool Chest R-CRX722531SET

CRX722531SET Combo features a 72" rolling tool box and a 72" top chest.

www.rollcabs.com

And it is $600 less than I am currently paying.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Oh man, that's nice.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I get it man, I get it. Years ago there was smaller department around here (possibly up in Mich too) called Pamida. They were notorious for having stuff featured in a sale flier and always being out of stock but would give you a rain check for the item. It was like they wanted to know how many to order before ordering them. Kind of crooked if you ask me.

Maybe HF is using the same business practice. If they are not on hand, they don't have to pay taxes on the inventory ?

Sears actually wrote the book in bait and switch sales tactics like what you’re describing. If I remember right, it Was sewing machines that they liked to do that with. But I’ll have to research that more.

 

[Mr_B]

not for nothing,

BUT, after poking around a bit, this set up could be interesting if I wanted to not get a side locker and go full length instead

72" Rolling Tool Cabinet + 72" Top Tool Chest R-CRX722531SET

CRX722531SET Combo features a 72" rolling tool box and a 72" top chest.

www.rollcabs.com

And it is $600 less than I am currently paying.

side locker allows for bulkier odd shape storage and modular box is easier future logistics .
If you can get you wife get some deal for back order issue stick with it .
If buying other imports sight unseen be careful as some of them not great build but not big issue for home/stationary use .

 

[will335i]

I recently received my 73" Icon roller. First I want to say that I am extremely happy with the box itself. I looked for a year for a used snap on or mac to pop up in the same price range but most of the ones I found in my area were smaller or in horrible condition.

From a customer service stand point this has been an absolutely horrible experience. Here is how it went.
Ordering was fine but not without its own frustrations. I went the credit card route because 0% financing is hard to pass up but I was annoyed to find out it was 10% off or 0% financing not both. This is on me but still wish they would have made that clearer. Second, you are probably going to only get a $2K limit, at most, so be ready to fork over the difference. So I ordered the box and was told delivery was 2 to 4 weeks out, this was expected so cool went on my way.

After receiving the order confirmation and that I would hear from the delivery company I heard absolutely nothing from HF. I think this is the first failure, when you have customers that order the some of the most expensive items in the store you probably want to be a little more proactive in customer communication. We get to 4 weeks and I still haven't heard anything so I start calling, I called the ICON help line and it was completely worthless, couldn't tell me where my box was, when to expect delivery, and while I was in the middle of asking a question they hung up. Failure number 2, that customer service rep should no longer be employed in that role if you want this line to take off. The reps should be responsive, knowledgeable, and willing to support the customer. In contrast I call Snap On about an issue with a deliver and I have replacement tools on my doorstep the next day. After I didn't get anywhere with ICON I called the store, they were able to track down the box, it had been sitting at a hub store for 2 weeks, elevated the issue through their management and finally got a call from Ryder to schedule the delivery. Mind you after the order is placed the store has nothing to do with it so hats off to this manager for trying to make right by the customer. Why the heck was is sitting for 2 weeks, not only are you wasting the customers time you are taking up space in a store that could be used for inventory and exposing it to the risk of damage.

Delivery was awful. The Ryder delivery crew showed up and when they opened the truck I see my box laying on its back. I talked with the driver stating it clearly shows on the box to not do that and he said well its a tool box what can it hurt. I watched them wrestle with it for a few minutes and then told them leave it on the truck, a dolly had collapsed under it at this point so there was likely already damage and they were just going to add more to it the more they tried. Well, they didn't listen and unloaded it anyways and left soon after it was off the truck. I have video and pictures of all of this. So I am left to finish unpacking it and inspect it for damage. Tool box is hanging off the pallet at this point which makes getting it off a lot of fun. I find multiple dents on the back of the box, deep scratches all over, a gouge out of a corner protector, a bent in drawer handle, and 6 broken slide tension adjusters.

