Can we talk tool chests?
- Thread starter Kevin B.
- Start date
- Location
- West Haven, UT
I started my career with an old school Craftsman top and bottom chest. While it worked great for working on the farm and doing side work through high school, it didn't handle the hard life of day to day wrenching and I quickly realized it didn't like being loaded as heavily as I was needing to load it at work. I bought an older used Snap-on from a co-worker that seemed to handle the weight a bit better without flexing or drooping but with it having friction slides it was not the easiest to open and close the heavier drawers.
After several years I traded that in on a used Matco with roller slides and it was much better. Used that box for several years without issue. From there I upgraded to a dent and blemished MAC Macsimizer with two side lockers and all roller slides for my home shop and bought another slightly used Snap-on top, bottom and short side box for work as my home tool collection was outpacing my work tools.
Used the MAC Macsimizer box at my home speed shop until early 2007 when a friend of mine from high school became my local Snap-on dealer and he made me a great deal on my current Snap-on KRL bottom, top and side locker which I still currently use daily. This box is hands down the best tool box I have ever owned and probably will have it until the day I die. The drawers are loaded extremely heavy and the box doesn't even moan about it.
My KRL1023 bottom, KRL1203 top box and KRL1012 side locker. This box still looks and feels like new, other than a few minor scratches, despite being used daily for the past nearly 15 years now.
My top full width top drawer is probably the heaviest one in my entire box being loaded with sockets.
Next heaviest is another full-width drawer being loaded with wrenches.
The heaviest single width drawer has to be my impact tool drawer and none of these have any issues opening or closing when loaded with all this weight.
Seems like toolbox's hadn't changed much for the first 25+ years of my career with the quality ones still being found mainly on tool trucks with the small exception of maybe Lista modular style but still high dollar amount needed to be shelled out to get a quality box. However it seems as though they have come a bit further over the past decade or so though. A couple of our newer mechanics at work have either Husky, U.S. General and now an ICON and I have been somewhat impressed with the bang for the buck of these toolboxes.
Nearly five years ago now when I built my new shop I sourced five (5) of the U.S. General boxes from Harbor Freight to incorporate into my workbench design and I have been pleased with their performance thus far. I don't have them loaded anywhere near as heavy as the drawers in my Snap-on box but they have seemed to hold up well for their intended purpose.
I have been quite impressed with the build quality of the Husky a co-worker has although I personally don't care for the looks of it. I am really quite impressed with the new ICON that the guy just rolled in a couple of weeks ago so we'll see how it holds up long term to the day to day use but I really don't see that being an issue as an initial gut feeling based on what I've seen so far.
After several years I traded that in on a used Matco with roller slides and it was much better. Used that box for several years without issue. From there I upgraded to a dent and blemished MAC Macsimizer with two side lockers and all roller slides for my home shop and bought another slightly used Snap-on top, bottom and short side box for work as my home tool collection was outpacing my work tools.
Used the MAC Macsimizer box at my home speed shop until early 2007 when a friend of mine from high school became my local Snap-on dealer and he made me a great deal on my current Snap-on KRL bottom, top and side locker which I still currently use daily. This box is hands down the best tool box I have ever owned and probably will have it until the day I die. The drawers are loaded extremely heavy and the box doesn't even moan about it.
My KRL1023 bottom, KRL1203 top box and KRL1012 side locker. This box still looks and feels like new, other than a few minor scratches, despite being used daily for the past nearly 15 years now.
My top full width top drawer is probably the heaviest one in my entire box being loaded with sockets.
Next heaviest is another full-width drawer being loaded with wrenches.
The heaviest single width drawer has to be my impact tool drawer and none of these have any issues opening or closing when loaded with all this weight.
Seems like toolbox's hadn't changed much for the first 25+ years of my career with the quality ones still being found mainly on tool trucks with the small exception of maybe Lista modular style but still high dollar amount needed to be shelled out to get a quality box. However it seems as though they have come a bit further over the past decade or so though. A couple of our newer mechanics at work have either Husky, U.S. General and now an ICON and I have been somewhat impressed with the bang for the buck of these toolboxes.
Nearly five years ago now when I built my new shop I sourced five (5) of the U.S. General boxes from Harbor Freight to incorporate into my workbench design and I have been pleased with their performance thus far. I don't have them loaded anywhere near as heavy as the drawers in my Snap-on box but they have seemed to hold up well for their intended purpose.
I have been quite impressed with the build quality of the Husky a co-worker has although I personally don't care for the looks of it. I am really quite impressed with the new ICON that the guy just rolled in a couple of weeks ago so we'll see how it holds up long term to the day to day use but I really don't see that being an issue as an initial gut feeling based on what I've seen so far.
Only complaint so far is I wish the top 4 drawers were the same width. Love mega drawer up top. Too many small drawers
Not super loaded up but still rolls like it’s empty
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Love having all my sockets in one drawer instead of 3 so I can live with it. Just have to split my combo wrenches up into small drawers next to medium. Otherwise very happy. I don’t like the drawer locks bit annoying only unlocking on one side. Mega drawer is the only real issue if you pull it open from the lock it opens crooked because the lock is so far over. Drawer stays closed fine without it so I’ll probably just remove that one lock.
I too was going to cave to the 20% coupon and get a 72" box but after hemming and hawing in the store I just didn't like how flimsy the drawers feel compared to other boxes and especially for the price. The Icon box felt way better but the price point is way way out of my price range. The search continues and I do like the soft close feature on some different brands that are out now.
Can tell you with mine weighted down drawers don’t flex. I tried soft close and I hate it 😂. I don’t like the latch on the harbor freight boxes particularly on the mondo top drawer. I’ll probably eventually remove it. Other than it being shallower than a snap on box that’s my only complaint
Same here! is Have a 60" Matco box at the shop and the 72" HF box at home and I think Im going to sell my matco box and buy another 72" HF for the shop
anderson750
I'm working on it Rose
- Location
- Price, Utah
This is a friend of mines box that he loaded the drawers with punches, chisels and other heavy items. These all came out of a Snap On box and he said it slides work just as well as his other box. Who knows after 5 years of pulling it open, but they do not currently sag or bind with this weight.
And it doesn’t matter that the coupons all say for in stock items only? Sweet
anderson750
I'm working on it Rose
- Location
- Price, Utah
I was going to buy a side cabinet today, but was told they are going under a redesign and they do not know when they will have them in stock again.
What color?
Green, obviously. It’s such a good looking box.
- Location
- Stinkwater
You know you can't drink it, right?