trade my c-man for BF box...

[bowlofturtle]

I'm a weekend wrencher now in a small 20x20 garage that doesn't have a work bench or anything.

I have a 26in c-man griplatch ball bearing upper and lower box its about 75% filled up. I've been thinking lately of buying a that HF box and use it as a box/work bench on top, rather then buying a workbench. Since they are going for $250-350. I'm hoping i can sell my box for a almost even trade.

I'm assuming i'll be going a smaller step down in quality but gain a little workbench for the cost of a little space. What do you guys think...

 

[mrholeshot]

It's not a step down in quality. The craftsman is just pretty. The HF is tough

 

[Damian]

It's not a step down in quality. The craftsman is just pretty. The HF is tough

Agreed. I went to Sears and HF on the same day last week testing all the new boxes. The only C-man boxes that didnt feel like aluminum coke cans were the professional series. Anything under $1000 @ Sears can't touch the HF box.

 

[Pro-Painter]

Unless you have some super nice craftsman box, the HF box will be an upgrade all the way around.
When I bought mine I looked at all the comparable craftsman's, Kobalt's, Huskey's, Cosco, Sams club etc and the HF was the nicest box.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

The Craftsman boxes with Griplatch are just as durable as the HF, and the drawers slide smoother. That said, I recently "downgraded" to the HF box for the extra space and I'm using the top as a work area until I get some time to build a workbench or two. Go for it if you have the room, and need the work area.

 

[classic70]

Having the HF as my home box and a 42'' craftsman griplatch at work, i personally like the craftsman better. The griplatch works good and they are smooth opening. The harbor freight box is good but the craftsman has more drawers and the harbor freight drawers are pretty shallow compared to the craftsman.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

I'm assuming i'll be going a smaller step down in quality but gain a little workbench for the cost of a little space. What do you guys think...

Im betting you will be pleasantly surprised at the step up in quality...

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Im betting you will be pleasantly surprised at the step up in quality...

I'm not. Not really. It's pretty solid, but the fit and finish aren't there. The drawers stick, they don't line up correctly and I don't care for the paint. If I had to choose between one or the other, the only factor really would be the size.

 

[williaty]

I'm not. Not really. It's pretty solid, but the fit and finish aren't there. The drawers stick, they don't line up correctly and I don't care for the paint. If I had to choose between one or the other, the only factor really would be the size.

See, I have the opposite experience. In my HF box, the drawers work perfect, the alignment is spot-on, and the whole box is solid and doesn't rattle. My craftsman stack, on the other hand, has drawers that stick and catch, shut lines that wobble all over the place, and booms like a theatrical thunder-making prop if you so much as look at it crosseyed.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

See, I have the opposite experience. In my HF box, the drawers work perfect, the alignment is spot-on, and the whole box is solid and doesn't rattle. My craftsman stack, on the other hand, has drawers that stick and catch, shut lines that wobble all over the place, and booms like a theatrical thunder-making prop if you so much as look at it crosseyed.

From a Griplatch?

I sure hope I don't have to drag this ******* back to HF any time soon, haha.

 

[williaty]

From a Griplatch?

I sure hope I don't have to drag this ******* back to HF any time soon, haha.

No, I don't like Griplatch. In the 4 CM boxes I have, I have a combination of Quiet Glide and Ball Bearing drawers. All are from the Premium Heavy Duty line over a span of several years.

I'm selling off all the PHD QG boxes and using that to fund the acquisition of more boxes from HF since I'm breaking/wearing out the PHD QG stuff with how much I use the tools now whereas the HF stuff is going strong.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

No, I don't like Griplatch. In the 4 CM boxes I have, I have a combination of Quiet Glide and Ball Bearing drawers. All are from the Premium Heavy Duty line over a span of several years.

I'm selling off all the PHD QG boxes and using that to fund the acquisition of more boxes from HF since I'm breaking/wearing out the PHD QG stuff with how much I use the tools now whereas the HF stuff is going strong.

