Torn on which HF box

[brihvac]

Even if it cost more money initally I like to get the most for my money, and the best deal possible. I have out grown my existing box. I do not have a ton of overflow tools but I do have some, and I am sure I will get more. I want just a bottom box. I am building a 16X26 addition to my existing garage so I will have some new room and would use 56" one ($699) as a light duty workbench and have a built a small bench next to it. If I buy the 44" 13 drawer one($349) I will build a bigger bench overtop of it. Money is tight with the new garage going up, but..... Not sure which one to get. I guess Im asking you guys to make up my mind. Here is my existing box and the other 2.

 

[Zeke]

The difference is like night and day. The one on the right rivals the best for quality. Your prices seem awfully low for these. Here, I'm seeing 389 vs. 799.

 

[brihvac]

The difference is like night and day. The one on the right rivals the best for quality. Your prices seem awfully low for these. Here, I'm seeing 389 vs. 799.

There are coupons in the "HF Coupon" thread

 

[Flathead Johnny]

i have a 44 top, bottom and 2 large side cabinets, i love them and just went out today to buy another top, bottom and 1 large side cabinet, i will end up having one cabinet in the middle and one on each side and 2 tops and bottoms, the total box length with sides will be 123.5 inches long , i like the 44s, there are more side attachment and allows you to grow as the need arises

 

[Flathead Johnny]

and to that point of the previous poster, i dont think there are any coupons for the 56 but there are bunch for the 44

 

[Flathead Johnny]

with the coupons you can buy 2 "44 3/4" box for $699 and have a total box length of 89 1/2....i think the 44s are a better deal!

 

[brihvac]

I guess 2 of the smaller ones would give me more storage than the one large one at the same price.
There is a coupon in the "HF coupon" thread for the 56"

 

[Zeke]

Sorry guys, I didn't see the coupons. I don't think my latest mailer had those either.

 

[Flathead Johnny]

i know this month Motor Trend and Octobers Guns has the $359 coupon which is what i used, i didnt pick up this months Guns so it might be in that one as well, i wasnt going to kill myself to find the 349 coupon the $10 isnt going to break me

 

[Chris Adams]

I've got a lot of toolboxes, filled with a lot of tools, and one thing I've learned is longer drawers and deeper cabinets make all the difference.

If you had enough tools to fill the 56, it would take three of the small boxes to equal.
Don't be impressed by drawer count, as small drawers are nearly useless.
Don't be impressed by 'wall inches' as the bigger box is 4 inches deeper.
You can put four times as much, with a practical layout, in a longer wider drawer.

This is just shot of my main boxes, although I'm upgrading right now to a 5 foot long, 5 foot high Lista, in place of the tiny 40 inch SnapOn in the corner.

If you buy the shallow box, you will want to upgrade eventually.

 

[Flathead Johnny]

i was wrong it was road and track the coupon was in

 

[Flathead Johnny]

chris adams i'm going to have to agree and disagree. the 56 is a much larger box that is 2 inches taller and 4 inches deeper, a lot of that internal volume of the 56 is the extra hight x width. I prefer surface area, i do not like to pile tools on top of tools to maximize the internal volume, from a price point and what OP goals is, two 44s are the idea combination, he does not have a lot of overflow and wants to make a work bench out of the top, i would want the extra length on the work bench the 2 44s plus it would provide and the extra tool surface area vs just internal volume, i would also like the versatility to buy a top box in the future, HF to my knowledge does not offer a top for the 56 or any side boxes for it, if you dont mind piling tools then the larger box is a match for you over 2 44s if you minus the maximum work bench top length variable

 

[k9american]

I bought a HF 56" 2 weeks ago. Compares well to much higher priced boxes. Mine was on sale for $769. The packing/crating was top notch. Weighed 585 lbs - had to use the JD 460 loader and 3k lb. ratchet straps to get it out of the truck and into the shop.

I'd recommend this box without reservation.

Stars: 5/5

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Anyone know how cheap this one goes on sale for?
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...er-cabinet-with-8-drawer-top-chest-67831.html

 

[brihvac]

Im gonna go there tomorrow and look both boxes over good. I will most likely get the 2 smaller ones and build some kind of bench over top of it. But, I might change my mind, you never know.

 

[Flathead Johnny]

ok i did a rough calculation, the HF 56 has six levels of draws so I did 56 x 22 x 6 - 396 equals 6996 of surface shelf area, i deducted 396 because one of the smaller shelf is double hight and I guessed it is a 18x22. the HF 44 3/4 has seven levels of draws that are 44 3/4 x 18 which equals 5639 then double that, the surface area of 2 44 3/4 is 11,278......almost double that of the 56, just food for thought

 

[thammel]

I studied both the 41" and the 56" at the HF store and the 56" one is a ton better than the 41". Quality of build and strength is much higher. If they sold a top box of the same width and quality, it would be a no-brainer for me.