Getting HF to make it right was about as awful as delivery. First, the ICON help line was a letdown yet again, this time they just flat didn't answer. I called the regular line and got ahold of someone who put in a "ticket" and gave me an email to send the pictures to. Sent in the pictures a week or more goes by so I call again. Told the same thing so I do it again and wait again. Nothing, but in this time I do get an alert that new box has been ordered, I clearly stated the first time I just wanted some money back with how awful the delivery was the first time. Still nothing from ICON or HF but I start getting calls from Ryder to schedule the delivery and I keep telling them I don't want it. Finally I get a call from HF to find out what was going on. This rep was probably the most helpful of the whole ordeal and finally got the ball rolling on getting the situation resolved. I get a call a few days later to discuss how much I would be getting back. It took some negotiating but I received a gift card and I am waiting on a check to come in. If you find yourself in this situation do not take the first offer and you can get more back on a gift card but I had no plans to buy anything in that dollar about from HF any time soon.

TL/DR HF supply chain is a ******* mess, they have not put in place the support the ICON line needs in my opinion for the line to thrive, but the ICON boxes are worth the price.

 

[shawhite]

So at this point the horrible customer service from HF regarding icon boxes is pretty well established but yet some guys are still shelling out several thousand dollars for a these boxes. What sort of service do you expect if or when something goes wrong?

 

[Marc Voorhees]

I recently received my 73" Icon roller. First I want to say that I am extremely happy with the box itself. I looked for a year for a used snap on or mac to pop up in the same price range but most of the ones I found in my area were smaller or in horrible condition.

From a customer service stand point this has been an absolutely horrible experience. Here is how it went.
Ordering was fine but not without its own frustrations. I went the credit card route because 0% financing is hard to pass up but I was annoyed to find out it was 10% off or 0% financing not both. This is on me but still wish they would have made that clearer. Second, you are probably going to only get a $2K limit, at most, so be ready to fork over the difference. So I ordered the box and was told delivery was 2 to 4 weeks out, this was expected so cool went on my way.

After receiving the order confirmation and that I would hear from the delivery company I heard absolutely nothing from HF. I think this is the first failure, when you have customers that order the some of the most expensive items in the store you probably want to be a little more proactive in customer communication. We get to 4 weeks and I still haven't heard anything so I start calling, I called the ICON help line and it was completely worthless, couldn't tell me where my box was, when to expect delivery, and while I was in the middle of asking a question they hung up. Failure number 2, that customer service rep should no longer be employed in that role if you want this line to take off. The reps should be responsive, knowledgeable, and willing to support the customer. In contrast I call Snap On about an issue with a deliver and I have replacement tools on my doorstep the next day. After I didn't get anywhere with ICON I called the store, they were able to track down the box, it had been sitting at a hub store for 2 weeks, elevated the issue through their management and finally got a call from Ryder to schedule the delivery. Mind you after the order is placed the store has nothing to do with it so hats off to this manager for trying to make right by the customer. Why the heck was is sitting for 2 weeks, not only are you wasting the customers time you are taking up space in a store that could be used for inventory and exposing it to the risk of damage.

Delivery was awful. The Ryder delivery crew showed up and when they opened the truck I see my box laying on its back. I talked with the driver stating it clearly shows on the box to not do that and he said well its a tool box what can it hurt. I watched them wrestle with it for a few minutes and then told them leave it on the truck, a dolly had collapsed under it at this point so there was likely already damage and they were just going to add more to it the more they tried. Well, they didn't listen and unloaded it anyways and left soon after it was off the truck. I have video and pictures of all of this. So I am left to finish unpacking it and inspect it for damage. Tool box is hanging off the pallet at this point which makes getting it off a lot of fun. I find multiple dents on the back of the box, deep scratches all over, a gouge out of a corner protector, a bent in drawer handle, and 6 broken slide tension adjusters.

Getting HF to make it right was about as awful as delivery. First, the ICON help line was a letdown yet again, this time they just flat didn't answer. I called the regular line and got ahold of someone who put in a "ticket" and gave me an email to send the pictures to. Sent in the pictures a week or more goes by so I call again. Told the same thing so I do it again and wait again. Nothing, but in this time I do get an alert that new box has been ordered, I clearly stated the first time I just wanted some money back with how awful the delivery was the first time. Still nothing from ICON or HF but I start getting calls from Ryder to schedule the delivery and I keep telling them I don't want it. Finally I get a call from HF to find out what was going on. This rep was probably the most helpful of the whole ordeal and finally got the ball rolling on getting the situation resolved. I get a call a few days later to discuss how much I would be getting back. It took some negotiating but I received a gift card and I am waiting on a check to come in. If you find yourself in this situation do not take the first offer and you can get more back on a gift card but I had no plans to buy anything in that dollar about from HF any time soon.

