User Panel
HF is better than most brands, and Husky by far, husky is cheap crap. As for the new craftsman I am not sure as there aren't any good comparisons I have found, but I bet it is not as good as the HF.
Besides high end brands HF is the best you will get besides buying used. |
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I wish HF made a job box. Such a simple and obvious design. I'm planning on picking up a Ridgid 48x24 job box tomorrow. Seems like the best deal out there
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Craftsman tool chests are garbage now. I have one that's probably only 5 year old and most of the drawer sliders have failed, or the drawers themselves have warped around the slider clips and continue to fall out no matter how many times I bend them back.
Next one will be HF. |
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I have a recent HF 44” double bank, a Kobalt stainless 22”, a Snap-on Heritage 22”, and a Husky 60” double. The HF is closest in metal gauge and build quality to the Snap-on, the Kobalt and Husky not so much. At the price point, HF is a good box.
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Quoted: There is a difference between techs with a HF tool box and a Strap-On. Shade tree guys use HF. View Quote The USGENERAL Boxes are heavier guage steel than the boxes I see at lowes. And they hold up well out here in the hangar rolling over grates and air hoses. Attached File |
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They are awesome. Use a coupon.
I'll go out on a limb here. 95% as good as a Snap On for 20% the cost. |
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Quoted: Why would you want a reloading bench on castors? Wouldn't you want one that Doesn't wiggle or move? View Quote Attached File |
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The price is because they are made from the same military grade aluminum that Chinese astronauts use!
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Quoted:
How do you get those home and into the garage, borrow or rent a trailer? Kharn View Quote HF loaded mine into the truck with their forklift. That was the easy part. I also bought a set of their 6' ramps on sale. I used the ramps to slide it out of my truck (tool box was on its side, in heavy cardboard, attached to a custom pallet). I could lift it upright on my own. I got it unpacked and rolled it across the dry ground of my lawn onto patio easy peasy. Now it's sitting there outside my basement door, which has a big threshold. I make these ramps/rails out of 2x4's, with 1x3's holding them together. I wrap a short tow strap around the tool box, with a 3/4" rope tied to the strap. Left the box over the threshold until gravity takes over. Ease it down the ramp until it's 2/3 of the way down, when the wheels want to come off the ramp (the sides I out in aren't full length). Much cussing and cursing to get wheels back on ramp. Then the 1x3 boards holding the 2x4 ramps together break. They were old. Finally managed to get the thing down to the basement floor. There may be some scuffs or scratches on the underside, but I chose not to look. Sold ramps a few days later, didn't need them for anything else. |
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Can't use 20% coupons on tool boxes. I've never heard anyone call the HF boxes expensive before. For their quality, they are an amazing deal. There are a ton of threads on Garage Journal about them. I'd get one but my garage is full. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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HF ones are better quality than the other store brands. Also, don't pay MSRP. There is always a coupon: http://www.hfqpdb.com I've never heard anyone call the HF boxes expensive before. For their quality, they are an amazing deal. There are a ton of threads on Garage Journal about them. I'd get one but my garage is full. |
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Craftsman tool chests are garbage now. I have one that's probably only 5 year old and most of the drawer sliders have failed, or the drawers themselves have warped around the slider clips and continue to fall out no matter how many times I bend them back. Next one will be HF. View Quote |
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Harbor Freight makes an exceptional quality rolling toolbox for a wholesale/box store box... Really smooth roller bearing drawers. VERY heavy gauge metal cabinet thickness. Casters are great. I think they are probably one of the best values period in this type of box. View Quote There's no comparison to the cabinet/junk sold in most of the box stores, altho once in a long while Sams and Costco have some nice cabinets. |
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I bought this cart last month and paid $189.00. It was well worth it. https://shop.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/6/4/64031_W3.jpg View Quote |
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Quoted: There is a difference between techs with a HF tool box and a Strap-On. Shade tree guys use HF. View Quote I know several techs that use HF exclusively...from automotive, to cranes, to manufacturing plant maintenance. Anyone can go out and buy $50k in S-O tools....it doesn't make them a better mechanic. A smart mechanic will still do the job and not have an unnecessary $50k tool bill... |
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Shopping at hft when the cashier ask for your info tell them "by pass" most of them get mad when you don't give them your info
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I have a 44" HF box in my service truck. Riding around in a box truck is hard on tool boxes.
Guys with tool truck boxes complain about the ball bearing slides wearing out very early compared to boxes that sit in a shop. I've had mine for about 8 months now and it's still working great, with one exception. The only thing holding the drawers closed when the box is unlocked is a piece of rubber on the back end of the drawer sliders that gets stuck into the slider and holds the drawer closed by friction alone. I always lock the box when the truck is going to be moving, but the rubber detents are already worn enough that if the truck is tipped even very slightly the wrong way the drawers will fall open. This is my only complaint about the box so far. I'm hoping that they address this with something that they are already using on a different product. The tool carts have latches on each drawer. If they make a 44" box with those, I'd buy one for the truck and use the old one at home. |
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Everybody knows HF is crap and you cant store tools in anything less than a $8k Snap-On , Mac , Whatever box.
