This is one of the best toolbox reviews and tours I’ve seen on UA-cam. I like how thorough you were without dragging it out. Simple, informative and to the point!!!
Thanks for sharing your tool setup. You are very enjoyable to listen to! I will be using your ideas as I’m about to purchase the 72 inch box like yours.
Nice setup and I am going to get this same box setup. Having empty drawers to grow into is a nice thing. I just now learned there is a bearing in the bottom of break kleen, so wow, thanks for that. Keep them pumpkins up!!!
Just wanted to give you a tip. Those small silica packets you get when you buy small electrical items save them and leave them in your tool box. It helps to stop your tools from rusting Nice set up.
@@cbmech2563 LOL, thats what annoying, these are the P-series pliers. They are the small electrical pliers. The should not be getting greasy almost ever. SO should have coated them with something.
@@texacajundiy 😁I don't have Anything that doesn't get greasey 😁 I'm a trash truck mechanic and I always have to wipe my tools off before I put them away. Almost every time.
@@cbmech2563 DUDE! You bring back memories. Chicken blood and baby diaper juice! LOL Long story short: The very last wrench I welded to reach something was to pull the top bolt on a ISUZU NPR PTO with a 10 yard side load body on it.
Sweet setup i am a retired Woodworker that did work inn the feild for over 20 years. And Kennedy boxes. Have been my go to. I always look on Craigslist etc for the Craftsman Boxes like yours built by Kennedy more so because. The Knnnedy color gets old to me I’m between shops and homes at this time but I’m pretty sure my go to boxes will be the US Generals at lest for my mechanics sets For auto /truck repair and maintenance the Black ones lik yours again do look good typically my garages turn into the man cave gathering place. As i do like having egged beer available along with some Vintage autos my favorite tools at least for sockets and wrenches are Craftsman USA and SK Wayne thanks for the tool box tour I dont know why but they are very. Enjoyable to watch on UA-cam the one thing i was suprised was that i didnt see many pry bar sets ?
I have one old ACE hardware crowbar I inherited from my dad, a 3pc set of craftsman professional pry bars, and a set of OTC USA ladyfoot prybars. Some live in other carts, some I may have glazed over.
Thats a slick box. I work at a national laboratory and we have thousands of boxes, from craftsman to waterloo, to matco and snap-on....and hundreds not being used. I like your box setup. I do hvac plumbing and dabble in electrical. Im looking forward to getting a box like this one day
What a great review.. If I remember correctly if you take out one of the large drawers there are holes to replace the slides. You.may be able to rearrange the drawers Nice setup The top draw where you keep your long extensions I put my torque wrenches
So umm, uhh, so.... In all seriousness, great review. Saw this box at HF yesterday and came looking for input from others. Your review is the only one I watched all the way thru. I see why you have almost 150k views on this. Great job man.
I have a few of the nice ratchets made by the tool truck dealers but I always seam to gravitate back to an extendable handle 3/8" ratchet made by Stanley. I purchased it about 15-20 years ago and it has been my go to ratchet ever since. It is short enough to get in tight places when need be and can be extended to really get some torque on a fastener if you need it. It has served me very well.
That top box is no joke! When I got mine me and two other people had to lift it to the top of my bottom box and it was no easy task wish I could have backed my truck up to it
I’ve been using the us general 44inch for the last 4 years and am about ready to upgrade to the 72inch. Someone I work with has one with the top chest like yours but his is also 72inch. Just wish I would’ve did this sooner b/c now the price is $1499 with a coupon that makes it $1399. So far it looks like a good choice that’ll work wonderful and last me for years. Instead of putting another box on top, I just want to build a custom backless hutch. Very good review and video as well.
Suprisingly my favorite 3/8 ratchet at the moment is the Pittsburg red handle comfort grip its held up well and is a pretty fine tooth I cant remember exactly. My favorite 1/4 ratchet is the Matco locking flex head its a beast and I use it all the time.
That box will last a long time but play it smart and order some extra drawer slides just Incase your great grandkids need one later on down the line! Great video! Keep on wrenching!
Nice review thanks for sharing, I have all 3 of the slim craftsman ratchets. At first I felt the same way until I noticed the 3/8 would change directions on its own. Still love them.
Great review I too was struggling deciding to go with a bigger box was not going to pay over price for Mac or Snap-on that's just a name brand and it's look at me what I got yeah in debt I will spend the money for a general box use the rest to get decent tools thanks a bunch for the tour
@@texacajundiy How is the welding cart treating you? I am looking to pickup a TIG here soon and thinking about getting the welding cart for the TIG and plasma cutter.
the montezuma boxes are built with a much thinner gauge metal. the local runnings had them on display and the size and price had my attention straight away. the second i felt how flimsy the draws and general construction was i kept walking. i already have owned a smaller us general box for years and its much more sturdy.
Very nice! I have the same 72" base and 56" top. I bought a Craftsman side cabinet in the same color. It was cheaper than the General side cabs and twice the space!
Just for an FYI, Sears did not buy K-Mart. K-Mart actually bought Sears. There is no Sears, there is only K-Mart. They just changed their name to "Sears" after they completed the purchase. As an ex-employee of Sears I can tell you that the CEO and Board members made themselves millions of dollars by selling off profitable pieces of Sears. They owned Discover card, arguably the most profitable credit card there ever was. They sold it. They sold Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, etc. The reason they did this is because their compensation contracts paid such a high rate for quarterly profit increases that it made them millions of dollars to sell off the pieces of the corporation as it showed up on the books as profit. Corporate officer greed killed Sears, nothing else.