TL/DR HF supply chain is a ******* mess, they have not put in place the support the ICON line needs in my opinion for the line to thrive, but the ICON boxes are worth the price.

Yeah...... Luckily my Service experience while frustrating, has at least been successful if getting information. I am glad you are liking the box so far! I have been looking at used, but sadly where I am seems to be a bit of a black hole. if only I lived by the Ohio/Pennsylvania border, I would be *** deep in used box options.

So at this point the horrible customer service from HF regarding icon boxes is pretty well established but yet some guys are still shelling out several thousand dollars for a these boxes. What sort of service do you expect if or when something goes wrong?

For me personally, as I don't move the box ever (Unless I move house), and I have never been able to break a USG Box (one of which is 10 years old and been moved to 4 different houses in 3 different states) I am not anticipating ever needing to deal with them once it is delivered. But who the hell knows

 

[Marc Voorhees]

UPDATE

So I spent the morning making some phone calls, first to the Icon help line, then to the store where I bought my box, then to another store that is near by. Here is what I learned

Icon Sales/Service Line: This is a bit of a mislabel. They can't help with sales, they can't check with stock, they cant do anything except track an order that is already placed. So I had them look into my order. Here is the good news! 2/4 items on my order are in stock! The Bad news is that they are the key tumbler set and the side chest. Sadly, neither of those two things alone help me. The other two Items, the top and bottom chests, are both scheduled to arrive in the distribution center July 29 to be delivered by August 5.

The Original Store: The original manager I spoke to was not there. As previously reported, all other people in the store are complete dullards, and generally don't know the ICON stuff well

The Second Store: This was an EXCELLENT call. Their ICON expert happened to be in today, and I was able to have a chat with him. he gave me a few interesting nuggets:

1) He has a customer who ordered a Red box in May and is not scheduled for delivery until October
2) He said my delivery of end of July was the earliest he has heard of in a while and I am freaking lucky as hell
3) He just received HIS Blue ICON Box he bought for himself after a 3 month wait and was beyond happy with it
4) Due to the Steel and Shipping issues, USG Boxes are going through a similar issue right now. his particular store has almost no boxes in stock (Varies store by store) and corporate is thinking of allowing stores to begin marking certain things "Out of Stock' and no longer taking preorders. He said that he really only has a few 44" boxes in lime green and orange
5) As an interesting aside, he said that Harbor Freight is as of now tracking to be out of stock on floor jacks in 2 months.

All in All, a really good conversation with a guy who "Gets it", knew the product, know the issues but sadly couldn't offer a solution. My Guess is that each store only have 1 person who knows the ICON stuff well. That needs to change

Where we stand: For me, I think I am going to wait and see. I can cancel the order at any time, but the first Credit card bill is coming up. so I have to decide if I am going to pay it or now. I will probably take the next 2 weeks and keep looking and then decide. As mentioned above, the Roll Cab options are interesting there are other things on line that have caught my eye, but Cabinet less(Which I think I really want) and the local used market is....... limited at best (Nothing near by that meets specs) and I don't want to go driving 8+ hours to try and load a 2000 pound tool box set up by my self with only pictures to go by.

I will keep updating, and again maybe this is a cautionary tale about a product that has a ton of upside and is being let down on a couple different ways. Supply chain issues are beyond control for the most part, but the service and general unawareness is an issue

 

[PatY]

After the poor reviews on HF customer service I can't see anyone taking the chance on one of their boxes. Not for that money. Rollcab seems a much better option.

 

[Formerjeeper]

I have been keeping an eye on FBM. as for my local driver, as a home owner with no shop connections, I have no clue who/what that is. For lack of any better ideas, I reached out this afternoon to Snapon through the "Find a Franchisee" link on their website. We will see if someone gets back to me and if they have anything of interest laying around!

I figure that I can explore the tool box driver angle while waiting, time seems to be on my side at this point!

