Tool Box Features You Desire

[Engineered]

Hello everyone.

I am new to GarageJournal.com and this is my first post. I would like to hear from some of you members about the features you seek in a tool chest as I am considering a venture manufacturing them. I am still drafting my business plan, but I have generated some CAD designs and from my research I feel that there is room for entry in the market as a niche producer. I have run some numbers and am confident that I could retail my boxes at a significantly lower price than the tool truck companies (MAC, SNAP-ON, MATCO) with the same/higher quality. It is disappointing to see the prices of these “professional grade” boxes increase while overall quality and durability declines IMHO. With newer technology, LEAN manufacturing techniques, and economies of scale the exact opposite should be happening. For a quick summary my boxes would be:

Marketed towards the professional mechanic and serious hobbyist (but not so incredibly expensive that even a typical weekender could justify the cost if they want something better than a Craftsman or Waterloo).

100% manufactured in the USA in an ISO 9001 facility with unsurpassed quality standards.

Delivered with a lifetime warranty

Customizable. One would be able select different drawer configurations and sizes within a given model in order to suit their needs. I would offer a few standard colors and a powder coat option, but would also ship them just primed (at a reduced cost) so the customer could have their own desired graphics/paint scheme applied. Some customers might want a flaming skull or patriotic theme.

Built to last. These boxes would be heavy duty. Your Grandchildren would be able to give your box to their Grandchildren. I would not have higher-end lines and lower-end lines like most manufactures do. All boxes would be the same quality, just different model numbers and sizes. For example, roller bearing drawer slides would be standard on all models (no friction slides), and all chests would have the same gauge steel. These tool chests would not be a typical aluminum foil Craftsman. They would be durable and highly functional, not to mention aesthetically pleasing!

Affordable. You would not need to borrow against your house or be in debt to a tool truck driver for years to purchase one of these. I will not have to pay CEOs multi-million dollar salaries, support a large unproductive staff, or invest in flashy marketing campaigns. I will start out small and aim to remain relatively small. I intend to make profit, but my main goal is to operate a highly efficient company that produces a quality product at a fair price.

From talking to people in person and reading countless forms, it seems that the complaints are predominantly the same. The average mechanic / hobbyist wants a quality box to store their tools, but many cannot reasonably afford a Snap-On, Matco, MAC, or Cornwell that fulfills all of their needs. My questions for you guys are: Would you consider one of my boxes that I described above if they were available? Or . . . are you so brand loyal that you would never consider anything but Snap-On for example no matter what? Furthermore, what are some features or quality improvements you would like to see in or on a box, but don't find with the tool truck brands?

I'm sorry to have made such a long post (considering that it is my first) but I would appreciate any comments / advice positive or negative. Thanks.

 

[RVDan]

I have snap on stuff at work, I really don't have any complaints about it. I don't even mind the premium price since I make my living with my tools, I rely on a drawer to open and close all day long and they never fail.

The important features I need at work:
Heavy gauge metal that doesn't dent when things bump into it
Drawers that open and close easily even when fully loaded
Locking wheels so it doesn't roll away
The roll and lock system on the drawers so they don't open on their own
Easy to lock, one key, one operation to have the whole box secured
Interchangeable drawers, any drawer will fit in any position
Durability, sometimes I'll open and close a heavy drawer fifty times in a day
Easily replaceable components, even the strongest drawer slides will need replacement eventually

For my home unit, it gets less use so I wouldn't need everything, I don't need to lock it, I'll rarely move it, and I have less tools at home

 

[Thruxton]

I have snap on stuff at work, I really don't have any complaints about it. I don't even mind the premium price since I make my living with my tools, I rely on a drawer to open and close all day long and they never fail.

