[Tom Wilson]

I'm thinking of buying a tool cabinet.
What features have you liked on yours, or what do you wish you had bought instead of the one you own?
Home Depot's 7-drawer cabinet for $146 looks nice in the catalogue. What should I know about these lower-priced cabinets compared to the more expensive ones, assuming they have the same number of drawers?

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[S Courter]

Tom,as with anything "you get what you pay for". I personally would stay away from boxes at home depot. Pretty light duty.
Spend a little more and at least step up to a Craftsman box. It would be a better investment. Just my .02 worth
ACES 209

[This message has been edited by S Courter (edited 02-04-99).]

 

[Gene McGill]

The main thing that seperates a cheap one from a good one for me is the drawer movement. Cheap ones bind up on you.

 

[Al]

Wheels. This thing will eventually weigh as much as your car, especially with the top of it piled up in a cone about 2 feet deep.

The last thing you need is to be wheeling this monster around a lumpy garage floor with cheap wheels. The drawer slides are important as mentioned. I like some of the options like a swing up tray on the side and/or the mini cabinet that can hang off the other end for the air tools. I went Craftsman and have been pretty happy. Snap On is nice, but for those prices they should be motorized.

 

[skunkynuggets]

The way that you should check for "binding" is to do this. Open a drawer completely and press down on it with a good amount of force and then try to close it. Try it a few times on each drawer, applying pressure to different parts of the shelf. If it's a good toolbox, it won't bind.

Also, don't be afraid of used boxes. There are plenty of guys out there who are short on cash and have to sell their stuff. I found a great Craftsman cabinet with bearing guides for a very reasonable $150.

[This message has been edited by skunkynuggets (edited 02-04-99).]

 

[RobertD]

Tough question!! Many things to take into consideration. How much storage do you need, how often will you be opening draws and how much weight will the box have to handle? For most home hobbiest, the Craftman system is about the best for the money. I have both Snap-On and Craftman. Like them both.

 

[MANUEL GOMEZ]

I have a mac tool box,and I've had a snap-on box , spent too much money on both. The craftsman tool boxes are good, but I would at least get one with roller bearings on the drawers and good casters. Good luck and enjoy your new box.

 

[flywheel]

As a former Matco tool dealer for 7plus years. The best boxes will have roller bearing slides on the drawers.And heavy duty casters.Like cars look at how well made it is.How thin is the metal?Generaly,Craftsman boxes are best quality/price combo.Coures Matco makes the best,that's what i have...

 

[bozo]

i got a 10 drawer craftsman box in 1974 while working at a gm store. it may look funny sitting on the mac roll cabinet, but it has served well. i always felt i needed to upgrade then i saw a picture of bobby allison in the paper one day standing next to his identical sears box. i had to cut it out and paste it to my lid.

 

[Sean Flanagan]

Hate to break it to you craftsman guys but the Husky boxes are identical to the Craftsman boxes, size and construction.....

 

[jmw]

Got one for Christmas. Craftsman 5 drawer, good caster wheels, molded plastic bumpers that extended about 6 inchs from each side of each corner at the wheel, and a molded plastic top. The top was the clincher. The tool tray I saved from my 20yr old craftsman metal toolbox sits on the top with my most commonly used tools in it. The top has an integrated handle, drop cord storage, small parts trays, and most critical, a beer can holder!!! It was around $130 (non bearing type drawers, though).

 

[JohnC]

Craftsman is very nice, I have a couple. Husky is nice also, but I'm not sure that they are any cheaper.

 

[Sean Flanagan]

My Husky bottom is the same as the mid level Craftsman, Roller drawers, white letter tires (makes it handle better), cranberry red and black paint, and it was around 50$ (on sale)less than sears. So it just came down to convenience for me Home Dep was 1 block away, Sears was 35 miles away, All in all My experience is that both boxes and hand tools are about the same quality!
(If I could afford it I'd rather have Snap-on!!)

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Sean Flanagan
Heavy '73

 

[Scooter]

I've had several craftsman boxes and they are good quality, especially if you get the ones with the roller bearing drawers as mentioned above. Make sure you get one that will house the tools you have and get one with at least three extra drawers from what you need today, because they fill up fast. I made that mistake, then added the intermediate drawers that go between the roller cabinet and the chest. This is ok, if you are about 7-8 feet tall. For work, I bought a MAC Tech 1000. It is a wide roller cabinet, with a huge top drawer for all my sockets. I stil have one drawer that is empty, but will fill it up in the next year, I am sure. Then I will buy a chest to go on top of it. It is the best investment I have made. Since that purchase, the tall Craftsman box resides at home and is perfect for that.

 

[Fred Ont canada]

I have a Beach roller and top box the only thing I can say is it is a good place to keep tools in one place,the metal could be heavyer guage I have alot of stuff like 40yrs worth.Some of the drawer bottoms sag and rub on the one below.Got it at a deal I couldn't refuse,like it fell of the back of a truck.But I would say check the thickness of the metal first thing drawer slides storage and paint in that order.Wheels on mine are flat but it dont go any where so it dont matter...FRED