Craftsman sold Premium boxes without BB slides?

 

[williaty]

Craftsman sold Premium boxes without BB slides?

Yeah, it was the first stuff I bought 4-5 years ago, and then one more on super-screamin-deal when the local Sears Hardware went out of business last year. It was NOS, effectively, because it was so old that it wasn't on the site or in the catalog anymore. As far as I can tell, the PHD stuff is now all Griplatch and Ball Bearing while the Quiet Glide only comes in Homeowner and Heavy Duty. All of the boxes I'm trying to get rid of are drawer layouts they don't even offer anymore. Waterloo must have substantially revised their offerings in the last couple of years and not for the better.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Yeah, it was the first stuff I bought 4-5 years ago, and then one more on super-screamin-deal when the local Sears Hardware went out of business last year. It was NOS, effectively, because it was so old that it wasn't on the site or in the catalog anymore. As far as I can tell, the PHD stuff is now all Griplatch and Ball Bearing while the Quiet Glide only comes in Homeowner and Heavy Duty. All of the boxes I'm trying to get rid of are drawer layouts they don't even offer anymore. Waterloo must have substantially revised their offerings in the last couple of years and not for the better.

Hmm, don't remember that. The newer Griplatch Premium boxes aren't bad. Pricey, but not bad.

 

[williaty]

Hmm, don't remember that. The newer Griplatch Premium boxes aren't bad. Pricey, but not bad.

When I started shopping for new boxes, I assumed I was just going to buy a better Craftsman. I went to the nearest Sears and spent quite a while there. I even collected tools and put them in drawers to see how things fit and to check how the drawers worked. I was very disappointed to find that everything below the Professional line didn't really correct the stuff I disliked about what I had. They were still made out of thin enough metal to be rattly and boomy, they were still all flexy (even unloaded) when you tried to pull them somewhere, they still didn't have very consistent gaps/seams, and didn't have very many welds. Admittedly, the ball bearing stuff did work better loaded, and I knew that from the BB unit I had at home, but when completely full of impact sockets, it still didn't feel great. Once you got up to the Professional line, that all got fixed, but then you're talking about A LOT of money. Due to GJ, I heard about the HF 41" lineup. I went to check it out. First thing that struck me was that it was an ugly box. That krinkle red is horrible. When I played with it, I was as happily surprised as I had been unhappily surprised by the Craftsman. The HF unit was solid, didn't boom, didn't rattle, was stable, and didn't flex when I pulled it around. Loading it solid with metal had a *slightly* better feel than the Craftsman BB stuff as well. In the end, it was a pretty easy decision. The HF box was ugly as sin, but was as solid and well made as the Craftsman Pro stuff at a fraction of the price.

 

[NWphotog]

See, I have the opposite experience. In my HF box, the drawers work perfect, the alignment is spot-on, and the whole box is solid and doesn't rattle. My craftsman stack, on the other hand, has drawers that stick and catch, shut lines that wobble all over the place, and booms like a theatrical thunder-making prop if you so much as look at it crosseyed.

Same for my ball bearing Sears set. No where near the quality or strength of the HF 45" set. The 26" HF set seems sturdy but lower quality.

 

[NWphotog]

... First thing that struck me was that it was an ugly box. That krinkle red is horrible.
...

I was originally bother by the pinkish red but it has grown on me. Probably because of how good it has performed.

 

[bowlofturtle]

i never have had any issues with my grip latch. the c-man quiet glide are POS but i like my griplatch alot. i have used snapon KRL series ones and loved them but not me.

problem for me now is selling the box. i dont have enough room for both and i still have to measure out to 40 some odd inches for this but it should fit.

would this load up nicely in a newer honda pilot? i dont have access to a pickup. And can 2 skinny guys unload it? assume its about 200lbs

 

[pipsters]

I toted the HF box in the back of my wagon, it fit easily.

Two small guys can move it no question.

Personally I wouldn't pay the $350-$400 + tax HF wants for them now though. I bought mine slightly used for $275 but guys used to get them for $270 + tax.

