Recommend a good 26" wide tool box

[PoorOwner]

Do you guys know of a good 26" box, I want one that has full 17-18" from top to bottom, I don't want the stuff that has 12" top unit.

Craftsman (I know) has one that is same depth all the way to the top including immediate storage. But I have heard alot of complains about binding and grip latch problems with their stuff.

BTW do you think having 2x 26" unit is better than one monster 41" or 56" if you don't have the WIDTH to fit one monolithic toolbox.. More drawers that way. One 26" is going to be near the car's engine bay where it is now and the other could go near the work bench on the other side of the garage. This is for home use and doesn't have to be pushed around

 

[z28toz06]

check out the 26" stainless boxes from sears

 

[brownbagg]

craftman are made by waterloo which also makes other companies boxes too.

 

[Uncle Buck]

My preference is for the 40 inch or wider combinations. I have one of the first 40 inchers Sears offered and it has the old compound slides. It has been loaded beyond it's rated capacity almost since day one; I have no problems with binding or sagging drawers and really have never had one problem with my setup. Ball bearing drawer slides are worth the extra money and I would have done so when I bought my setup (circa 1992) except they were not offered until the following year. In fact I was younger and more stupid then and I used a cherry picker to lift my partially loaded top box to the back of my truck on several occasions for junk yard runs with no ill effects; something I would not dream of doing today. You know what they say, young & dumb and full of c_ m!)

 

[Hutch]

I have a 26" craftsman ball bearing. If you hit sears at the right time, you can get a middle section for free with the purchase of the top and bottom cabinet. I've been real happy with it so far, except that it's already full!

 

[DiStOrTiOn]

I've got a craftsman 26" set (chest, roll away, intermediate) from their homeowner series. It has the compound drawer slides (couldn't afford the ball bearing), and I haven't had any problems with it. The drawers don't sag, fairly easy to pull out. I have all my sockets/ratchets in one drawer, which has got to be overloaded, and it still pulls just fine. If you have the money, the ball bearing are nicer, it all depends on what you can justify spending on a box. I've had mine for a year, and it still works like new.

 

[PoorOwner]

I've got a craftsman 26" set (chest, roll away, intermediate) from their homeowner series. It has the compound drawer slides (couldn't afford the ball bearing), and I haven't had any problems with it. The drawers don't sag, fairly easy to pull out. I have all my sockets/ratchets in one drawer, which has got to be overloaded, and it still pulls just fine. If you have the money, the ball bearing are nicer, it all depends on what you can justify spending on a box. I've had mine for a year, and it still works like new.

The home owner series is what I have for about 6 years, but it's really full and I cannot close the top lid anymore. I would say the thinner drawer are not a problem because they cannot carry much anyway. I have my air tools and spring compressors on the bottom drawers and I have yank it out and pull it shut. It's quite a chore. What i don't like is the top chests are only 12" not the same depth as the bottom, which would have given me 50% more space if they are 18"

 

[Pure Oil]

Next step up from the Craftsman homeowner series is the Quite Glide which seems okay - however - go to Sears and feel the difference between those and the ball bearing drawer boxes and I think they sell themselves. Just my 2 cents

 

[Danglerb]

Before you buy a box, lay out your tools and think about how you want them stored, deep drawers or more drawers but shallow. I just bought a 26x18x40 normally $399 11 drawer Sears off ebay for $125 and pick it up tomorrow, their is a thread in the tools section talking about it, and quiet glide vs ball bearing.

One negative thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that will ball bearing, unless you lock the cabinet the draws can slide open pretty easy when you are moving it around.

Sears is running the special right now where the intermediary box is free with a matching top and bottom.

I've also heard very good comments on the CSPS stainless boxes from Costco.

 

[PhantomEB]

I have several boxes by Waterloo, not a single complaint yet, but I think my next box if I were to sell these off would be a Box and a half top and bottom from Home Depot, believe Husky?? Or what I really want is just a BLUE top and bottom, so would be Craftsman. Cant justify Snap on.

 

[george4]

I have a couple of the cheapo non ball bearing Craftsman 26s, some drawers are heavy but no problems for a non professional user like myself.

 

[PoorOwner]

The drawers seems to be bouncy on my craftsman home owners, alot of side to side jerk to pull them out. Is it going to work, yes, not a nice feeling though. But I checked some cheap ball bearing units at lowes have this problem too, probably not have to do with drawer type, but the thin drawer material used.

 

[Freejack]

I noticed this 27" box at Sam's the other day. Looked like a nice unit with ball bearing slides for around $300.

Jake

 

[strnge]

Ball Bearing Drawers are a must!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[V-10 Killer]

I got a Kobalt box from Lowes. It's as nice as a craftsman but less expensive. Bottom price for boxes seems to come from warehouse stores like Costco...

 

[thecarfarmer]

I'd look around pawn shops and craigslist for deals on good used pro stuff first... With so many guys buying the wider boxes, there should be a bunch of older professional grade stuff available.

they bought several craftsman boxes for the animals here at the train yard. I just saw one on its back getting hammered back into shape, and 2 sets of drawer glides being repaired.

Of course, these apes will beat up Snap and Matco stuff... but when I look at Craftsman at the store, it just seems a little light to me.

-bill

 

[JRGSPE73]

One negative thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that will ball bearing, unless you lock the cabinet the draws can slide open pretty easy when you are moving it around.

I've got the Craftsman 26 in. stainless steel ball-bearing chest and I absolutely love it. Mine has the GripLatch system, which eliminates the problem of drawers opening up on their own. The real beauty of it, too, is that it's deeper than a lot of the Craftsman chests (17 3/4", same as the roll-aways), so it maximizes your storage capacity. Of course, the only complaint that i have is that mine's already pretty much full.

Currently $350 on the Sears website, but I got mine at a Sears scratch-and-dent auction for $120 (has a tiny tiny little dent on the back that you can't see unless you're specifically looking for it).

<a href="http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00959518000P?filter=Type%7CBall+bearing%5EStyle%7CChests%5ECabinet+Color%7CStainless+Steel&vName=Tools&cName=Garage+%26+Tool+Storage&sName=Chests+%26+Cabinets">Sears 26in Stainless Ball-Bearing Chest</a>

Definitely keep your eyes on e-bay, craigslist, etc - you're sure to find a deal sooner rather than alter.

 

[Danglerb]

Now is a great time to shop, yesterday in Home Depot they were rolling up for holiday sales and had half a dozen toolboxes in the corral with the old model marked down to $399 from $599.

SnapOn and Matco boxes used prices in SoCal are depressing, one guy has a big one "new" it was $8600 and for the last few months its been priced cheap for a quick sale at $6500. I think all the good deals go to the persistent middle man types who constantly lowball, but have the cash ready and a truck when the day comes that the box has to leave.