Marc - have you seen 1st State Tools on Facebook? No connection but I keep an eye on them. They specialize in used great condition tool truck boxes, and they frequently load up a trailer and take a Midwest/Atlantic road trip to do deliveries. PM me if you need a link.

 

[Marc Voorhees]

Marc - have you seen 1st State Tools on Facebook? No connection but I keep an eye on them. They specialize in used great condition tool truck boxes, and they frequently load up a trailer and take a Midwest/Atlantic road trip to do deliveries. PM me if you need a link.

Never hear if then before, but I have been pokin around their Facebook, damn. They just came up to Michigan, but there are a few things that may be on interest all in all!

That k you for the suggestion!

 

[clientgraphics]

Here is what I can tell you based on my experience and what I have heard and seen from others. The items are supposed to be sold as "Pre-Sale" and if they are not then you just paid for something you will not get. You would then need to have the store return them and resell them accordingly as "pre-sale" items. If they don't sell them as pre-sale they don't get notified that they need to ship them from the larger facilities.

As far as the price, as long as you pay less than the sticker/website price that is good assuming you get what you ordered. If it were me I would double-check what the pre-sale item is and what color and definitely the bottom box size with the phone number on the receipt. The only reason I say that is because the 10% off discount looks right for all the items, but the price of the 36" bottom box is $1999 and 10% off that would be the price you posted at 1799.10 The worst that you will be out is your time on a large dollar purchase. The store managers can price override, discount and even make mistakes like everyone else.

I personally can relate to 2 months being a long time and I can tell you that I had to wait a long time as I bought mine pre covid by a few weeks and then everything shut down. The biggest thing I regret is not buying everything all at once and getting a discount on all the items at the same time. I did order some replacement drawers and they took so long to come in that they are still sitting in a box waiting for me in the garage.

As far as the delivery, that is all set up and scheduled with someone that is more local to you when the time gets closer. There are absolutely no guareetees they will help you set up or lift anything. When mine was delivered it was wheeled to my garage only. There was no mention of help or lifting for me. It was a quick open the box to verify it wasn't damaged and sign for the delivery to waive them of all future liabilities.

I do not have a Harbor Freight credit card so I don't have any experience with the spending limits but you apparently do NOT get the 5% back rewards when you use the 10% off. It's in the disclosures Equal pay purchases and 10% off discounts do not earn reward points.

As far as the box, it's a good heavy-duty tool storage solution. You mentioned some drawers didn’t fully extend. I had this happen, but only because they were never fully extended and didn't open about 2-4 inches compared to a few others. I went to the store and verified on the display box that had a similar issue. I removed the draw entirely and compared it to another one that was working. I then removed a fully extending drawer from the slide tracks and put it back together and it seemed to then come up short. You just really need to pull hard and then a little harder to get the slides fully extended. I fixed the in-store display as well as my box and have been good ever since.

Hopefully everything works out the way it should.

 

[will335i]

So at this point the horrible customer service from HF regarding icon boxes is pretty well established but yet some guys are still shelling out several thousand dollars for a these boxes. What sort of service do you expect if or when something goes wrong?

It is still a great tool box at this price point. HF isn't the only company dealing with the supply chain and raw material crunch so extended deliveries should be expect. The level of customer service they are providing right now is really where I have any issue.

As far as what I expect moving forward service wise, right now, not a lot. ICON is still a new brand so my hope is they start to get the right people in place and provide better customer support if they really want the professionals to take it serious.

 

[Marc Voorhees]

So my icon ordeal has come to a close.

Three weeks to the day after I bought it(and 2 weeks later than I was supposed to have it delivered) I "returned" everything. The past few weeks have helped me rethink my needs. I have decided that having a 30" deep box would be a good thing to allow for a more dedicated workspace and allow for upper storage of any brand if I wanted it in the future. And still have a workspace. The icon would have limited me a bit unless I reconfigured, and doing that would have pushed out a few more months.

My parting thoughts here are as follows (for anyone who cares)

1) I am convinced ICON is still a good box for the price and the market point. The layout is good for me, features like the power drawer are really attractive and honestly, a big draw as far as i am concerned. Others who have commented here seem thrilled when they finally get their products.

