Kobalt or Craftsman tool chests

[RB Shannon]

Every year at the plant I'm at we get a $200 tool allowance to put toward the purchase or replacement for tools,this year I'm looking into getting a 40" wide tool chest.It will either be a Craftsman or Kobalt.I know Craftsman is pretty decent and that's what all the other mechanics have but what about Kobalt.For less than $600 you can get an 11 drawer chest with ball bearing slides,in the same price range Craftsman has a similar model I like but has just plain slides.I can't make up my mind

Any one here have a Kobalt and does it seem pretty rugged?

 

[Chris142]

I'm pretty sure that Waterloo is the only American company that makes tool boxes. They just put a different sticker on them and sell them to their respective clients.

 

[TooManyWheels]

I have been doing a lot of looking at the better homeowner type tool chests, meaning less than $1000 but still having ball bearing slides.

In my opinion, Craftsmen is the absolute worst choice. Thin metal, cheesy handles, just really poor overall. The Husky brand at Home Depot is made by Stanley and is much better. Still kind of thin, but overall not too bad.

Kobalt is the best of the three. Made by Snap-On, thicker metal, pretty nice overall. Right now Lowes is closing out the current stock of the 26" boxes(maybe to change color) and you can get the 6 drawer chest plus 5 drawer cabinet for $400, down from $550.

The only reason I haven't bought yet is the color. To me a tool chest setup should be RED - not blue, not black. RED!

[ March 06, 2004, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: TooManyWheels ]

 

[RB Shannon]

I did a quick search and that's what I found,that Kobalt's made in Algona Iowa at Snapon's manufacturing plant,but not as heavy.I might have to zip out there tomorrow and see,I prefer red also but if the price is right I guess I'll be the black sheep in a plant full of red Craftsmans

 

[Pablo]

For work I wouldn't buy Craftsman. (Did you leave a zero out? $200 won't buy much)

The only time Craftsman is a good deal is when they have an annual sale, or last year's model. I will admit in my home garage I have a Craftsman threestacked tool chest (large base with drawers, healthy middle section and a nice topper with lots of small drawers)...it's OK....I got it for a song...floor model, store remodeling, etc...
I have no issues with it as far as quality goes, holds the stuff I want it to hold, drawers slide OK, hasn't fallen over. Again, I wouldn't have paid the normal asking price, but I think I got a good value well under $200 U$D.

Just checked, same set up is $299.95 ON SALE in the Sunday paper Sears ad this AM. (They have a cheesy bar lock set-up for $199) The exotic girl in green on the cover is cute, though.

 

[ShootingStar]

I've seen some pretty nice ALL STAINLESS sets at Sam's Club. Unfortunately I don't remember the brand but I believe the price was in the $600 range.

Mark

 

[tom slick]

kennedy makes nice boxes too. red for mechanic and brown for machinist. they are the standard box for machinists and are built well.

waterloo does make craftsman boxes.

 

[PRRPILL]

I have both, and the Kobalt is a whole lot better. It is smoother, and heavier. I wish I had only bought the Kobalt, and waited on the Craftsman. The blue color will grow on you, and after a while the rest of the mechanics will want one too.

 

[RB Shannon]

Well I got the Kobalt 11 drawer 40" wide cart in black as the blue is a special order, and it turns out to be made by Waterloo with a TRX part # (Their Traxx model) seems pretty sturdy.

quote:

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(Did you leave a zero out? $200 won't buy much)

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That's all that they will reimburse us for, and usually end up spending more than that for replacements or upgrades. I have found some bargains on E Bay, I got a Fluke 18 and a 27 for less than $75 each both in like new condition.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Shannon - Thanks for letting the board know. Waterloo does make some very good, high-end boxes, but their name is soiled by the low-price consumer lines which appear in the mass merchandisers.