Please read if you have a Matco toolbox

[shawndp]

You know what's funny... This forum is so obsessed with Country of Origin and devoted to the idea that "Made is USA" equals a quality product that as a Canadian I am mildly amused. If this was a thread about a Harbour Freight box, there would be plenty of sentences containing the words "cheap, sub-par, chinesium" and all that. I don't think many would say "spray some rust inhibitor and **** it up". If an inexpensive product is cheaply made you get what you paid for. I don't expect fit and finish on a Dodge or a Ford to be anything close to perfect but if my Lexus LS or Mercedes S-class was not done right, I would find a way to have the situation made satisfactory. People who buy tool boxes like the OP's likely spend a few thousand in tools on a semi-frequent basis. Now you have to ask - how many people here will second-guess buying a 4s or a 5s and with that, the associated brand of tools? I know I will, and will be spreading the message to a lot of the techs I know. In the mean time, I am going to go enjoy my rust-free, cheap-enough but tough enough (Canadian) box and chalk this down as a PR loss for Matco and the COO-fan-boys.

 

[reader2580]

to a lot of the techs I know. In the mean time, I am going to go enjoy my rust-free, cheap-enough but tough enough (Canadian) box and chalk this down as a PR loss for Matco and the COO-fan-boys.

I am an American and I have no issue buying stuff made in Canada. My car was made in Canada.

 

[shawndp]

I am an American and I have no issue buying stuff made in Canada. My car was made in Canada.

I never meant to imply that American products as a whole are deficient, just that like everything there are good and bad and COO isn't a barometer of quality but is vastly over-hyped around these parts. My car is made in Ohio and I had a field day telling an American friend that a Honda was more domestic than his Ford!

 

[WittHay]

That's not the point. The point is, when you pay 3, 4, 5 thousand dollars for a box, you SHOULDN'T have to add a rust inhibitor... you shouldn't have to dismantle your box and Jerry rig **** with a rattle can...

I guess some people have a different definition of quality than I do.


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I totally agree with these comments. If Snap-on can paint the inside of their boxes, Why can't Matco? How many boxes do they actually make at 1 time? For the price they charge, a worker should physically touch up the bare spots with a spray gun

If they can't, the boxes should be priced the same as the made in USA Waterloos or the Beach/International boxes up here

I read another thread about tool box paint issues, and i checked a year old Snap-on and Proto entry level boxes and both were fully painted on the inside.

Not every box goes in a heated shop. Working around hydraulic fluids, i found that fully painted steel stands up but where paint meets bare metal the paint starts to flake off

 

[Cummins_Tech]

You know what's funny... This forum is so obsessed with Country of Origin and devoted to the idea that "Made is USA" equals a quality product that as a Canadian I am mildly amused. If this was a thread about a Harbour Freight box, there would be plenty of sentences containing the words "cheap, sub-par, chinesium" and all that. I don't think many would say "spray some rust inhibitor and **** it up". If an inexpensive product is cheaply made you get what you paid for. I don't expect fit and finish on a Dodge or a Ford to be anything close to perfect but if my Lexus LS or Mercedes S-class was not done right, I would find a way to have the situation made satisfactory. People who buy tool boxes like the OP's likely spend a few thousand in tools on a semi-frequent basis. Now you have to ask - how many people here will second-guess buying a 4s or a 5s and with that, the associated brand of tools? I know I will, and will be spreading the message to a lot of the techs I know. In the mean time, I am going to go enjoy my rust-free, cheap-enough but tough enough (Canadian) box and chalk this down as a PR loss for Matco and the COO-fan-boys.

THANK YOU!!


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[john11139]

That's why my next box will be the largest one H.F makes instead of paying $5000 for the one I have. (with $4000 left over to buy paint)

 

[Hootbro]

Meh, I have two MATCO boxes, one 30+ years old and another maybe 5 years old. Never had a need to go looking on the inside of either and neither has rusted to the ground.

 

[Razor36]

Hello I'm brand new to the forum. I stumbled upon this discussion through Google by accident while trying to look for a fair price to sell my 2017 4s silver vein 3 bay 25" . I can't thank you enough for bringing this rust issue to light or I would've never ended up where I'm at with my box. After I read some of this thread I had already listed my box on various sites for sale. I decided to look at my box a little closer and found rust along the bottom front, the bottom right drawer inside and out, and in various other places. Before I say anything else I am the sole owner of this box that I purchased new off the truck from our previous Matco dealer. If you buy a box used Matco may or may not warranty it depending on your particular situation. I sent my current dealer some pics and he jumped right on it. He came in to the shop and took his own pics. He asked me what I would like to see happen. I told him look, I'm not a demanding person. I just want it fixed or made right. Spending this kind of money on a toolbox in a professional environment I expect it to hold up. I told him to let me know what Matco says. My dealer is a huge people person and he genuinely wants his customers to be happy which is the way it should be. Two weeks after he submitted the claim he pulled me out to the truck alone and said well I got a response about the claim. He then says pick a box color AND trim color! I was freaking floored. He told me I was getting a brand new 3 bay 28" deep (because the 25" deep isn't made anymore) in my choice of colors. This kind of thing doesn't happen to me haha! I chose Outlaw Black with Purple trim after stewing over it. I'm currently waiting on it as he has told me it would probably be a while until I receive it. This is customer service at its best. I am super grateful for stumbling upon this forum and the advice within.