@@williamwatkins1996 Yeah, a local Ace Hardware has a very limited selection. I don't expect that situation to improve any either. Sears is shrinking as we speak.
William Watkins - Lowes is carrying the craftsman tool line, if you haven't heard by now. They aren't made in the USA, but still carry the lifetime warranty.
This may have been said already, you need to pull out the 4 drawers that don't open fully... yet. Simply pull on the drawer with some pressure and it will slide out all the way. I've had to do this on all of my HFT boxes. Good luck.
Box needs a few mods. Inner drawer slides need J hooks clamped closed/tighter to eliminate play and noise. Outer slides need to be riveted down near the back on the frame, also to stop noise and eliminate drawer side play.
Nice review! I agree the box needs to be deeper, the two drawers to replace the one deep drawer and the slider issue with the 4 drawers! I really hope US General and/or Harbor Freight see and hear this review! Awesome job!
I seem to recall that the USA Craftsman 84t ratchet was a Armstrong made ratchet. The three piece set was $159.99 usually on sale for $109-129 in 2011. It was 1/2 the price of the Matco and Armstrong 88 tooth version so it was a deal in that aspect. Wish I could have the full set.
Me too. It’s been a minute since I looked at it all but yes all you said is correct. A bunch of sales, mergers, and trades. I looked at all this to buy Fortive stock (FTV), they are the parent company of Matco. These ratchets are basically heirloom tools now. There is a new one on EBay RIGHT NOW for $225. It will sell. For perspective you can get a snappy F80 for $75 on eBay all the time.
I had the same problem with my HF 72" black box. Lubricate the slides and pull with decent pressure and they will come out another inch or so. It's still not flush with the back of the drawer but better.
Awesome setup. I have the us general tool cart in green and I’m starting to run out of space. I plan to buy a bigger box but I’m waiting for it to come out in green. Harbor freight emailed me saying they are coming out with new colors for the bigger boxes in April, So I’m waiting for that.
I'd love to have the black boxes but I think I'm gonna stick with the red ones. My garage is just so dusty all the time I think the black would look pretty bad. The red hopefully won't show the dust as much. That black is sexy though! Nice set up!
Try pulling harder on your drawers to get them to extend further. Sometimes they get stuck at first. On mine they pull out all the way except for about an inch.
I have just started out in a automotive collision and a welding career. I have already filled that 5 drawer cart. However, my little shop is not big enough for this bad ass box. I’m looking at the 44inch box next.
If you are loving it and this really does look like it will be a career, I'd look at ANY 30 inch deep box that will fit in your space. The extra $ up front will likely go a long way in storage space. Check pawnshops and see what used boxes the local tool truck dudes have
Now they have the Series 3 out and they have 72" top toolbox OR top hutch and side lockers now on either side or both, still have the side toolbox tho. I had to upgrade recently when with the toolbox + top hutch + side locker went on sale for 25% off, all three cost me $2,250. I love greys and silvers, and I got the Slate Grey in all 3, might buy a side toolbox one day if i max these out.
And the new casters can hold 6,600 lbs, they are badass. And the dead space on the top box is -0% bc it comes out some how, it's wild, and the bottom box, the socket draw only has less than 3/4" of dead space. The normal price is $1,799.99($1,800) and 25% off came out to $450 and after all 3 discounts my savings came to $715.
Very nice setup many people are happy with the Harbor Freight boxes , I’m pretty sure it wil be my next box the only thing i would like to upgrade it to would be to add some self closing slides i am a retired Woodworker and my guess is one of the slide manufacturers we used could be modified to replace a few of the stock ones in the U.S. General boxes most of the slides had similar features I agree on th Sears ratchet as well Sears going was a sad period. For me as well but they. Did it to themselves with poo management i do still have and use my original 1970s era Craftsman sockets and wrenches. Although i. Do favor some other ratchets one being my Dads 1950s SK Wayne Items partly for nostalgic reasons of the old man being gone now
I love the box...I don’t like the price point. To me the stricktlytoolboxes.com boxes are of seemingly similar quality and blow them out of the water price wise. NOW, the ICON tools I am really looking forward to. I do feel that the Napa Carlyle brand is basically the Taiwan answer to the tool truck already, but the Carlyle price point is pretty high. That said, I hope HF does everything with ICON that Napa does with Carlyle: monthly fliers, new tools often, & a nice catalogue.
@Steve 0861 I'd guess around April or May, they're putting out yellow, orange, and green in the 44inch roll cabs this month so I think its a monthly thing they bring things out.
I bought the same one, black and chrome looks great. And the quality of the box for the money you can't go wrong. I was lucky and got one that had great fit and finish. A tool box for 10-28 grand? Nope
Hey buddy you might wanna try and force that drawer to slide out more, it should come out all the way. I have the 44inch roll cab and when I first got the box it was tough to open it up the full length drawer all the way flush but now its easy it took some using it to break in the detents.
They really do. Prices are good too. I hope to never need another box. I will however buy one more box. When I retire and build my final shop, I’ll prolly put whatever is top on the line from snap on in it. It will be an unnecessary total luxury item. Something for my son to inherit.
Also moved mine myself a couple of times of seven Stairs then into the house they are extremely heavy you kind of remind me of myself my man with the sockets whatever works lol I'm the same way my man
Older and newer Craftsman tool boxes were and are now made by waterloo not kennedy, even the ones made overseas. Some of there pro boxes are made by a Canadian company.
You should definitely invest in the Ernest plier rack I love them and saves you a lot of space. And the tool box widgets are really nice for your wrenches.