The important features I need at work:
Heavy gauge metal that doesn't dent when things bump into it
Drawers that open and close easily even when fully loaded
Locking wheels so it doesn't roll away
The roll and lock system on the drawers so they don't open on their own
Easy to lock, one key, one operation to have the whole box secured
Interchangeable drawers, any drawer will fit in any position
Durability, sometimes I'll open and close a heavy drawer fifty times in a day
Easily replaceable components, even the strongest drawer slides will need replacement eventually

For my home unit, it gets less use so I wouldn't need everything, I don't need to lock it, I'll rarely move it, and I have less tools at home

Good points. For home use, I would extract from the above:

• Drawers that open and close easily even when fully loaded
• Locking wheels so it doesn't roll away
• The roll and lock system on the drawers so they don't open on their own
• Easily replaceable components, even the strongest drawer slides will need replacement eventually

I have had to replace two Craftsman cabs over the years, one set I bought in the 70's, nicely made, another I bought in the 80's, not so good, and now I have some from the 90's, barely OK, and a recently bought piece, would not buy again. And in every case, plus metal gauge, the deterioration in quality has affected the items picked out from RVDan's list. Especially the latest "roll and lock", which is now "slam and lock". (And this is a mid-grade chest).

One good idea Craftsman had, but which they have discontinued, was to offer configurable workbenches- you could decide what size and arrangement of drawers you wanted. It wasn't all that well executed, and it was only for benches, not chests, but there might be the kernel of a good idea there. Some high-end makers do this, I think, like Lista.

Good luck, even if it stays a thought project it is very interesting.

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

Ya see, the problem with marketing a tool box for professional use is that professionals have ALOT of money invested in tools. My tool box is my safe, my warehouse, and my bank all in one. I like the name brand boxes because they're strong, rugged, and the locks work good, not to mention very well tested.

I've had my current craftsman box for about 7 years now. I use that one at work because I didn't want a good one getting trashed. The locks are junk. I need a box that locks work mint. As does every mechanic.

So my list of things i'd be interesed in.

A place to see the tool box i'm buying. I'm not going to order something like that online.
Great locks.
Drawers that don't open on their own.
heavy duty bearing slides.
Heavy duty casters.
Drawers that have enough height to actually put things in without smashing the paint when closing.
And options: I like to see drawer protectors, cut to fit rubber mats, stainless top, covers...

 

[PCO6]

One feature I DIDN'T like about a box that I did end up buying was a pull out shelf. It seemed useless to me because if you put something on the shelf you couldn't open the drawer above it.

It's a Husky box that has been good for my home / hobbiest use. The shelf is the bottom "drawer" of the top box. I store my sockets in the drawer above the shelf. I ended up removing the shelf, re-installing it upside down and modifying the handle. It made a perfect shallow drawer for my ratchets, extensions, etc.

In the end I'm glad I bought the box but until I figured out I could do that there was no way I was going to!

 

[jetmech09]

Good brakes that are clearly on or off. At work we have to move other peoples toolboxes around all the time, and a few times they have fallen over because you can't tell if the brake is on or not.
Drawer height is pretty important, definitely need to be tall enough, and in my industry, that means the tools are pretty much resting on 1/2" high foam.
I think the drawer latching system is important. I don't really care for snap-ons thing where you have to slide that little plastic thing over to unlock the drawer, I much prefer the adjustable detente that matco uses. The ability to have one key for everything.
A good selection of things to add on--side cabs, intermediate boxes, butcher blocks, etc.
It's hard to make one that will appeal to everyone. I think that if you want to be really successful with this, you need to have as many options regarding size and drawer configuration as you can, including the drawer retention system.
When I was looking to buy a box, I actually did not buy a snap-on because of the way the drawers open. I can't stand it, but on the other hand, many people love it.

 

[losttechnician]

• Heavy Gauge metal
• Casters that positive lock, and will self level
• High quality latching drawers
• Key alike options
• replaceable components
• Ability to reconfigure drawers would be awesome
• a few full width drawers
• Super strong frame

Where I work, there is a lot of metal grating that toolboxes have to be rolled across. All the boxes have external frames with large casters, built in the welding shop to take the abuse of rolling over grating.

 

[Engineered]

So my list of things i'd be interesed in.

