today's toolboxes

[usmc_noma]

so i've been going page by page in the let's see your toolbox thread and started thinking. why is it that the craftsman toolboxes seem as they're getting cheaper these days. i don't necessarily mean the low end evolve series, but even the mid grade under $1000 boxes. they seem so cheap to me. when you compare the quality between the kobalt, torin, husky, and hf boxes, why does it seem like those are better made and an equal or lower price point?

for all you craftsman lovers don't get me wrong, i would like to have a craftsman box. even though i believe that i could find a better box than the craftsman, i will still buy one. more than likely it won't be the whole setup but maybe just a roll chest or intermediate so i'll have a "craftsman" box. i've never had one before and craftsman is like an american icon in my eyes. maybe not so much "american" now but in many eyes it is.

right now all i have is a cheap 26" task force i got for $29 on clearance. it included a bottom roll chest, intermediate, and top box. for $29 i couldn't pass it up. my next purchase is hopefully going to be the 41" chest to expand my ever growing tool addiction thanks to the site. i'll probably add on a hf side chest too. as i said before i'll buy a "craftsman" one day, hopefully an older one as i don't really approve of the current quality.

what i'd like to know with those who have recently bought the craftsman boxes, what compelled you to buy it? was it a sale, the name, etc?

also, what is everyone's opinions on the craftsman boxes?

 

[posaune]

Well, since I am awake and I just bought a 41" combo, I'll give you a (not very interesting) answer. The new box was cheaper than most everything else ($695 for both) AND it matched my old boxes.

That's it. That is why I bought it, but I did consider the HF box. In the end I decided that I didn't like the drawer setup and I would really want it in black instead of the red/fade-to-pink normal color, and no stores that I know of have the black one.

Originally (many years ago) my first toolbox was a Craftsman because it was my idea of a "great quality" tool company. I got that idea from both of my grandfathers and during their lives I absolutely believe it to be the case. Unfortunately today I'd buy a different box if money was less of an object even though the Craftsman will likely serve me perfectly well as a non-pro.

Fwiw, there is no way I'd pay retail ($1400 or so) for the new setup though.

 

[usmc_noma]

posaune, i'm the same as you. growing up craftsman was all i knew. in my mind craftsman stood for quality. it's sad to see how that's changed.

i wish i could find the black box from hf. i've only seen the red ones in store. at $700 i couldn't justify spending that on a 41" box. i hate to sound like a cheap *** but i could do a lot with extra money i saved on the hf 41" and side chest.

i've seen a few craftsmans on craigslist and they're the same price as the hf so i figured i'd just wait until after the hf purchase to go after a small craftsman.

 

[tslabaugh]

I am one of the ones that picked the HF box over a craftsman because of quality. I use ALOT of craftsman hand tools, but have never seen a craftsman box that has been used alot (newer models) that has withstood the beating. I know some are out there, but not the ones that I see. During my HS years, I worked out of my dad's craftsman box and that thing is a pile. The drawers are slightly overloaded but the box is a chore itself to work with.

Like with many other quality things, I think boxes should be under rated. Even if they are rated at 50lbs per drawer or something. It should be able to hold more than that, because to me that is quality. I think with the craftsman boxes, they know that the average joe see's craftsman as pretty good quality. They take advantage of this with their boxes, which IMHO are not of good quality.

 

[mrshaun]

I just took a snap on box in trade from 1979. all it needs in a bath and one caster. other than that it is in awesome shape. the last craftsman box I took in trade ended up in the junk pile. too many problems and sears was not happy to see me when I asked for warranty parts. the wheels were bent from too much weight and the drawers all rubbed. they told me no warranty on anything. It was the regular series and not the pro series. I thought they were all the same when it came to a warranty. Next time I will know no to take a regular craftsman box in trade.

 

[Eric Nordstrom]

At the time I needed more storage. I sold a 33'' MAC top box and small roll cac (cheapee) to help pay for the Craftsman. Almost ten yrs. later.. Wish I never sold that MAC box. The c-man is good-but if that harbor freight box been a choice I would have bought that over the c-man boxes I own now. Or looked a little harder for the matching MAC roll cab. If I was a "pro" wrench I still would not buy that way cool Snap On, Or MAC or Matco-Just too much money.