 

[neophyte]

I'm not all about looks and condition but come on, the thing costs thousands of dollars. Whether it's Matco, Snap On, or whatever, why even paint the inside if they aren't going to fully paint it?

Is it machine coated? Is that how it might be spotty?

That's a beautiful box op. Hope it stays nice for you.

No, the boxes are sprayed by hand judging by the videos on how the boxes are made.

Personally, I hate powder coating, because I’ve routinely seen powder coated items that have rust, particularly in corners, or near welded areas, etc., and the rust and corrosion is routinely UNDER the powder coated finish.

Admittedly, I’ve seen spray or brush coated items with corrosion coming thru the finish, but the issues were less severe, and easier to find and fix.

 

[seber]

For what that box cost ($7500 list) there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of slipshod work. If it cannot be painted after assembly, then it should be painted before. If neither is possible, fire the design engineer and design it right. This is a Matco fail big time. My Snap-on KRL and KR are twenty to thirty years old and show no rust other than where they have been abused.

 

[Mr_B]

Hello I'm brand new to the forum. I stumbled upon this discussion through Google by accident while trying to look for a fair price to sell my 2017 4s silver vein 3 bay 25" . I can't thank you enough for bringing this rust issue to light or I would've never ended up where I'm at with my box. After I read some of this thread I had already listed my box on various sites for sale. I decided to look at my box a little closer and found rust along the bottom front, the bottom right drawer inside and out, and in various other places. Before I say anything else I am the sole owner of this box that I purchased new off the truck from our previous Matco dealer. If you buy a box used Matco may or may not warranty it depending on your particular situation. I sent my current dealer some pics and he jumped right on it. He came in to the shop and took his own pics. He asked me what I would like to see happen. I told him look, I'm not a demanding person. I just want it fixed or made right. Spending this kind of money on a toolbox in a professional environment I expect it to hold up. I told him to let me know what Matco says. My dealer is a huge people person and he genuinely wants his customers to be happy which is the way it should be. Two weeks after he submitted the claim he pulled me out to the truck alone and said well I got a response about the claim. He then says pick a box color AND trim color! I was freaking floored. He told me I was getting a brand new 3 bay 28" deep (because the 25" deep isn't made anymore) in my choice of colors. This kind of thing doesn't happen to me haha! I chose Outlaw Black with Purple trim after stewing over it. I'm currently waiting on it as he has told me it would probably be a while until I receive it. This is customer service at its best. I am super grateful for stumbling upon this forum and the advice within.

when you get your new box buy a 20 buck can of quality cavity wax and do a tidy effort treating vulnerable areas, job jobbed .
I'm a big fan of older used Matco boxes as they great used prices for a proper decent box . My auto repair shop full of old 7535 7525 matco boxes and end cabs & they'll still be in use when I retired & probably still usable when i'm long gone .
Newer boxes from most manufacturers seems a quality drop for a price hike :-/ ...

 

[Old Man Roger]

Could you imagine if a car manufacture knowingly sold brand new cars with metal that rusted from the inside, out? If the problem was common there would probably be a recall....

At first I though you just forgot the sarcasm emoji.lol

As has been mentioned to the op, just fix it. It’s a big investment to let rot.

 

[Ricky Joe]

I try to tell guys not to waste their money on Matco stuff, but nobody listens. Most of it is just rebranded Taiwan stuff for 3x the money. Our matco dealer is garbage as well. Two guys have 5S boxes here at work and they hate them. Overpriced chincy hunks of junk.


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That’s a shame. Matco used to make high quality products.

 

[AA/FC]

At first I though you just forgot the sarcasm emoji.lol

As has been mentioned to the op, just fix it. It’s a big investment to let rot.

You quoted a post that I made over six years ago..... I have no idea what I was trying to say back then, nor do I care. lol.

And even if I did remember, I'm sure my opinion has changed at least 100 times since I typed that post. lol.

 

[Old Man Roger]

You quoted a post that I made over six years ago..... I have no idea what I was trying to say back then, nor do I care. lol.

And even if I did remember, I'm sure my opinion has changed at least 100 times since I typed that post. lol.

Damn ghost threads get me every time.lol

 

[Al Borland]

HaHaHaHa, just saw this thread again, My Matco box eventually had a wheel mount rust off and the box tipped over. Pitched the top box across the shop when it fell. Set off the motion sensors in the shop in the middle of the night.
Provided me with about 30 years of use, and went out in a comical way.