A place to see the tool box i'm buying. I'm not going to order something like that online.

I would not expect you to. I would start out selling locally. . . . word of mouth is the best form of marketing.

 

[Engineered]

A good selection of things to add on--side cabs, intermediate boxes, butcher blocks, etc.
It's hard to make one that will appeal to everyone. I think that if you want to be really successful with this, you need to have as many options regarding size and drawer configuration as you can, including the drawer retention system.

I completely agree. If I go through with this I am going to do it right. This would not be some half-a$$ed attempt to build and sell these boxes out of my garage. I would offer a complete line with various sizes and multiple drawer configurations. The add-ons like you have mentioned are a must. I've come up with one unique design that none of the manufactures have tried yet that adds tremendous strength and durability.

 

[Jack Olsen]

First off, I don't know very much about toolboxes or manufacturing or selling. But...

I'd think if you want to distinguish yourself in a market where the products are pretty much identical (while the build/materials quality varies), then think of features no one has offered yet. A smart place to look is at industrial drawer cabinets, like Vidmar or Lista. The easily configurable dividers might point toward a solution for toolbox drawers being more than just a well-hidden pile of tools. Making custom foam holders and such is too much work for most guys, and it ends up being even more time-consuming if your tool collection changes. A modular system of dividing up the drawer space (which would benefit from standardized drawer sizes) seems like a good idea. And also think about manufacturing a host of other tool holders -- racks for pliers, screwdrivers and wrenches, socket holders -- all of that. Don't look at those as a place to hide high mark-ups (selling the printer cheap and the ink cartridges for a bundle makes buyers angry, long term). Even sell them at a loss, especially if they are a perfect fit for your drawer system and not others. You can win people over with the smart tool holders and nudge them toward buying your box.

An inexpensive and cool-looking way to label the drawers is a smart idea, too. Magnetic bases that hold printable cards might be smart.

For the home user, find a cost-effective way to not just put a work surface on the top of the box, but also a really functional work bench up there -- space for a vise, drawers designed to mount on top, maybe a modular mounting system for tools like guys do with trailer hitch receivers.

One other idea: come up with a way to make retracting casters, so tool boxes can be easily rolled or mounted permanently -- or both.

That's all I've got. Good luck.

 

[sdguy55]

I think one of the most important features to think about incorporating in is the use of a 'power drawer' where it has a power strip in it for all the cordless tools. Its gets annoying trying to find bench space, free outlet for your battery charger and then when you do get it it takes up valuable bench space. Biggest deals for me are that. And then many of the points pointed out above. Heavy gauge metal, good paint, ball bearing slides, locking drawers, and the biggest one to me is cu. in. Shallow drawers have to about 1.5" to 2" when its all said and done including the non-slide foam mat in it so that you can have your wrenches in the wrench rack in it. Full length top drawer. Cant overstate that one enough. Next box i get will have all sockets plus air tools plus most of my cordless in just the top drawer. Are you thinking of incorporating top boxes also? My favorite type of top boxes are the ones that have the opening top. Not having strong enough shocks for the lids is ANNOYING move your box five feet and bam lid closes

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2

 

[NJHandyGuy]

pretty much what's been said however i whould love to see lighter handboxes with more drawers

toolcarts with pneumatic tires/casters and

for bigger boxes someone smart enough to incorporate towq hooks underneath so they could be towwed from shop to shop

 

[waggie]

be sure to offer some sort of extra wide boxes. If you offer a 2-bay, and someone can buy a side cab to attach to it... make sure your 3 bay is bigger (deeper and wider) than the 2-bay plus side cab.

an option I like is some sort of feet to lift off the wheels. Those wheels are EXPENSIVE. Most of us rarely move our toolboxes. So the weight of the box can sometimes make a flat spot on the wheel. When we move the box after a few years, those flat spots on all the wheels makes the moving no fun. so, either get really expensive wheels that won't develop flat spots, or get cheaper wheels, but provide a foot that can be installed by jacking up the box a few inches. My justification for cheap wheels is that it will only be used when moving, I'm sure the saving is more significant then the extra cost of the foot.