It's called flank drive, on the crows feet bro, everyone is using them in there wrenches now, nothing is better than my snapon tho,and for there sockets, my snapon flank drive plus pro, man what can I say about them, you have to look it up or see it in action to believe it, I was on the truck and he showed me a 13 mill fastener, that he rounded the head, completely cimetrical round , put a craftsman regular 13 millsocket on it , Spin put a snapon regular 13 mill socket on it , spin, then put the flank drive plus pro on it gripped it like it was a brand new 13 mill fastener , bought them immediately, expensive $250 bucks but I'm a snapon guy, great video man...
I have that craftsman box the locking system keeps binding on me. I have to lock them unlock the bottom box multiple times before the right side decides to open. Looking for a box now definitely looking at is general
I’ve had this box a while now and have moved (9hr road trip) with this thing on a 16 foot flatbed trailer. All locks work/drawers work fine. Moved it fully loaded.
Only time my tools look that clean is when they are in the original unopened package. Never had a problem with rust and I am a road Tech. Good video tho. I'm gonna buy two of the bottom boxes for my truck mount them without the wheels and we will see how good the boxes are cause I have had every kind of name brand box and they don't last on the road.
I was going to get this box but found one problem. I am a small guy and have a lot of tools. One of my co-workers has this box and the casters are really lousy when the box is full. I have to roll my box around a lot being an rv technician, so this box was just not an option. Nice setup though man!
Rn I own a snap on 11 drawer double bay box with a stainless steel top. Iut grew it within a yr of owning it. Was an upgrade from an older matco I had also double bay but 22 inch deep I believe vs the fat snapon. Anywho, now I'm working independently and saving up for my own shop so atm I'm working out of my garage and that snap on is a monster in terms of needed room. When fully open the box takes up more space than my f150 is wide I feel like. Looking into getting your exact set up
Dude, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. I’ve been in it a few months now. No problems. Sell that big box through your dealer or Craigslist. Seems to me like they sit on EBay unless you are willing to deliver. Take the extra cash off that box and put it toward shop equipment, TPMS system, new scanner, tire/brake equipment....stuff that makes you $$$ Later, when you have 6 bays, 4 lifts, and 2 coke machines you can get the biggest baddest Epiq and give that HF box to a kid starting out.
Fyi china tool box uses regular 100# guides, can buy those at home depot, lowes etc. if you want to upgrade or get over extension guides can get them from rockler.
I’m getting the 56” version soon. I contemplated the RS pro Homak as well as the Matco 2s which was on sale recently for a similar price. Didn’t like the drawer layout of the Matco. The Homak is a sturdy box from what I’ve heard. But I didn’t really care for the amount of skinny drawers, plus just like Montezuma, pretty much no parts available from what I could tell. If I’m spending $2k on a box I’d better be able to get a set of drawer slides at least. On the US General the 90 day warranty is kind of short but there’s tons of parts available for them and they are relatively cheap. I have a 26” U.S. General at home and so far it has been ok, other than a slide going bad which was my fault. No brainer, the US General is the best box for the money.
I wonder if the drawers of the 72 can be turned upside down.. If they can be, I'd flip a 2nd 72 and put it on top of the bottom 72 and, flip all the drawers upside down and stick them back in.
What is the actual height of the 72" box? The specs say 44" even, but is it right at 44 or a bit higher or lower? I'm asking because I'd like it to fit under a brace in my shop that is right at 44".
Harbor freight is the better bang for the buck. Hate it or love it they’re just a better company all the way around than any other i have worked with and so far they stand by all warranties they will order parts for stuff if needed and customer service is top notch..
Great vid. I recently acquired an 84T Craftsman Premium Ratchet in light used condition. I love the feel, but it would lock up quite often. I tried some New old stock rebuild kits, but it still locked up. I heard what I needed was an updated “B” pawl. Not being able to find one, I put a gear wrench 84T pawl in it and it is working without locking up. Have you had this issue with yours?
No, mine works like a charm. More slick than most of my snappys. The B pawl thing is real. I found a dude on eBay that had a boatload of kits. I bought a couple, but haven’t touched them.
Brought it to work Thursday and got everything moved out of my old box and sort of into this one . I'm not sure what I'm doing with my valuable junk drawers . I'm moving out of a 40" and a 26" bottom box into this 72 . So the drawer space is laid out completely different . It's probably going to take a month or so to finish moving things around until I'm happy and then another month until I know were everything is . 😂
If you go to Snaponindustrialbrands.com in the bottom left corner is the whole catalogue. The sockets start on page 239. The part number for all the sockets and other tools made in the USA will start with a letter; if made in Taiwan, starts with a number. The metric set you saw in this video is item number MSB-20RC. It's a 20pc. set and I got it from zoro.com for $82.40 with 20% off. Zoro ALWAYS has a 20% coupon, look along the top of their page in a black line, it will tell you about the coupon. Better yet, sign up for their emails and you'll get 'em all the time. As far as Gearwrench, I like the tools and I like that I can go to Advanced Auto and exchange them, but for the few $'s more, I like to support US manufacturing when its reasonable. It's your nickel but I suggest Williams USA.
I've only seen a coupon for it once as I recall: $430.00 I believe. Now, there was that 15% off anything coupon at the beginning of the year. I was OOT...
