Tool Cases - Throw them away? What else?

[keith204]

Over the past 10 years I've been keeping those hard plastic tool cases, and I have done *nothing* with them except move them around. It's time for them to go.

Is there an option better than throwing them away? I do not see markings that tell the type of material for recycling. Has anyone found a way to repurpose these?

 

[michaelwolson]

I have the same issue. Mine are all empty and just take up space in the garage. I do see them for sale on Craigslist sometimes but am not sure if they get sold or not. They do however appear to sell on Ebay. Here's an example for dewalts. They seem to sell for $4-30 used.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&LH_ItemCondition=3000&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

 

[Bretny]

I have seen people cut the inside guys out of them to make tool boxes.

 

[mrramsey]

Same here. Back when I was a carpenter they had purpose. Now I just tinker around on my own projects at the house. I am building new cabinets in the garage reno and will be ditching most of them.

 

[DakotaMan]

Generally, I throw them away but maybe they can/should be recycled.

 

[Motorman55]

A few options;

You can try selling them on eBay. The DeWalt cases seem to sell ok.

Cut out the inner panels, get some foam, cut to size/shape for specialty tools or fragile antiques for storage/moving.

Be done with it and throw them in the garbage alternatively leave them on the curb with a 'FREE' sign.

 

[Will Allen]

Back in the day they were metal. I kept those. I throw away the plastic ones.

 

[PoorOwner]

I throw away most of them even though people said you can try to eBay them, I put in the recycle bin

Some of them holding sanders and saws still in boxes but they hog up too much space and I am going to store them without box.

 

[PFSard]

- I keep the metal ones. Plastic ones go to Goodwill.
- I've seen a few other threads on GJ that discuss this conundrum.

 

[keith204]

Thanks for the quick ideas. I'll check eBay, try to gut some of the nicer ones and recycle the small ones.

 

[PelicanPines]

I tossed a bunch, gutted a few, stored a few... the blow molded stuff *****.

I use about 10 metal dewalt drill boxes... repurposed.

I now have several Milwaukee M12 boxes sitting on the top shelf wasting said space.

If i could get somebody to come here and take them for coffee money... i would.

 

[rsanter]

For power tools I use them as I take my stuff places and the cases hold the accessories with the tool and protect during transport
If you are not using them then try selling them or if you recycle they are either PE or PP

Bob

 

[nh_yota]

I am also dealing with the same conundrum right now. I recently inherited a decent Craftsman workbench from my dad which has drawers and it's replacing my homemade wooden workbench which only had an open shelf on the bottom. I used to keep all of my power tools (minus the cordless drills) in their cases on the bottom shelf of the workbench but now I have drawers to keep them in.

Most of the work I do is at home so I think I will ditch the cases for the smaller tools like drills and cordless tools, and keep the cases for the larger tools like the circular saws, sawzall, port-band, router and anything with accessories such as the sanders and oscillating tool.

My reasoning is that if I need to take the tools somewhere away from the house, the smaller tools can fit in my tool bag/bucket but the larger tools cannot. I also use the drills way more frequently than the other tools so they spend more of their lives outside of their cases anyway.

 

[PelicanPines]

For power tools I use them as I take my stuff places and the cases hold the accessories with the tool and protect during transport
If you are not using them then try selling them or if you recycle they are either PE or PP

Bob

I would do the same if they actually held the accessories... I certainly don't need to lug the "charger"... yet it's blow molded into the case... yea... 1 extra battery and some loose drills or drivers... but nothing organized.

Sorry for the rant... this thread got me going. I truly hate blow molded... it's DUMB

Give me OPEN SPACE... or compartments for what the tool would need in real life... instead of to package the freaking thing to make it PRETTY for sale.

 

[mrramsey]

My Makita boxes are recyclable. My others no clue. Of course the Makita boxes are the two I will keep LOL.

Hell my router is in a case that is 5x the size of the router.

 

[3baygarage]

The flea market used to get rid of some I accumulated. Dewalt ones, guys would pay a few bucks for. Good Craftsman cases too couple bucks here and there.

Cases with a deep storage section might sell. Anything blow molded for a cheap socket set or too shallow to alter is probably not worth keeping. Always surprised me what people would buy for a buck though. I garbage picked a number of cases that people would toss out.

 

[mv213]

The canvas or nylon bags some tools come with are SO much better. My Bosch oscillating multitool came with one, as did my PC magnesium base circular saw. Blow molded cases ****—take up too much room and no room inside for accessories.

But, I still store the tools in the blow molded cases. For now.

 

[keith204]

...Give me OPEN SPACE... or compartments for what the tool would need in real life... instead of to package the freaking thing to make it PRETTY for sale.

PelicanPines, have you heard of Pelican cases?

 

[RWorth]

I just tossed a bunch this year.

 

[astroracer]

Drop them off at the Salvation Army Store. They will sell them and you can be happy with the extra space and knowing that you didn't put them into a landfill.
Mark

 

[Flashesbuck]

I have the same issue. Mine are all empty and just take up space in the garage. I do see them for sale on Craigslist sometimes but am not sure if they get sold or not. They do however appear to sell on Ebay. Here's an example for dewalts. They seem to sell for $4-30 used.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&LH_ItemCondition=3000&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

Jesus!!!! I walk by these at the flee market for a $1 Im going to start picking the things up and reselling them.

