With the addition of a garage, one must find a suitable tool box. I'm just looking for opinions on what some of ya'll have or have used either at home or work.

Looking for a smallish (30-40" width) roll cab and top chest. Considering higher end Craftsman and Snap-on for starters. Trying to keep it under $3k, would rather it be 2.

This needs to be the last box I plan on buying with the ability to expand and add comparments being useful. Needs to last 30-50 years of use here.

So, what ya'll got, what do you like and not like?

Jason

Snap-On, Mac, and Matco all makes some good boxes in that price range. There's always EBay too. I have an old Matco top box that is 26 years old. I finally retired it to the house this year. It served me well for all those years getting almost every drawer opened on a daily basis.

Just realized my mother tossed an older 5 drawer Snap-on box that my dad had. Darn thing is $995 now and is sitting at the dump somewhere. I think we need a moment of silence for that......

Ok back to business. Forgot about ebay for that. I also remember a usedmechanicstools.com something or other.

Anyone know if Snap-on charges shipping and handling on something like this if you buy from a dealer/truck. They want about $150 to truck ship these to the house.

Jason

stay away from craftsman if want long-gevity i use mine daily and go through 1 every 3 years or so. but on the other hand i'm too cheap to cough up real money, so i keep going back.

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Originally posted by wank:
stay away from craftsman if want long-gevity i use mine daily and go through 1 every 3 years or so. but on the other hand i'm too cheap to cough up real money, so i keep going back.

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Are these the normal roll cab + top box ~300 range? I've played with these and can see why.

I have been looking into their ball bearing supported drawers with 150 lb capacity. They look like they should last a while. This is roll cab + top ~1000-1500.

Once you get to the craftsman pro line it actually seems more cost effective to order from Snap-on.

Jason

got news for ya, just get one cause they are all the same, made by the same people at the same place. They are all made by Waterloo. Ive did some work in one of their plants and seen the end of the assembly lines. One says Craftsman, another says Snap-on, ect, ect, ect

Check out Matco, they have the sweetest boxes I've ever seen.

On the other hand, at my shop we have Mac boxes.. Two of them are 15 years old and still going strong

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Originally posted by alosix:
Just realized my mother tossed an older 5 drawer Snap-on box that my dad had. Darn thing is $995 now and is sitting at the dump somewhere. I think we need a moment of silence for that......

Ok back to business. Forgot about ebay for that. I also remember a usedmechanicstools.com something or other.

Anyone know if Snap-on charges shipping and handling on something like this if you buy from a dealer/truck. They want about $150 to truck ship these to the house.

Jason

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Talking about that.... my grandfather sold snap-tools and when he died he had two different tool boxes in the grage that sold for $5000 a piece. Well, I wanted one and my grandmother sold them for $50 ea before I had a chance to get it. Man was i pissed, she did not know their value. Anyway i just could not stay mad at her and had to get over it.

oh well

just because there made in the same factory means squat they are made to company provided specs. after all isn't lexus made by toyota? that doesn't make a corolla the same as well you get the point..

What I meant was that they put of the labels of whose is whose in the very end. All the boxes were the same. The only thing separateing the identity of the tool boxes were the labels. Of coarse with anything they had different lines ( since you like using the car metaphors) one makers LX was anothers LTX or SXT or Sport and so on. Same bearings, same metal boxes, same rails, same drawers and hands, same caster wheels. Such as a particular Snap-on box might be Craftsmans top of the line box, and anothers 2nd to the top. I was there in the plant, watching all this, the production manager took myself and another coworker on a tour cause of all the drooling we were doing. I seen all the boxes before paint and after. I seen all the labels in boxes waiting to be put on. And the fact that the prod. mang. told us if we were to go out and buy one to not get one just for the name on the box. Get one because of the features. Company specs, yeah sure like " this one gets snap on red and that one craftsman red, and blue and professional black", and so on. They all have their own designs and such but all are made with the same material and parts Literally. Yeah Lexus is made by Toyota but Lexus' are not made and put together using the same parts as Toyota's in the same plant

look around a lexus some time it says toyota everywhere lol... not argueing i've and others i work with have gone through lots of crapsman boxes and i'm not thrilled by them.but yet the snap ons seem to last 2-3 times longer with the same type of abuse..

but i must say the newer ballbearing crapsman do look pretty decent for the money

I ve got a 40" craftsmans professional box in my garage it may not get the every day abuse that it would in a shop but im am very happy with it drawers slide easy full of tools finish is tough (I'm not very easy on nice paint jobs thats why the wife won't let drive her Jeep) if you gonna use it at home get the Craftsman if it is for work I can see dropping the extra cash for a Snap on box

ok just to let you all know they are not the same! I own a mac box, a snap-on and a craftsman, I sold the craftsman, and now own 2 snappers. the metal is thicker on both the mac and snappers then it was on the craftsman, ROLLER BEARINGS is the biggest must for a tool box, wheather its used everyday or not. and just for the record, its not paint on the macs and snappers, it powder coated, for better shine and longer lasting durability! ...... and thats the bottom line!

Thanks for the comparision there Dan. I sis in law has been working at a car dealer for a while, a few weeks ago she dropped off the Mac, Matco, Cornwell, and Snap-on catalogues and price lists.

I think I found a 26" snapon set that will fit well in the garage and my price range.

And I get my own Snap-on account to boot Wait till my wife hears this one..

Jason

well im glad to hear you've made a choice, if you were a little closer to me I know the matco man, and the cornwell man personally, and could have got you one of those boxes a little cheaper , they do favors for people who collect from dead beats for them.

Costco had some all stainless steel boxes that looked pretty decent and were priced reasonably. If they have Costco in your area you might check into that. I've owned a couple Snap-On boxes through the years and must admit you can't beat the quality but they sure are proud of that also $$$$.