The wife and I are looking at possibly moving into a bigger house and into an area zoned to specific schools we want our kids to go to (she taught in the district for many years). As we all know, guys get some say in the house, but overall, I know that I'll end up settling on some things because it checks most of her boxes. One thing I will not budge on is a decent size garage, and with that, I'll be looking into getting myself a fancy tool chest to keep all of my tools together. Currently, some are in the garage, others are in the entry closet.

My dad has had his Craftsman tool chest for as long as I can remember, so that's the first brand that immediately jumped into my mind. I was at Home Depot last weekend and took at the Husky ones they have there, and was pretty impressed with them. When I went online to see what is comparable in a Craftsman, I found that they are much more expensive (expected it to be a bit more) than the ones at HD for a similar size.

My question is, what justifies spending more on a Craftsman vs. one at Home Depot or Lowes? I'm primarily looking around the 40 inch range as it will fit everything I have and allow room for future purchases, but am not opposed to something larger if I can find a decent deal on one.

Craftsman 40 inch 16 drawer

Husky 41 inch 16 drawer

Husky 52 inch 18 drawer

Not sure if you want a new one, but I've seen some go on craigslist. Incuding old craftsman ones. I haven't shopped around, but I doubt the new craftsman ones are worth the higher price.

+1 for Carigslist. You could probably even find a nice Mac Tools or Snap-On tool chest for cheap as well.

If you are willing to be patient keep an eye on slickdeals.net and visit your B&M HD or Lowes on a regular basis and maybe even ask the manager if they know of any deals upcoming like below.

Here is an example of a couple I saw not long ago. Of course they are normally very specific to a specific store or location but could be worth checking out.

Dewalt 52" $200
http://slickdeals.net/f/8678143-52-dewalt-tool-chest-top-and-bottom-200-03-hd-extreme-ymmv?src=catpagev2

Husky 52" $125
http://slickdeals.net/f/8674095-husky-52-in-13-drawer-and-1-door-tool-chest-and-cabinet-set-125-03-home-depot-ymmv-b-m?src=catpagev2

I just purchased a similar Harbor freight model for about half that price. I'm sure quality is not the same but it meets my needs

Edit- that$200 dealt blows my deal out of the water

Yeah but in all reality the chances of stumbling on a deal like that are very slim.

Go check out the Harbor Freight models. I have two and they have been fantastic. For homeowner use, they are stout. Check out the "garagejounal" forum threads on them-those guys spend waaaay to much time researching such things.

Also, get bigger than you think you need.

Plus, you can buy, yes buy, a coupon on eBay for Harbor freight that will save you $$. I was skeptical, but paid five bucks for a coupon that saved me a hundred bucks off the list price.

I have a sentimental attachment to Craftsman associated with my dad and my pawpaw, and for that reason have quite a bit of Craftsman tools, but the fact is that they just aren't that great anymore. You'll do better with a lowe's or HD in my opinion.

This is what I've got.
http://m.harborfreight.com/tool-storage/tool-chests-roller-cabinets/26-in-16-drawer-glossy-red-roller-cabinet-combo-61609.html

I also like this stouter one for the same price.
http://m.harborfreight.com/tool-storage/tool-chests-roller-cabinets/44-in-13-drawer-glossy-red-industrial-roller-cabinet-69387.html

OP got me interested as well so I am checking out CL.. Although I will probably wait a while to buy one.

https://houston.craigslist.org/tls/5552199557.html
https://houston.craigslist.org/tls/5550774624.html

NVM

My wife got me a very nice Craftsman tool chest as a wedding gift.

It has held up well to a lot of use.

Hopefully someone on here has experience with long term use of the Husky stuff. The thing you really want/need in a tool chest (IMO) are really good drawers that will continue to pull out and close easily, even with a ton of tools in them and years later. My Craftsman is doing that quite well. If the Husky also does so, then I'd say it is a fine option. But any tool chest that can't hold up to exposure/weight without the drawers starting to bind or freeze is going to be a source of frustration down the line.

I'd agree with above, Craftsman just isn't what it used to be. I own a Craftsman Griplatch box, but it arrived with lid that was tweaked out of square. Sears didn't really want to do anything about it.

If I had the space I'd get one of the bigger Harbor Freight boxes or wait for a sale at HD or Lowes. Some of the boxes they sell are crap, some are really nice. We've got Husky that's real nice we got for ~200 last spring.

quote:

---

The wife and I are looking at possibly moving into a bigger house and into an area zoned to specific schools we want our kids to go to (she taught in the district for many years). As we all know, guys get some say in the house, but overall, I know that I'll end up settling on some things because it checks most of her boxes. One thing I will not budge on is a decent size garage, and with that, I'll be looking into getting myself a fancy tool chest to keep all of my tools together. Currently, some are in the garage, others are in the entry closet.

