US General 13 drawer tool box?

[MxRider2637]

I have heard so many good things about the box and i was going to pick one up tomorrow while they are still on sale but is there anything that is bad about it? I am wondering because, even though i have bought from hf before, i am still weary about buying anything from them that actually cost some money!

Just looking for any suggestions!

 

[Fedwrench]

Search the old posts as most people seem to like them. I don't own one but, I've worked with a few people that had them. I think it's an ok box if it's not rolled around a lot fully loaded. Personally, I also don't care for that crinkle paint finish but, that's just me. The fact that you're leary about buying from Harbor Freight may be an omen.

 

[dodgeramsst2003]

I have one for work, to replace my bigger older craftsman that I brought home. I'm an instrumentation tech, so no major wrenching. It works good for me, but will probably come home soon so I can replace it with a cart that will work better. I don't think it will hold up to the daily abuse a mechanic would put it through in the garage, though I could be wrong. For the money, you can't go wrong with it. It is much better made than most of the newer Cman boxes except the professional series. For a homeowner/hobby guy, it's perfect.

 

[michael murder]

I wish a few of the drawers were deeper top to bottom.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

I think it is one of the few really good products that they sell. They are very heavy duty, but they are not as deep as some of the boxes that cost three or more times as much.

Some people suggest that you need to uncrate them, and check for damage, but I would think it rare. They are made in China, and many people have a problem with that.

I went to HF with a 20% off coupon, looked at the display model and purchased one. They are very impressive first hand. You will rarely find any large tool box for anywhere near that price, even used. My Craftsman box doesn't even come close in terms of size or quality.

I waited for 30 years to get a deal like this, but hey, that's just me.

 

[Mickey O]

I have heard so many good things about the box and i was going to pick one up tomorrow while they are still on sale but is there anything that is bad about it? I am wondering because, even though i have bought from hf before, i am still weary about buying anything from them that actually cost some money!

Just looking for any suggestions!

Do you really want to know? (read some of my previous posts before you answer)

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Do you really want to know? (read some of my previous posts before you answer)

Mickey...do you have something to say about this?!

 

[K5blazer83]

Something tells me he does...

 

[MxRider2637]

i leaning towards it but did not have time to go look at one. The only other day i got is thursday, the last day of the sale. I'll let you know what i decide on!

 

[RattytatTom]

You really have to go to the "General Garage Discussion" and review the HF "Harbor Freight 13 drawer tool boxes $271.99" thread (way too much discussion?!).
Anyway, as I posted, I went with a friend today and we picked up the last two in the store. Bottom line: it's a good box for the price. I'd consider picking up another before the sale ends.

 

[usmc_noma]

if you have a sears outlet near you, you may want to check there. i bought a craftsman 41" for $200+tax. there was a messed up slide so i haggled the price down from $340.

 

[Aberdale]

I came close to buying a couple of those HF boxes. I looked at them pretty close, and was impressed with how the drawers and slides felt. Nice box, but I just didn't like the crinkle finish. I was thinking it would be difficult to wipe down and get all the grease off when it gets dirty.

I ended up buying a used MAC box off C-list for about the same price as two HF boxes. I gotta admit the price on the HF boxes are hard to beat.

Dale

 

[Boost Creep]

i think i'm one of the few who really likes the wrinkle red finish. lol. i'm waiting on the next shipment to come in to my local stores so i can get one or maybe two.

 

[Mickey O]

I came close to buying a couple of those HF boxes. I looked at them pretty close, and was impressed with how the drawers and slides felt. Nice box, but I just didn't like the crinkle finish. I was thinking it would be difficult to wipe down and get all the grease off when it gets dirty.

I ended up buying a used MAC box off C-list for about the same price as two HF boxes. I gotta admit the price on the HF boxes are hard to beat.

Dale

You got a better deal and a much better tool box, if you need to sell it someone will actually buy it for a reasonable price. Plus you don't have to look at a piece of Chinese junk everyday, can't put a price on that, your tools are also happier, they'd thank you if they could talk.

 

[OBX]

Sears and HF are a block apart where I live. The HF is hands down better in every respect- u can't go wrong unless ur a professional mechanic. You will be pleased. I bought 2.

 

[Mickey O]

Sears and HF are a block apart where I live. The HF is hands down better in every respect- u can't go wrong unless ur a professional mechanic. You will be pleased. I bought 2.

