Costco has a really nice one, but I think it’s too big…41X19X68ish…
I like the Lowes units better than the units I saw at HD, and I haven’t wandered into Searz yet to check out the Craftyman series.
Who has one (or more) of these things? What do you like and hate about yours, and what would you get if you were buying one now, knowing what you know now?
I don’t wanna say price is no object. It’s a parameter, but it’s not the most important one.
I’ll use it for woodworking tools, simple mechanics tools, and home handyman stuff. Oh, and to keep this somewhat on topic, I’ll put some bike tools in there, too.
I’ve always liked the Craftsman chests, but I don’t think brand really matters. But it’s all in the drawers and hardware. Plastic bad, metal good. Look for real ball bearings and full length drawer extensions. These things ain’t cheap. I also like shallow drawers over deep drawers or bins. If you’re going to be putting parts in there in addition to tools, then you might want some of the narrow drawers to keep the tiny bits organized.
I saw one at Sears that had a handle that you pressed down on slightly to trigger a drawer latch - that way the drawers shouldn’t open by accident. Nice touch.
I have a sears one and it works great. Mine is just the lower half and fits under the bench I built. Fits a lot more than I thought it would. Whichever one you choose make sure to get the rubber mat things to line the drawers. They are much easier to put in before you put all of the tools in. Get a peg board while you are at it!
funny, this is the only thing on my holiday list (i usually just buy anything I want:-))
My position precisely. My shop/garage has gotten completely out of control, and I am convinced that one of these bad boys is the savior on the horizon for this problem. SWMBO has come around to this point of view. She actually started a sentence about this with “I think you’re right…” And yes, I marked this event on the calendar.
I would check the Sears, go into the store, they have many more than Lowes.
I’m sure that’s true…
it’s just that Sears does such a wonderful job of delivering shoddy tools at a premium price, that I’m having a hard time even going in there.
But their hand tools are still decent…maybe they haven’t jumped the shark on tool chests yet…I’ll check them out–I was actually planning to anyway.
and yes, full BB, some sort of safey latch, metal (heavy is good in these)
yes, agreed on all counts. I am paying attention to the gauge and type of steel used, and the slides. Some of them felt flimsy…If I’m dropping coin on one of these, flimsy ain’t gunna cut it. Full extension drawer slides are a must as well.
*Whichever one you choose make sure to get the rubber mat things to line the drawers. *
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Good suggestion…thanks.
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*They are much easier to put in before you put all of the tools in. *
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;->
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** Get a peg board while you are at it!
That, I have. I probably have 30 ft2 of it over my bench…It’s crammed wtih tools and stuff, as are the shelves above…
Look for real ball bearings and full length drawer extensions.
Yup. Both of those are “must have’s”
These things ain’t cheap.
This is true, but neither is the collective price tag on the tools that they’ll contain/protect. Given that they’re currently scattered under the rubble that covers my bench…
*I also like shallow drawers over deep drawers or bins. If you’re going to be putting parts in there in addition to tools, then you might want some of the narrow drawers to keep the tiny bits organized. *
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By shallow, do you mean “not tall(height/vertical)” or “not deep(depth/horizontal)”. I assume the latter.
Shallow meaning not tall. And narrow meaning not wide. There are some upper units that will have three drawers side by side (narrow) that are only about 2 inches tall. These are good for storing small jars of ferrules or cable ends.
