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Posted: 12/24/2018 4:57:17 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You know it's bad when horrible freight makes better products than Sears, no wonder they are going the way of the dodo bird. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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I'm sure Craftsman is Better than horrible freight. But this is GD and the horrible freight fan boys will be along shortly. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:05:35 PM EDT
[#2]
I'm looking very seriously at getting one of these to put in my service truck.
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:06:28 PM EDT
[#3]
Now, this was one of their cheaper boxes and I have moved twice with it fully loaded.. I got this one at menards, was a closeout but the steel seems to be better gauge and the book said it's made in USA 
Even have a vise to put on it 
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:10:42 PM EDT
[#4]
I have both and the Harbor Freight are 100 times better.
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:16:05 PM EDT
[#5]
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Home Depot has an industrial 52” Husky for $898. It does go on sale from time to time. It weighs almost 600 lbs empty and has soft close drawers. The HF boxes are very nice, too, but they cost more. I wish HF would come out with a modern home repair guy with a power tool top to sit on the regular bottom |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:18:25 PM EDT
[#6]
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Not even close. I have a craftsman top, middle and bottom ball bearing chest for about 25 years now. I just welded together a 10' workbench using 2" x 2" square tubing and 2 harbor freight 44" bottom boxes, with a seating space in the middle. They are much better than my 25 year old craftsman. The metal gauges are heavier The bench idea was shamelessly stolen from SteveO at the Garage Journal everything has changed and is truly craPsman now HFT boxes are GTG |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:25:43 PM EDT
[#7]
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My wife bought me US General tool chest for Christmas, we are still waiting on it to be delivered. I did some research and the reviews seemed to be better than the craftsman and Kobalt brands from lowes. This one |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:27:38 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cool idea.  Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:30:17 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You get a better product. Once weighed down with a modest amount of stuff (2x 40 piece impact sets) the soft close completely fail to function and the middle of the drawer sags so much it runs. The HF drawers are rated for more weight iirc by the book. I wish HF would come out with a modern home repair guy with a power tool top to sit on the regular bottom |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:30:43 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The market with a lot of stuff is weird. We had well made, high quality American made products. We started buying a bunch of cheap, shitty, Chinese stuff. The Amercian quality dropped, went out of business, starting getting made in a China, etc. to compete with the low prices. Now China has started making some higher quality more expensive stuff. Was it by chance, or a plan all along? Whenever I can, I buy American Made. Most of my Craftsman tools as well as my Craftsman roll away tool boxes are Made in USA. All my Craftsman stuff was purchased in the late '90s to around the mid '00s. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:31:13 PM EDT
[#11]
I bought a Craftsman at Lowe’s over Fathers Day weekend. It’s ok. Made with “global materials” ... whatever that means. Probably ChiCom shit sheet metal.
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:40:13 PM EDT
[#12]
And here is the trailer receivers for mounting accessories. I have a metal plate welded to 2 solid 1 1/4” hitches with my bench vice mounted to it. I have a separate one for my bench grinder. This allows me to get that stuff off my bench and be less cluttered when I’m not using said accessories. I use the bench vise a handful of times a year, so why have it take up space on the corner of the bench all the time?
 Attached FileI started with 2” trailer receivers but they were just so big so I downsized to 1 1/4” Actually even my welded frame is 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” steel ( .120 thick). I had to go with the 1.5” x 1.5” rather than the 2” because I needed the extra 2” (.5” x 4 posts) in my seating area. I had a limited amount of space for the bench or I would block my mandoor. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:44:06 PM EDT
[#13]
I saw some US made Craftsman at Lowes recently. I don't know if they are any better than some of the older craftsman boxes.
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:49:00 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I saw some US made Craftsman at Lowes recently. I don't know if they are any better than some of the older craftsman boxes. My Craftsman roll away from circa 2003 is far superior. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:53:59 PM EDT
[#15]
Just bought a new top and bottom 44" Series 2 in blue. It's fantastic so far.
The other day at Lowe's I played with a new Craftsman one that was the equivalent of mine and it was nowhere near as good. The drawers were shit and slid horribly. And it cost $100-150 more than regular price of what mine should have been but I had a 25% off coupon for HF. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 5:59:19 PM EDT
[#16]
US General is good to go.
There are different grades of Craftsman, and they have changed over time. Some have ball bearing slides, and some don't. Also, the drawer hold-closed feature works differently for different boxes. Bottom line: Look at the specific boxes. I have both brands. Both are good, but today, I think US General (HF) is the better value for your money, especially with a coupon. Note that the 20% off usually excludes tool boxes; you need a coupon specific to the tool box. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 6:06:35 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have both and the Harbor Freight are 100 times better. I picked up the 56" top and bottom, with the 15% off coupon, the day before Thanksgiving. 
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Posted: 12/24/2018 6:27:03 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I started with 2” trailer receivers but they were just so big so I downsized to 1 1/4” Actually even my welded frame is 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” steel ( .120 thick). I had to go with the 1.5” x 1.5” rather than the 2” because I needed the extra 2” (.5” x 4 posts) in my seating area. I had a limited amount of space for the bench or I would block my mandoor. great idea Im doing a rolling cart/tool chest and will add these to the corners |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 6:29:22 PM EDT
[#19]
I have both. I am buying US General all day long if I need a replecement.