now that I got my rant on, I might as well include this: taller bottom boxes. Don't bank on a lot of people buying top boxes. Make it so I can buy a (taller) bottom box, and be done with it. smaller/cheaper wheels plus foot option might get you an extra drawer. Also, making the bottom cab taller might get you another drawer. If me, as a customer, know that I won't need to buy a top cab (since the bottom cab is bigger than a SO/Matco 3 bay) I might be more inclined to spend that money on SS top or butcher block top.

built in splash guard for the top (SS or wood)... maybe this could be an option.

splash guard with built in 110v plugs

a small side hand-carry box that's quickly detachable for storing tools that we have to take with us when we leave the shop for that remote job.

 

[akdiesel]

I for one like the deep (24") drawers.
Look into what the tool companies and aftermarket (e.g. drawer liners) have for their products currently available. This will make more pleasing for people to purchase something that can acomadate a wide range of tools and other items.
The reasons I like the 24" is due to holding all my stuff easier and the normal tool boxes (18") have to be pulled away from the wall to be somewhat flush with a standard 24" or 30" bench. Simply wasted space.

 

[DEMAYO]

Would you mind going into greater detail how you intend to produce these boxes? I have to believe if you wanted to make so many that the price is reasonable in the US, that it would require a substantial investment.

That being said, USA made is a great selling point, and I would think making them isn't rocket science, but how would you gain market share?

Guess I'm just really curious about your business model. I lust after the pro toolboxes, but the prices are eye popping.

 

[jetmech09]

I think outlets in the bottom drawer or on a splash guard would be a very good idea too.

 

[Cryptic1911]

I'm not exactly in the market to buy a new box at the moment, but when the time comes, I would absolutely consider a product like yours. All the big name stuff is absurdly priced, and I won't buy into it, so someone who made a good box that was priced right would definately be on the short list.

As for feature requests, these may be a bit gimmicky, but I'll toss them out there anyways.. How about adding another drawer between the casters on the bottom of the box? That always seems like wasted space to me, and it usually just collects junk underneath. I think an extra drawer would be handy. You could even do the same for side boxes.. let them hang down to near floor level. I have like a 6" gap underneath mine, and that 7 drawer side box could have been 9 drawers if it just used that space..

Even more on that, how about offering a full height side drawer cabinet? make a lip at the bottom edge of the box so that all the weight isn't hanging from the middle, and run drawers from the bottom to the top of the upper cabinet. You could even put a couple small casters on the outer edge of it so it distributes the weight

One other thing could be to instead of making say a 56" box with a 3-4" handle sticking off the side (takes up 60" anyways), how about make a 60" bottom box, but notch the handle in on the top so you have one shorter drawer, and the rest take up the wasted space that the handle would take up. Basically use every square inch of space that is available

 

[Dan Babb]

Magnetic drawer bottoms...or maybe some magentic bars built into the underside of some of the drawers.

I wish the tools in my box would stop sliding around when I open & close the drawers. I have the drawer liner, but the tools still slide around.

 

[thejudges69]

The price is one thing I look at, I still don't see the justification in a 13K box from a big name brand. I use mine to make my living some what as well and just don't see where its worth that kind of money for the lack of strength in the name brand boxes.

Durability is another thing I look at, It has to be able toi with stand moving around and being used as a bench and so on.

I also look at the features. I like a shorter, wider box with deep drawers lkike 30 inch boxes from extreme. they have more space with a smaller footprint then a big double stack box. I also like the small side drawers with the cover on one drawer for paperwork or something else.

I think magnetic drawers are a bad idea myself. if you should by accident throw something in there with a magnetic strip then you can ruin it.

I think good drawer liners are a plus, my steel glide the liners never move and the tools stay put.

good casters as well.

solid powder coating with a deep shine. I personally don't care for these ones with the textured finish.

