Let's talk tool boxes..

shinyedges

shinyedges

Unfaltering Love & Undeviating Will
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So, I have a snap on tool box at work and love it. The casters roll smoothly and easily over cracked concrete, metal shavings and all kinds of other crap. So now I'm looking for a toolbox for home I'm leaning snap on..

They are expensive (snap on), I have no experience with matco, mac, or lista (very very expensive ).

A couple guys at work have Kennedy boxes and a few craftsman. The craftsman are newer boxes and are thin gage steel. They feel flimsy.

What say you? Stick with snap on for my home tool box?

Or is there other well made brands I should consider?

Craigslist has some good deals on snap on boxes but still pretty spendy...

Well, hope my ramblings were somewhat coherent :D
 
I have a craftsman at work. For the price they are hard to beat. Mine has the upgraded rollers. I would say for light home work you should go with a cheaper box.
 
cbking said:
I have a craftsman at work. For the price they are hard to beat. Mine has the upgraded rollers. I would say for light home work you should go with a cheaper box.
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The plus side of a cheaper box is I can get a much larger box for the same money. And I know they'd hold the tools just like any other box. Crud, decisions decisions.
 
May I suggest that you visit the “General Tool Discussion” forum at The Garage Journal Board?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4

A significant percentage of the threads there are about tool boxes, so you will find plenty of info (maybe more than you wished for :D).

Some of the most frequently discussed & cheapest options for tool boxes there are the HF (Harbor Freight) tool boxes, which are practically always “on sale” plus their price can be further reduced by the ubiquitous HF coupons.

Good luck!
 
Most of my tool use is in the field and at home. I carry two heavy tool boxes with me on jobs and seldom use anything other than about 5 tools. But, I'm prepared. :D For home use, I would go with something portable unless you have a shop in your garage. I keep a tool bag at home with an assortment of things that I most commonly use at home. I can always dig into the larger boxes if I need to should the job merit such effort.
 
littleknife said:
May I suggest that you visit the “General Tool Discussion” forum at The Garage Journal Board?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4

A significant percentage of the threads there are about tool boxes, so you will find plenty of info (maybe more than you wished for :D).

Some of the most frequently discussed & cheapest options for tool boxes there are the HF (Harbor Freight) tool boxes, which are practically always “on sale” plus their price can be further reduced by the ubiquitous HF coupons.

Good luck!
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I will check them out, great, another expensive hobby :rolleyes:
 
shinyedges said:
So, I have a snap on tool box at work and love it. The casters roll smoothly and easily over cracked concrete, metal shavings and all kinds of other crap. So now I'm looking for a toolbox for home I'm leaning snap on..

They are expensive (snap on), I have no experience with matco, mac, or lista (very very expensive ).
Click to expand...

I'm a Snap-On fan from the days when I worked as a mechanic but these days I can't afford the price as a weekend warrior.

I think these days Matco is a good choice also but you have to decide how much quality you want to pay for. I have a small Craftsman stack in my home garage, not nearly as nice as the more expensive boxes, but works for what I need. I think the Home Depot Husky brand might be satisfactory as low-priced boxes. I have never looked closely at Harbor Freight boxes.
 
Unless you make your living with your tools I don't see the need to buy the best. I have been a mechanic for 20 years and usually buy snap-on but I also have some stuff from Matco and mac. All 3 are good tools but I would say go to harbor freight and get you a tool box for home. No need to put $10000-$30000 in a home tool box.
 
I like snapon and matco but for home use i love my kobalt boxes they roll great and have awesome storage compartments with the ability to run your chargers and still be able to lock they are top notch
 
I would bet you don't have a lot of cracked concrete or shavings on the ground at home so the Harbor Freight stuff would probably work. The next tier would be Kobalt (lowes), Husky (HD), Craftsman, Old Milwaukee (HD), and Dewalt (HD). Craigslist should have some of the last few brands available too. I have Husky at home myself. I worked at HD once upon a time (part time job when I got laid off years ago) and I found some great deals on clearance.

I can't imagine investing SnapOn, Matco, Mac, etc in the garage...but that's me.
 
If there is any chance of a vehicle running into it, buy a Snap-On or Mac lower. If you want to save some coin, buy a Craftsman/Kobalt/Husky/USGeneral/Kennedy upper. It's what I did and I'm happy with the combo.
 
I've had a Waterloo "roll around" for a handful of years and it's still working and rolling like champ. If it's for home I'd get one of those. Bargain price and a good brand. Although I'd like a Kennedy...
 
Woody361 said:
Unless you make your living with your tools I don't see the need to buy the best. I have been a mechanic for 20 years and usually buy snap-on but I also have some stuff from Matco and mac. All 3 are good tools but I would say go to harbor freight and get you a tool box for home. No need to put $10000-$30000 in a home tool box.
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^This! I too have a Snap-on box at the shop but wouldn't drop the $ for one as a home tool box. A cheaper box like Craftsman or Kobalt would be more than adequate for the house.
 
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Another good thing about a cheaper smaller box for the house is that you don't have to call a tow truck to move it like I did last time.
 
Put me down as another one in the "Craftsman" or other camp for home use.

Now, I don't make my living with tools (unless you consider high-end Mac workstations tools), but I do my fair share of tinkering in the garage. I've been using the same two sets of Craftsman chests for over 15 years without issue. One chest set was inherited from my grandfather, and the other was picked up at an estate sale. They sit side by side in my two-car garage, and I don't think I've ever rolled them across the floor except for when I moved in, or to clean behind them every two years. But, I do have a small rolling cart that I put new casters on that is constantly on the move, which I find invaluable.

Look around on CL, garage sales, and especially estate sales. You can usually find nice, old boxes that are well built, and have been barely used, for quite a bargain. Unless you're doing professional level work at home, I'm not convinced a Snap-On quality box is worth the money (unless you find a real steal). Just my opinion though...
 
Craftsman all the way for home use, my set-up, which also doubles as my cold weather den. The wife won't let me smoke in the house.

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check craigslist.i bought a royal blue snap on box for $1000 iits like new and is a $ 4000 box. there out there.
 
I ended up with a snap on.. damn she is purdy!
 
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