At that price I'd rather have the 26" 16" top/18" bottom Craftsman, its fit and finish was better or better yet a used MAC or Matco or Cornwell.

 

[NWphotog]

i never have had any issues with my grip latch. the c-man quiet glide are POS but i like my griplatch alot. i have used snapon KRL series ones and loved them but not me.

problem for me now is selling the box. i dont have enough room for both and i still have to measure out to 40 some odd inches for this but it should fit.

would this load up nicely in a newer honda pilot? i dont have access to a pickup. And can 2 skinny guys unload it? assume its about 200lbs

Not sure about the Pilot. I unloaded both top and bottom by myself out of a small pickup.

 

[shampoop]

I have both the craftsman and HF box setups you speak of. I like them both. The HF is way beefier, but the craftsman is beefy enough for what it is and has a much better latching mechanism (griplatch).

My only real gripes about the HF box are the fact that the grips on the drawers don't stay attached and slide around from side to side, and the excessive side play the drawers have. Like if a drawer is opened and you grip the latch in the middle and pull from side to side the drawer moves a lot. It makes it so that sometimes when you open them they kind of bind and slam around. Try the same thing on a nice box and it won't do it. For the price/value though I'll live with it.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

When I started shopping for new boxes, I assumed I was just going to buy a better Craftsman. I went to the nearest Sears and spent quite a while there. I even collected tools and put them in drawers to see how things fit and to check how the drawers worked. I was very disappointed to find that everything below the Professional line didn't really correct the stuff I disliked about what I had. They were still made out of thin enough metal to be rattly and boomy, they were still all flexy (even unloaded) when you tried to pull them somewhere, they still didn't have very consistent gaps/seams, and didn't have very many welds. Admittedly, the ball bearing stuff did work better loaded, and I knew that from the BB unit I had at home, but when completely full of impact sockets, it still didn't feel great. Once you got up to the Professional line, that all got fixed, but then you're talking about A LOT of money. Due to GJ, I heard about the HF 41" lineup. I went to check it out. First thing that struck me was that it was an ugly box. That krinkle red is horrible. When I played with it, I was as happily surprised as I had been unhappily surprised by the Craftsman. The HF unit was solid, didn't boom, didn't rattle, was stable, and didn't flex when I pulled it around. Loading it solid with metal had a *slightly* better feel than the Craftsman BB stuff as well. In the end, it was a pretty easy decision. The HF box was ugly as sin, but was as solid and well made as the Craftsman Pro stuff at a fraction of the price.

You had me convinced until that last comment, haha. Come on...

 

[williaty]

I'm actually serious the 13-drawer roller cab is as solid as the CM Pro boxes at Sears. It isn't as pretty, it isn't as smooth, it won't be as easy to clean, and it won't impress people who see it, but it IS built like a tank.

Last night, I turned around to see, to my horror, my fiancee (I get to start saying wife on Friday, so much easier to spell!), pull out one of the drawers on the lower cab (one of the deep ones with 4 slides) and step up in it so she could rummage around in the open top of the top chest. I totally expected her to tip over the toolbox or snap the slides off but amazingly it didn't even rock. I think the only thing that saved her was all the bulky metal tools in the bottom couple of drawers that moved the center of gravity down that far and that she only pulled the drawer out about half way.

Now, I do have to admit that, confusingly, the top box from HF isn't built as well as the bottom roller cab. The structural elements seem about equivalent sturdiness but they did something with the sliders that makes the drawers easier to shove side-to-side. They also only use 2 sliders on the deep drawers on the top (the bottom uses 4 on the deep drawers). I would call the top box better than the CM PHD, but not as good as the CM Pro.

The 7-drawer side cab is actually even more study than the roller cab itself, but part of that might come from the fact that it's so small it's easy to make it strong.

The full-height side locker isn't very impressive, actually. They used the same sheet metal, but they didn't reinforce the large flat areas, so it's a bit boomy. I'd call it CM PHD level of quality.