Can't go wrong with Chinese employees, if I were your boss and you were not Chinese I'd fire you and replace you with a Chinese person.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

rofl I really think this box is a deal but for a true mechanic do yourself a favor and buy a quality box. snappy, matco. mac or craftsman pro one of the kids that i go to school with graduated and he had one of these with the side cab and its just sits rusting in the tool cage he graduated about 6 months ago and its just sitting in the corner being dripped on by snow melt lol. do yourself a favor unless you are a home hobbyest only get a box you can take pride in granted i only have remline and clarke boxes as of now i will still take them over hf especialy my remline

JUST MY 0.02
Sean Scott

 

[Mickey O]

rofl I really think this box is a deal but for a true mechanic do yourself a favor and buy a quality box. snappy, matco. mac or craftsman pro one of the kids that i go to school with graduated and he had one of these with the side cab and its just sits rusting in the tool cage he graduated about 6 months ago and its just sitting in the corner being dripped on by snow melt lol. do yourself a favor unless you are a home hobbyest only get a box you can take pride in granted i only have remline and clarke boxes as of now i will still take them over hf especialy my remline

JUST MY 0.02
Sean Scott

Good point, that box might be okay for holding knitting needles and yarn, I'd just use a basket or cardboard box.

 

[OBX]

The Craftsman is Chinese too. The SnapOn/Mac/etc raw metal is almost certainly Asian. The American car you drive has foreign steel- it's a worldeconomy- get used to it. For under 500 buck the toolbox is very well made. Your purchase helps an American company, HF, employ Americans- your argument is circular and filled with holes

 

[Mickey O]

The Craftsman is Chinese too. The SnapOn/Mac/etc raw metal is almost certainly Asian. The American car you drive has foreign steel- it's a worldeconomy- get used to it. For under 500 buck the toolbox is very well made.

No the Craftsman isn't Chinese, you can still get US made ones, some Canadian made ones and some are made in Mexico, I'm sure they will be made in China eventually after seeing peoples willingness to pay good money for Chinese ****. Post your source on where you found that SnapOn/Mac/etc are using Asian steel, you're not making that up or just making an assumption with nothing to back it up are you? . And it's not a Global economy, that's just a bunch of BS, we all have the same currency? same pay rates? Is China going through a bad economy like we are, losing millions of jobs, they must be if it's a global economy. Global economy my ***, it's just an excuse to justify going cheap.

Your purchase helps an American company, HF, employ Americans- your argument is circular and filled with holes

Yeah, how many? What are they paying them? Do they have health insurance available? As many as if the products were manufactured here? And have you seen the Harbor Freight employees?

 

[jcfields]

Your purchase helps an American company, HF, employ Americans- your argument is circular and filled with holes

Your purchase is turning America into a nation of low-wage retail lackeys and overpaid executives, with no one in between to actually produce anything of value.

 

[Mickey O]

Your purchase is turning America into a nation of low-wage retail lackeys and overpaid executives, with no one in between to actually produce anything of value.

Well said.

 

[Aberdale]

You got a better deal and a much better tool box, if you need to sell it someone will actually buy it for a reasonable price. Plus you don't have to look at a piece of Chinese junk everyday, can't put a price on that, your tools are also happier, they'd thank you if they could talk.

Agreed. There is a "pride of ownership" factor involved. If I ever need/want to sell it later, I gotta believe a 10 year old MAC box will be worth more than a 10 year old HF box.

I will admit, if the HF box was glossy and a bright red like a SO/MAC/C-man box, I would have been very tempted.

Dale

 

[Danglerb]

If you buy the Snapon, good guess some Snapon exec buys himself a new Lexus etc.

 

[lastgoodusername]

i bought the same box at northern tool. good box for the money. i truly understand the buy American though. but how do you do that. american company located in US but owned by a foreign company. mexican made. when the hell did that become a great thing except for tequila and peyote. most bang for the buck. i drive a Volvo truck, headquarted in NC, designed in Sweden and the US , built in VA. it is a tough job to buy "American Only" anymore. but i try to do it everytime i can.

 

[Mickey O]

If you buy the Snapon, good guess some Snapon exec buys himself a new Lexus etc.

I think you're right, every time a Snap On tool box is sold another executive gets a Lexus, brilliant.