Here's the site for the coupons if you don't have it. www.hfqpdb.com/harborfreightcoupons It looks like the last time the 56" top was coupon'ed was July of '18 The coupon for the 72" is $999. Our local store is having a parking lot sale this weekend with some smokin deals. The 44" is $399, I'm getting me a couple of those! www.hfqpdb.com/best_coupon/72%22+X+22%22+TRIPLE+BANK+EXTRA+DEEP+CABINET
I looked at your video again after you sent the like comment and again darned if your voice sounds like Gary busey off of lethal weapon and silver bullet lol
I've had my 72" HF box for awhile and it's a great box. However like you mentioned in your video I want to change the drawer configuration. I ordered two shallow drawers and slides. They quoted me $110 shipped for everything. I was very happy with that. I ordered everything in September 2018 and they told me 10-12 weeks for delivery. It is now almost May of 2019 and I still don't have them. Everytime I call them I get the same answer.... They have no idea when I will get them..... Soooo with that said there really isn't any type of parts or service available from HF for their boxes. For a home mechanic like me that isn't much of a problem, but if I made my living with this box it would definitely be a huge problem......
Ryan, just Snap-on pliers, BUT I recently found a product I really like. I’ll record a response to you today. Subscribe and UA-cam will notify you when it publishes.
A tool box that is so expensive that you are too afraid to scratch it is not a tool box. If it holds you're tools and can lock it works. Untill i started shopping around for a box i had absolutely no idea Snap On and Matco etc were so expensive. Laughed at a guy for offering me a black Snap on Intimidator II in mint condition with top cabinet and both side cabinets for 4500 limited edition with racing graphics ( now i regret it) Instead i bought a Sonic S14 Aviation for 500. Sonic has a 24 hotline to chat and wanted to replace a small dent on a drawer (forklift apparently) with a deeper one instead. I need deeper drawers for power tools and wanted to do some upgrades. Since i do more welding and wood work so I dont need a crazy amount of sockets and what not. Took 24 hours and had new keys drawers and slides on it's way and the replacement parts were really affordable because of being a Sonic owner. All warranties on the box transfer and if you buy it with its tools and something breaks you send them a picture and they replace it on the spot. The box is also designed so that if you swop out drawers you get ones that will replace 2 socket drawers for one large one etc. All drawers are fully extendable. If you want xhange out the slides for full extention slides. Average $40 a pair. Box was 600 pounds empty to load absolute monster. Final note. I was also big on the Montezuma box with the blue trimmings. Just ask around you can take all your trims of your box and have them anodized to that exact same blue. The aliminimum itself is blue instead of silver which is pretty cool and if not mistaken there is a guy that sells plastic drawer covers on ebay for this specific box.
You know what your thorough like I am I will shop around before I buy smart deal I have the 44 in roller with the locker on the right and in cabinet on the other side extension unfortunately before I bought the last piece they change the but what I was going to still buy the box the way it was and both of thembut something else I'm fortunately happen where I'm going to replace the whole box and I'm trying to figure to go with the 56 or 72 with the locker and the other side the cabinet after I completed the toolbox system I wasn't planning on buying another one anytime soon I've had this box for about three and a half years by the way the new icon nice but I think it's overpriced
This is one of the best toolbox reviews and tours I’ve seen on UA-cam. I like how thorough you were without dragging it out. Simple, informative and to the point!!!
Thank bud!
Alot of people cry about brands but as long as something does what you need and you make or save money, that's what matters. Great content .
Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for sharing your tool setup. You are very enjoyable to listen to! I will be using your ideas as I’m about to purchase the 72 inch box like yours.
Nice setup and I am going to get this same box setup. Having empty drawers to grow into is a nice thing. I just now learned there is a bearing in the bottom of break kleen, so wow, thanks for that. Keep them pumpkins up!!!
Wow that craftsman ratchet is awesome. Never seen that before
Great video. I really like how you're not a slave to all one brand. I have the 72" in red and also have a big mix in tool makers.
Just wanted to give you a tip. Those small silica packets you get when you buy small electrical items save them and leave them in your tool box. It helps to stop your tools from rusting
Nice set up.
I keep those for my ammo cans!
Use them and get them greasey (then wipe them off) then they won't rust. 😂
@@cbmech2563 LOL, thats what annoying, these are the P-series pliers. They are the small electrical pliers. The should not be getting greasy almost ever. SO should have coated them with something.
@@texacajundiy
😁I don't have Anything that doesn't get greasey 😁
I'm a trash truck mechanic and I always have to wipe my tools off before I put them away. Almost every time.
@@cbmech2563 DUDE! You bring back memories.
Chicken blood and baby diaper juice! LOL
Long story short: The very last wrench I welded to reach something was to pull the top bolt on a ISUZU NPR PTO with a 10 yard side load body on it.
Sweet setup i am a retired Woodworker that did work inn the feild for over 20 years. And Kennedy boxes. Have been my go to. I always look on Craigslist etc for the Craftsman Boxes like yours built by Kennedy more so because. The Knnnedy color gets old to me I’m between shops and homes at this time but I’m pretty sure my go to boxes will be the US Generals at lest for my mechanics sets For auto /truck repair and maintenance the Black ones lik yours again do look good typically my garages turn into the man cave gathering place. As i do like having egged beer available along with some Vintage autos my favorite tools at least for sockets and wrenches are Craftsman USA and SK Wayne thanks for the tool box tour I dont know why but they are very. Enjoyable to watch on UA-cam the one thing i was suprised was that i didnt see many pry bar sets ?
I have one old ACE hardware crowbar I inherited from my dad, a 3pc set of craftsman professional pry bars, and a set of OTC USA ladyfoot prybars. Some live in other carts, some I may have glazed over.
Because of this review you have inspired me to get the 72 with top box
Thats a slick box. I work at a national laboratory and we have thousands of boxes, from craftsman to waterloo, to matco and snap-on....and hundreds not being used. I like your box setup. I do hvac plumbing and dabble in electrical. Im looking forward to getting a box like this one day
My drawers on my 56 in were a little stuck. Pull harder and lubricate. They work great afterwards.