2) ICON service had might as well not exist. I don't blame the store, we checked, stock has there, delivery estimate was realistic. What happened between that point and now, I have no idea. But holy hell. The lack of communication (good thing I called them asking), the lack of anyone at the stores knowing what is going on except 1 person and the inability to stock the item is a killer. I k ow global supply chain, but other sites (strictly toolboxes for intance) have overseas made stock. Re-think what you are doing HF

For those who are curious, I am going to order a Tool Vault Elite xl 84. I called STB this morning, talked with a human (tom?? Tim?) Who was super knowledgeable about the product, explained things, talked me through the whole process, has stock, explained how shipping works and answered all of my ******* questions while I struggled with this process. THAT is good customer service, and THAT is how you have a product that competes at the top end of the prosumer and lower end of the professional market.

Just my .02, I hope you guys have enjoyed this thread, and I thank you all for the advice and thoughts! Some really good stuff came from this!

 

[shawhite]

It is still a great tool box at this price point. HF isn't the only company dealing with the supply chain and raw material crunch so extended deliveries should be expect. The level of customer service they are providing right now is really where I have any issue.

As far as what I expect moving forward service wise, right now, not a lot. ICON is still a new brand so my hope is they start to get the right people in place and provide better customer support if they really want the professionals to take it serious.

Can you really say it is a great tool box being there are only a handful of them in the wild so not much feedback on reliability and we all know customer service is non existent. OP made a wise decision in my opinion.

 

[will335i]

Well I own one so yes I can.

 

[shawhite]

Well I own one so yes I can.

Talk to me in 10 years and we will see how it is holding up.

 

[59_burst]

Wow you went down the exact same rabbit hole that I did.

Decided to make the workshop at my classic car dealership a bit more organized. Had a 54" US General box with lots of USA Craftsman stuff. Bought a big Milwaukee toolbox setup at HD. Loved it for a year, then found the 3 1/2" deep top drawer did not allow for great socket organization and the drawers were beginning to not stay open. Looked at Homak boxes, looked at upgrading my older USG boxes, looked and looked and looked at used tool truck boxes and eventually settled on a 72" Icon with Hutch and side locker. Seemed like really good quality and fair pricing and the benefit of 3 HF's within a 10 mile radius of our shop.

Placed my order with the very distracted store manager- This took almost 2 hours and we both sweated through a couple of facemasks. (Peak Covid protocols) I assumed this stuff was in stock, that there would be a coupon and that I could double dip and take a full 10% off with the credit card. Found out in a few days that we were backordered by a week.. then a month.. then 90 days. As I learned of all of the obstacles I soured, but stayed in there for awhile. When I was in the store buying some nitrile gloves I overheard an Icon owner having a heated discussion with the store manager about a busted slide on one of his drawers. Not sure how it ended up but it seemed support was not a simple phone call or web form to fill out like Tekton. I cancelled my order and started looking again.

After a few hours spent with a mechanic buddy of mine I fell in love with his new Epiq 84" box with hutch and locker. Finally got to really handle the pro stuff with the 30" deep drawers... big difference in my opinion. He got a great deal on his around $22K out the door for $28K worth of stuff at catalog prices (Yes the truck deals on these, especially for cash). Now $22K was more than I was willing to spend, and was looking more in the $5-7K range like the Icon. Found an older 72" Snap On KRL setup with the half-deep hutch and locker and upper cabs for around $10,500, drove two hours with my trailer to pick it up... and it was clean but well used. Hard to see in photos how much wear these things get when a full time tech is using them. I ultimately decided for $10K I did not want somebody else's worn out stuff. Found a few 84" Epiqs used around $8-10K, but zero on the side lockers or hutches. Found the guys in Delaware on Ebay, but they stopped shipping boxes AT ALL and did not want to pay Mayflower $5K to deliver used stuff. The three local SO drivers all had a line on one smaller used cabinet, no hutches, no lockers, and the discount was not really that enticing. Was offered a 68" Epiq roller at $8500. No thanks.

