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Expensive tool box Vs cheap tool Box

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I bought it on new year clearance. I didn't expect it to last for more than 2 years. But its been throught 3 houses and way over stuffed with tools.
 
I have a craftsman tool box at home and its good enough for at home. I would never buy one for work, i dont think it would even make it a month. At work i used to have a Snap-on Classic tool box and the bearings i the sliders were always gettin sticky so i ended up trading in for a new 6 series matco, i can load it up with hammers and dollys (since thats what killing my old boxs sliders) and still slides the same as the day i bought it.
 

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To be honest with you I have a little of everything. Snap on and Mac tool boxs I've had almost thirty years. Craftsman I've had longer.I even use a wooden box to store stuff in.At the end of the day It's not the price of the box but how you take care of things.
 
I would say go with a decently priced one, especially on with roller bearings. I wouldnt cheap out on a box, especially if its holding alot of tools. Alot of the cheaper ones will start to wear out fast and be hard to roll due to the weight. I bought a harbor frieght for 150 and it has some problems rolling with my 6 sets of sockets and some ratchets and extensions. I have that to hold my extra tools and the cheap tools, then I got my Snapon box I just got for all my good tools and snap on tools. The other is just for my extra and for storage. I use it for my junkyard tools i thoguh in a bag and take with me. Also holds extra parts and other kinds of stuff. I say atleast go with a craftsman pro series tool box, cheaper than the big brands, but great quality.
 
I've been using my trusty Craftsman box for the last 5-6 years at the shop. I bought it used from one of the guys up the street at the dairy for $300. I'm pretty sure the box is as old as I am (29) LOL. It even came pre stickered with tons of old school muscle car stuff. It definitely reflects my personality. It's dirty with a few dents but it works just fine. Kinda like my DSM LOL. I can't see spending upwards of 8-10k on a box though. Save the money for the tools that'll go into the box.
I started out with mostly Craftsman tools but over the years they've all been replaced with Snap-on and Matco tools. When you use your tools everyday and make a living with them they need to work right and not break. I've had to many busted knuckles, rounded off bolts, stripped screws, and punched myself in the face too many times from the Craftsman ratchets and sockets failing on me. So I'll never go back to Craftsman tools for work. For home and weekend wrenching they are fine but they don't hold up well with everyday abuse. I didn't think their was really a difference until I had to use them everyday but their really is and spending the extra money is well worth it. The young kid they hired a few months ago has a Snap on base that he paid 5k for! It's filled with tons of shiny new Snap-on tools that he's never even used and probably will never use. He still has to borrow stuff from me sometimes and he has well over 20k worth of tools in his box. When I buy tools It's because I have a need for that particular tool or set of tools. If I've had to borrow something more than once I'll just buy my own and that's how I built my collection. Their isn't much point in having tools you don't use cluttering up your box.
 
Hubby's got a toolbox from Wal-Mart. A plain old black one. The top piece has sliding drawers, and the bottom half is a little cabinet (for lack of a better word). It's got a plug coming out of it with 2 sockets on the side of it so you can plug stuff into it. We've had it for a could years now and it does it's job. I want to say it was about $150. When he needs to take tools with him, he just takes the top half and throws it in the truck (or the GST, whichever vehicle he's driving). I personally think that the type of box you need to get depends really on how many tools you have and what you're going to be doing with them.
 
I use some POS box from Lowes at home, but at work the USAF gives us all Snap-on Boxes to use, most are the $5k + range.
 
I have 2 Mac tech 1000 and a snap-on 3 bank box at work but at home in my garage I have a Husky I paid 700 new at Home Depot ( the place for all your dsm needs)
Heres a pic of the same box as mine. Difference being hine has a big husky emblem where the stickers are at on that box. But yes check craiglist under tools and you may find a great deal on a used box or check with your tool man (snap-on, Mac, Matco, Cornwall, ect,) they may have a used box the'll sell cheap. I picked up one of the Mac boxes and the snap-on box from my snap-on dealer for $1500 a piece. (they're $6k boxes.I paid 6k for the other mac Tech 1000 box new) One was a repo and thats all that was owed on the guy's bill and the other came from a body shop and needed a cleanup.

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I have to say a tool box only really matters if you transport it a lot or if you are going to be using it every day opening and closing it.

Another good use for them is to keep moisture out of air tool lines. This really isn't much of a problem for most people so I don't see it as being a reason to purchase. It does help keep all of your tools from rusting a bit.


On a unrelated note, I do NOT support Craft$man or $nap on tools. They are great tools until they break and you realize the warranty isn't worth a crap, or you realize that Craftsman tool was not made in the USA so they don't cover it.

One of my friend's is a appliance/heating/ac/refrigeration technician and he started off at Sears. When he was there the Craftsman truck would come sell the non-shit tools to the Techs. He said 9 times out of 10 they were trying to sell someone a POS tools made somewhere outside the US so they could weasel their way out of a warranty, while telling you over and over all USA made Craftsman tools have a lifetime replacement warranty. He worked at 2 different locations and both truck drivers did the same crap, and eventually Craftsman had the employees who sold the tools in the store doing the same thing.

A older guy I work with used to buy Snap On tools until he broke some and they continuously told him "you used air tools", the best part was that the shop he worked at didn't have a air compressor since they only did small jobs like vac leaks, AC, alternators, starters, etc. He switched to using Mac tools and never had a problem.

Everyone I have talked to who uses Mac tools has never had a problem.

HOWEVER! My point is NOT to bash Snap On or Craftsman but to let you know to be VERY careful which tools you go with and where you buy them at. Make sure they actually honor their warranties and don't BS people.

Most Snap On trucks where I lived in Florida were actually pretty good!
 
I've never had a problem with warranty issues for any on of tools the have lifetime warranties. (Not every tool made has a lifetime warranty) Hell I even ground down a 7/8 3/8 drive chrome snap-on socket to fit into the lug holes of a newer Charger with 22's on it. I cracked the socket later on with my air gun. I handed the socket to my snap-on man he replaced it no problem and was laughing about the abuse I gave the poor socket.
 
Picked up the top to my toolbox yesterday. Now the fun part, filling and organizing.
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