Intro: Hello All! I thought I would record my experiences here instead of creating another thread since it all pertains to the same thing. I purchased my Tekton/Rousseau toolbox on Black Friday in 2021 and thought I would give you my thoughts on it thus far. This is a long review, but I hope the information is helpful to any prospective buyers. If you really don’t care about details and just want my overall opinions, skip down to the “Overall Thoughts”.
Specs: Model No: ORG75200 // Dimensions: 60" W x 42.5" H x 24" D // Weight: 645lbs // Internal Space: 27,048 cu. in. // Drawer Weight Rating: 400lbs each // Link:
https://www.tekton.com/60-inch-wide-x-24-inch-deep-tool-cabinet-red-org75200
Purchase, Payment Shipping, and Experience: At the time of purchase, I paid $3,300. I bought it during Black Friday weekend because they had 2X Tekton points deal. During the payment process, there was an issue with my credit card, and a Tekton CS agent called me, and we were able to get it sorted out very quickly. He was very professional and friendly. Shipping took about two weeks (I live in the Northwest of the United States). The toolbox arrived in a very nice and well-protected wood box. (With lumber prices the way were in 2021, I was able to sell the lumber and buy a second toolbox. Just kidding… sort of.) Box arrived undamaged.
A Few Quality Control Issues: Unfortunately, the box came with a few minor problems.
Problem #1: The first and most glaring issue is that they failed to grind down a weld that was made in the front, upper LH corner. This weld contacts the plastic side of the drawer, and if you are trying to open the drawer from the opposite side, the natural flexing that takes place will cause the drawer to bind up. The solution to this problem was to whip out my pocketknife and shave off a few millimeters of plastic from the handle. This was not a deal breaker for me, although a bit disappointing.
Problem #2: There is quite a bit of paint left on the bearing runners that are attached to the drawers. See pictures below. I ended up having to wipe off every drawer runner to get all the paint off. If you are planning on buying one of these boxes, the first thing I recommend doing is pull out every drawer and wipe down all the runners and channels. Again, disappointing, but not a deal breaker.
Problem #3: There are a few places on the inside of the box where the paint coat is noticeably thin. If you live near the ocean or work on vehicles covered in road salt this may be something you’ll want to address by coating the affected areas in either a rust preventative or paint. It is worth mentioning that the paint on the outside of the box is in pristine condition. No fish-eye, orange peel, runs, sags, or contaminates. There were just a couple of light spots I noticed on the inner surfaces and the drawer carriages. For my situation, I couldn’t care less.
Pros:
- The latching system: it’s awesome. You can lift anywhere on the handle and confident *snap* is heard as the drawer is unlatched. For my heaviest drawer (about 200lbs) It takes 6 lbs of pulling force to pull open the drawer after it is unlatched. (measured with a fish scale)
- The carriage system: (for those who don’t know, these boxes do not use traditional drawer slides) is excellent. It almost feels like the heavier the drawers, the smoother the drawer glides in and out. The system seems extremely robust and heavy duty. See pics for close up of welds and thickness.
- Organization system: The little perforations on the inside of the drawer are a really cool concept and its really awesome for organizing large quantities of tools. If somebody is holding back from buying this box because they don’t think 7 full length drawers would be enough organizational space, the dividers that Tekton/Rousseau sells can turn one drawer into several.
- Casters: The German-made casters on this thing are beefy. They make this 1000 lb box glide across the hanger floor. Quick story: I had gotten used to my old craftsman box, who’s casters were made of soft rubber and were more square than round. I never had to use the caster locks because wherever you parked that thing it was there to stay. Well, I had gotten so accustomed to not locking my casters that one day I was moving my Tekton box and stopped for a moment to pick up an extension cord that was in my way. The box immediately began to roll backwards toward the horizontal stabilizer of a parked airplane. Luckily, I caught it in time, and since then I ALWAYS lock both casters before leaving the helm.
- Retaining lip: I really like this thing. I no longer have to worry about parts and pieces rolling off my box-top. Also, it’s the perfect surface to hang my HF side box on.
- Lock: Smooth operation, and secure enough to deter entry-level pickers. Although I'm sure a drill bit could chew right through it. But it works for basic security if you work in a place where individual tools tend to walk away.
Cons:
- No greaseable casters: Probably a stupid con, but I am the kind of guy that enjoys servicing stuff. I wish the casters had grease zerks. even though I know they are of high quality and Tekton would probably replace them for free if they ever needed replacement.
- The “safety” system: The one-drawer-at-a-time system is really annoying. I can see how it would be helpful or even necessary if you had each drawer loaded to capacity, but for the average mechanic it is just irritating. Thankfully, it is easy to disengage, and I have included some pics of how to do it.
- The drawer height: I really wish they would have included three, 4-inch tall (3 inch internally) drawers instead of only two.
- A few QC issues as mentioned above.
Overall Thoughts: I really love this box. I think its an outstanding value. I work with guys who have Snap-On, Bluepoint, and Mac boxes and they are equally impressed. I think that for the money its going to be nearly impossible to find a better box brand new. Besides a few QC issues and drawer configuration preferences I really have nothing bad to say about it, and I highly recommend it.
Tekton/Rousseau Toolbox Maintenance: For those who were curious as I was, there is no official recommended lubrication for the carriage channels or bearings. I contacted Tekton and they said there is not recommended schedule they have from Rousseau, but that if they ever get stiff to oil them with some 3-in-1 oil.
Now, what I will mention next is opinion so take it for what its worth. It seems to me that the carriage channels are designed to run totally dry. So, I would advise against Tekton’s advice of using 3-in-1, because I think that will just attract dirt and aggravate the problem. I would instead polish the surfaces with emery cloth or a polishing compound and leave it dry. As for the bearings, I will be using a self-imposed maintenance schedule of cleaning and regreasing them once a year with some general purpose grease.
Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope this review was helpful to prospective buyers!
