Which Tool Box

http://www.toolstoragewarehouse.com/ has some off brands.

Have you thought about getting a used chest from a garage sale?

Obviously not a piece of junk, but sometimes you can find a real diamond in the rough.

 

snap-on are awsome but $$$$$$ craftsman are the best for the money IMO!!

 

Several of the local "tool trucks" in our area (Snap-On, Mac, etc) have "repo'd" boxes, with the economy the way it is there are a lot of mechanics getting laid off, which means the tool truck is taking the box back from the mechanic. I have seen several top quality boxes that are going for 50-75% off of retail. My good buddy that is a Harley Tech just bought a Snap-On box that was retailed for 2200.00 for 700.00 it had two scratches on the back side, which didn't matter since it sits against the wall.
Just my .02 but it's worth a shot and those boxes have GREAT warranties!

 

the new craftsmen?? or snap-on??? i agree the craftsman are going down in quality but still nice boxes

 

I guess i can agree I have a 3 piece craftsmen that is like 12 years old and it is built way nicer than the ones that sell today..

 

I love Craftsman tools, but the Kobalt stuff I have has been rock solid too.

I am getting a Kobalt tool box for my truck this week (fits under the tonneau cover). I will let you know what comes of that...

 

i like craftsman tools and boxes too, as i have a few of the craftsman tool boxes, but i like kobalts boxes a little better. maybe not the stainless one too much, but their blue boxes are nice. husky also makes some nice tool boxes.

 

A guy at work was telling me that kobalt tools are made by the same company that makes snap-on. True? I don`t know.
IMO just make sure you get one with rollers and not a friction slide.
We bought 3 waterloo boxes last year for the shop and they`re decent.
Maybe the next time your shopping, fill a couple of drawers with a good amount of weight and see how they open/close.
The latch to keep the drawers closed is a nice option too.

 

I have an older Craftsman toolbox with ball bearing drawers (probably 10 years old). With lots of weight in the drawers, they won't stay closed and the slightest bump will jar them open. I've tried tweaking them to stay latched and have settled on a bungee cord as I've been stabbed in the back more than once with an open drawer corner. A toolbox with a very positive latch for the drawers is on my list. I don't have anything out of the ordinary in my box, just rows of socket rails riveted to the base of the drawer. Get the biggest box you can (not) afford. I wish I had 3 of them!

 

yeah that helps keep the drawers from extending some what but they still always pop open. I guess i could put a 2x4 under the front and make that baby really lean! I do roll my box around my garage occasionally so I have to re-shim each time. Only a couple drawers with weight open, the rest catch just fine. It's not a huge issue but I would definitely pay attention to the latching system for my next toolbox.