Tool Box/Cart Color Preferences

[humpty]

I like all the colors, Red is traditional for mechanics and the wrinkle brown for machinists, but whatever floats your boat.

When I bought my last box I wanted a bright color but I figured I didn't want it to scream out the garage, "hey look at me I'm a big toolbox full of tools, come get me!". So I bought a black toolbox, it is a little understated, which is good for a garage that faces the alley in the city,

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

As in they buy a triple bank when they only have enough tools for a single bank. I know a guy who had a snack drawer because he didn’t have enough tools to need the drawer space.

Dang! I thought Kennedy was being considerate when including the large snack drawer at the bottom of my box…

 

[Toolfool]

I can't decide ....

 

[MovingAlong]

After seeing the 12 gauge garage so many years ago, painted all my boxes and metal cabinets to match.

Everything got painted equipment yellow. Left the drawers on the toolboxes red, painted 6" red vertical strips on the cabinet doors that open. Father-in-law wasn't so sure about taking a sander to a new HF 44" upper & lower at the time. Used a Valspar tractor paint that was discontinued almost immediately afterwards. Has held up for more than 10 yrs and survived two moves without a scratch. Really pleased with that.

If I ever redo it, the boxes and cabinets will be white with red drawers. It's been challenging to find compatible shades of equipment yellow.

 

[GrayFlattop]

Starting from square one, I’d go with white. I have a couple of white Listas and love ‘em. The white helps reflect light and keeps a small workspace less claustrophobic. Easy enough to keep clean and the white sort of forces good cleanliness habits. That said, I’ve got plenty of other roller cabs and top chests in many different shades of red, black, blue, crinkle brown and dark green. All accumulated over the decades at the best deal I could find at the time.

I think I’m done with buying more toolchests, but if I did buy one more new one it would be another white Lista.

Or red if the price is right.

 

[rktinc]

My first boxes were used vintage kitchen cabinets painted red and John Deere green. Over the years I lusted after a red craftsman box. My wife surprised me with a black Waterloo for a wedding present because she knew that was my favorite color. Red would have been by choice but the black has been wonderful. Now (20 years later) I am building my dream shop and buying all black Home Depot Husky's as they are the closest modern match to my Waterloo. My OCD is making me remove the Husky emblems and scan ebay for old Waterloo emblems but no luck yet.

I really love the Kennedy's. I have collected Kennedy boxes for years (back when you could get them at yard sales for $10) I plan to keep my new shop neat by "displaying" my Kennedy collection but still using them as specific-use boxes. For instance, I use one box as the "Picture/Art hanging supply box" One Kennedy as the plumbing repair box, another as the electrical supply/repair box. It works great and helps me justify having this many boxes. They will look like an art display but be extremely handy.

The only colors I do not like are the Yellows, bright blues, and greens. Just not to my taste. The only thing I know is that serious machinist only use Kennedy boxes. I have friend who are real-deal machinists and they attest that it is a code of most shops.

I have many auto tech buddies and they really don't have a code or color preference. The best tech's boxes are extremely well laid out and highly efficient as most are flat-rate dealer master techs. They are true pros.

Compared to my tech buddies, I clean and polish tools much more than use them

 

[GaryB1]

I'm kind of partial to blue! I was going to do all my other boxes too, but since everyday for the last month has been over 100 degrees, I'll wait.

 

[speed bump]

Never really thought about color. Given the choice would probably go for a teal or copper color.

My stack as it sits:

 

[housewolf]

I bought my HF cart in black. SO KRL 722 is deep cranberry. The black one was my choice, the KRL was because that’s just the color it was… I bought it second hand.

Never gave much thought to the color(s) but If I had my choice, they would both be extreme green

 

[Bubba Fett]

Clear, so you can see what's inside before you open the drawer.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Red, orange, blue, black, Kennedy poop brown.

 

[y'sguy]

Sorry, have to disagree with all of ya's. haha.

 

[M635_Guy]

I can't stand red. It's actually kept me from buying some pretty special cars over the years.

My boxes are black. I like the new USG gray a lot too. If I was doing a color (and I'm skipping dark blue because that doesn't seem far enough from black), I'd do the USG green.

 

[VolvoRyan]

Sorry, have to disagree with all of ya's. haha.

Sweet. How old? I love vintage tool boxes, but know nothing about most of them.

-Ryan

 

[Houdini5150]

When I was younger I was a lot porter/shuttle driver for a Honda Dealership. I recall alot of the techs had red boxes. A couple black. When I bought myself a 5 drawer tool cart, I went with Gray because It came with black accents. If I did not have that color I would pick maybe green since I like that bright green color for car related stuff... otherwise black.

I would do purple if something in the budget allowed or they had a budget friendly option.

 

[seber]

My garage boxes are a little darker red than the original Snap-on color. But the boxes in the hobby room in the house are black with dark blue pulls. They match the kitchen appliances.