Thanks for the beginner tip. I’ve always shook the cans but didn’t know there was a bearing inside.
What a great review..
If I remember correctly if you take out one of the large drawers there are holes to replace the slides.
You.may be able to rearrange the drawers
Nice setup
The top draw where you keep your long extensions I put my torque wrenches
So umm, uhh, so....
In all seriousness, great review. Saw this box at HF yesterday and came looking for input from others. Your review is the only one I watched all the way thru. I see why you have almost 150k views on this. Great job man.
I have a few of the nice ratchets made by the tool truck dealers but I always seam to gravitate back to an extendable handle 3/8" ratchet made by Stanley. I purchased it about 15-20 years ago and it has been my go to ratchet ever since. It is short enough to get in tight places when need be and can be extended to really get some torque on a fastener if you need it. It has served me very well.
That top box is no joke! When I got mine me and two other people had to lift it to the top of my bottom box and it was no easy task wish I could have backed my truck up to it
Very nice tool arrangement!
thanks Chang.
Great video! Oil rag is a great idea. I place a few pieces of white chalk in each drawer of my tool box to absorb moisture to reduce rust as well.
It irritates me that Snap-on pliers rust so easy.
I was going to get a tool vault 56 for my brand new 30x50 garage, and then I saw videos regarding this harbor freight thing. YES!
I’ve had it for a while now. Still happy.
I know those small rolling tool boxes are bullet proof. Hands down best item they sell! Best purchase ever!
Thank you sir!
I’ve been using the us general 44inch for the last 4 years and am about ready to upgrade to the 72inch. Someone I work with has one with the top chest like yours but his is also 72inch. Just wish I would’ve did this sooner b/c now the price is $1499 with a coupon that makes it $1399. So far it looks like a good choice that’ll work wonderful and last me for years. Instead of putting another box on top, I just want to build a custom backless hutch. Very good review and video as well.
Suprisingly my favorite 3/8 ratchet at the moment is the Pittsburg red handle comfort grip its held up well and is a pretty fine tooth I cant remember exactly. My favorite 1/4 ratchet is the Matco locking flex head its a beast and I use it all the time.
That box will last a long time but play it smart and order some extra drawer slides just Incase your great grandkids need one later on down the line! Great video! Keep on wrenching!
Great job and impressive tool collection
Nice review thanks for sharing, I have all 3 of the slim craftsman ratchets. At first I felt the same way until I noticed the 3/8 would change directions on its own. Still love them.
Great video and a wonderfully practical collection of wonderful tools.
As a guy that has a krl1023 those deep drawers are invaluable. My biggest complaint is the amount of 2” drawers compared to 4” drawers
Yeah it could use a couple of deeper drawers but the 56” does a great job on that end.
Great review I too was struggling deciding to go with a bigger box was not going to pay over price for Mac or Snap-on that's just a name brand and it's look at me what I got yeah in debt I will spend the money for a general box use the rest to get decent tools thanks a bunch for the tour
Awesome box, looking to get one just like it. Thanks for sharing
Had it a good bit now. Still happy
@@texacajundiy How is the welding cart treating you? I am looking to pickup a TIG here soon and thinking about getting the welding cart for the TIG and plasma cutter.
Really good. I have a 50’ cord on one end. 2 125cf bottles on the other.
It rolls easy. Holds the stuff I use well.
I understand what you mean about the drawer dead space in the back, but I met a happy medium on my organization. I have a 44".
the montezuma boxes are built with a much thinner gauge metal. the local runnings had them on display and the size and price had my attention straight away. the second i felt how flimsy the draws and general construction was i kept walking. i already have owned a smaller us general box for years and its much more sturdy.
Love the review. Have you used knipex pliers much? Absolutely love their pliers wrench and cobras!
Most common brand of plier I use is Snap-on, right after that, knipex!
Very nice! I have the same 72" base and 56" top. I bought a Craftsman side cabinet in the same color. It was cheaper than the General side cabs and twice the space!
Just for an FYI, Sears did not buy K-Mart. K-Mart actually bought Sears. There is no Sears, there is only K-Mart. They just changed their name to "Sears" after they completed the purchase.
As an ex-employee of Sears I can tell you that the CEO and Board members made themselves millions of dollars by selling off profitable pieces of Sears. They owned Discover card, arguably the most profitable credit card there ever was. They sold it. They sold Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, etc. The reason they did this is because their compensation contracts paid such a high rate for quarterly profit increases that it made them millions of dollars to sell off the pieces of the corporation as it showed up on the books as profit. Corporate officer greed killed Sears, nothing else.
Jim we haven’t had a k mart in decades and we just lost our sears so it’s a pain to find craftsman around here.
@@williamwatkins1996 Yeah, a local Ace Hardware has a very limited selection. I don't expect that situation to improve any either. Sears is shrinking as we speak.
William Watkins - Lowes is carrying the craftsman tool line, if you haven't heard by now. They aren't made in the USA, but still carry the lifetime warranty.
I think Lowe's carries Craftsman. Don't quote me on that,check it out.
xmachine 700 - Yes they do. They aren’t made in the USA anymore, but still have the lifetime warranty.
This may have been said already, you need to pull out the 4 drawers that don't open fully... yet. Simply pull on the drawer with some pressure and it will slide out all the way. I've had to do this on all of my HFT boxes. Good luck.
Box needs a few mods. Inner drawer slides need J hooks clamped closed/tighter to eliminate play and noise. Outer slides need to be riveted down near the back on the frame, also to stop noise and eliminate drawer side play.
Nice review! I agree the box needs to be deeper, the two drawers to replace the one deep drawer and the slider issue with the 4 drawers! I really hope US General and/or Harbor Freight see and hear this review! Awesome job!
