what tool chest would you recommend?

Ill be there for spring carlisle at the end of september

someone confused about the seasons, or has it been rained out all summer?

as for tool storage, look into Stanley Vidmar boxes-- fully customizable and tougher than anything else I've used. Ebay can be your friend if you can find something set up to your liking.
 
if this is just for your garage, look into kobalt tools. they seem to have some good stuff. i just looked at there boxes. seem ok for home ocasional use. heres a box some would like to have in their garage. http://www.lowes.com/pd_112374-5573...151&Ntk=i_products&ddkey=http:CategoryDisplay
its priced pretty good, but it doesnt hold as much as my snap on does (weight wise) the drawers only hold 99 lbs, and peoples reviews say more like 50. so far i read that the box is good for garage use, but not every day opening and closing of the drawers. the bearings are the biggest complaint i read about. And to tell you from experiance, bearings have always been my biggest complaint about boxes. I wonder if someone could buy snap on drawer slides and bearings and retro fit them to a cheaper box???? harbor freight maybe?
i have an old tool box down at my great grandma's house, an old diesel tech i knew used to use it. Ill go down and check it out and see what brand it is.
 
from looking online at the is general tool boxes, http://www.harborfreight.com/72-inch-20-drawer-roller-cabinet-red-glossy-finish-67428.html
it seems to be pretty good. the only complaint i saw was the drawer slides on (1) drawer got stiff. other then that people say the box is good. also, on hf's website there was a person who posted a review who listed a full review of this box at GarageJournal.com. im gonna go there right now and look for it.
 
i prefer Snap-on tools & boxes. they cost more but will last a lifetime of rough use.
the empty boxes cost WAY more than 10k...
DSCN4642_edited.jpg
 
FWIW, a few experiences...
My old man has a Snap-on top box, not ball bearing slides or anything, and a tool cart under it. Oils the slides every few months. Been going strong 25 years or so.
My boss, we're both mechanics, has a big-ass Matco cart he paid 7 grand for. No complaints, but he says he wouldn't do it again. Said starting over, he'd buy more used and more Craftsman.
Service writer at my shop, he used to be a technician till a bad car wreck hurt his back, had a Craftsman box with the ball bearing slides. He now has it as his house - and something like 10 years later, he has no complaints.
Me, I've got a cart that I like and when I find the need, I make a hanger for the large / bulky tools that I need close to hand. I plan to buy Craftsman with the ball bearing slides, unless I can find a used Mac, Matco or Snap-on box for the same price or less.
Think "features" not "name"
Ball bearings
Powder coated
heavy metal
quality hardware
locking drawers, if you feel the need
 
My snap-on box was purchased new in 1976. It worked hard for about 18 years and is now a weekend warrior. This box is pre ball-bearing slides, that is it's only draw back.

Pay the money up front, the boxes will last a lifetime.
 
If your just tinkering at home the chrafsman boxes are great for the price. I'm on my third Snap-On roll cab and believe in them and have had great support from my dealers. I have seen a Mac boxes tear at the seams due to the weight of the tools in the side boxes but it was replaced under warranty. My first rollcab had roller bearing drawers (before the lock and roll feature) and spring suspension wheels. The drawers were held in by plastic detents on the hinges when closed. From across the shop, which had a slight slope to the floor, I saw one drawer roll open when it reached the end of it's travel the jolt alowed another drawer to jarr open, and another until the springs sagged and all the rest started to open when the box tipped and smashed several drawers. The rep warrantied that box but swapped back to the standard wheels. When you have 50k+ in tools and productivity is a factor in how you get paid, you need to be organized, be able to keep track of you tools and be able to secure them at the end of the day. I work for a heavy equipment dealer and the big wrenches and sockets aren't light. Several of my drawers have double up roller slides. The big boxes don't get pushed around daily, you push a tool cart and go back for more. Now my tools are in a Peterbuilt service truck and my box sits at home with my woodworking tools. There are many deals on used boxes, be sure to get a receipt as I have heard of shops getting cleaned out. If you wrench for a living keep a tool inventory list up to date and make sure yor employer has coverage.

