Two 44" or one 72" HF toolbox?

[blacknblue]

I have seen the threads on both the 44 and 72" Tool chest from Harbor freight. My dilemma is wether to get two 44" boxes or one 72". I have 2 old craftsman boxes over flowing and a peg board maxed out. This will be for home use. The boxes will double as a work bench as well. With the 44's I was looking at building a top that they can roll under and space them so I can put a chair/stool between them to sit when working on the work surface. The with the 72" I would just put a wooden work bench top on it with a vise. I wanted to hear the thought of people who had both. I just installed Gladiator cabinets to empty out my old work bench. The tool box or boxes will replace the lower work bench in the picture. Thanks!

 

[LXCam]

For me being the 72" drawers are ~6" deeper that's the route I'd take.

 

[PelicanPines]

For me being the 72" drawers are ~6" deeper that's the route I'd take.

^^^^^^

 

[OCJohn]

For me being the 72" drawers are ~6" deeper that's the route I'd take.

Yeah – facing it under the front edge of a typical bench/countertop will leave a lot of space behind. If you've got a good use for that space (dust collector ducting, long-item storage from the end, etc...) the 44s might make sense. If not, I'd go with the 72. It's more solidly built, too.

 

[Greg85mcss]

I agree. The 44" bottom is probably about the same as a 26" with a top box. I went from a full craftsman to a 40" husky top & bottom. It was almost full & I had to upgrade again not long after. I got a 66x25 box & have a lot of room left. Probably 4 empty drawers & I can be inefficient with the rest to have things separated how I like.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SJR033]

My suggestion would be to draw the boxes on graph paper or spread sheet. Then place all your tools in drawers. And just see which drawer layout lets you place your tools how you want them. For me the 2- 44" would give me a better layout. But to each their own.

 

[djcslice]

I think you should focus on drawer layout and depth. I have the 44 top and bottom and my biggest complaint is that the narrow drawers have limited use because they are narrow and short.

 

[SJR033]

I think you should focus on drawer layout and depth. I have the 44 top and bottom and my biggest complaint is that the narrow drawers have limited use because they are narrow and short.

This is why I recommended he lay it out on paper. Everyone likes to organize their box differently. Only the OP can decide which drawer layout will work better for him.

 

[ruffryder]

I think you should focus on drawer layout and depth. I have the 44 top and bottom and my biggest complaint is that the narrow drawers have limited use because they are narrow and short.

I agree with this. Too short and too narrow for the 44". Two 56" cabinets would be nice. lol

 

[blacknblue]

I would lay it out on paper, but I use my tool boxes for more than just tools. Spare wire, some extra parts, fasteners, a whole array of stuff. I don't have the time or the patience to do that. I mean I have an idea of what tools I will put in what drawers, but it going to be more of a OJT box population. Plus I am in the middle of a big re-wiring project with my jeep. Trying to get that done sooner than later.

 

[a52-830]

I agree. The 44" bottom is probably about the same as a 26" with a top box.

if you compare square inches of space, rather than the quoted cubic inches all the manufacturers use, the hf 26" stack has about 20% more space than the hf 44" bottom.

three 26" stacks have 14333 square inches of space. they take up slightly less space than two 44" stacks (top and bottom) which have 12260 square inches of space. at list prices, the three 26" stacks cost less than the two 44" stacks. at the recent parking lot sale, the 26"er's were on sale, and three were about 400$ cheaper than two 44" stacks.

as others have noted, which is better really depends on how you set up your shop, and how you store your tools. wanting to use the 44" (which are closer to 40" without the handles) under a work bench changes the equation, but personally i think that they would be too high for a work bench, especially if you are building one for them to slide under. if you put wooden tops directly on them, it would be better, not installing the wheels and going for some other footing would help a great deal also.

 

[ruffryder]

if you compare square inches of space, rather than the quoted cubic inches all the manufacturers use, the hf 26" stack has about 20% more space than the hf 44" bottom.

I think it is more important to determine drawer layout rather than optimize $/in^2 or $/in^3. I find the top drawer of the 44" bottom fantastic and I wish the other drawers were like that as well. I also wish the box was deeper.

 

[a52-830]

I think it is more important to determine drawer layout rather than optimize $/in^2 or $/in^3. I find the top drawer of the 44" bottom fantastic and I wish the other drawers were like that as well. I also wish the box was deeper.

full width drawers, full width drawers on everything under, oh, say 55". i dont want drawers with a width less than about 25 inches.

if they want to make variety, offer several variations on drawer heights.

offer a "machinist" line with all 2" high drawers. another "auto tech" line with 3" and 4" drawers. throw a deep one in the bottom of each rolling chest. make them look alike, so i can buy 2" top, with a 3"/4" bottom. offer middle chests with 10" of drawers: five 2" drawers, or two 3" and one 4".

cabinet widths? 27" (dont know where it came from, but it is a standard now), 40", 60", and maybe 80".

this would allow you to look at your tools, and how you store them, and figure out the right combination of drawers to fit your needs.

is that so hard? surely there is something i have missed. . . .

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I have (2) 44"s and would rather have (1) 72", but I bought them to fit in my last garage where a 72" wouldn't work.

 

[rsanter]

I think it is driven by the question of do you have the depth to spare for the 72''?
do you have the width to spare for the two 40" units?

bob

 

[crbnfbr]

full width drawers, full width drawers on everything under, oh, say 55". i dont want drawers with a width less than about 25 inches.

if they want to make variety, offer several variations on drawer heights.

offer a "machinist" line with all 2" high drawers. another "auto tech" line with 3" and 4" drawers. throw a deep one in the bottom of each rolling chest. make them look alike, so i can buy 2" top, with a 3"/4" bottom. offer middle chests with 10" of drawers: five 2" drawers, or two 3" and one 4".

cabinet widths? 27" (dont know where it came from, but it is a standard now), 40", 60", and maybe 80".

this would allow you to look at your tools, and how you store them, and figure out the right combination of drawers to fit your needs.

is that so hard? surely there is something i have missed. . . .

Sounds a lot like a Vidmar or Lista to me.

 

[blacknblue]

I think it is driven by the question of do you have the depth to spare for the 72''?

do you have the width to spare for the two 40" units?



bob

Yes I have both. I'm glad to hear both sides of the argument. Good info!

 

[My Old Tools]

if you compare square inches of space, rather than the quoted cubic inches all the manufacturers use, the hf 26" stack has about 20% more space than the hf 44" bottom.

three 26" stacks have 14333 square inches of space. they take up slightly less space than two 44" stacks (top and bottom) which have 12260 square inches of space. at list prices, the three 26" stacks cost less than the two 44" stacks. at the recent parking lot sale, the 26"er's were on sale, and three were about 400$ cheaper than two 44" stacks.

as others have noted, which is better really depends on how you set up your shop, and how you store your tools. wanting to use the 44" (which are closer to 40" without the handles) under a work bench changes the equation, but personally i think that they would be too high for a work bench, especially if you are building one for them to slide under. if you put wooden tops directly on them, it would be better, not installing the wheels and going for some other footing would help a great deal also.

My "Steveo" benches came out to 35" tall including a 1.25" butcher block top. My toe kick area is about 2". You can't get much lower unless you set the box bottom on the floor. They are shorter than the box on wheels.

 

[a52-830]

My "Steveo" benches came out to 35" tall including a 1.25" butcher block top. My toe kick area is about 2". You can't get much lower unless you set the box bottom on the floor. They are shorter than the box on wheels.

that sounds about right. high enough off the concrete so that moisture isn't a problem, low enough top so you can see inside the transmission you have sitting on top of it.