Which Budget Minded Toolbox?

I have an ABSOLUTE max of $500 to spend on a toolbox. 

I already have a decent toolbox (kobalt 5 drawer bottom) and a 5 drawer top toolbox too.

However, the bottom 5 drawer is starting to show its age and its space constraints.

I am looking for a decent 41 or 42" toolbox "bottom box" with 9 to 15 drawers.

The HF US General box is getting good reviews and the price is pretty good.  It has double drawer slides on the larger drawers.  HF linky dink

Any reason not to get the HF box?  Any other boxes out there that are better for similar money,  or the same for less money?

Thanks!

Rob R.

From what I can tell, the HF box is better than anything else in the same price universe, short of a used big-name box. Lots of add-ons available too when you fill it up. I've been happy with mine. 

I use that exact HF one. I don't see a reason not to like it. It's a box.

I have the same HF box, there are tons of positive reviews on it and I am very happy with it. I got it for $349 with a coupon, then got an additional 10% off when the HF guy let it slip off the forks of his tow motor causing a small dent in the bottom back.

Lowes had a great deal on the Kobalts on Thanksgiving weekend last year. If you can wait another month, it might be worth it.

I originally bought both a top and bottom box last year, but then returned the top and bought a second bottom. It gives me a ton of storage space, plus a nice long flat work bench with the two bottom cabinets end to end.

I just went through what you're going through and found nothing that even remotely compared to the Harbor Freight boxes for anything approaching the same price. Even the used big-name boxes were either way more money or abused and from their lower end lines which are, quality-wise, equal to Harbor Freight. Nothing at Home Depot or Lowes was as good as it. And you can almost always find a coupon for it for $350, here:

http://www.hfqpdb.com/best_coupon/44%22%2C+13+DRAWER+INDUSTRIAL+QUALITY+ROLLER+CABINET

Current one good through December.

I really wanted something "not-Harbor-Freight," but shopping for many hours on end yielded the distressing truth that there's just no competition with a reasonable price.

I've had that harbor freight box for years and have no issues with it. 

I've had a HF box for 5 years. It works as good as the Matco box my business partner has and cost 1/4 the price. I"m getting ready to replace two smaller boxes I use for specialty tools with another HF box. 

Check craigslist. Lots of good used stuff around me. 

One of those or a ball bearing Craftsman box shaped like that with a piece of Melamine coated MDF on top of it. It's amazing how much a mobile workbench that houses your tools will change life.

The Harbor Freight $399 special (sometimes cheaper) is a great tool box for the price. Christmas is coming. I stumbled onto a fantastic deal last season and got a Porter Cable setup, both top and bottom, for $500 at Lowe's.  Keep an eye out, both Lowe's and Home Depot appear to be trying to compete with Harbor Freight, so many great deals can be found.

Another vote for the HF box.

I've had mine loaded down pretty well for about 4 or 5 years with no issues. It's made a few trips to tracks inside trailers (getting bounced up and down, etc) and is still nice and tight.

I say go for it.

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

I just bought this one for $498 at Home Depot.   Milwaukee brand.  Far superior to the HF.  It's technically not a bottom chest, but there is no reason it can't serve as one.  It's bigger, with deeper drawers.

In reply to SVreX :

There are a couple things about it that are nicer. The deeper drawers are nice. But the plastic casters are not. The soft close glides are handy but lighter duty and not riveted in if I recall correctly. I also don't think it's a double wall box is it? The drawer config would be better for some things and worse for others that's all up to the user and how they want to set up their box. All told i would definitely not describe it as "far superior." The quality is lower but the layout can be more useful -- but again not always and not for me. 

I have that HF box.  I was told they also build the box for Matco.  It is actually a nicer box than my 40 year old Snap On box.  The drawers are so much smoother on the HF.

I too have that HF box along with the smaller red cart they sell.  It has served me well, if shopping now I would compare with the Milwaukee to see which fit my needs better.

Funny story, when I bought it, I drove up in our Mazda3 hatch.  Not even close to fitting.  I don't have any truck friends so I was considering a quick rental, it would be cheap since I just live a few blocks away.  Hey, this thing comes fully assembled?  Can we ditch the packaging here and just roll it home?  They said sure and I promised pics if disaster befell me.  At a four way stop, I waited my turn for a slowly approaching truck.  There was a guy in the bed helping guide an old tool box tied to the hitch with a rope!  We all excitedly waved at each other and I forgot to take pics.  Then I got it home without incident and it serves me well to this day.

