Tekton Tool Boxes

[GrayEngineer]

I just saw today that there are now tool boxes that are posted on Tekton's website. They appear to be manufactured by Rousseau in Canada to Tekton's specifications. I didn't see boxes on Rousseau's website that had the same dimensions as the Tekton, however they are similar. These boxes look very enticing for the price considering the build quality. I have always felt that the tool truck brands have had an edge in ascetics over the industrial brands such as Lista, Vidmar, etc. These Tekton boxes seem to bridge the gap between the industrial and tool truck ascetics. I think these could be a much better success in the market considering the price point of these compared to say Icon boxes. Should this venture for Tekton prove to be a success I'd like to see add-on's become available like Stainless tops, side cabinets, hutches, and the like. So far I have to give my kuddo's to Tekton for offering a high quality box rather than a lower quality one to satisfy a lower price point.


https://www.tekton.com/tool-storage/tool-cabinets

 

[4xdog]

Agreed -- the aesthetics of those are quite nice. Simple and mostly functional "decoration". The 48" would make nice workbench material.

 

[GrayEngineer]

I agree that the 48" would be a great box, I wish it was offered in the 30" depth that the 60" box is. If it was, I would have my eyes set upon that version since I like the drawers all full width.

 

[Professional Tool User]

If I am not mistaken, that latch design looks familiar. I've seen something similar on a discontinued made in Canada Maximum box at Canadian tire. If the latch mechanism on the Tekton one is covered by the strip of aluminum and you have to reach inside the slot to open the drawer, then there is a good chance it is from the same supplier as the Canadian tire box. I'm not the biggest fan of that design. I'd honestly rather buy a used Snap on box.

 

[m6z]

Nice to see the 30" depth on the 60" model.

I'm curious how much of a market there is for something like this though.

Tekton is known as budget/DIY sort of brand, are they going to be able to move a $4k box?

 

[lardy1]

I look at that site almost every day. Nice surprise. I think they'll sell tool boxes. But we will have to wait and see.

 

[dacan23]

The full width drawers on the 48" is nice, those type of drawers are my fav. Yeah kinda pricey, but maybe they will be 50% off on Amazon during Textons BF sale.

 

[M6erfan]

They look nice on initial browse. Drawer layout on the 48" is good.

 

[Parrothead]

Wow! The 60” weighs 820 lbs. I don’t think they’re using tin foil on that one. For reference the US General 72” weighs 528 lbs. and the Icon 72” weighs 897 lbs.

 

[MSPoirier]

They do look pretty good and I always expect good things from Tekton. Now I just want to see some in green and other colors like the US generals.

- Sam

New England Region

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

They look like a Rousseau.

 

[PhysicsDude]

They're a little pricey for the Tekton brand, IMO.

Although the boxes do look nice. I like the drawer layout.

 

[ItsNemo]

Might end up being a good replacement for the SPG International boxes that are no longer...interesting.

 

[lardy1]

I wonder if any brick & mortar stores will be stocking them.

 

[bobcatdan]

My only grumble would be heavier casters, maybe even spring loaded on the 60". Otherwise look nice. If I was in the market, I'd buy one over a Icon box.

 

[Fedwrench]

I'm interested. I have to wait and see how much of deal breaker shipping will be. 10% back from purchasing at tekton.com will also be a nice touch. Perhaps they'll have them on display at this year's SEMA show.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Tekton BEATS Icon!

 

[lardy1]

I'm impressed that their confident enough in their products and marketing to step into the upscale tool box arena. I really like the way they are slowly yet steadily improving their product line and customer service. This seems like a big step considering their roots. But if you consider their roots and compare it with where they are today, I think it's impressive. I think they are giving much larger tool companies a run for their money. It's refreshing to me to see companies striving to bring their production closer to home while much of their competition goes the opposite direction. Yes.....for some of us, that is more than just a marketing gimmick. I know other Asian oriented lines do provide some domestic product. But I don't see anywhere near the commitment from anyone else.