It should also have its share of bling. maybe stainless corners and stainless drawer handles.

A cover should be available as well.

I'm in the market for a box now so if you need a guinea pig let me know unless you're not going to do this for a while.

 

[thejudges69]

oh something else, good ball bearing slide. The extreme boxes are rated for 300 and 600 lbs in the drawers where most of your name brands are rated for 150 and 300 some not even that, waterloo I see on there site is 75 lbs i think per slide.

 

[vaio76109]

Drawers that put out all the way so you can get to the very back, a lot of cheaper boxes don't do this.

 

[1948]

my kobalt box has an electrical strip on it.

 

[critter]

Why mass produce?
Make a very high end no compromise unit for the few who can afford it.
Titanium, carbon fibre, precision tolerances......but think outside the square and redesign the concept of the current crop of red filing cabinets on wheels.
Don't ask what people want, tell them what they need.

 

[thejudges69]

Why mass produce?
Make a very high end no compromise unit for the few who can afford it.
Titanium, carbon fibre, precision tolerances......but think outside the square and redesign the concept of the current crop of red filing cabinets on wheels.
Don't ask what people want, tell them what they need.

I personally will never buy from someone who tells me what I need. In some isntances the old saying the customer is always right still works. I'll more then likely buy from someone who will build me what I want.

The power strip is a nice touch for a hutch top. where is it located on your Kobalt?

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

As a working mechanic, I have built up a nice set of SO stuff over the years -- that experience has left me with one thing I would add / change to a toolbox --- The height of the drawers is a little "off" - Besides screwdrivers (which actually fit fine) it seems like storing any other tools in organizer racks / trays generally ends up being too tall for the shortest drawers, but leaves a lot of wasted space in the medium height drawers......
Then, there's the stuff which you like to leave in their plastic cases (specialty sets and whatnot). Even the thinnest ones end up being too tall for short drawers and end up stacked up deeper ones.....bigger cases and up piled in the deepest drawer or in side locker.
IMO, it seems like you always end up putting stuff NOT where you'd really like to keep it due to this problem. Like maybe an extra 1/4" to 1/2" in height added to every drawer would make it possible to organize / store much better / more.....

 

[jam0o0]

lift points. i've used an engine lift to move tool boxes. that way one pickup truck moves the box and the box lifting/placing tool. but it would be a lot easier with some point above the CG designed for lifting.

back stop to keep things from falling off the back.

make the drawers the same depth.

can you design drawers so that my grinder dust doesn't get it?

when i plug stuff in i don't want the cords draped across the top of the box.

please have a no caster option. my box never moves. i'm sure it could have been way cheaper without them.

if you wanna put anything magnetic on it please make it optional. i will never get anything magnetic. it will grow a beard of metal shavings and rust. then when you use air to clean it the magnet isn't strong enough and the stuff falls off.

have tool organizers that fit your drawers. make them to the same standards as the box. make them super modular and space efficient.

 

[justin85]

I personally will never buy from someone who tells me what I need...

Do you buy Apple products?

Apple is the most valuable company in the world, and they got that way by telling people what they wanted, not the other way around.

 

[Zeke]

I would like to have lights in my drawers. I'm sure I'm the only one who has a tool box in a dark corner.

 

[bcradio]

Do you buy Apple products?

Nope!!

And I don't plan to either!

As for the toolbox, I would like at least 3 full length drawers (50" wide at least) and a min of 24" depth. Makes a huge difference.

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

Agreed with bcradio...
min 24" depth is a must. I also have most of my bigger boxed sets stuffed in the bottom drawer or hidden underneath my box. Or at home, on a shelf... I'd like to see an additional 1/2 of drawer height for most all of the drawers. The bottom two drawers left and right with a double bank are good to have though for drills and miscellaneous. however the smaller drawer on the double bank is usually too deep and I don't like the idea of a "sliding tray" nothing ever fits on it right.