Great tool info and the black set is f@#$ing awesome.
I seem to recall that the USA Craftsman 84t ratchet was a Armstrong made ratchet. The three piece set was $159.99 usually on sale for $109-129 in 2011. It was 1/2 the price of the Matco and Armstrong 88 tooth version so it was a deal in that aspect. Wish I could have the full set.
Me too.
It’s been a minute since I looked at it all but yes all you said is correct.
A bunch of sales, mergers, and trades. I looked at all this to buy Fortive stock (FTV), they are the parent company of Matco.
These ratchets are basically heirloom tools now. There is a new one on EBay RIGHT NOW for $225. It will sell. For perspective you can get a snappy F80 for $75 on eBay all the time.
@@texacajundiy I sell a repair kit for them on my eBay store
Wow you have a lot of quality tools from all different brands. Nice to see.
I had the same problem with my HF 72" black box. Lubricate the slides and pull with decent pressure and they will come out another inch or so. It's still not flush with the back of the drawer but better.
Awesome setup. I have the us general tool cart in green and I’m starting to run out of space. I plan to buy a bigger box but I’m waiting for it to come out in green. Harbor freight emailed me saying they are coming out with new colors for the bigger boxes in April, So I’m waiting for that.
When you get it loaded make a vid for us.
Great review! Very well articulated.
I'd love to have the black boxes but I think I'm gonna stick with the red ones. My garage is just so dusty all the time I think the black would look pretty bad. The red hopefully won't show the dust as much. That black is sexy though! Nice set up!
Had that black craftsman a decade. Yes it will ABSOLUTELY get dusty, and show. I should have mentioned that in the vid. Thanks for posting.
Just picked up mine Thursday in black. No issues what so ever. Love it. I put the 44 on top of mine and added the side locker and end cabinet.
So you ended up with more “counter top” space. Let us see it. Do a tour, post a vid.
Will do as soon as I get it all organized the way I want it
Come back here and tell us so we will know.
Pull the drawer out harder it will go out all the way it is just the bushings stiffness stopping it.
Try pulling harder on your drawers to get them to extend further. Sometimes they get stuck at first. On mine they pull out all the way except for about an inch.
I thought of that and pulled a drawer off to look at the slides, that all they have.
I have just started out in a automotive collision and a welding career. I have already filled that 5 drawer cart. However, my little shop is not big enough for this bad ass box. I’m looking at the 44inch box next.
If you are loving it and this really does look like it will be a career, I'd look at ANY 30 inch deep box that will fit in your space. The extra $ up front will likely go a long way in storage space. Check pawnshops and see what used boxes the local tool truck dudes have
I've been trying to find a complete ac delco wrench set for my "GM only" tool chest. Looks good
Now they have the Series 3 out and they have 72" top toolbox OR top hutch and side lockers now on either side or both, still have the side toolbox tho. I had to upgrade recently when with the toolbox + top hutch + side locker went on sale for 25% off, all three cost me $2,250. I love greys and silvers, and I got the Slate Grey in all 3, might buy a side toolbox one day if i max these out.
And the new casters can hold 6,600 lbs, they are badass. And the dead space on the top box is -0% bc it comes out some how, it's wild, and the bottom box, the socket draw only has less than 3/4" of dead space. The normal price is $1,799.99($1,800) and 25% off came out to $450 and after all 3 discounts my savings came to $715.
Very nice setup many people are happy with the Harbor Freight boxes , I’m pretty sure it wil be my next box the only thing i would like to upgrade it to would be to add some self closing slides i am a retired Woodworker and my guess is one of the slide manufacturers we used could be modified to replace a few of the stock ones in the U.S. General boxes most of the slides had similar features I agree on th Sears ratchet as well Sears going was a sad period. For me as well but they. Did it to themselves with poo management i do still have and use my original 1970s era Craftsman sockets and wrenches. Although i. Do favor some other ratchets one being my Dads 1950s SK Wayne Items partly for nostalgic reasons of the old man being gone now
I have a silly little Wright breaker bar from my grandpa. Some tools have value beyond their utility.
The clown CEO tanked the company on purpose. He should be dragged through sand burrs and cactus,by horse back. Opinion.
That new icon box has gotta be a spiffy box when it comes out!
I love the box...I don’t like the price point. To me the stricktlytoolboxes.com boxes are of seemingly similar quality and blow them out of the water price wise.
NOW, the ICON tools I am really looking forward to. I do feel that the Napa Carlyle brand is basically the Taiwan answer to the tool truck already, but the Carlyle price point is pretty high.
That said, I hope HF does everything with ICON that Napa does with Carlyle: monthly fliers, new tools often, & a nice catalogue.
Honestly I don't know. I'm pretty well acquainted with the manager at our HF. He claims he's not sure either.
@Steve 0861 I'd guess around April or May, they're putting out yellow, orange, and green in the 44inch roll cabs this month so I think its a monthly thing they bring things out.
I bought the same one, black and chrome looks great. And the quality of the box for the money you can't go wrong. I was lucky and got one that had great fit and finish. A tool box for 10-28 grand? Nope
Hey buddy you might wanna try and force that drawer to slide out more, it should come out all the way. I have the 44inch roll cab and when I first got the box it was tough to open it up the full length drawer all the way flush but now its easy it took some using it to break in the detents.
I checked this out at HF, just a couple days ago. The 72” is the only one that doesn’t full extend it seems.
@@texacajundiy Dang man, btw check out the new husky box prices on homedepot website they got some interesting style boxes
They really do. Prices are good too. I hope to never need another box.
