Some Masterforce Toolbox Feedback

[danski0224]

I bought two of the Masterforce boxes:

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-ha...878-c-9188.htm

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-ha.../p-1851852.htm

I think they represent a decent value for the money, unfortunately they are made in China.

I don't see any potential issues with the "raise and release" latching system in a typical home shop (non-professional) setting and I would not trust it in a mobile (vehicle mount) setting. It seems to be no less durable than the Sears Griplatch setup.

If the latching mechanism were to wear out or break, I'm not sure how it could be (easily) repaired. There is a tab punched out on the box frame and a small hook latch on the side of the drawer, attached to the drawer pull. The Masterforce boxes have a lifetime warranty.

The store near me had the old style on clearance and the new latch system is a significant improvement. The redesigned lid on the top boxes is nice too.

The "Viper" line of toolboxes sold through Sears seems to be made by the same vendor as the Masterforce boxes, but with the detent slides.

Compared to my Lista cabinet, the Masterforce stuff is cheap and cheesy. Bottom end Craftsman boxes are cheesy compared to the Masterforce boxes. There are no worries of my Lista latch system failing, but my Lista box was 10x the cost and can hold 4x the weight (400 pounds) in every single drawer and not fail.

Upon receipt, the Masterforce side box was damaged- it was twisted. There was absolutely no visible damage to the shipping materials, nor was the finish chipped. I figure it was sent out damaged from the factory. If you buy these products, open them up right away and check operation of everything. These things are packaged very well.

There is one thing I do not like about the Masterforce boxes: the small drawers are only 1.75" tall. Other toolboxes have drawers that are 2" or 2.25". In the end, the 36" tool chest will not work for me. It looks bigger in the store, empty, than it is. At least for my intended use.

I looked at the Masterforce 41" roll cabs, but the small side drawers seem like wasted space. The 56" roll cabs have several of those 1.75" drawers.

In the end, I decided to order the 5 and 7 drawer 27" Professional Series cabinets from SPG: http://www.spginternational.com/

I don't need one single unit and I plan to remove the casters. Going this route, I get a good variety of drawer heights without a bunch of useless to me shorty drawers. Buying 2 was less money than one single large cabinet to boot.

The Professional and SHD lines are made in North America, and the Professional pricing structure is more in line with what I am willing to pay for the intended use of these tool chests compared to tool truck brands or Lista.

SPG also has a value line, which I assume is sourced from China.

 

[djcslice]

What color box did you get? Can you post pictures?

 

[danski0224]

The Masterforce boxes are red, same as what is on the Menards website.

 

[BTC]

Has anyone ever compared these to the Harbor Freight boxes?

 

[john11139]

I think HF are better built. Some one on this site did a pretty in depth study and comparesion of some of the box store tool boxes. Maybe some one else can point you to it.

 

[BTC]

I think HF are better built. Some one on this site did a pretty in depth study and comparesion of some of the box store tool boxes. Maybe some one else can point you to it.

I believe you may be referring to this thread.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153445

 

[djcslice]

The Masterforce boxes are red, same as what is on the Menards website.

New masterforce boxes come in 4 colors; green, blue, red and black. Stores stock green only, the others are available for custom order. I am hoping to see pictures rather than the computer images menards has on their site.

 

[cookiemonster]

The masterforce boxes rock wish I owned one.

 

[danski0224]

New masterforce boxes come in 4 colors; green, blue, red and black. Stores stock green only, the others are available for custom order. I am hoping to see pictures rather than the computer images menards has on their site.

If there is a Menards near you, then go check it out.

Unless you have a color calibrated monitor and are viewing white balance corrected images, pictures are useless because it will still look different in person.

 

[djcslice]

If there is a Menards near you, then go check it out.

Unless you have a color calibrated monitor and are viewing white balance corrected images, pictures are useless because it will still look different in person.

As I said before, the red, blue and black ones are not in stores...

 

[OldNeons]

my dad has a masterforce special edition that was available around Christmas (I think it was last year- but could have been 2 years ago). It is all black wrinkle with a really cool rounded corner look on cabinet/top. It has the positive grip latch drawers with a green anodized aluminum trim piece. It's a really cool looking tool box and he has been very happy with quality and functionality of it.