After much research I found out the ONLY Tool Vault offered an 84" lower cab and hutch. That combined with the 30" drawers was what we wanted. Called up Strictly Toolboxes. Asked what was in stock for immediate delivery. Wound up with the Tool Vault 84" rollcab, 84" Hutch and side locker. $7500 delivered. Phone ordering could not have been easier. Delivery was in a couple of days. Packed perfectly. Having handled the Icon stuff a LOT these units do feel a little bit heavier duty. Drawers feel supremely smooth, the side locker is a beat with three pull out drawers, and the Griplatch style pulls are just effortless. The Hutch is a personal taste thing. There are no side struts to make the top glide up and down. This means you have to grab the 30 lb. lid with both hands and lift it into position. Not hard but not fingertip like SO. The plus of this system is now you can use the sides of the hutch for storage- I keep my nut drivers, screwdrivers and magnetic flashlights stuck to the sides so they are easy to grab.

The Tool Vault stuff has no power at all- no outlets, no lights, no power drawer- nothing. I added some Amazon sourced LED lighting with motion switches, outlets with USB everywhere, hung my Milwaukee stuff on the hutch wall and put my 6-battery Milwaukee charger in the side locker. We're not a full time mechanic shop but at times a couple of guys are pulling tools from this box all day. After 4 months.. no complaints.

How does this compare to the Epiq stuff? Pretty favorably if you ask me. After months of using this stuff nearly every day I did go back and handle my buddy's Epiq stuff. Certainly it's nice and far more customizable and should last forever- but it feels like the Tool Vault is 85% of the Epiq quality at 25% of the price. For our needs- more than adequate. I cannot imagine this not lasting for a very, very long time.

I'll do a full review with better photos at some point if guys are interested. Here's a quick shot of the unit in our shop, with our Newage Pro stuff in the back.

 

[GrantCee]

Talk to me in 10 years and we will see how it is holding up.

In all likelihood, unless it's being abused 10 hrs/day, 6 days/wk in a very busy auto shop, it'll be just fine. (And will likely be good even if used hard.)

Here's my point of reference: I bought one of the original HF US General 44" boxes, top chest, side drawer unit, and side locker a bit over 12 years ago. It's pretty well loaded, but I wouldn't say it's overloaded. I live on a small farm and have cars, trailers, tractors, mowers, and miscellaneous implements to maintain — not to mention near-continuous building and remodeling projects. I'm getting into the box several times a day, just about every day. So, more use than the average homeowner probably would give it but less than being in an auto shop.

Guess what? It's held up perfectly well. No issues, no signs of wear, everything functions like it did when I got it. Since the Icon is far better built than even my USG, I think we can reasonably conclude that it will handle just about anything all but a small fraction of users can give it.

 

[Sneezer]

Congrats on your early purchase! $699 is way too steep for me though. Sure, I know it is comparable to one of the premium brands versions, but I don't have the space or need for such a cart. The $170 5 drawer cart I already have does just fine. If for some reason I decide I really need extra storage maybe I will pick up a side box and make it work, but that would probably be too long anyway for my crowded garage.

 

[BlackBowtie]

Congrats on your early purchase! $699 is way too steep for me though. Sure, I know it is comparable to one of the premium brands versions, but I don't have the space or need for such a cart. The $170 5 drawer cart I already have does just fine. If for some reason I decide I really need extra storage maybe I will pick up a side box and make it work, but that would probably be too long anyway for my crowded garage.

I think you meant to post that comment here https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/new-us-general-six-drawer-roll-cart.482285/

 

[Sneezer]

I think you meant to post that comment here https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/new-us-general-six-drawer-roll-cart.482285/

You are correct. I should stop surfing at work. Ugh.

 

[will335i]

Talk to me in 10 years and we will see how it is holding up.

And to qualify my response a little, I am a mechanical engineer with 12yrs of hands on industrial experience. I bought this box with the idea that this will be the last* tool box I ever buy. With what I have seen from my experience with mine, I have no reason to believe it wont last.

*I will probably have to add on but no reason to replace.

 

[shawhite]

And to qualify my response a little, I am a mechanical engineer with 12yrs of hands on industrial experience. I bought this box with the idea that this will be the last* tool box I ever buy. With what I have seen from my experience with mine, I have no reason to believe it wont last.

*I will probably have to add on but no reason to replace.

Man I get it you love your tool box. But let’s say you need to replace something on the box you think HF stocks parts for a 12 year old anything? My point is there are a lot of really good options in the market now a days so why deal with a company with horrible customer service.

