What do you want in a toolbox?

[Air21]

Think about your approach angles on the wheels, put them as far out and as large as you can get them. The only time you'll think about them is when the bearings take a dump or you have to roll it over something or up a ramp, so make sure it's designed to cross as many things as possible and stay stable going up an incline.

Also how about a heavy duty corner reinforcement to support mounting a vise, some nice thick plate to spread the load over the top and two sides. Just give me a way to see the plate boundaries so I can drill to fit whatever vise I want.

I keep daydreaming about mounting one of THESE vises on the side of my box so I can swing it one way with the jaw parallel to the floor like a normal vise, or over to hold parts vertically or at any other angle but not lose any bench space. So give me a corner gusset that I can hang that off of!

Everybody seems to like the drawer arrangements that come in standard boxes (except me, I want the small drawers on the right) but what everyone goes crazy for are drawers that fit the existing form factor that have more options, drawers for charging cordless tools, drawers for holding air and power tools in holsters not laying flat. I wish I had a drawer I could fill up with tech data and full size manuals and search them quickly to find what I need. I also like the vertical screwdriver pockets under the lid of tool carts on either side, but I need all of my toolbox as a work surface too... Figure that out.

 

[Wamsutta]

I'd be quite happy with my KRL1056 if it was just made out of thicker sheet metal. The 18 gauge it's made from is too thin and flimsy.

 

[VinceG]

looks good just notch the skirt in the front. I would use that for a cart at work. a add on mount for a laptop would be nice.

 

[M6erfan]

You can do a lot with Lista........ custom skirt to hide the casters (clean look), heavy duty full swivel casters at all 4 corners so you can push the cart straight back to the wall in tight spots, anti-tip feature standard, 440 lb drawer capacity at full extension (std), any color you want, custom configured drawers, etc. Drawer depths from 2-13". You can also order without the casters and skirt for fixed installations (order with a fork truck base if you want the clearance for your toes).

2 other things with Lista...........made in USA and lifetime warranty.

+1 to all that

 

[ras924]

This is fantastic. Many of these things we have implemented, but many we have not. The reason for the cover at the bottom is to store a creeper underneath, but I also see the feet not fitting under the toolbox being an issue. The drawers will be lit with LED's inside them so you can see everything in the drawers. The tool holster drawer is a great feature! There will definitely be power strips, and an option for air hose storage also. One of the stipulations I have put on the design is I want to be able to move the box across the floor and not hear rattles from anything except the tools inside, and I want those noises to be muffled. This is the main reason for the different materials and caster designs, but if we are starting from scratch we have to make it look good too. One of my other reasons for the design is from 15 feet away you can't tell the difference between a $300 Harbor Freight box and a $5k Snap-on. This will change with our product. Thanks again for all the feedback!

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

This is fantastic. Many of these things we have implemented, but many we have not. The reason for the cover at the bottom is to store a creeper underneath, but I also see the feet not fitting under the toolbox being an issue. The drawers will be lit with LED's inside them so you can see everything in the drawers. The tool holster drawer is a great feature! There will definitely be power strips, and an option for air hose storage also. One of the stipulations I have put on the design is I want to be able to move the box across the floor and not hear rattles from anything except the tools inside, and I want those noises to be muffled. This is the main reason for the different materials and caster designs, but if we are starting from scratch we have to make it look good too. One of my other reasons for the design is from 15 feet away you can't tell the difference between a $300 Harbor Freight box and a $5k Snap-on. This will change with our product. Thanks again for all the feedback!

Wish you luck with your project and I will be looking forward to seeing the finished product, even if it's just out of curiosity. But I sense that the box is more about form than function.

A creeper underneath the box? It makes me channel my inner Jeff Cooper... an ingenious solution to a non-existing problem.

 

[M6erfan]

Wish you luck with your project and I will be looking forward to seeing the finished product, even if it's just out of curiosity. But I sense that the box is more about form than function.

A creeper underneath the box? It makes me channel my inner Jeff Cooper... an ingenious solution to a non-existing problem.

Possibly. But perhaps there is a need when stored on trucks or used in a pit area...

 

[speed bump]

Full length drawer latches, one of the things that annoys me about Lista boxes is the latches are only on the side and while they work well in a stationary setting they tend to get beat up and broke in our mobile work units.

I like the idea of soft close/ooen drawers but they aren't really necessary unless you deal with the idiots I deal with all the time.


I would like customizable drawer heights in 1" or 25mm increments. At work 90% of our work can be done with two toolbox layouts and given the option I would build everything exactly to those layouts.