My dad has had his Craftsman tool chest for as long as I can remember, so that's the first brand that immediately jumped into my mind. I was at Home Depot last weekend and took at the Husky ones they have there, and was pretty impressed with them. When I went online to see what is comparable in a Craftsman, I found that they are much more expensive (expected it to be a bit more) than the ones at HD for a similar size.

My question is, what justifies spending more on a Craftsman vs. one at Home Depot or Lowes? I'm primarily looking around the 40 inch range as it will fit everything I have and allow room for future purchases, but am not opposed to something larger if I can find a decent deal on one.

Craftsman 40 inch 16 drawer

Husky 41 inch 16 drawer

Husky 52 inch 18 drawer

---

I just recently bought (about 4 weeks ago) the Husky 41" tool box you have linked here. Had my eye on it for sometime and then finally pulled the trigger.

For the money.... it's extremely hard to beat. Well built... tons of room.... Great size for the homeowner.... comes with pre-cut drawer liners. All in all, I'm extremely happy with it. The 52" is nice as well, I just didn't need one that big. The only complaint I really have (and it's minor) is that the top and bottom chests are not keyed alike. So you have two different keys for the box. Not really a big deal to me since I'll rarely ever lock it anyway, but sometime to note.

Regarding craigslist or slickdeals... etc.... Sure, if you wait long enough, you MIGHT come across a great deal on a decent tool chest. Chances are pretty slim though. I'd def recommend the Husky toolbox. Like I said, for the money, I haven't seen a better deal for new toolbox anywhere.

quote:

---

OP got me interested as well so I am checking out CL.. Although I will probably wait a while to buy one.

https://houston.craigslist.org/tls/5552199557.html
https://houston.craigslist.org/tls/5550774624.html

---

Watch slickdeals and these go on sale pretty often. I got the top & bottom for just over $200 a few years ago and then picked up the middle cabinet (though it has red drawers when top/bottom are black drawers) for $35ish a while back.

Thanks for the responses. I'm not really in a hurry as we still have a couple of years before tot #1 is in school, so we're being patient for a house that fits what we feel we currently need and will need 15+ years down the line. I just remembered that my cousin's husband is a store manager at a HD in Austin, so I wonder if he gets any kind of discount or could maybe hold me one back on a black Friday sale or something. I'll have to ask.

Sad to hear about Craftsman's quality. My dad's tools are all Snap-On or Craftsman and are around 30 years old. I'll ultimately end up with them, but want some of my own as well.

quote:

---

The thing you really want/need in a tool chest (IMO) are really good drawers that will continue to pull out and close easily, even with a ton of tools in them and years later.

---

This is the biggest thing with the one my dad has. Most of the drawers (especially ones with heavy tools) take quite a bit to get them open and closed. The newer chests with the ball bearings will be a huge improvement.

Hmm...patience may make this worth my while.

quote:

---

Plus, you can buy, yes buy, a coupon on eBay for Harbor freight that will save you $$. I was skeptical, but paid five bucks for a coupon that saved me a hundred bucks off the list price.

---

Why would you be skeptical of this? It's a coupon.

I've easily bought 2 dozen 20% off home depot coupons on ebay starting back in 2005. I used them on my kitchen remodel, my backyard shed, lawnmower, tool chest, webber grill, pergola.. tons of big ticket items.

On average, I paid about $2 for each coupon, but saved in many cases $100 or more, and in the case of my kitchen remodel, I saved the max of $1000. Most of the purchases were at Lowe's, since they take HD coupons, and I prefer Lowes.

For tool chest, I went with Kobalt.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_538546-55738-HS27PCTC5D-13_1z0wcftZ1z140vv__?productId=50175961&pl=1
They make a stainless version as well.. I liked the black.

It was on sale, and with a 20% off coupon, I think I paid about $180. Had it for 10 years and the drawers are still real smooth (ball bearing), it's like new really. And it's loaded with stuff. I really need to get a bottom. Each shelf has the rubber mat lining which is a nice touch. The handles on the sides are very well built. I have moved this thing (with help of course) fully loaded a few times, and the handles held up.

Buy this one. It trumps anything Craftsman or Husky has to offer.

http://www.costco.com/TRINITY-41%22-Stainless-Steel-Tool-Chest.product.100075459.html

So if a tool box on CraigsList gets big ben a famous gay cowboy does a smaller tool chest on CraigsList get you a bull dyke mechanic?

quote:

---

So if a tool box on CraigsList gets big ben a famous gay cowboy does a smaller tool chest on CraigsList get you a bull dyke mechanic?