Tom

 

[thooks]

Anyone know how cheap this one goes on sale for?
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...er-cabinet-with-8-drawer-top-chest-67831.html

there is a coupon for it for $280

 

[mrbreezeet1]

there is a coupon for it for $280

thanks, I'll look for it.

 

[thooks]

Mr Breeze....

I have that unit and it is a killer deal for less than $300. It comes with drawer liners and the drawers are solid.

For basic tool storage, you can't go wrong.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

Mr Breeze....

I have that unit and it is a killer deal for less than $300. It comes with drawer liners and the drawers are solid.

For basic tool storage, you can't go wrong.

 

[machine_punk]

I've been thinking about the 44" (13-drawer/smaller) of these HF boxes for a while. But, after MANY times of going back to the store and comparing them, the depth of the box is a problem. The drawers are about 18" from front to back. There is enough room to put 1.5 rows of tools in there. It is too deep for one row of tools (wasted space), and not deep enough for two rows of tools (half your tools are oriented 'front to back,' the other half are 'side to side.' If you have a lot of tools, this cabinet isn't going to work for you.

I do, however, like the 56" cabinet a great deal (and I like their drawer catch system, to keep your drawers from flying open as you push the cabinet around). For that price, though, you might be better looking at the Montezuma stuff (advertised here on GJ). I haven't bought any of these, since I've decided to build my own, custom drawer units.

I currently have the HF 5-drawer cart and the 7-drawer end cabinet and I am very pleased with the build quality of both. The Service cart is worth the $200 price, but you can get it for $160, with a 20% coupon when the price is $200.

 

[kngelv]

I wrestled with this same decision. Check this thread I started on the the same topic: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115098&highlight=harbor+freight

There is a lot of actual measurement data there. I love my 56" box. Having deeper drawers makes a huge difference. The smaller box is a great deal but I think the drawers are too shallow. It is better to have and not need rather than need and not have. Regarding the Montezuma boxes people on the journal advocate . . . I saw three different models at Sears yesterday. I thought they were poorly constructed. The Craftsman were definitely better built. It is very possible that these boxes were some cheap line specifically for Sears and not representative of their other lines. I vote for the 56".

James

 

[musgofasta]

Double-44's here - easy to expand into triple-44's in the future as your tool collection will undoubtedly expand!

 

[mrbreezeet1]

are most of the stores still taking the -20% coupon on the tool carts?

 

[Chris Adams]

ok i did a rough calculation, the HF 56 has six levels of draws so I did 56 x 22 x 6 - 396 equals 6996 of surface shelf area, i deducted 396 because one of the smaller shelf is double hight and I guessed it is a 18x22. the HF 44 3/4 has seven levels of draws that are 44 3/4 x 18 which equals 5639 then double that, the surface area of 2 44 3/4 is 11,278......almost double that of the 56, just food for thought

I've had as many as 120 drawers of 18 inch deep tool boxes. The math does not reflect the reality of box storage.

Tools are not the same as storing marbles.
You need long and deep enough drawers to store your like tools together.
One example; How many drawers do you want to spread your wrenches across?
Two? Three? Six?
Best case, you want all your wrenches in one place so you can quickly and easily select the best without doing a search.
Again on ratchets/sockets. You want them together.
These things will be in racks or some form of holder, which means not piled. The 'lots of tiny drawer' advocates either have very few tools, or are like opening a dozen drawers every time they do something, or are happy with the tools just randomly piled on top of each other.

I recently needed a 40 inch range tool box for the shop. I have a 45 inch wide, 20 inch deep location that was going to waste. I looked at the HF boxes several times. One of the 44 inch would just fit. But after actually measuring the drawers and seeing what would fit, I went with a slightly used 6 drawer KRA2106 for 575. The six long drawers and two inches deeper format just held that much more than the 13 (12 tiny) shallow HF box.

Shallow, tiny drawers are just not that much fun, if you actually USE the tools in the drawers.

 

[antinym]

I have a 44, and if I were to pick up another, I 'd pick up the 56. Not to replace, but in addition to.
The smaller shallower drawers in the 44 are nice for smaller tools, screw drivers, pliers, and such. But I quickly ran out of room for the bigger tools: drills, hammers, saws, etc.
So, my bigger tools are on random shelves around the garage, or hanging on the wall.

But, before I go out and spend 700-800 on a toolbox, I'll probably spend 200 on a cabinet as I don't need to roll my tools around.
My advice, get the 44 and a cabinet.

 

[thooks]

The store ( a new one ) I went to last Friday morning to buy a tool cart told me that you cannot use a 20% off coupon on the tool cart....it is a tool box.

She was a real bitoch.

 

[brihvac]

Ended up buying 2 of the smaller boxes. I will build some benches for it similar to Steevo