Are these class of boxes a big step and maybe a gamble for Tekton? They very well might be. But I'm still supportive of the effort and am always checking their website for new products.

I suppose "Tekton beats Icon" is subjective. But I won't argue the point.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Tekton is what Icon should be. I don't own any of either, but if I was starting over Tekton would be getting my business.

 

[fordgasm]

I would have thought they would go for a lower price point.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I would have thought they would go for a lower price point.

They seem to mix in a lot of domestic stuff where others go import.

I think they hit the nail on the head when compared to Icon. You figure they are selling a true professional grade, domestic (Canadian made) box for the same money as ICON. Harbor Freight, Waterloo, Husky, Craftsman, Homak, etc. all have the cheap box market flooded. They will likely have brand recognition issues at this price point, but I like their offering. Too bad they don't have a 72" model.

 

[Nineeightyone]

Tekton is what Icon should be. I don't own any of either, but if I was starting over Tekton would be getting my business.

Exactly this all day. More and more of my tooling is becoming Tekton, because it's noticably higher quality in many situations than the equivalent Harbor Freight, and at a similar (enough to be competitive) price point. Tekton's warranty alone is miles ahead of most of the similarly-priced options, and if they had retailers in the central PA region I'd be a lot poorer, and have a lot more tools.

 

[Farmall450]

If I am not mistaken, that latch design looks familiar. I've seen something similar on a discontinued made in Canada Maximum box at Canadian tire. If the latch mechanism on the Tekton one is covered by the strip of aluminum and you have to reach inside the slot to open the drawer, then there is a good chance it is from the same supplier as the Canadian tire box. I'm not the biggest fan of that design. I'd honestly rather buy a used Snap on box.

Agreed. Same with HF icon. Just buy a 2 year old SO and be done with it.

 

[buckwheat_la]

Anyone notice the weight rating on those drawers. Unless I am wrong they blow away every other box on the market with a 400lb rating on every drawer

 

[mcspeed]

Bought this beast at Costco a few years back. Sub $1000 if I recall. I also own Snap On box and this compares nicely.


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[bobcatdan]

Anyone notice the weight rating on those drawers. Unless I am wrong they blow away every other box on the market with a 400lb rating on every drawer

The drawer rating is nice, but the total caster capacity is week. Now I doubt you could manage to get 400 lbs in each drawer, but 3600 lbs total capacity on the 60x30 is low in my opinion. Either add two casters in the middle or up to 1200 or so pound each casters.

 

[lardy1]

Bought this beast at Costco a few years back. Sub $1000 if I recall. I also own Snap On box and this compares nicely.


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Looks somewhat similar to one I inherited.

 

[fordgasm]

Exactly this all day. More and more of my tooling is becoming Tekton, because it's noticably higher quality in many situations than the equivalent Harbor Freight, and at a similar (enough to be competitive) price point. Tekton's warranty alone is miles ahead of most of the similarly-priced options, and if they had retailers in the central PA region I'd be a lot poorer, and have a lot more tools.

I agree. I finally found a brand to replace my older USA made craftsman tools. I’ve recently replaced my old worn out craftsman sockets with Tekton and couldn’t be happier. Stuff is great for the price point. The chrome job is much better than craftsman and other brands. Their 90 tooth ratchets are excellent and very inexpensive. I also like the fact they have some USA made tools and seem to be getting more. Very very pleased with Tekton.

 

[Batscat]

At half the price I would be interested.

 

[GrayEngineer]

As it has been mentioned previously, the casters do leave more to be desired. Even at that, it wouldn't be a problem to by some new casters and resolve that concern. With a set of RWM 47 series 6" casters you'd be able to up the capacity to 6,000 lbs, dependent on wheel material. That should be more than plenty.