Eric

 

[Merkava_4]

At this time now while the Asians are increasing the quality of their tools, the suits up in the Sears tower are decreasing the quality of Craftsman tools and toolboxes to meet a price point.

 

[jteck75]

I started my career with a Craftsman box,and it was a damn good box to get started with. Then I moved up to a Snap On box a few years ago,which was equally a good box (no better no worse.) After the SO box was destroyed in a fire,I shopped around and got a 54" Kennedy Maintenance Pro,and it is most certainly a cut above anything I've ever had (and 1/2 the $ too) I hate to say it,because I've always been a dyed in the wool Snap On man,but while I was getting quotes on a new box,I remembered how much it sucked paying off that box after the "new" wore off. But back to the Craftsman box,the main thing I learned with mine was to keep an eye on the drawer glides,if one of them is starting to give you trouble,either fix it or replace it pretty quick,before things get out of hand. One of the good qualities about Craftsman boxes was the fact that you could get parts for one with a quick phone call,and the parts weren't that high. I don't think Harbor Freight will be as easy to get parts out of,although I could be wrong. Don't let anybody make you feel bad about buying "brand x" instead of "brand y". Just remember the money you save on a box,will allow you to buy more tools that the box is made to hold. And that,my friends is what the name of the game is.

 

[usmc_noma]

it's a shame the way those craftsman boxes are. the price point is higher and the quality is lower and lower.

the last box i saw was a craftsman pro and the metal was thinner and felt cheaper than the kobalt for $200-300. how can a company still sell boxes when they're so many that are better in quality at a lesser price?

who makes craftsman now, waterloo or someone else?

 

[Red Green]

I have a box that was my dad's from the late 70's or early 80's it is nicer today then the box that I bought in the mid 90's and that one seems nice compared to the one I bought in the early 00's. These are all C-man homeowner style.

 

[pipehack]

posaune, i'm the same as you. growing up craftsman was all i knew. in my mind craftsman stood for quality. it's sad to see how that's changed.

i wish i could find the black box from hf. i've only seen the red ones in store. at $700 i couldn't justify spending that on a 41" box. i hate to sound like a cheap *** but i could do a lot with extra money i saved on the hf 41" and side chest.

i've seen a few craftsmans on craigslist and they're the same price as the hf so i figured i'd just wait until after the hf purchase to go after a small craftsman.

The black ones have to be ordered. They are nice... I have one.

I wish I could afford a Craftsman Pro or any truck brand box. But I would rather spend my money on the tools. Which are almost all Craftsman and some Snap On here and there.

 

[usmc_noma]

i've got a nice collection of the sockets, wrenches, and ratchets from craftsman. like i said before, i'd like to buy a craftsman box but hopefully it's an older one.

 

[Merkava_4]

who makes craftsman now, waterloo or someone else?

It's not the fault of whoever makes them; they're made to specifications by the Sears big wigs to meet a price point. Sears doesn't care if you noticed a reduction in quality; they're waiting for the next guy to come along that doesn't know any better.

 

[RLRRLRLL]

i recently bought a craftsman...not very pleased with quality, im almost scared to move it around my garage as it may crinkle. they are made by waterloo industries, i assume in china. 1 year warrenty on defefts. I also have a 30 year old waterloo box, way better quality..just ran out of room in it. The new craftsmans are okay for the guy just wanting somthing for his home garage, and can withstand a shop enviroment if aint overloaded. but all in all..they are overpriced china stuffs.

 

[tslabaugh]

who makes craftsman now, waterloo or someone else?

It is Waterloo.


Another reason I went with the HF box, is it seems to be a clone from the Irwin 42" box which another tech at work has and I was really impressed with it. The HF box seems to have had the irwin 4 deep drawers replaced with 2 deep drawers and 4 shallow drawers.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

When it comes to Craftsman boxes, are the stainless Waterloo, or are they the same CSPS (if I remember correctly) that makes so many of the others?