 

[SuperCat]

Donate them to Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity Restore, etc. People do buy them and repurpose/modify them, so with a donation, everyone wins.

 

[freudianfloyd]

Gut them, fit foam in them and shadow some handguns to use for range days. Watch for the faces of those around you as you pull out your Dewalt 1911

 

[PelicanPines]

PelicanPines, have you heard of Pelican cases?

YES... i love them. Referencing another post here... I use my Pelican cases for my hand guns...

I used to store some electronic gadgets in a small one but now those tools have a drawer to themselves.

FYI... PelicanPines, Pelican Cases... there is no family relation.

 

[orca8589]

My problem with these is that there is no room for "extras" - which has been an issue since the first cordless tools hit the market, I think.

With socket cases, you usually have exactly the space you need, and no more; if I use the factory-made cases, I usually end up carrying two boxes because of this.

In the mid-1990's, I worked for a moving company building office systems. We could pack everything we needed (1/4" & 3/8" drive shallow socket set, driver bits, small hammer, several wrenches, etc.) into a metal DeWalt cordless drill case. The ingenuity of some of the guys on our moving crew was amazing - they found ways to pack most or all of the tools needed for the job, in that one metal case. I ended up buying a three-tiered tool box (similar to the Klein #54700), that worked better for my needs. Most of us either recycled the blow-molded cases or they ended up just sitting and collecting dust.

Other than things like Pelican cases, most of the manufactured blow-molded cases today just ****.

~Chris

 

[nh_yota]

I agree that the canvas/nylon carry bags are way better. I was pissed when my PC belt sander didn't come with some sort of case or bag.

I'm just glad that my Milwaukee sawzall came with a blow-molded plastic case that has enough extra room for a small case full of extra blades.

 

[Jon_E]

I have a bunch of plastic cases - Ryobi, Hitachi, Porter-Cable etc. All collecting dust. Just can't bring myself to toss them. As I finish my shop, I will find permanent storage areas for all the tools that came in those cases, and pitch the cases. Our local transfer station has a 'swap shed' and they will probably go there. If I ever need to transport tools, I have a couple of nice Husky and Milwaukee cordura bags that work well. My Ridgid circ saw and DeWalt trim router came in bags and I use them to store the tools, they will probably stay in the bags on a shelf.

 

[kbs2244]

The plastic ones I open up with my H F oscillating multitool that I bought for a one time trim project.
It works great for getting all the interior stuff out of the way.
I use them for job specific things.
Soldering irons, small refinishing stain/putty jars, etc.

As mentioned, they do make very good "stealth" pistol cases.
Hidden in plain sight on a shop shelf or car trunk.

In any case I use shop rags to stop any noise.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

Blow molded ones work great as slides for moving heavy things on concrete.

 

[four.cycle]

As noted up-thread by michaelwolson, people do buy them on Ebay. I have seen the S-K green blow-mold boxes (that fit the #91844 set) go for up to $25 bucks.
Personally I think they're useless, because most of them don't allow for the addition of anything other than what originally came in them. Last one I got was with a new Ryobi drill motor - it went straight into the garbage can as soon as I got it home.

 

[peter2772000]

Gut them, fit foam in them and shadow some handguns to use for range days. Watch for the faces of those around you as you pull out your Dewalt 1911

Funny, with me it was the other way around.

I'm a chronic gun collector. When I buy a handgun, it goes on a wall on my office wall while the case is sent to the basement to collect dust. I just renovated my now-gorgeous garage and got rid of those 30-drawer small-parts organizers. But what to do with all my doohickeys?

Gun cases come with foam inserts. Usually a million pieces held together by tear-away joints. I ended up keeping the plastic bins and holding them in place with the vast assortment of foam pieces I had. Perfect. Everything is behind cabinet doors and the garage looks so much cleaner. Nothing hanging off the wall.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=aXVuTnJxX2Y5M3gtbWR3cW8wZDItUXBXb3BRbmVn


Do the dance, do the dance....

 

[rattle_snake]

Puppy container?
Then the puppy destroys it and rest can be thrown away.

 

[Slednut]

I found a use for an old Makita drill/driver case.

Had to paint it black.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Anyone have a Makita circular saw case that will fit the 5007F? (The common 7-1/4" corded model).

Also looking for the case for a Porter Cable biscuit joiner and a CMan router...

 

[fsae0607]

Recycle bin. Take up too much damn room.

 

[sixty4]

I take them to home depot, leave them at the closet garbage can. When I leave they are always gone. I figure at least someone found a use for it.

 

[norson]

I don't know why I didn't throw away the case my Craftsman tool set came in 15 years ago, but when the thieves broke into my shop and stole all my sockets, I used the case to prove what was stolen.
Norm

 

[purplezr2]

Puppy container?
Then the puppy destroys it and rest can be thrown away.

Cute what kinda dog?


As a new puppy owner, I like the idea...


I keep all mine out in the shed, I recently sold my old brush Milwaukee stuff, I had all the original books with receipts in the cases....

 

[kaymccampbell]

Some I actually use for their intended purpose. Some I alter to store tools that came without a case. Some I gut for other storage, like driver bits n whatnot. Then there are those gigantic, useless, round or bizarrely shaped things that get sliced up and chucked in the recycle bin.

 

[SARG]

If you're into "welding" plastics ....... cut off junks & use it for filler.