 

[PRH44]

I am very pleased with mine. Smooth sturdy drawers that come with rubber liners, heavy duty casters. I have the 41" combo I caught on sale about a year ago for $650.00.

 

[BTC]

I went by my local Harbor Freight and Menard's tonight and checked out their toolboxes. My initial impressions based on a brief comparison is that the Menard's boxes are quite a bit nicer from a quality standpoint. Maybe it was just the floor models but there seemed to be a lot more play in the drawers on the HF boxes. Is there any assembly required on these things? If so, that might have something to do with the differences I noticed in fit and finish. I didn't think the green boxes looked bad either, but if I were to get some I might be tempted to go with the black. I didn't thoroughly inspect either box as I was just out running around, but I thought the Masterforce box felt quite a bit more solid.

Do these things ever go on sale?

 

[BTC]

Would this be considered a good deal?

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...boxes/masterforce-56-tool-chest/p-1851819.htm

 

[OldNeons]

That is a great discount! Rarely see them chopped that much! I would ****** that up if it fits your needs.....

 

[Kevin54]

Would this be considered a good deal?

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...boxes/masterforce-56-tool-chest/p-1851819.htm

That is a great discount! Rarely see them chopped that much! I would ****** that up if it fits your needs.....

That's a HELL of a discount

As far as liking the Menards boxes, I love mine. I have (3) 41" bases, (2) side boxes, and (1) top box that is 41". I'd like to get another top box for one of my bases. I had one box that I used at work when I was at the shop and the drawers got opened and closed quite frequently every day. I've not had any problems at all except one drawer that the rubber that acts like a catch seems to be wore out and if on a grade where it is tipped slightly the drawer wants to come open slightly.

I also looked at the HF boxes and I think the Menards is equal to, or better built. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I only wish that when I bought mine that they had the 56" roller and top box. And at the time when I bought mine, if they had the different colors, I wouldn't have bought the grass green that I have now.

Granted that they aren't a Snap-On, Matco, Mac, or Cornwell, but for a good home box, you can't beat them.

 

[BTC]

I would like to get a toolbox, but I'm just a homeowner, and that's probably too much box. If it was the bottom part for the same price, I would probably jump on it. If I had both pieces, I'm pretty sure I would never fill it up. But I guess a lot of stuff can accumulate over the course of a lifetime. I guess I could add some casters to the top portion and be done.

The HF display model I looked at yesterday may have just been ragged out, but the Masterforce box looked and felt like a much better piece. The HF box had a lot of play in the drawers, and the Menard's box had none.

A 56" toolbox is pretty darned big box.

I also have a hard time passing up something that seems like a deal if I'm the least bit interested.

 

[OldNeons]

The master force are definitely better HF. If this was a base cabinet for that money they would have sold out in 2 minutes! Casters on the top box would not work, it's only 20" tall. I built a quick angle iron frame with casters on it for my top box before I got a rolling base cabinet. It sworked well, you could also put it on a workbench or counter too. You won't buy a cabinet of this size for $300 again. Not saying its right for you, but if it will work I wouldn't wait too long!

 

[BTC]

It looks like the model they have on sale might be an older, discontinued model.

 

[BTC]

The master force are definitely better HF. If this was a base cabinet for that money they would have sold out in 2 minutes! Casters on the top box would not work, it's only 20" tall. I built a quick angle iron frame with casters on it for my top box before I got a rolling base cabinet. It sworked well, you could also put it on a workbench or counter too. You won't buy a cabinet of this size for $300 again. Not saying its right for you, but if it will work I wouldn't wait too long!

Yep, I could rig up something. I just moved into my house a little over a year ago, and I have no cabinets or shelving, no bench and pretty much no anything. Everything I do have is just sitting on the floor.

It looks like this might be a discontinued model that does not have the raise and release drawers. I downloaded the pdf and the part number they have listed for the accompanying base no longer exists on their website.

 

[Kevin54]

I would like to get a toolbox, but I'm just a homeowner, and that's probably too much box. If it was the bottom part for the same price, I would probably jump on it. If I had both pieces, I'm pretty sure I would never fill it up. But I guess a lot of stuff can accumulate over the course of a lifetime. I guess I could add some casters to the top portion and be done.