 

[shadow images]

Look for a good scratch and dent box at Sears. I just picked up a 41" set for $500 out the door. They had it listed for the same price as the new ones an sale and I asked too talk to the manager and they came back with a killer price. Got a $1000 stainless grill for $200 the same way at Lowes. It never hurts to ask.

 

[Mike83]

I'm glad I found my 36" Craftsman Pro chest for $300. Made in USA (I think), lifetime warranty and same gauge sheet metal as the big boys. The "new" 36" top chest is $2000. What a joke.

 

[Cobra4B]

My next purchase will be a nice used "pro" box from the local car forums or CL when I stumble into a deal. I purchaed my Cman box 5 year ago and it's been fine for me, but the workbench I bought feels like cheap ****.

 

[rsanter]

it seems the cman boxes are not what they used to be. I still think they are a decent deal for the sale price but not for the regular price. for the cman stuff I think you have to go right to the BB model or they are just a cheap piece of....
I have a small homeowner bottom box that I got used for cheap and fixed it up a bit to use as a base for a sander. works ok for that but not really impressive

I (being a cheap ****) refuse to pay full price for a new 'truck' toolbox when I can shop around and get a used one for 80% off.
ok I know you dont get to choose your color, or the model, or get it right when you want it. but I would rather make due with a deal and keep the money in my pocket

bob

 

[crewchief888]

i have an old (early 70's)craftsman 3 drawer top box that i picked up at a flea market for $25. you can tell the quality of this box compared to new CM stuff. steel is heavier guage, and spot welds dont look like a 10 year old did them

 

[TireTracks]

I bought a New one, Just a basic 7 drawer "homeowner" level one, Friction slides, thiner metal. It seems to hold my tools just fine, then again, we dont move our boxes around, they Sit in one place most of the time, so they dont fall apart.

I'm happy with it for what I paid for it. No it;s not up to the quality of my dads 20+ year old Craftman box and homak bottom box, but at the time, that one was top of the line for the 26" size.

 

[Hellcat6]

Go with a vintage box. Much better quality, easy to find in this economy and way cheaper than a modern box. With a little work you can make it look as pretty as you need and use the money you saved to buy more tools.

 

[Toolhorder]

I just took a snap on box in trade from 1979. all it needs in a bath and one caster. other than that it is in awesome shape. the last craftsman box I took in trade ended up in the junk pile. too many problems and sears was not happy to see me when I asked for warranty parts. the wheels were bent from too much weight and the drawers all rubbed. they told me no warranty on anything. It was the regular series and not the pro series. I thought they were all the same when it came to a warranty. Next time I will know no to take a regular craftsman box in trade.

Pictures????

 

[quneur]

Is it me or tool chests are just fancier file cabinets? American made file cabinets (Steelcase) are a fraction of the cost to a comparable size tool chest. That being said, is the manufacturing costs for extra guides and selves worth 2 - 4 times the cost of the overall cabinet?

I've worked with some heavy duty specialty cabinets in my time (construction drawings) and the cost was about the same but these were specialty cabinets. So, I'm wondering if this is the case of everyone being so used to price of tool chests/cabinets/boxes that no one looked at the cost to actually manufacture one.

 

[speed bump]

Is it me or tool chests are just fancier file cabinets? American made file cabinets (Steelcase) are a fraction of the cost to a comparable size tool chest. That being said, is the manufacturing costs for extra guides and selves worth 2 - 4 times the cost of the overall cabinet?

I've worked with some heavy duty specialty cabinets in my time (construction drawings) and the cost was about the same but these were specialty cabinets. So, I'm wondering if this is the case of everyone being so used to price of tool chests/cabinets/boxes that no one looked at the cost to actually manufacture one.

