Tool chests/cabinets

[midtown 3355]

I'm in a garage organizing model.  Hanging all our bikes, organizing tools, fishing gear, and generally making it a place to drink beer.   

I have 3-5 good old fashioned tool boxes and general drills, saws, sanders, and everything in between spread out all over.    

Are Kobalt ok or do I need a craftsman?   Doesn't need to roll.   I did notice one with a work space on top.  That might come in handy.  How big? 

[Bevo&Pevo 5518]

I'd buy two of the lower boxes (either brand) and build a top that goes from one to the other.  Storage and work space, ta da'.

[Gil Bang 26240]

Craftsman has lost it's mojo.  I'd buy harbor freight shit before I'd buy craftsman.

[TexasEd 8266]

I few lessons learned...

1. Get several larger drawers for things like grinders, small power or air tools, etc.
2. I organized by tool type in a single drawer.  Depending on inventory you may have a different allocation but you can group them and then count drawers. My Small drawers are: Wrenches, Pliers, Sockets, Screwdrivers, hammers, a mix of box cutters, torque wrenches, measuring tapes, etc.
3. Get it on wheels, you will want to move it sooner or later
4. Get roller bearing drawers
5. Make sure to have plenty of space for stickers
6. Think about how things like wrenches and sockets are organized.  I love having them all in one drawer but sometimes getting the right socket is a search
7. Top tray is for tomahawks, machetes, and hacksaws
8. Harbor Freight boxes get decent reviews

 

 

[Mother mopar 3385]

I'm a big husky fan, as I have their XL tool box, large roll around box and 60G air compressor and never had any issues. Craftsman is just too expensive and harbor freight has quality issues on 80% of the stuff I have ever bought from them. If you are looking for a something to last 6 months, harbor freight is for you.

[Steel Shank 9556]

Check Northern Tool website. They have some more "commercial" type chests and boxes. They can run a pretty penny, but I think they may be much better built than what you find at the big box stores. Make sure you get a "Hooker Headers" sticker for it.

[Landomatic 3813]

16 hours ago, midtown said:

I'm in a garage organizing model.  Hanging all our bikes, organizing tools, fishing gear, and generally making it a place to drink beer.   

I have 3-5 good old fashioned tool boxes and general drills, saws, sanders, and everything in between spread out all over.    

Are Kobalt ok or do I need a craftsman?   Doesn't need to roll.   I did notice one with a work space on top.  That might come in handy.  How big? 

After some pretty exhaustive research, I got a couple of these UltraHD cabinets for my boat slip.  Like them pretty well so far.  Lots of different options.

https://www.sevilleclassics.com/ultrahd.html

[midtown 3355]

@Landomatic

Those look pretty sleek and modern.  I like it.  What do they look like inside?  Are there just shelves or drawers?  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

16 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

I'm a big husky fan, as I have their XL tool box, large roll around box and 60G air compressor and never had any issues. Craftsman is just too expensive and harbor freight has quality issues on 80% of the stuff I have ever bought from them. If you are looking for a something to last 6 months, harbor freight is for you.

You used to be able to get some good sale prices on the craftsman stuff. I think that's still out there, especially now.  My studio dry bar is a bright red, Craftsman Rolling tool cart.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[Landomatic 3813]

15 minutes ago, midtown said:

@Landomatic

Those look pretty sleek and modern.  I like it.  What do they look like inside?  Are there just shelves or drawers?  

Depends which one you get.  I have one of the standup chests and one of the carts.  The standup chest is just adjustable shelves.  The cart has drawers on one side and a cabinet on the other.  There are a ton of different options depending on what you want.

And yeah, I think I landed there because they look pretty modern and sleek.  The others I was finding felt a little too utilitarian for the look and feel I was shooting for.  Our boat slip has a living room and dining room and kitchen, so I was looking for more that feel than a workshop...if that makes sense.

[midtown 3355]

12 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Our boat slip has a living room and dining room and kitchen, so I was looking for more that feel than a workshop...if that makes sense.

/humblebrag

But I get it.  Those are sold out.  I guess im not the only one doing covid organizing.

[Landomatic 3813]

Just now, midtown said:

/humblebrag

But I get it.  Those are sold out.  I guess im not the only one doing covid organizing.

Some are available, some aren't.  When I ordered mine, one was available right away and the other was on backorder so I had to wait like a month for it.

[Randolph Duke 4034]

21 hours ago, midtown said:

I'm in a garage organizing model.  Hanging all our bikes, organizing tools, fishing gear, and generally making it a place to drink beer.   

I have 3-5 good old fashioned tool boxes and general drills, saws, sanders, and everything in between spread out all over.    

Are Kobalt ok or do I need a craftsman?   Doesn't need to roll.   I did notice one with a work space on top.  That might come in handy.  How big? 

I would advise starting at Harbor Freight and then ask yourself what features you like, don't like or wish it had. Then look for the manufacturer whose products are best aligned with what you are looking for.

Ultimately, I decided to build my own, one specifically for automotive tools and another for woodworking equipment. The original HF one I use for general purpose tools. The ones I made are at the height I need for my comfort, have a flip top to provide a larger work surface (when I need one), and are on wheels, so I can move them around the garage, depending on the project (or clean behind).

[Jkwellborn 7037]

I’d get one with wheels and ball bearing drawers.