Some kind of cable storage solution would be amazing. I'm not really sure the best way to do that but I would be willing to try something new

 

[Wamsutta]

This is fantastic. Many of these things we have implemented, but many we have not. The reason for the cover at the bottom is to store a creeper underneath, but I also see the feet not fitting under the toolbox being an issue. The drawers will be lit with LED's inside them so you can see everything in the drawers. The tool holster drawer is a great feature! There will definitely be power strips, and an option for air hose storage also. One of the stipulations I have put on the design is I want to be able to move the box across the floor and not hear rattles from anything except the tools inside, and I want those noises to be muffled. This is the main reason for the different materials and caster designs, but if we are starting from scratch we have to make it look good too. One of my other reasons for the design is from 15 feet away you can't tell the difference between a $300 Harbor Freight box and a $5k Snap-on. This will change with our product. Thanks again for all the feedback!

You're going to need more meat on the wheels then. Those low profile wheels you got on there aren't going to ride smooth at all. Look at the Colson Performa series casters; those ride smooth even on asphalt.

 

[ras924]

...well, to quote the Grateful Dead, "what a long, strange trip it's been". Changed the company name, scrapped the old design completely, hired a new designer, etc.
It's been a 100% do-over, but the new stuff is light years ahead of the old.
Any feedback on the look would be appreciated.
Robin

 

[PhantomEB]

Happy with what I got and capability to build upon that!

No need to replace this with that, just add on.

Edited: sure gonna look into if putting a creeper under my next box is feasible.

 

[pcmeiners]

"the carbon fiber will be an option for the drawers"
They make a thin honeycomb board for aircraft, coated with carbon fiber on all sides, it is stronger then steel, stiffer and weighs little. Would be expensive but would even put Vidmar/Lista to shame. Bet even a 48 wide drawer would not bow with >400lbs. Bet a 30" wide drawer could hold 800lbs. Of course tip over could be an issue, so carbon fiber as above would be for wall, or vehicle mounting. Like a 59" cabinet made from this would weigh somewhere around 100lbs. I am dreaming.

30" deep cabinet.

I love my Vidmars (Lista), but they provide little security, beefier front drawer faces.

Drawer slides with a dampening system, even rubber bumpers if nothing else.

As to your proto type design, many businesses move cabinet around with Hilos, you need to provide for that.

 

[ToolPolisher]

One thing for mobile (track) use would be the benefit of a trailer-hitch receiver. That would help turn it into a true mobile workbench with provisions for mounting any type tool or apparatus that many of us do in our home shops BUT choose to (need to) keep them modular due to space.

 

[seber]

Definitely lose the vid screen. No one wants to pay high dollars for something that will be out of date in two years and cannot be replaced. Personally I hate opening or moveable tops. There is always something on the top that must be moved to access what is underneath. Just give me another drawer instead. Besides, motorsports professionals (your target market) will want to mount a vise. They will also require urethane castors. For sure, lose the gimmicks. Slide out desk, electronics, skirts, anything that does not serve an actual mechanic will drive them away.

 

[jgromada]

Definitely lose the vid screen.

Instead of a proprietary solution that WILL become outdated how about adding accommodations that can be updated. Let's face it unless you work on ancient autos that hadn't changed in 50 years modern cars need constant access to information about the car.

A laptop that will fold back or be detached like a MS surface or Yoga could be held up in a bracket to the lid as shown. Most modern laptops now connect to a docking hub via USB-C. So you can get peripherals hooked up. I would rather a separate but sealed keyboard to work with because of grease, dirt etc. A separate mouse is bound to get real dirty as well but easily and inexpensively replaced. You will always be looking stuff up.

and this is another trend. Diagnostic tools are becoming more integrated with their own bluetooth connections. Some of these tools will be simple OBD-2 connectors with bluetooth and the ability to integrate with other systems. Right now not exactly cheap but things will continue to push more capabilities down the cost scale.

So i like the foresight here in your concept. But maybe this is an idea that can be added to ANY portable cart or box. So make it an option and if it is a good solution other people that could use something like that would buy it too and wouldn't have to buy a new box to get it.

 

[ras924]

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I responded to this thread, but we have our teaser website up and running! Check out www.ciel-ind.com and sign up for the emails

 

[TalonFE]

What I want in a toolbox is for Erika Eleniak to pop out of the top like she did with the birthday cake in Under Siege (1992). That would be swell.

 

[FuzzyTiger]

I think there is definitely value in a computer but I agree with the others. If it's a proprietary thing, it's garbage. Have a generic monitor that is connected to with a standard connector that runs to someplace a laptop can be safely stored.

Asides from that, it sounds like these toolboxes are going to be moved around quite a bit. Is there going to be any organiser system for the drawers? I'm not really the target market for a box like this but I can imagine having to reorganize your toolbox after every move must get annoying.