 

[Mickey O]

i bought the same box at northern tool. good box for the money. i truly understand the buy American though. but how do you do that. american company located in US but owned by a foreign company. mexican made. when the hell did that become a great thing except for tequila and peyote. most bang for the buck. i drive a Volvo truck, headquarted in NC, designed in Sweden and the US , built in VA. it is a tough job to buy "American Only" anymore. but i try to do it everytime i can.

Hop on craig's list and buy a used one, send a picture of it to several tool companies and tell them you ain't buying any of their **** until it's made here.

 

[jeepnut24]

Its a real shame a US company can't create an equal box for the same money.... Sorry, but after getting a new CMAN box this holiday and seeing its "US built Quality", there just isn't a viable US alternative any more for me. I will be strongly considering the US General box when I upgrade to a bigger box. Ill probably go with a US box, but I can certainly understand them as an option when the homeowner grade US options have gone downhill so far.

 

[Shadowdog500]

If you buy the Snapon, good guess some Snapon exec buys himself a new Lexus etc.

No, I think you pay more because they are much better quality and made by people who earn US wages.

Its a real shame a US company can't create an equal box for the same money.... Sorry, but after getting a new CMAN box this holiday and seeing its "US built Quality", there just isn't a viable US alternative any more for me. I will be strongly considering the US General box when I upgrade to a bigger box. Ill probably go with a US box, but I can certainly understand them as an option when the homeowner grade US options have gone downhill so far.

No one but China can make an equal box for the same money, because the rest of the world pays people a livable wage and its citizens are not forced to work 80 to 120 hours a week to make a measly $1,600 dollars a year like the typical Chinese person. The only reason the C-man boxes are made of cheaper quality is because everyone here seems to be concerned about price point and C-man has to make their boxes at a low price point to compete with the Chinese made boxes. Since our labor costs allot more than China they have to cut corners on materials. I guess when American workers are so hard up hat they are willing to work 80 to 120 hours a week for $1,600 a year, the consumers could get an equal C-man box for the same money. Any volunteers???

Chris

 

[jeepnut24]

The difference in quality doesn't justify the difference in price. Im like most consumers, I want the best quality for the $$$ I have to spend. We have now hit a point where the true quality US product don't usually justify their prices for the average consumer.

No, I think you pay more because they are much better quality and made by people who earn US wages.



No one but China can make an equal box for the same money, because the rest of the world pays people a livable wage and its citizens are not forced to work 80 to 120 hours a week to make a measly $1,600 dollars a year like the typical Chinese person. The only reason the C-man boxes are made of cheaper quality is because everyone here seems to be concerned about price point and C-man has to make their boxes at a low price point to compete with the Chinese made boxes. Since our labor costs allot more than China they have to cut corners on materials. I guess when American workers are so hard up hat they are willing to work 80 to 120 hours a week for $1,600 a year, the consumers could get an equal C-man box for the same money. Any volunteers???

Chris

 

[RattytatTom]

Hop on craig's list and buy a used one, send a picture of it to several tool companies and tell them you ain't buying any of their **** until it's made here.

Sorry to say, but the executives dont give a ****. In the automotive industry, the exec's dont support their own company by actually buying vehicles. They're given to them to drive. Think they actually go to a dealer and get their vehicles serviced? Think again.
They say, to date, 800,000+ jobs related to manufacturing have been lost. When the UAW and the politcians actually endorsed NAFTA years ago claiming "free trade" was going to be good for Americans....well, I guess that didnt work out so good.
But big business and certain coroporate executives got very, very, very rich outsourcing our jobs...and continue to do it to this day. HF and the tool business isnt the first industry to go away. Look at the electronics industry, textiles, aerospace, etc, etc.
Your politicians continue to take pocket money to vote the way these companies (and countries) TELL them to vote. Thats the reality.
What's the solution? You tell me.
All I know is that we are now experiencing what those scum bag executives put into place years ago.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I was in Sears today killing time and took a look at the boxes they offer. I think the Beenie Weinies that I eat come in a can that is thicker than the steel on those Sears boxes. I have a 41" Harbor Freight/Northern Tools box in the basement and the quality, fit, feel, steel thickness and sturdiness of that box outruns ANY of the ones at Sears (including the so called pro models).

Until the USA can get back to producing a GOOD product at a price point slightly higher than the foreign boxes, we will continue to lose jobs in this country. We cannot continue to compete with cheap feeling goods compared to the foreign made goods. Make a product that is AT LEAST as good or better, sell it at a fair price and see what happens.