---

Richard Petty's gay crew chief b

Harbor Freight has a crappy, skinny metal series of tool chests, and then a less crappy, thicker steel seried of tool chests. The less crappy one, I think, is US General. I have a smaller one, but the drawers still have ball bearing slides. It wasn't a perfect fit putting the legs and wheels on (the Harbor Freight tradition), but you can't tell now. It's held up well the last few years, other than having mysteriously shrunk in size. Only real problem is the wheels smelled like depression, angst, and toxic plastic for about a week until they aired out a bit.

You can google Harbor Freight 20% off one item coupons. They'll accept them right off your phone.

quote:

---

quote:

---

Plus, you can buy, yes buy, a coupon on eBay for Harbor freight that will save you $$. I was skeptical, but paid five bucks for a coupon that saved me a hundred bucks off the list price.

---

Why would you be skeptical of this? It's a coupon.

---

Well I guess I don't watch "extreme couponing" as much as you do. I said "was skeptical" now I'm not.

I admit I quit reading replies about half way down, but wanted to weigh in... I had two craftsman chests over the years. I outgrew the first and bought a new one at the same level, sadly to learn the quality went down between the two.

I now have the 44" HF top and bottom and love it. I have the full width drawer completely full of sockets, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 chrome and 1/2 impact in shallow and deep in metric and standard. I can put 1 finger behind the drawer pull on one end and it will slide in and out with ease. It's a fantastic cabinet that gets great reviews. One thing that really caught my attention was the fact that the bottom chest of the HF box alone weighs as much or more than the top and bottom combined of the husky/dewalt boxes at HD.

quote:

---

Go check out the Harbor Freight models. I have two and they have been fantastic. For homeowner use, they are stout. Check out the "garagejounal" forum threads on them-those guys spend waaaay to much time researching such things.

Also, get bigger than you think you need.

---

Go to garagejournal.com with caution... It can be a bit of a time suck if you're into tools and garages.

I ditched my base and top combo. Now every tool I have except for power tools hangs on pegboard. Furring strips make a great stand-off for the pegboard. I have a 16' home made work bench with (2) 4x8 sheets above that on one side. Then on the back wall I have a half sheet with an overhead cabinet and then a full sheet floor to ceiling.

You can see where everything is, and immediately know if the kids have taken anything. The best part is no more digging thru the drawers for anything.

I don't know how often it comes about but when we went to a Habitat for humanity Restore to see what they had laying around when we built the barn years ago. They had big metal drawer cabinets 3' wide and about 5' tall for like $5 each. I had a tool chest, multiple boxes, and a work bench that were all of a sudden cleaned out.
Check Army Depots and Restores, crap like that for big heavy duty metal cabinets.

quote:

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

Plus, you can buy, yes buy, a coupon on eBay for Harbor freight that will save you $$. I was skeptical, but paid five bucks for a coupon that saved me a hundred bucks off the list price.

---

Why would you be skeptical of this? It's a coupon.

---

Well I guess I don't watch "extreme couponing" as much as you do. I said "was skeptical" now I'm not.

---

??
I'm not getting the link between extreme couponing and not being skeptical of using a coupon. (they have been around for decades.)

I bought this set last year and I've been really happy with it. Didn't care for the Husky stuff as the drawers didn't seem as rigid. Most of my tools are Craftsman, but since most of their stuff is made overseas, I don't spend as much money there.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-36-in-Metal-Rolling-and-Top-Storage-Chest-DWMT73679-78/205394946

quote:

---

So if a tool box on CraigsList gets big ben a famous gay cowboy does a smaller tool chest on CraigsList get you a bull dyke mechanic?

---

...still sorry about tarpon thread

Bumping this thread. Saw Home Depot is having a sale on this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-26-in-6-Drawer-Tool-Chest-and-Rolling-Tool-Cabinet-Set-Black-C-296BF16/203420937?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CTHD%7CG%7C0%7CG-BASE-PLA-D25T-Tools%7C&gclid=CjwKEAjwkPS6BRD2ioKR7K245jASJAD1ZqHOL8bzpruXxRvj0GQbaf5VB-44Z3RQXUaAGPHJcSkd7BoC8Jvw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Worth it for $99? Anyone have one already?

With Father's Day right around the corner, now is the time to loom at sales. Also, go to the Sears stores right now - most of them will have some,sort of special that isnt advertised.

The Sears hardware,store at 45 and Fuqua in Houston, for example, had a large roll away tool chest combo on sale for a smoki,g price the other day. Essentially you bought the bottom and got the top chest for free.