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Posted: 12/24/2018 6:35:31 PM EDT
[#20]
Not Craftsman but here's a very good video of the US General 72" box vs a comparable Husky box.
 HARBOR FREIGHT KILLER?? (72" Husky -vs- US General) Home Depot -vs- Harbor Freight It's goes in depth about the different guage steel in each. Very informative video. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 6:48:39 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yep. I picked up the 56" top and bottom, with the 15% off coupon, the day before Thanksgiving. https://i.imgur.com/YA5XlFql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ycAq2Pql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zbv23Nsl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ic1tdIJl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/SaAf7Bzl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BheXSX9l.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GPgBOjMl.jpg Quote HistoryQuoted:
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I have both and the Harbor Freight are 100 times better. I picked up the 56" top and bottom, with the 15% off coupon, the day before Thanksgiving. https://i.imgur.com/YA5XlFql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ycAq2Pql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zbv23Nsl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ic1tdIJl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/SaAf7Bzl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BheXSX9l.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GPgBOjMl.jpg 
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:03:34 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm sure Craftsman is Better than horrible freight. But this is GD and the horrible freight fan boys will be along shortly. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:06:10 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yep. I picked up the 56" top and bottom, with the 15% off coupon, the day before Thanksgiving. https://i.imgur.com/YA5XlFql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ycAq2Pql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zbv23Nsl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ic1tdIJl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/SaAf7Bzl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BheXSX9l.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GPgBOjMl.jpg |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:11:52 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not even close. I have a craftsman top, middle and bottom ball bearing chest for about 25 years now. I just welded together a 10’ workbench using 2” x 2” square tubing and 2 harbor freight 44” bottom boxes, with a seating space in the middle. They are much better than my 25 year old craftsman. The metal gauges are heavier The bench idea was shamelessly stolen from SteveO at the Garage Journal |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:16:28 PM EDT
[#25]
The older Craftsman GripLatch tool boxes were pretty good - they were virtually identical to the Waterloo boxes at another hardware store. I suspect they were made by the same company, although at least some of the Craftsman boxes were made outside the USA. However, the newer Craftsman boxes are garbage IMO.
The US General stuff has a pretty good reputation, and is certainly better than current production Craftsman stuff. That said, I love my SnapOn box, but you pay a huge premium for them... |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:18:07 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm sure Craftsman is Better than horrible freight. But this is GD and the horrible freight fan boys will be along shortly. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:24:07 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My wife worked at Seas for 15 years. One of my 1st purchases was a Craftsman box. No clue on the HF boxes but the Craftsman boxes are shit. Rails come off the drawers, wheels are shit. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:25:51 PM EDT
[#28]
Well, that wasn't always so . . .
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:30:34 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Funny, . . . that shitty old Craftsman roll-away and chest combo that I've been working out of for 30+ years have never let me down. And I'm not talking about messin' around with the Camaro in the garage, I'm talking about heavy industrial use in a manufacturing plant, with the drawers being opened and closed dozens of times a day. Never so much as worn out a lock. I won't talk shit about U.S. General boxes, in fact I've heard great things. But when you say Craftsman boxes are shit, I'm gonna call you out for talking out of your ass. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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My wife worked at Seas for 15 years. One of my 1st purchases was a Craftsman box. No clue on the HF boxes but the Craftsman boxes are shit. Rails come off the drawers, wheels are shit. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:35:58 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Several people in this thread have pointed out that Craftsman quality has gone down. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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My wife worked at Seas for 15 years. One of my 1st purchases was a Craftsman box. No clue on the HF boxes but the Craftsman boxes are shit. Rails come off the drawers, wheels are shit. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:41:53 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Point taken. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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My wife worked at Seas for 15 years. One of my 1st purchases was a Craftsman box. No clue on the HF boxes but the Craftsman boxes are shit. Rails come off the drawers, wheels are shit. 
Seriously, HF has stepped up their game on several fronts, especially tool boxes. Their pro grade stuff is fantastic. |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:45:03 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: @Hunduh great idea Im doing a rolling cart/tool chest and will add these to the corners https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001GN6MRA?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_yo_pop_mb_pd_t2 @TaylorWSO |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 7:46:04 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Would like to see a picture of this. @Kier74 |
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Posted: 12/24/2018 10:31:37 PM EDT
[#34]
This is what you seek if you want an american made, lifetime box on the cheap. 400lb drawers, great support. https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/tls/d/tampa-stanley-vidmar-cabinet-new/6726415300.html
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Posted: 12/25/2018 11:40:33 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is what you seek if you want an american made, lifetime box on the cheap. 400lb drawers, great support. https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/tls/d/tampa-stanley-vidmar-cabinet-new/6726415300.html |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 11:57:21 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yep. I picked up the 56" top and bottom, with the 15% off coupon, the day before Thanksgiving. https://i.imgur.com/YA5XlFql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ycAq2Pql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zbv23Nsl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ic1tdIJl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/SaAf7Bzl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BheXSX9l.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GPgBOjMl.jpg |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 12:05:32 PM EDT
[#37]
I have my grandfather's craftsman box from 1959,it built like a tank.the harbor freight stuff I've looked at seems to be made well.