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+1, I am currently going through the hassle of trying to update my inventory after things were stolen. Believe me, its not fun trying to figure out every little specialty socket you had
 
If your just tinkering at home the chrafsman boxes are great for the price. I'm on my third Snap-On roll cab and believe in them and have had great support from my dealers. I have seen a Mac boxes tear at the seams due to the weight of the tools in the side boxes but it was replaced under warranty. My first rollcab had roller bearing drawers (before the lock and roll feature) and spring suspension wheels. The drawers were held in by plastic detents on the hinges when closed. From across the shop, which had a slight slope to the floor, I saw one drawer roll open when it reached the end of it's travel the jolt alowed another drawer to jarr open, and another until the springs sagged and all the rest started to open when the box tipped and smashed several drawers. The rep warrantied that box but swapped back to the standard wheels. When you have 50k+ in tools and productivity is a factor in how you get paid, you need to be organized, be able to keep track of you tools and be able to secure them at the end of the day. I work for a heavy equipment dealer and the big wrenches and sockets aren't light. Several of my drawers have double up roller slides. The big boxes don't get pushed around daily, you push a tool cart and go back for more. Now my tools are in a Peterbuilt service truck and my box sits at home with my woodworking tools. There are many deals on used boxes, be sure to get a receipt as I have heard of shops getting cleaned out. If you wrench for a living keep a tool inventory list up to date and make sure yor employer has coverage.

07252010069.jpg

X500 i cannot agree with this more. The Snap-on boxes are expensive but you will not have to replace them (until you out grow them) and at that point you can trade them in for bigger models. As mentioned in a earlier post make sure you get something bigger then what you need. I bought this box
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=17802&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog
in the same color black and next thing i knew i was out of room and lucky for me a buddy was getting the same box but in yellow repossessed and i took over his payments and picked it up for $1800. also if you go on the snap-on truck find a guy that is cool and try and work a deal with him. you have to notice how long has the box been on his truck? My black one was $7k+ and i got it with the stainless top and stainless drawr covers for $4k cash after a $600 craftsman trade in but this was only because he couldn't move it off of his truck for 4 months. also if you have a snap on dealer you buy alot of tools with they are more willing to work on the price for you
 
thanks for the replies. At the BP 5 minutes from my house there is a Snap On truck there every week. I may try and talk to him, or ask about the warrantee.

Ive decided at this point to buy a good used snap on.
 
i would ask him what he has used... snap-on will cover defects for life. now with this said if you drop it on its side they wont cover it but if something fails they will. but with a good box it wont fail it should last you a long time(if you treat it right)
 
I have a sear Craftsman pro, not the real high end but the one between. it's got a base, 5 drawers, 4 drawer on top of that and a 10 drawer cabinet on top of the whole thing, it's 8ft tall and the top won't clear my cellar ceiling. Darn thing is full. I could fill another just like it. I'm gong to go for one of those harbor freight ones so can drag out my tools to the driveway.
 
You get what you pay for. I have a matco 6 drawer cart with storage on top too that I paid 1300 less then a year ago. Out grew it and moved on to a snap-on classic 78. Bought it as a repo. A guy had it 2 months and never made a payment. It was like 4300 new and I got it for 2750 plus taxes. Ask the snap-on dealer to show you why the are claimed to be the best box. Our snap-on guy opened up the drawers and stood in them bouncing around. In my option snap-on is the only box worth having. I work in a body shop and 5 out of 5 of our full size boxes are snap-on. Some of the guys have MAC or Matco carts. You can find good deals on used boxes
 
You get what you pay for. I have a matco 6 drawer cart with storage on top too that I paid 1300 less then a year ago. Out grew it and moved on to a snap-on classic 78. Bought it as a repo. A guy had it 2 months and never made a payment. It was like 4300 new and I got it for 2750 plus taxes. Ask the snap-on dealer to show you why the are claimed to be the best box. Our snap-on guy opened up the drawers and stood in them bouncing around. In my option snap-on is the only box worth having. I work in a body shop and 5 out of 5 of our full size boxes are snap-on. Some of the guys have MAC or Matco carts. You can find good deals on used boxes


When the Matco truck delivered it, I stood my 300 pound frame in the bottom drawer of my box too, and the chest was empty. It didnt move. There is a difference, and I will have it for a lifetime, but they do make good alternatives now.... I was turning wrenches for a living at the time of purchase, so I could justify the expense, but for the weekend warrior mechanic, most any decent box will work just fine for years.
 
I've got a Harbor Freight 6 drawer at work, put it together as a Christmas present from the boss last year. 8 1/2 months later using it 40 hours a week, I've got no complaints.

Snap On, Matco and Mac may make the "best" boxes, but personally I doubt that the "best" is at all "necessary" even at the professional level. For some tools and items, the Big 3 brands are necessary or desirable. For a whole lot of others, they are selling you a whole lot of brand name appeal. Just my opinion based on experience to date.
 
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