Not for the same amount of drawers and load capacity and the ability to move they aren't. Look at what good slides costs, what good casters cost, what the reinforcement that goes into a tool box case costs, the cost of a lot more drawers, and the cost of reinforcing a file cabinet so that it doesn't go kaput when you put it on 4 casters and push it around for awhile with 500 lbs of stuff in it.

Since it was mentioned here is my personal opinion of the HF 41" cabinet after 9 months of fairly heavy use. Its ok for the price but thats all. The only things I can say I would take on it over Cman BB series box are: all of the sheetmetal is very thick at least thicker than a so KRA for sure, it comes with drawer liners, it has dual slides on the bigger drawers and it was $320+about $80 spent on picking it up. Other than that the Detents ****, the casters ****, the slides ****, the finish *****, the drawer layout is mediocre and the locks ****.

 

[1stwarrior95]

I've got 5 C-man boxes,
(2 little side cabinets)
(1 26" intermediate chest)
(1 med sized 6? drawer box)
(1 smaller 3 drawer box)

1 Mac 26" topchest
1 SO 26" intermediate chest
1 26" SO roller cab
1 SO 52"? top chest (KR690 I think)

And now 1 SO small "go" box (I know the model # of this one! It's a KRA21f)

None of my C-man boxes are the high end versions of C-man but I can definately say they don't even come cose to the quality of my SO and Mac boxes. And believe me, I don't praise SO or Mac very often...LOL

The SO roller cab I got from a friend. The KRA21f I picked up recently off CL, all the other SO and Mac came from pawn shops over the years. I've a grand total of $775 in al the SO and Mac boxes and probably 300 bucks in the C-man ones... LOL

If ya have time to wait, just keep an eye out. There's deals out there.

My wife bought me the small 3 drawer C-man box years ago. It got a little crushed when the roof of my old shop collapsed and it happened to be in the wrong spot.
It doesn't have a lid anymore and the top 2 drawers struggle a little, but it's still hangin in there.. hahaha

 

[quneur]

Not for the same amount of drawers and load capacity and the ability to move they aren't. Look at what good slides costs, what good casters cost, what the reinforcement that goes into a tool box case costs, the cost of a lot more drawers, and the cost of reinforcing a file cabinet so that it doesn't go kaput when you put it on 4 casters and push it around for awhile with 500 lbs of stuff in it.

I was thinking more in terms of:

http://www.draftingsteals.com/catal...bases--with-inside-dimensions-of-37-x26-.html

We put some heavy stacks of paper in each drawer, atleast 75lb ish per. These show 22ga cabinet steel thickness and 20ga drawers. The cost of these were around $700 for 5 drawer unit. Used around $200. These aren't mobile but who would want to move these huge cabinets regularly? Also, apply some Melamine on top and you have a work surface.

edit: those prices are pretty close to retail.

 

[quneur]

Okay, considering the heavier steel and such, the price for the drafting cabinets are right around the price of a similar cman professional tool chest but still way below tool truck brands.

I gonna keep a look out for one as I know AEC companies often go out of business and you can usually find them for real cheap or free. Also, some of the older ones were made of oak wood.

 

[usmc_noma]

Since it was mentioned here is my personal opinion of the HF 41" cabinet after 9 months of fairly heavy use. Its ok for the price but thats all. The only things I can say I would take on it over Cman BB series box are: all of the sheetmetal is very thick at least thicker than a so KRA for sure, it comes with drawer liners, it has dual slides on the bigger drawers and it was $320+about $80 spent on picking it up. Other than that the Detents ****, the casters ****, the slides ****, the finish *****, the drawer layout is mediocre and the locks ****.

where do you use your box? i'll be using mine as a homeowner box. when comparing the numerous options out there along with price, the hf box fit my needs with little spent. of course i'd like something better but i can't justify spending more for what i'll be doing at home. the casters aren't an issue since it will never move, and if it will it'll be rare. the slides are better than what i have now which are friction. the finish would be great if it came powdercoated in a smooth finish but the crinkle finish in my eyes isn't bad. as far as it fading or that it may, again no big deal. for my needs, this box is more than sufficient. if it ends up not being enough, i can always upgrade later.