When shopping for a tool box there are many things to consider. If you’re a professional technician based in a repair shop or a person in one of the many trades, and you make your living turning wrenches you probably have different needs than being just another regular guy. There are a whole lot of people that need tool boxes, and a number of reasons why people need to own them. There are many suppliers to choose from. The quality manufacturers listen to their customers and build products that include features with the end user in mind. Tool boxes come in many variations: roll cabinets, top chests, hutches, side boxes, lockers, roll carts, and road boxes. They also come in different widths, depths, and heights. It can be difficult to gauge one brand of tool box against another because only a few manufacturers make all the specifications readily available. It is important to know what you are buying when shopping online.
If you can, we recommend you access complete specifications and features such as:
• overall Weight, not Shipping Weight. Compare Tool Box Dimensions of Equal Size to Weight Totals.
• drawer configuration and drawer interchangeability
• full extension drawers that pull out to the back of drawer
• amount of long drawers that offer deep socket storage and long bar or long extension storage
• thickness of steel used in cabinet frame
• drawer dimensions and thickness
• drawer pull
• drawer close: positive latch or friction stop, plastic or metal, ease of operation
• drawer under supports for heavy loads that prevent drawer from buckling
• type of drawer liners - rubber or foam
• weight capability of ball bearing slides on each drawer
• locking and security
• caster size, number of casters, and type of casters
• accessory tool boxes available for future add-on (top box, side boxes, hutches etc.)
• pricing
• shipping cost or free shipping
• warranty and service
• NET WEIGHT, when comparing equally sized tool boxes (similar width, depth, and height) this is the most tell tale sign that the tool box is built well. When you are not able to find answers to all the spec’s of a tool box the net weight (not the shipping weight or gross weight) will be a very good indicator of quality construction. The suppliers consists of mobile distributors, many independent manufacturers, and even big box stores. Higher quality products are usually related to the mobile distributors Snap on, Mac, Cornwell, Matco and other manufacturers such as Extreme Tools, Lista, Shure, to name a few.
Really making an impact is Extreme Tools, a manufacturer of Tool Storage based in Illinois started in 1999 and began selling Tool Storage in 2004. Extreme offers a very well-built tool box for a very low price. Like most tool box manufacturers, they offer a Professional series and a Standard series. They are the best bargain I know of if you are shopping for a tool box. The best thing about Extreme Tool Boxes are the value. They offer great design features, good looking tool boxes, quality components, and most of all, they now offer a patented drawer latch that is by far the best in the market, all at a fraction of the cost of competitors, in short the very best bang for your buck.
Snap on Tool Boxes may be the best Yard Stick for Comparison as they are very high quality and proven over time. Although there is a wide difference in pricing between the two, You will notice many similarities.
Below is an example of in depth tool box specifications.
Check out our line of Extreme Toolboxes here.
Check out our own CRX Series Toolboxes - made by Extreme Tools but with additional features and upgrades - and at a reduced price!