 

[Marc Voorhees]

Wow you went down the exact same rabbit hole that I did.

Decided to make the workshop at my classic car dealership a bit more organized. Had a 54" US General box with lots of USA Craftsman stuff. Bought a big Milwaukee toolbox setup at HD. Loved it for a year, then found the 3 1/2" deep top drawer did not allow for great socket organization and the drawers were beginning to not stay open. Looked at Homak boxes, looked at upgrading my older USG boxes, looked and looked and looked at used tool truck boxes and eventually settled on a 72" Icon with Hutch and side locker. Seemed like really good quality and fair pricing and the benefit of 3 HF's within a 10 mile radius of our shop.

Placed my order with the very distracted store manager- This took almost 2 hours and we both sweated through a couple of facemasks. (Peak Covid protocols) I assumed this stuff was in stock, that there would be a coupon and that I could double dip and take a full 10% off with the credit card. Found out in a few days that we were backordered by a week.. then a month.. then 90 days. As I learned of all of the obstacles I soured, but stayed in there for awhile. When I was in the store buying some nitrile gloves I overheard an Icon owner having a heated discussion with the store manager about a busted slide on one of his drawers. Not sure how it ended up but it seemed support was not a simple phone call or web form to fill out like Tekton. I cancelled my order and started looking again.

After a few hours spent with a mechanic buddy of mine I fell in love with his new Epiq 84" box with hutch and locker. Finally got to really handle the pro stuff with the 30" deep drawers... big difference in my opinion. He got a great deal on his around $22K out the door for $28K worth of stuff at catalog prices (Yes the truck deals on these, especially for cash). Now $22K was more than I was willing to spend, and was looking more in the $5-7K range like the Icon. Found an older 72" Snap On KRL setup with the half-deep hutch and locker and upper cabs for around $10,500, drove two hours with my trailer to pick it up... and it was clean but well used. Hard to see in photos how much wear these things get when a full time tech is using them. I ultimately decided for $10K I did not want somebody else's worn out stuff. Found a few 84" Epiqs used around $8-10K, but zero on the side lockers or hutches. Found the guys in Delaware on Ebay, but they stopped shipping boxes AT ALL and did not want to pay Mayflower $5K to deliver used stuff. The three local SO drivers all had a line on one smaller used cabinet, no hutches, no lockers, and the discount was not really that enticing. Was offered a 68" Epiq roller at $8500. No thanks.

After much research I found out the ONLY Tool Vault offered an 84" lower cab and hutch. That combined with the 30" drawers was what we wanted. Called up Strictly Toolboxes. Asked what was in stock for immediate delivery. Wound up with the Tool Vault 84" rollcab, 84" Hutch and side locker. $7500 delivered. Phone ordering could not have been easier. Delivery was in a couple of days. Packed perfectly. Having handled the Icon stuff a LOT these units do feel a little bit heavier duty. Drawers feel supremely smooth, the side locker is a beat with three pull out drawers, and the Griplatch style pulls are just effortless. The Hutch is a personal taste thing. There are no side struts to make the top glide up and down. This means you have to grab the 30 lb. lid with both hands and lift it into position. Not hard but not fingertip like SO. The plus of this system is now you can use the sides of the hutch for storage- I keep my nut drivers, screwdrivers and magnetic flashlights stuck to the sides so they are easy to grab.

The Tool Vault stuff has no power at all- no outlets, no lights, no power drawer- nothing. I added some Amazon sourced LED lighting with motion switches, outlets with USB everywhere, hung my Milwaukee stuff on the hutch wall and put my 6-battery Milwaukee charger in the side locker. We're not a full time mechanic shop but at times a couple of guys are pulling tools from this box all day. After 4 months.. no complaints.

How does this compare to the Epiq stuff? Pretty favorably if you ask me. After months of using this stuff nearly every day I did go back and handle my buddy's Epiq stuff. Certainly it's nice and far more customizable and should last forever- but it feels like the Tool Vault is 85% of the Epiq quality at 25% of the price. For our needs- more than adequate. I cannot imagine this not lasting for a very, very long time.