My 18 year old Craftsman box that cost like $1500 is still going strong. When I buy a utility trailer for work will probably have HF boxes in it. |
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Quoted:
Aren't tool cabinets usually excluded from their coupons? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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HF ones are better quality than the other store brands. Also, don't pay MSRP. There is always a coupon: http://www.hfqpdb.com |
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I have a 44" HF box in my service truck. Riding around in a box truck is hard on tool boxes. Guys with tool truck boxes complain about the ball bearing slides wearing out very early compared to boxes that sit in a shop. I've had mine for about 8 months now and it's still working great, with one exception. The only thing holding the drawers closed when the box is unlocked is a piece of rubber on the back end of the drawer sliders that gets stuck into the slider and holds the drawer closed by friction alone. I always lock the box when the truck is going to be moving, but the rubber detents are already worn enough that if the truck is tipped even very slightly the wrong way the drawers will fall open. This is my only complaint about the box so far. I'm hoping that they address this with something that they are already using on a different product. The tool carts have latches on each drawer. If they make a 44" box with those, I'd buy one for the truck and use the old one at home. View Quote |
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Harbor Freight makes an exceptional quality rolling toolbox for a wholesale/box store box... Really smooth roller bearing drawers. VERY heavy gauge metal cabinet thickness. Casters are great. I think they are probably one of the best values period in this type of box. View Quote |
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I bought this cart last month and paid $189.00. It was well worth it. https://shop.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/6/4/64031_W3.jpg View Quote |
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Now I’m really going fuck things up.
The 26” 44” and 56” all have 2 or more part numbers. They are actually made in 2 or more factories with minor difference in construction. The most obvious is on the 56” boxes. One model has only the spring loaded drawer latch the other has the manual latch and detent. Garagejournal is the ar15.com or tools those guys love the HF boxes |
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Quoted: That's stupid. I know several techs that use HF exclusively...from automotive, to cranes, to manufacturing plant maintenance. Anyone can go out and buy $50k in S-O tools....it doesn't make them a better mechanic. A smart mechanic will still do the job and not have an unnecessary $50k tool bill... View Quote I did a comparison thread between the flimsy and tiny HF drawers compared to the thicker SnapOn, even showed the difference in twice as heavy slides compared to the kitchen drawer HF units. It all boils down to some people want American quality they can pass on to their kids and others are broke cheap asses that love supporting communists |
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Quoted: Why would you want a reloading bench on castors? Wouldn't you want one that Doesn't wiggle or move? View Quote |
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LOL. iIf you call working on 757, 767, 777, 737 shade tree, I'm your man. The USGENERAL Boxes are heavier guage steel than the boxes I see at lowes. And they hold up well out here in the hangar rolling over grates and air hoses. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/155838/2702B188-B8BD-4F2F-971D-A6634C8784D4_jpeg-1063721.JPG View Quote |
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Can't use 20% coupons on tool boxes. I've never heard anyone call the HF boxes expensive before. For their quality, they are an amazing deal. There are a ton of threads on Garage Journal about them. I'd get one but my garage is full. View Quote |
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I own Snap-On, MAC Tools, Craftsman, Kennedy, Masterforce, and Harbor Freight’s US General tool boxes and chests. The best bang for your buck is Masterforce or US General. Both are very solid boxes and an excellent value! I would never buy another Craftsman box. Absolute overpriced garbage compared to US General.
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A habor frieght thread on arfcom, all about Maga until its time to buy tools...
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Quoted: I have a weird boner now. I love snap on and really need to upgrade my box, but damn the pricing is ridiculous. I don't like HF becuase screw the Chinese unless I absolutely have to give them my money. View Quote |
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personal opinion
If you are looking for an excellent home owners level+, U.S. General is good to go. |
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The box stores have been in a tool cabinet war for about a year. HF kicked the door down with their BIG bottom box and the rest have scampered to counter. Check the drawer capacity, the sliders, casters, metal thickness. Last I heard that big bottom box deal HF had was nipping on the heals of snap on
I THINK it's this one. Search youtube tho https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/tool-storage/56-in-double-bank-red-roller-cabinet-64165.html ETA I have a Husky base and top box from the 90s as well as a craftsman. I have them side by side Metric and standard. Drivers and screw drivers, it works out well but once I move and we get a shot built. Ill probably buy two of those or whatever is competitive at the time. Literally envision which drawer you will put thinks and how you will use a box before pulling the trigger I also LOVE these https://www.amazon.com/Hansen-Global-Metric-Socket-Storage/dp/B001C6NL52/ref=sr_1_4?crid=5KD51KTVHOW4&keywords=hansen+socket+tray&qid=1566523488&s=gateway&sprefix=Hansen+sock%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-4 |
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I bought this cart last month and paid $189.00. It was well worth it. https://shop.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/6/4/64031_W3.jpg View Quote The actual toolboxes are much more comparable. |
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Can't speak to the rolling cabinets from experience, but I will say their add-on side cabinets are very well made.
I would suggest that prior to usage, the ball-bearings of the wheels might benefit from come careful introduction of heavy grease. Just as a precution, and because it becomes difficult/impossible to do so afterwards. Same advice pertains to similar units from other mfrs/vendors. YMMV. |
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Have 3 of the 44 inch models. Before they increased the price $100 they were by far the best deal anywhere and a huge value. Now they are priced along with what you can get at Lowe’s or HD and in the same quality category. Main reason I went to HF was the tool chest, haven’t been back since they raised the price. Nick nack tools can be had for a little more at L or HD and I have a Lowe’s 45 seconds drive time from my house.
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Fear not....buy with confidence
I have the HF 72" in my shop...fantastic box for the money and it holds a LOT of tools!!!! |
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I have Snap On, Blue Point, Craftsman, HF, Matco, and MAC boxes....all seem to hold tools equally well.
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