I will however buy one more box. When I retire and build my final shop, I’ll prolly put whatever is top on the line from snap on in it. It will be an unnecessary total luxury item. Something for my son to inherit.
Great review. I want one of those boxes so bad
I've been in it two weeks now, still dig it!
If you like that Craftsman ratchet check out the Armstrong Maxx ratchets
The gear wrench turbo sockets are great, they're not called turbo sockets but I can't think of the actual name at the moment.
LoL!!!! HaHaHaHa!!!!!
The classic, off the cuff, witt at the end made the video!!
Sir, your pumpkin earned you a sub!!!
🤘
Very nice setup!
Also moved mine myself a couple of times of seven Stairs then into the house they are extremely heavy you kind of remind me of myself my man with the sockets whatever works lol I'm the same way my man
Hoping US General will make a top hatch
They will, it will be in the “ICON” product line. Too much $ to me. Check out strictlytoolboxes.com
Older and newer Craftsman tool boxes were and are now made by waterloo not kennedy, even the ones made overseas. Some of there pro boxes are made by a Canadian company.
That’s correct. If I said otherwise in the vid it was a mistake.
Thanks.
@@texacajundiy thanks, by the way great video and info on the boxes.
You should definitely invest in the Ernest plier rack I love them and saves you a lot of space. And the tool box widgets are really nice for your wrenches.
Others have complained about the Dead space too
As soon as they make a 72" hutch, I am coming down to buy.
KWP rumor has it 72” top chest comes out by the end of October
@@fishiesrdabest very exciting.
It's called flank drive, on the crows feet bro, everyone is using them in there wrenches now, nothing is better than my snapon tho,and for there sockets, my snapon flank drive plus pro, man what can I say about them, you have to look it up or see it in action to believe it, I was on the truck and he showed me a 13 mill fastener, that he rounded the head, completely cimetrical round , put a craftsman regular 13 millsocket on it , Spin put a snapon regular 13 mill socket on it , spin, then put the flank drive plus pro on it gripped it like it was a brand new 13 mill fastener , bought them immediately, expensive $250 bucks but I'm a snapon guy, great video man...
I have that craftsman box the locking system keeps binding on me. I have to lock them unlock the bottom box multiple times before the right side decides to open. Looking for a box now definitely looking at is general
I’ve had this box a while now and have moved (9hr road trip) with this thing on a 16 foot flatbed trailer. All locks work/drawers work fine. Moved it fully loaded.
Excellent video!!
Only time my tools look that clean is when they are in the original unopened package. Never had a problem with rust and I am a road Tech. Good video tho. I'm gonna buy two of the bottom boxes for my truck mount them without the wheels and we will see how good the boxes are cause I have had every kind of name brand box and they don't last on the road.
Very nice review. No need for a pro grade box as long as you can keep it stationary in my opinion
Built in the same factories over seas as other boxes,aren't they?
wish they had harbor freight in canada. i would 100% buy that tool box.
They have Princess Auto.. Pretty similar.
@@Kona5.0 Not even close. Plus "Power Fist" is the worst fucken name ever.
I was going to get this box but found one problem. I am a small guy and have a lot of tools. One of my co-workers has this box and the casters are really lousy when the box is full. I have to roll my box around a lot being an rv technician, so this box was just not an option. Nice setup though man!
Rn I own a snap on 11 drawer double bay box with a stainless steel top. Iut grew it within a yr of owning it. Was an upgrade from an older matco I had also double bay but 22 inch deep I believe vs the fat snapon. Anywho, now I'm working independently and saving up for my own shop so atm I'm working out of my garage and that snap on is a monster in terms of needed room. When fully open the box takes up more space than my f150 is wide I feel like. Looking into getting your exact set up
Dude, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. I’ve been in it a few months now. No problems.
Sell that big box through your dealer or Craigslist. Seems to me like they sit on EBay unless you are willing to deliver.
Take the extra cash off that box and put it toward shop equipment, TPMS system, new scanner, tire/brake equipment....stuff that makes you $$$
Later, when you have 6 bays, 4 lifts, and 2 coke machines you can get the biggest baddest Epiq and give that HF box to a kid starting out.
Fyi china tool box uses regular 100# guides, can buy those at home depot, lowes etc. if you want to upgrade or get over extension guides can get them from rockler.
I’m getting the 56” version soon. I contemplated the RS pro Homak as well as the Matco 2s which was on sale recently for a similar price. Didn’t like the drawer layout of the Matco. The Homak is a sturdy box from what I’ve heard. But I didn’t really care for the amount of skinny drawers, plus just like Montezuma, pretty much no parts available from what I could tell. If I’m spending $2k on a box I’d better be able to get a set of drawer slides at least. On the US General the 90 day warranty is kind of short but there’s tons of parts available for them and they are relatively cheap. I have a 26” U.S. General at home and so far it has been ok, other than a slide going bad which was my fault. No brainer, the US General is the best box for the money.
I wonder if the drawers of the 72 can be turned upside down.. If they can be, I'd flip a 2nd 72 and put it on top of the bottom 72 and, flip all the drawers upside down and stick them back in.
That would be legit but I don’t think it would work.
nice box and tools
All that trouble fighting to get the 56" top box in place?
Did you do that fighting with the drawers in or removed?
Drawers in. Alone. It was downhill too.
What is the actual height of the 72" box? The specs say 44" even, but is it right at 44 or a bit higher or lower? I'm asking because I'd like it to fit under a brace in my shop that is right at 44".
Harbor freight is the better bang for the buck. Hate it or love it they’re just a better company all the way around than any other i have worked with and so far they stand by all warranties they will order parts for stuff if needed and customer service is top notch..
