Tool Chest

[automan13]

My tools are really starting to add up and now they are all over the place. I am looking to invest in a tool chest, but not sure which to go with. I have looked at them all over. The biggest difference I see is the droor sliders. Some have bearing while others don`t. The ones with bearings open very nice. If I get one without the bearings, once I get a lot of tools in them, will they be hard to open becasue of the weight? Any ideas of what a good tool chest would be?



Thanks

[robsvt]

yes, without the bearings, the more tools you put in a drawer, the harder it will be to open and close. If you dont want to have to replace it or have issues down the road with it, buy a quality box like a snap-on or a matco. Yes they are pricey, but also very well built and will last forever.

[the other pc]

With the X-mas rush starting to kick in I saw a commercial last night advertising Sears’ “homeowner� tool chests. I guess they aren’t horrible, but it’s definitely best to avoid them if at all possible.



If you can’t afford to go with professional gear, Sears’ ball bearing equipped chests are decent and will hold up ok in nominal use. They go on sale a lot too.





PC.

[kompressornsc]

Sears has a decent chest on sale on Black Friday. I cleaned up last year there.



Black Friday Ads - Sears - The Official Black Friday 2007 Website



Not sure if it`s roller bearing slides though.

[Saintlysins]

`All the advice above is good, and you certainly want to go with roller bearing arms on the drawers. Easier to open & close with heavy loads. Keeps tools in place as you won\`t have to jerk the draw open or closed to get the movement started. \r\nI had a Craftsman box for over 20 years and it finally failed due to rust in the supports holding the casters. After extensive searching, I ended up buying the Stainless Steel unit that \`Costco\` sells. Mutliple size drawers can handle just about any tool you want to store, and the roller bearings are built for full drawer extention so you never go finger searching for lost tools that rolled to the back of the drawer that you can\`t reach, (as I did with my old Craftsman). \r\nI paid $699.00 for it, and it was about $60.00 more than the slightly smaller sized Craftsman on sale, but with the Stainless Steel, heavier duty casters and the rubber drawer bottoms included, I think I did quite well. \r\nHad the thing since early spring, use it extensively, and can\`t complain at all. OH - and when friends see it\`s Stainless Steel, with full extention drawers, they think I paid thousands for it. \r\nGood luck with your choice.`

[porcupine73]

I went with the harbor freight special. I have some of the drawers loaded up and it`s still smooth. Metal is fairly heavy gauge. This is three separate units (base, top chest, sidecar). Seemed to be a good `value`, esp on sale and with 15% coupon. Empty the base is probably about 280 lbs, top chest, 150lb, sidecar 100 lb.







I got a couple of those Sears homeowner chests that were on sale too. Those would be great for lightweight items, esp at the price of $60ea. I had them shipped and they were both damaged, one was completely crushed (though the box looked fine) so I exchangd it at the store. The other just had a coulpe small dings so I kept it.

[eastcoastbumps]

`

\`All the advice above is good, and you certainly want to go with roller bearing arms on the drawers. Easier to open & close with heavy loads. Keeps tools in place as you won\\\`t have to jerk the draw open or closed to get the movement started. \\r\\nI had a Craftsman box for over 20 years and it finally failed due to rust in the supports holding the casters. After extensive searching, I ended up buying the Stainless Steel unit that \\\`Costco\\\` sells. Mutliple size drawers can handle just about any tool you want to store, and the roller bearings are built for full drawer extention so you never go finger searching for lost tools that rolled to the back of the drawer that you can\\\`t reach, (as I did with my old Craftsman). \\r\\nI paid $699.00 for it, and it was about $60.00 more than the slightly smaller sized Craftsman on sale, but with the Stainless Steel, heavier duty casters and the rubber drawer bottoms included, I think I did quite well. \\r\\nHad the thing since early spring, use it extensively, and can\\\`t complain at all. OH - and when friends see it\\\`s Stainless Steel, with full extention drawers, they think I paid thousands for it. \\r\\nGood luck with your choice.\`

\r\n\r\nI have the same Costco box. I used it for two years while working as a full time mechanic. Very sturdy and a great value. I\`ve started to out grow it and I\`m looking to buy another to match. Your other option is to search craigslist. Used Snap-on boxes show up every once in a while. Or get in touch with your local Snap on dealer. Some times they have used boxes that they received in trade. I\`m not a big fan of Craftsman. \r\n\r\nPete`

[joec42]

I`ve have several of the cheap Craftsman tools chests sets (3 units high, non-bearing slides, usually on sale for about $200 for the 3 pc set). They work fine for my use (weekend car repairs/maintenance and occasional house stuff). I`ve got some heavy stuff in the bottom drawers and they do take more effort to slide, but not that big a deal.



The sheet metal is a little flimsy and I did bend/adjust some of the guides for the slides to make them fit tighter -- not a big deal if your handy, and it`s a one time thing.



Couldn`t justify spending a lot more for the nice quality stuff and these get the job done. I`ve had them for about 5 years and they still work fine, no signs of rusting that I can see.