Another concern is the price point. I feel that they made a good choice of what level of quality and price point to aim for. The market for low end consumer to budget prosumer tool boxes is flooded with options. On the other hand, the professional/industrial grade market doesn't have nearly as many options. Sure you can buy a used box for a steal of a deal of you keep your eyes out for a long time, but it will still be a used box and may or may not be similar in build quality to the Tekton. One standout feature of the Tekton boxes, as well as other industrial grade boxes, is the drawer slide design. Ball bearing drawer slides are nice and can be heavy duty, but the carriage style drawer slides put the ball bearing ones to shame. They are so much more solid and have far less deflection than any ball bearing slide I've come across. Also the load rating is 400 lbs working load rating, not max. If you look at Accuride slides (ie Snap-on KRL & EPIC) they are rated based on the weight, number of cycles, and the width of the drawer. If you run Accuride slides at the max working load, the cycle rating is significantly less than if it were at 50% capacity. This isn't to say that ball bearing slides aren't good, I'm just saying that the carriage system that industrial grade boxes use is better. Also, I'd imagine that the build quality is every bit as good if not better in some aspects as top of the line tool truck box. So, once you start to compare apples to apples the price of these boxes become much more reasonable. Branding aside, I'd assume based on my experience with other industrial brand boxes I wouldn't hesitate to pick the Tekton over a conventional style tool truck box. This is why the price is high, it's an industrial grade box that's made in Canada with premium build quality and construction. This is why I'm interested in the Tekton boxes since I feel the value is there and it's backed by a solid company and manufacturer.

 

[Farmall450]

I agree. I finally found a brand to replace my older USA made craftsman tools. I’ve recently replaced my old worn out craftsman sockets with Tekton and couldn’t be happier. Stuff is great for the price point. The chrome job is much better than craftsman and other brands. Their 90 tooth ratchets are excellent and very inexpensive. I also like the fact they have some USA made tools and seem to be getting more. Very very pleased with Tekton.

How do you wear out a socket?

I know you're a Ford guy but damn!

 

[Fedwrench]

I would have thought they would go for a lower price point.

I think Harbor Freight US General series has the low price point covered

 

[kabic]

Agreed -- the aesthetics of those are quite nice. Simple and mostly functional "decoration". The 48" would make nice workbench material.

I was searching for a wide drawer single bank tool box like this but couldn't find anything bigger than 36 inches.

Guess my google fu is weak. Are than any other options about this size (maybe a little more affordable)?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I was searching for a wide drawer single bank tool box like this but couldn't find anything bigger than 36 inches.

Guess my google fu is weak. Are than any other options about this size (maybe a little more affordable)?

I don't know how "affordable" you're thinking, but Lista's are a little cheaper.

https://www.mystorageequipment.com/mobile/Category.aspx?id=87&page=29

 

[Matt_Paul]

I think Harbor Freight US General series has the low price point covered

when you can get a 56" general in the $600s on sale idk how anyone buys anything else for their home garage?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

when you can get a 56" general in the $600s on sale idk how anyone buys anything else for their home garage?

I can't bring myself to buy one due to the shallow depth and drawer locks.

 

[Farmall450]

when you can get a 56" general in the $600s on sale idk how anyone buys anything else for their home garage?

I'm in the ship w/ buying several 44s, but more or less agreed. I don't get the companies of late trying to sell quasi-pro boxes at very gently used pro box rates.

 

[Parrothead]

I can't bring myself to buy one due to the shallow depth and drawer locks.

When the US General went Gen 2, they’re now 22” deep. For me that’s a problem as 18” was the max I could put in the garage and still have the car fit. You need a 30” deep for a home box?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

When the US General went Gen 2, they’re now 22” deep. For me that’s a problem as 18” was the max I could put in the garage and still have the car fit. You need a 30” deep for a home box?

Yeah, it would be nice to fit all my sockets in one drawer, my wrenches in another, or even be able to store all my long handle ratchets in an efficient manner. My wrenches are a pain in the *** to organize due to the depth. I could easily consolidate my (2) 44" and (1) 26" box into a 30" deep 72" box. When I bought my boxes they fit my old house perfectly, but I'd like to go to something deeper now.

 

[CafeTools]

The harbor freight 44 13 drawer layout seems much better. The tekton reminds me of the new Milwaukee boxes. Still not bad. All depends on price. I got my new HF 44 for $429 pre tax