Again, with all of this stuff, the CM stuff is prettier, feels nicer to run your hands across, and will get respect from others. However, there's quite a price premium for that. Unfortunately, that price premium doesn't buy you anything that increases the utility of the box.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

I'm actually serious the 13-drawer roller cab is as solid as the CM Pro boxes at Sears. It isn't as pretty, it isn't as smooth, it won't be as easy to clean, and it won't impress people who see it, but it IS built like a tank.

Last night, I turned around to see, to my horror, my fiancee (I get to start saying wife on Friday, so much easier to spell!), pull out one of the drawers on the lower cab (one of the deep ones with 4 slides) and step up in it so she could rummage around in the open top of the top chest. I totally expected her to tip over the toolbox or snap the slides off but amazingly it didn't even rock. I think the only thing that saved her was all the bulky metal tools in the bottom couple of drawers that moved the center of gravity down that far and that she only pulled the drawer out about half way.

Now, I do have to admit that, confusingly, the top box from HF isn't built as well as the bottom roller cab. The structural elements seem about equivalent sturdiness but they did something with the sliders that makes the drawers easier to shove side-to-side. They also only use 2 sliders on the deep drawers on the top (the bottom uses 4 on the deep drawers). I would call the top box better than the CM PHD, but not as good as the CM Pro.

The 7-drawer side cab is actually even more study than the roller cab itself, but part of that might come from the fact that it's so small it's easy to make it strong.

The full-height side locker isn't very impressive, actually. They used the same sheet metal, but they didn't reinforce the large flat areas, so it's a bit boomy. I'd call it CM PHD level of quality.

Again, with all of this stuff, the CM stuff is prettier, feels nicer to run your hands across, and will get respect from others. However, there's quite a price premium for that. Unfortunately, that price premium doesn't buy you anything that increases the utility of the box.

I like the box, but it's not as good as the CMan Pro. It also doesn't cost anywhere near as much. Not just build quality either. Just opening and closing the drawers on the two will tell you worlds about what went into building them. I'm not talking about how pretty they are either. The box is good, but it's still HF.

 

[williaty]

Go to both stores and put 70lbs of tools in one of the medium-sized drawers. They feel just about the same at that point. When empty, the HF drawers feel heavy and kind of frictionful while the CM Pro drawers feel all slidey and whizzy. Most people seem to prefer the unloaded feeling of the CMP and I can see why. Loaded, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with a blindfold on.

To get better drawer feeling, you really do have to step up to something like a KRL. Those things really move nice, loaded or empty. Not worth the money though.

 

[SMKS]

I was originally bother by the pinkish red but it has grown on me. Probably because of how good it has performed.

Same here, I guess I'm used to it.


But, I would trade it for the gloss red available on the other boxes in one second.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Go to both stores and put 70lbs of tools in one of the medium-sized drawers. They feel just about the same at that point. When empty, the HF drawers feel heavy and kind of frictionful while the CM Pro drawers feel all slidey and whizzy. Most people seem to prefer the unloaded feeling of the CMP and I can see why. Loaded, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference with a blindfold on.

To get better drawer feeling, you really do have to step up to something like a KRL. Those things really move nice, loaded or empty. Not worth the money though.

I don't need to go to the stores, I own the HF and my dad has a CMan Pro.

I've been in Sears in about 10 different states, and I've still never seen a CMan Pro on the floor though.

The HF drawers don't even come out straight when loaded with sockets, haha. On the CMan Pro you can pull the drawers out with one finger, and they slide out perfectly. Maybe I'm just seeing the best example of the CMan and the worst of the HF, but from where I'm sitting the HF doesn't compare when you factor out price. Now if you put even half of what they want for the Cman Pro boxes into the HF, it would probably blow it away.

At this point, is there really a point to keep going with this?

 

[williaty]

Interesting. I think you got a bum box from HF.

With their quality control, it is a bit of a lottery.