The HF display model I looked at yesterday may have just been ragged out, but the Masterforce box looked and felt like a much better piece. The HF box had a lot of play in the drawers, and the Menard's box had none.

A 56" toolbox is pretty darned big box.

I also have a hard time passing up something that seems like a deal if I'm the least bit interested.

Have you looked at the 26" boxes that are the same as the 41" and 56" but just shorter in length?

 

[jhelrey]

I think the older Masterforce boxes are nicer.

 

[BTC]

Have you looked at the 26" boxes that are the same as the 41" and 56" but just shorter in length?

To tell you the truth, I haven't really been shopping for a toolbox, but it's definitely on my bucket list. I went to Harbor Freight the other day to look at a 2 ton floor jack that is available through 02/23 for 99 bucks with a coupon, and checked out their toolboxes while I was there. There is a Menard's about a mile from where I live, so I stopped in there on my way home to check out their boxes. The box I looked at the closest was the 41". I don't think they had any 56" boxes on display. They had another line of boxes on display also, but they weren't as nice as the Masterforce.

The only reason I would consider this box is because it's more than likely all I would ever need, and I'm big fan of feeling like I got a great deal on something of quality, but who isn't. Ideally it would be mobile and maybe a little smaller. It has about 9 cubic feet of storage, which doesn't really sound like that much, or a 1/3 of a cubic yard, which sounds even smaller. I wish I knew whether they were clearancing the piece at this price. It looks like they have 55 available. I guess this is the model they carried before they were available in other colors. The green color doesn't bother me. I'm a John Deere guy, but this is more of an Oliver green.

 

[BTC]

I stopped by Menard's again this morning. While speaking with their staff, they mentioned that the 56" tool chest listed for $299 on their website is on sale through 02/24. I noticed after I got home that it's now listed in one of their 02/18 weekly circulars. They did not seem to think that this particular box had been discontinued, but my personal opinion is that it's old stock and will be on sale until they are gone.

I'm seriously thinking about jumping on this. It seems like a really good price for a pretty nice box, and it's talking to my Mastercard.

I also believe this company manufactures these boxes, as well as many others.

http://www.qualitycraft.com/

 

[dfiler]

I just took delivery of the top and bottom 41" model.

I went to Sears and was not impressed by the craftsman chests. The metal seems way too thin. Harbor freight's 41" chest is nice and sturdy, with much thicker metal, but uses detents instead of drawer latches. The options at Home Depot and Lowes didn't have latches either and were also quite thin.

With this in mind I decided to pay an extra $180 on shipping and get masterforce chests delivered from Menards. Unfortunately there aren't any stores near me. The only second guessing I've had is about paying that much for shipping.

While haven't had a chance to really start using the chest, so far I am satisfied.

The key locking mechanism is impressive. There is obviously something heavy being moved to secure all the drawers simultaneously. But it must be spring loaded and balanced quite well because the key doesn't take much force to turn. The top and bottom keys aren't matched but that isn't an issue because I won't be locking them in my basement.

The drawers seem sturdy enough. However it is somewhat disappointing that the sides and back walls are flat with no rolled top edge. The harbor freight 41" is superior in that regard.

The drawer latching mechanism works as expected. I like that the hook-latches are outside the drawer's sidewalls rather than inside like on the craftsman. I'm not sure if there would ever be a problem with drawer contents jamming the latch with the drawer closed, but it is nice to eliminate that possibility.

The drawer handles themselves are made from two pieces of flat metal rolled and bent to the proper shape. Solid cast/forged pieces would be preferable but given that they're part of the new latching system and on a low/mid-priced product line, it seems like a reasonable tradeoff.

The handle for the bottom chest is screwed to the right side. There are no holes for mounting it to the left side.

Time to finish loading this thing up!

Any suggestions on drawer trays/organizers that will fit the masterforce boxes? The short drawers area only 1-7/8" tall so that rules out 2" deep trays. Also, with the addition of the latching mechanism, the drawers are now 15-7/8 deep rather than 16. I could try some 16" trays but am hoping someone else has done the research and found perfectly sized options.