Pull out the bottom drawer and stand in it.

Can you close it again?

That will tell you what you need to know.

I considered US General for a while, but wound up going Masterforce.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/tool-storage/tool-chests-boxes/c-9188.htm?brandName_facet=Masterforce&ipp=36

I think they're only carried at Menards, one of the few things I miss about Ohio is Menards, closest one to me now is ~4 hours away.  If I recall Masterforce is made by Montezuma.

They're decent boxes for the money.  It passed Trans_Maro's stand it in and close it test, cost was around the same as HF's US General stuff, but what really sold me is their drawer pull/latches.

My bottom box was a Christmas present from Jewels (SWMBO) in '12, it's been used a lot, moved across country once, and still holding up great.

Trans_Maro said:

Pull out the bottom drawer and stand in it.

Can you close it again?

That will tell you what you need to know.

... And it doesn't fall forward on you. 

dculberson said:

In reply to SVreX :

There are a couple things about it that are nicer. The deeper drawers are nice. But the plastic casters are not. The soft close glides are handy but lighter duty and not riveted in if I recall correctly. I also don't think it's a double wall box is it? The drawer config would be better for some things and worse for others that's all up to the user and how they want to set up their box. All told i would definitely not describe it as "far superior." The quality is lower but the layout can be more useful -- but again not always and not for me. 

+1. I've been shopping for a 43" box for well over a year. I keep telling myself I want something that lasts a lifetime and there is no way the answer is HF. Unfortunately everytime I try something at the big box stores they are either of lesser or same quality as the HF. I really wanted to like the 60" version of the box you posted but it just doesn't feel strong and I prefer more, smaller drawers.

I keep hoping that I find a Snap On or something older on craigslist but if I can't find one by the time I finish my kitchen remodel I'm going HF.

I recently bought one of the 43" HF boxes  to increase my available space.  Comparing it to my Craftsman boxes, the only real complaint I have is that it's missing the tilt/latch system (instead the HF drawers just get have a higher friction portion at the end of travel) and that it would be nice to have an assortment of drawer depths instead of them all being a uniform 3-ish inches.

(black box on the left is the old bottom chest, it got moved into the trailer)

We have the HF roller, and have been pretty happy with it.  It isn't much different from "modern" Craftsman boxes, quality wise.  Can be bought in the mid to high $3XXs, if the coupons line up right.

It is BIG though, and even though its not packed to the gills it is one heavy SOB. 95% of the time leave it in the race car trailer, because every time we roll it down the ramp its an adventure.  I guess what I'm saying is, once you fill it up it isn't easy to shove around!

I used the US General 44 for like 8 or 9 years. It is a solid piece of gear. There are threads all over GarageJournal comparing it in every way to all the other boxes near its price point. From sheet metal gauge, drawer slides, carcass construction, casters, whatever. The info is out there and the box comes out on top for the price.  Hell it is rated to hold 833 pounds MORE than the Milwaukee pictured up there.

When I outgrew it I very briefly used a 50 something inch new Husky box we had in the shop. I slid open my top big drawer of the US General and transferred its contents  to the large top drawer of the Husky which promptly bound up under the weight and had to be fought to open or close it.

The Harbor Fright unit also has the benefit of being modular so you can add on to it as your needs increase.

I wound up moving to the 56 inch US General box and it has had some faults.

Take the US General badge off, replace with GRM sticker, use as intended.

I bought the red hf cart to use as my box at my last job, had it crammed packed and loved it. 

I got the 26" or whatever Red hf box for my home garage. My buddy was with me and bought one as well. My bottom box had a small box, his top one had a dent as well. I gave him my top, and took the damaged bottom and top back. When I got there, the cashier let me switch out the dented without any issues. The manger walked by and we got to talking. Told him I was debating on even returning it because it was still functional and just a work box that would probably get beat up anyways, and that it was an hour drive each way. Long story short, he refunded my money, then sold me the box back for half price! 

There's a lot of stuff I would not buy from habor freight... But there's a lot of decent stuff if you just take the time to read reviews. The red us general boxes are good. The black 26"? One is junk. 

Oh, and there orange handle pliers should be illegal. Finger smashing pieces of junk.