 

[Thegratenate]

This part may be a no brainer, but it if these are going to be made to order then the drawers should be chosen by the customer, i e how deep and how many, you could have a package as a starting point, but let the buyer decide, same thing with the casters, with, without, or with casters and feet, based on what the customer wants to pay for. Another huge plus would be a design that can be reconfigured by the customer as needed, maybe replace a 6" drawer with two 3"s or restack the drawers to better suit their needs. If you offered a whole line of high quality inserts to hold tools in place that could help you sell the boxes, also a well designed insert to hold power tools would be nice. A lot of the ideas already mentioned are keepers, just to mention some of my favorites an easy way to label drawers, a recessed handle area so that the majority of the drawers use the whole footprint of the box, a power strip at the front,drawers that seal out dust, lifting points(could be something that gets installed for a move and then stored on the back of the box once it's in place).

I would recommend that you go as far as offering to fine tune the height of the box for the customer, a taller guy can make good use of a box size that an average height guy can't .

 

[Victorymike18]

Lots of great suggestions in this thread.

I'm a homeowner that wrenches on the weekends for fun. So I'm not looking for the really thoughtful features that a full-time mechanic desires, but I also can't stand dinky light-duty boxes.

My suggestion would be to offer a few options for "Middle" boxes. IE: the three to five drawer stackable chests that go between the base cabinet and the top box.

The reason is because my garage is tight on floor space, so I steer away from base boxes (where I would rather store heavy or bulky parts, etc). And the top boxes with their top-opening lid means that the air space above the box is wasted space. With some middle boxes spread side to side, I could put a shelf or cabinets immediately above the box, putting that airspace to better use.

From the limited research I did, there aren't too many options when it comes to reasonably solid, entry level, middle boxes, with ball-bearing sliders...

That's my $0.02

We wish you luck!

 

[Engineered]

I'm in the market for a box now so if you need a guinea pig let me know unless you're not going to do this for a while.

It is going to take some time before I would get this off the ground. I generated this post because I wanted some more ideas as I write my business plan and design boxes. I contacted a local metal fabricator to get some figures for production costs. I'm pretty busy at work these days so I don't get much time to work on this. Everyone has generated some really good ideas and considerations. I also do not like the textured finish on the boxes. The ones I intend to manufacture are really going to be something special, otherwise I would not attempt to do this. Thank you for your input!

 

[Engineered]

Would you mind going into greater detail how you intend to produce these boxes? I have to believe if you wanted to make so many that the price is reasonable in the US, that it would require a substantial investment.

That being said, USA made is a great selling point, and I would think making them isn't rocket science, but how would you gain market share?

Guess I'm just really curious about your business model. I lust after the pro toolboxes, but the prices are eye popping.

To quickly summarize I will handle the design and supply of these boxes. I will contract the manufacturing of them to a local metal fabricator that houses automated laser systems, brake presses, robotic welders, etc. You are correct in stating that this will require a large investment, but by contracting the manufacturing out, I do not have to make a large capital investment for machinery. As for market share, I plan to set this up as a niche business that makes a solid ROI. It is my goal to partner with a company like AUTOZONE for example which has a lot of brick and mortar stores in order to get a few basic models out there for consumers to see. In addition I would have a website where a person can build a custom box on-line and buy it. Computer manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo for example sell a few standard models to Best Buy to retail, but they also have a customize and buy option on their own websites.

 

[Engineered]

Why mass produce?
Make a very high end no compromise unit for the few who can afford it.
Titanium, carbon fibre, precision tolerances......but think outside the square and redesign the concept of the current crop of red filing cabinets on wheels.
Don't ask what people want, tell them what they need.

Red filing cabinets on wheels is exactly what I was thinking when I started planning this. I was looking at a Lista the other day and could not believe how thin the metal was. The thing wobbled like a bobble head doll with a little bit of weight in it when I pushed on it. I'm not going to tell people what they need; instead, I'm going to show them a better alternative with options.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The very first thing I would consider in a new box would be ball-bearing slides. If it doesn't have them, I'll pass.