 

[Shadowdog500]

The difference in quality doesn't justify the difference in price. Im like most consumers, I want the best quality for the $$$ I have to spend. We have now hit a point where the true quality US product don't usually justify their prices for the average consumer.

If you want the most bang for your buck, I guess you will go Chinese made on just about everything since no one can compete with China's 25 cent an hour wages. If this keeps up I wonder how long it will take before new American made tools aren't even available anymore.

Chris

 

[Fedwrench]

If you want the box, get the box. Buying used anything doesn't restore any manufacturing jobs. The manufacturing jobs are gone and they're not coming back. More will disappear. There is nothing that can stop the hemoraging of jobs overseas short of another American Revolution.
Some of you really need to stop turning every tool discussion into an issue of buy American or buy nothing. Can't we get back to the merits of tools just as tools? Save the political rhetoric for when you vote and campaign for the candidate of your choice some place other than here.

 

[Mickey O]

If you want the box, get the box. Buying used anything doesn't restore any manufacturing jobs. The manufacturing jobs are gone and they're not coming back. More will disappear. There is nothing that can stop the hemoraging of jobs overseas short of another American Revolution.
Some of you really need to stop turning every tool discussion into an issue of buy American or buy nothing. Can't we get back to the merits of tools just as tools? Save the political rhetoric for when you vote and campaign for the candidate of your choice some place other than here.

No it doesn't restore any manufacturing jobs but it does stop one more piece of Chinese junk from being sold. Now if enough people did that it would make a difference. When I bought my first box, a new Craftsman, it was what I would call expensive at the time. I put a little money aside each week until I had enough to buy it. I also didn't eat out every day or have cable TV (they did have cable back then). To say a couple of hundred dollars for a quality US made Snap On wrench set, that will last a lifetime and help out your fellow citizens, is too much is ridiculous, the same with the tool boxes.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

If you want the most bang for your buck, I guess you will go Chinese made on just about everything since no one can compete with China's 25 cent an hour wages. If this keeps up I wonder how long it will take before new American made tools aren't even available anymore.

Chris

Why do people care what chinese factories pay thier workers? Its a different culture over there. They just do things different...

 

[Mickey O]

Why do people care what chinese factories pay thier workers? Its a different culture over there. They just do things different...

Look up "fairness" in the dictionary.

I say we have a drag race I'll be driving a 10 second Chevy you will be given a Yugo, why can't you beat me?

 

[Abbott]

I looked over the boxes at Harbor Freight and didn't care for them. I went ahead and purchased a Kobalt 44" top box from Lowes it looked and felt better built to me. That was a few years ago and last month I got lucky and found the bottom box that matched it on CL for $400.00! But I think that Harbor Freight box would be a good one especially for someone moving into their first large box. A lot of tools and equipment made in China and Taiwan feature several manufactures using the same factories with small differences in the final product including paint and logos. I believe my Kobalt box was manufactured in Taiwan as opposed to China.

25 years ago I used PROTO because that was the truck that had our shop on it's route, it was good stuff but I have no reason to purchase it now. It's to expensive for my needs in a home shop. I never would buy one of their boxes they were just priced to highly for me to afford and still are. Snap-on prices are so far out there I don't even consider their tools especially for home use. If I made a living with them and the truck came by the shop I imagine that I would own a few but I wouldn't dream of spending the money on a complete box full, American made or not.

I have a lot of usable tools from Harbor Freight and I have returned some junk to them. After awhile I think everyone catches on to what is decent and what is fubar from them. My shop is a lot better off with Harbor Freight then it would be without it. I think Made in USA tools are nearing the end of an era. Most are excellent tools there is no argument about that but they are priced so high I can't afford to buy them new and I don't feel like playing the Craigslist shuffle every time I need something to get a job done. I really like the tools and equipment (that work) that I have purchased from Harbor Freight. They beat the hell out of doing without which is what made in U.S.A. stuff forced me to do for years before HF was around and they would be doing it still. I've gotten a lot done because of Harbor Freight.

 

[OBX]

it's your argument - the burden of proof is on you, comrade.

 

[wendell]

I want Chinese value.
Don't buy Chinese junk. (something marginally racist or at least xenophobic)
Chinese don't make a living wage.
US goods aren't competitively priced and I've been trained to want a lot of stuff.
CORPORATE GREED! (something negative about education)
US politicians precipitated it.
Unions have bloated the US' labor costs.
It's not our fault...


Played out three times daily on GJ. How much more of this can the Journal stand?