 

[Kevin54]

Any suggestions on drawer trays/organizers that will fit the masterforce boxes? The short drawers area only 1-7/8" tall so that rules out 2" deep trays. Also, with the addition of the latching mechanism, the drawers are now 15-7/8 deep rather than 16. I could try some 16" trays but am hoping someone else has done the research and found perfectly sized options.

Look into these. They have all different sizes. I think they're great, which reminds me I need to order some more myself. http://toolguyd.com/the-ultimate-tool-box-parts-organizer-bins-schaller-plastic-boxes/

Here's the link to Schaller itself http://www.schallercorporation.com/servlet/StoreFront

 

[dfiler]

Thanks.

A correction to my previous post. The drawers are listed as 1-3/4" tall not 1-7/8" tall.
http://www.menards.com/main/store/2...LI001/Prod_Tech_Spec/41in_cabinet_drawers.pdf

The 1" deep version of those trays you linked to would work although 1-1/2" or 1-3/4" deep trays would be preferable. That would allow more small parts to be piled in without spilling over the edges.

Also, the drawers seem to be 1/4" too small in each dimension to fit the most common trays. For example, at 15-3/4" deep and 11-3/4" wide, it would seem that there will always be unused space when using multiple trays that come in increments of 1". That's why I was hoping someone found trays that are either slightly undersized or that would compress to fit.

 

[ringneck]

I really like mine (the 46 inch)... In fact, I ended up with twins

View media item 28019

 

[stev0258]

I just bought the 36" top / bottom set from Menards in blue. They were on "sale" but still paid a bit north of $700 for the set. I thought I would share some thoughts...

This is my first toolbox but I have to say these are very nice. I am a weekend warrior so I didn't need top of the line, but the construction is excellent. Thick steel, ball bearing slides are solid and hold 100lbs per set, handle lifts are smooth and work great, and the pistons for the top are smooth and good quality. All the deep drawers have double slides. I looked at craftsman, the Husky brand at HD, and even the site-favorite Harbor Freight (US General). Quality is better than Craftsman, Husky, and the 26" HF. I would say it is on par with the 44" HF that everyone raves about. I was limited in space otherwise it would have been a toss up between the 44" HF and the Masterforce.

The only issue I had was one of the drawers "stuck" when you pushed the drawer in on the right side....for some reason if you pushed in the center or on the left side it wouldn't jam up, but on the right, it did. The warranty is for real and you simply call the number in the back of the manual and in about 5 minutes you will have new slides on the way. Basically no questions asked.

Installing the new slides is a PITA though, and I would say unless it affects total functionality of the drawer and not just some idiosyncratic thing like sticking when being pushed on just the right side, don't do it. It is very hard to get them up and out and they scratch up the paint on their way in and out (albeit on the inside, but still why create scratches for rust).

I ended up replacing the sticky slide and it is a little better but not perfect. Oh well, not doing it again. To get the slide out you pry up on the front end and then pull it out of the toolbox. I had to use a screw driver to pry it up against the locking peg...nerve racking as you have to wrench pretty hard and if the peg breaks I don't know if that can be fixed. If you do get a new one you can see how they go in pretty easily.

Overall though, aside from the one sticky slide this toolchest set is great. The color is sweet and the quality overall is very good. I would recommend!

 

[XCMTB83]

Hello All,
I have a variety of the Masterforce boxes. Specifically the early ones with the flat keys. I would really like to have all of the locks keyed the same. With that being said would anyone be interested in trading a “006” lock and key set for a “002” lock and key set? Ideally I would be helping out someone that would prefer a “006”. Thanks!

 

[blue2golf]

Special ordered a Masterforce black 30" tool cabinet and tool chest combo today. Sale price was $110 off the regular price, couldn't resist. (I needed a new tool box after my old Craftsman 26" tool chest took a header off the back of a truck while moving it. Crunch!)

I'll see what i get when I bring it home next week.

 

[cliftonbros89]

The green color doesn't bother me. I'm a John Deere guy, but this is more of an Oliver green.

You can get them in JD green through JD. Although for a bit more. But they come with a work top. As stated in another post they're made by QCI. Same manufacturer. Few different specs and few different drawers. But basically same box.

 

[GMC496]

I was at a Menards recently and noticed they now have a new line of 24" deep boxes that are "Gun Metal Gray" with green pulls, other colors are available to order. Anyone have one of these 24" deep boxes yet?