I'll do a full review with better photos at some point if guys are interested. Here's a quick shot of the unit in our shop, with our Newage Pro stuff in the back.

 

[Raineman]

Thats funny.
Thanks for taking us along with multiple threads on your box journey. I enjoyed it. I really thought you were going to end up with that Ford box.

 

[Marc Voorhees]

Thats funny.
Thanks for taking us along with multiple threads on your box journey. I enjoyed it. I really thought you were going to end up with that Ford box.

Guy texted me today and we talked, he said if price was a consideration he would go to 5000.

I just can't figure out what to do with the top box. I have no clue. I need the workspace upon consideration I really liked that Ford box.

 

[Raineman]

Yeah, that box deal is amazing, but I agree with you on the space issue. I have 2 triple stack boxes and I can’t stand them anymore. I need something I can use as a work top and don’t need a little step stool to get up top. I really like the one you ended up with.

 

[Marc Voorhees]

Yeah, that box deal is amazing, but I agree with you on the space issue. I have 2 triple stack boxes and I can’t stand them anymore. I need something I can use as a work top and don’t need a little step stool to get up top. I really like the one you ended up with.

That is what I was afraid of, and even my original ICON order was a stack with no workspace, and the delay allowed me to reconsider in a few ways.

I think this is best, and I can always toss a box on top of the stainless steel top withough taking up that much real estate in reality!

 

[BarrelRoll]

This was a great read. I've put my work box up for sale and will need a replacement. I was considering the icon stuff though they won't drop ship to a freight forwarder (I'm in Alaska so it would need to go to the barge) and the fact that the boxes are only 25" deep is a sticking point. Space can be an issue and some mines care how wide a box is though not how deep it is so I'm thinking 30" is the ticket. After reading this icon off the list, thanks for the information.

 

[shamoo]

A bit of an older thread, but I figure I'd chime in.

Did a ton of research on the "bargain" brands like Icon, Extreme, Tool Vault, etc and ultimately decided on the Icon series. Went to the Anaheim, California store yesterday (one of their larger hub stores) to buy:
- 73" roller kart
- 73" hutch/workcenter
- 73" stainless top
- 28" side locker

July 4th weekend offered the 10% off, plus their credit card offer was either 1) 0% interest, or 2) an additional 10% off. I picked the latter since I'd pay it off immediately anyway.

Not sure how others here are not getting approved for the full amount, but mine was approved for $7K and with all the discounts, it ended up $5020 or so plus tax. Pretty good deal considering MSRP is $6200 + tax.

Another comment here on the shipping times. They tell you up front when you order how long it should take. As soon as they enter in your address, it should give you lead times. From the get go, mine was sometime in early September so I was prepared for it. I know if you ask on the phone, their default answer is "about 2 weeks". But when you place the order, they know in more detail.

Guess it is going to be a waiting game at this point. Hate waiting!

 

[Marc Voorhees]

A bit of an older thread, but I figure I'd chime in.

Did a ton of research on the "bargain" brands like Icon, Extreme, Tool Vault, etc and ultimately decided on the Icon series. Went to the Anaheim, California store yesterday (one of their larger hub stores) to buy:
- 73" roller kart
- 73" hutch/workcenter
- 73" stainless top
- 28" side locker

July 4th weekend offered the 10% off, plus their credit card offer was either 1) 0% interest, or 2) an additional 10% off. I picked the latter since I'd pay it off immediately anyway.

Not sure how others here are not getting approved for the full amount, but mine was approved for $7K and with all the discounts, it ended up $5020 or so plus tax. Pretty good deal considering MSRP is $6200 + tax.

Another comment here on the shipping times. They tell you up front when you order how long it should take. As soon as they enter in your address, it should give you lead times. From the get go, mine was sometime in early September so I was prepared for it. I know if you ask on the phone, their default answer is "about 2 weeks". But when you place the order, they know in more detail.

Guess it is going to be a waiting game at this point. Hate waiting!

Bit of an older thread? It is 3 weeks old!


Glad it worked out for you, I don't k ow a single person who has gotten approved for more than 2500. Synchrony told me on the phone they don't approve anyone for more than that until after they use it a bunch. I teresting

Either way, hope you enjoy it and I hope you don't have any delays that change your due date! Happy hunting.