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Posted: 12/25/2018 12:16:41 PM EDT
[#38]
the vintage craftsman stuff was built well for it's time, intended use and price.
They were not high mileage capable units / "professional grade". As an A&P working a major overhaul facility, I had to push my toolbox around quite a bit. the wheels they provided were not adequate, and depending on the load, the bottom strength wasn't good either. I fixed all that with some industrial wheels and 1/8" stainless plate on the bottom of the box (company provided materials and installation time) 
I still use that box today. now the "premium" features that were very expensive back then, are now "common" Ball bearing slides, latches, heavy gauge materials,etc.. it's like power windows and locks in cars..options that are now standard (~) |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 12:25:57 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The older Craftsman GripLatch tool boxes were pretty good - they were virtually identical to the Waterloo boxes at another hardware store. I suspect they were made by the same company, although at least some of the Craftsman boxes were made outside the USA. However, the newer Craftsman boxes are garbage IMO. The US General stuff has a pretty good reputation, and is certainly better than current production Craftsman stuff. That said, I love my SnapOn box, but you pay a huge premium for them... |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 3:33:23 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Disregard the above advice unless you have great impulse control or deep pockets. GarageJournal has been by far the most expensive thing to ever happen to me. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Go check out the many, many, many threads over at Garage Journal. That place is the ArfCom of garage shit and they seem to like it. GarageJournal has been by far the most expensive thing to ever happen to me. |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 3:37:55 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: this I had craftsman, but now I have 2 huge listas, and two HF (benchtop and the 44 like above). the HF is amazing for the price. Its way ahead of craftsman by light years. Its amazing smooth and heavier built. It also has better handles and comes with liners. Its not as good as my lista, but for the price I would buy it all day long my new pats storage https://i.imgur.com/S7VLpSO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/59IgI9I.jpg 
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Posted: 12/25/2018 4:09:11 PM EDT
[#42]
I now own both Craftsman and Harbor Freight toolboxes. My craftsman box is shit compared to the hf. Craftsman used to make adequate tool boxes
in the 70s. Got rid of them when I joined the military. Dumbass mistake. Their chests made now are whimpy. Drawers bend with modest weight in them. HF drawers withstand substantial weight and open and close smoothly. I'd buy the hf again. |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 4:11:40 PM EDT
[#43]
My craftsman box I bought in 2001 has been a piece of shit.
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Posted: 12/25/2018 4:13:06 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have deep pockets and amazingly shitty impulse control @Atomic_Ferret, but fortunately Garage Journal hasn't put the bite on me yet. Unfortunately it's because I check r/gundeals on Reddit every morning when I wake up and a few times at work. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Go check out the many, many, many threads over at Garage Journal. That place is the ArfCom of garage shit and they seem to like it. GarageJournal has been by far the most expensive thing to ever happen to me. Everybody needs a 1,500sqft house with a 1,500sqft shop attached to it right? |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 4:18:08 PM EDT
[#45]
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Posted: 12/25/2018 8:50:46 PM EDT
[#46]
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I wound up doubling the square footage of my house because of Garage Journal. Everybody needs a 1,500sqft house with a 1,500sqft shop attached to it right? Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Go check out the many, many, many threads over at Garage Journal. That place is the ArfCom of garage shit and they seem to like it. GarageJournal has been by far the most expensive thing to ever happen to me. Everybody needs a 1,500sqft house with a 1,500sqft shop attached to it right? 
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Posted: 12/25/2018 8:54:24 PM EDT
[#47]
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Posted: 12/25/2018 8:54:26 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm sure Craftsman is Better than horrible freight. But this is GD and the horrible freight fan boys will be along shortly. |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 9:58:10 PM EDT
[#49]
I have the US General Pro Grade. I'm guessing they renamed thier professional line "Series 2"?
Anyway I really like it. It's held up very well. It's very sturdy and the roller bearing drawers.are very smooth. I'd definitely buy one again. |
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Posted: 12/25/2018 10:31:33 PM EDT
[#50]
Craftsman had different tiers of boxes, their high end was a bit nicer than the hf boxes but cost more than twice as much and I thought the layouts were lacking. Entry line was always junk. I was looking at them hard when my local Sears was closing but they never got cheap enough.
The hf boxes are great for the money and arguably the best value going for boxes nice enough for heavy home use. The entry level craftsman stuff they now have in my Lowe's stores are junk like entry level craftsman boxes have always been, will be interesting to see if they start adding nicer lines. I think they are making a mistake rolling out the shit lines first. Some casual guys that still trust the name are going to buy that shit and boom there goes another group of customers burnt. I ended up going with the higher end husky stuff only due to clearance deals. If not for that I'd have hf boxes for sure. |
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