I use the 3 big draws .
Great vid. I recently acquired an 84T Craftsman Premium Ratchet in light used condition. I love the feel, but it would lock up quite often. I tried some New old stock rebuild kits, but it still locked up. I heard what I needed was an updated “B” pawl. Not being able to find one, I put a gear wrench 84T pawl in it and it is working without locking up. Have you had this issue with yours?
No, mine works like a charm. More slick than most of my snappys. The B pawl thing is real. I found a dude on eBay that had a boatload of kits. I bought a couple, but haven’t touched them.
Picking up mine Saturday 😊
Don’t be me...get a buddy!
@@texacajundiy They loaded it in the trailer, there's a forklift at work.
Picked it up last night.
Brought it to work Thursday and got everything moved out of my old box and sort of into this one . I'm not sure what I'm doing with my valuable junk drawers . I'm moving out of a 40" and a 26" bottom box into this 72 . So the drawer space is laid out completely different . It's probably going to take a month or so to finish moving things around until I'm happy and then another month until I know were everything is . 😂
What are the socket holders you use?
The ones up front are Ernst Mfg and the main ones are Hansen. Both made in USA.
I love it super clean!
Thanks. I wish it stayed that way.
Can you post some links to where you got the WILLIAMS METRIC sockets - also what you thinks on GEARWRENCH sockets?
If you go to Snaponindustrialbrands.com in the bottom left corner is the whole catalogue. The sockets start on page 239. The part number for all the sockets and other tools made in the USA will start with a letter; if made in Taiwan, starts with a number. The metric set you saw in this video is item number MSB-20RC. It's a 20pc. set and I got it from zoro.com for $82.40 with 20% off. Zoro ALWAYS has a 20% coupon, look along the top of their page in a black line, it will tell you about the coupon. Better yet, sign up for their emails and you'll get 'em all the time.
As far as Gearwrench, I like the tools and I like that I can go to Advanced Auto and exchange them, but for the few $'s more, I like to support US manufacturing when its reasonable. It's your nickel but I suggest Williams USA.
Great looking box bud...I'm wanting/ready to buy one myself. We have the coupon for the 72" bottom I'm waiting looking for a coupon for the 56 " top.
I've only seen a coupon for it once as I recall: $430.00 I believe. Now, there was that 15% off anything coupon at the beginning of the year. I was OOT...
Here's the site for the coupons if you don't have it.
www.hfqpdb.com/harborfreightcoupons
It looks like the last time the 56" top was coupon'ed was July of '18
The coupon for the 72" is $999. Our local store is having a parking lot sale this weekend with some smokin deals. The 44" is $399, I'm getting me a couple of those!
www.hfqpdb.com/best_coupon/72%22+X+22%22+TRIPLE+BANK+EXTRA+DEEP+CABINET
Those Wright sockets are super nice but so expensive
Do you know a good place to find Wright tools
I use zoro or a local tool house. Usually the local guys will beat zoro’s price.
I really want the us general 72" but I doubt I would even fill a 56" maybe not even a 44". But damn. I still will probably get it. Lol
If you have the space you will fill it. Go big!
I looked at your video again after you sent the like comment and again darned if your voice sounds like Gary busey off of lethal weapon and silver bullet lol
TEXACAJUN - what types of snap-rings pliers and can you list the WILLIAMS sockets you got on them plastic trays? GREATS VIDEOS!
I received the blue 72" box on Tuesday. Really happy with it so far.
I've had my 72" HF box for awhile and it's a great box. However like you mentioned in your video I want to change the drawer configuration. I ordered two shallow drawers and slides. They quoted me $110 shipped for everything. I was very happy with that. I ordered everything in September 2018 and they told me 10-12 weeks for delivery. It is now almost May of 2019 and I still don't have them. Everytime I call them I get the same answer.... They have no idea when I will get them..... Soooo with that said there really isn't any type of parts or service available from HF for their boxes. For a home mechanic like me that isn't much of a problem, but if I made my living with this box it would definitely be a huge problem......
You are the 2nd guy to say this. FWIW the other dude did get his parts.
If you get yours be sure to do a vid on the mod.
Very Nice! Thanks for Sharing!!!
Good stuff. Thanks
What else do you have an oil rag on besides pliers??? Just asking about anti rust advice
Ryan, just Snap-on pliers, BUT I recently found a product I really like. I’ll record a response to you today. Subscribe and UA-cam will notify you when it publishes.
A tool box that is so expensive that you are too afraid to scratch it is not a tool box. If it holds you're tools and can lock it works. Untill i started shopping around for a box i had absolutely no idea Snap On and Matco etc were so expensive. Laughed at a guy for offering me a black Snap on Intimidator II in mint condition with top cabinet and both side cabinets for 4500 limited edition with racing graphics ( now i regret it) Instead i bought a Sonic S14 Aviation for 500. Sonic has a 24 hotline to chat and wanted to replace a small dent on a drawer (forklift apparently) with a deeper one instead. I need deeper drawers for power tools and wanted to do some upgrades. Since i do more welding and wood work so I dont need a crazy amount of sockets and what not. Took 24 hours and had new keys drawers and slides on it's way and the replacement parts were really affordable because of being a Sonic owner. All warranties on the box transfer and if you buy it with its tools and something breaks you send them a picture and they replace it on the spot. The box is also designed so that if you swop out drawers you get ones that will replace 2 socket drawers for one large one etc. All drawers are fully extendable. If you want xhange out the slides for full extention slides. Average $40 a pair. Box was 600 pounds empty to load absolute monster.
Final note. I was also big on the Montezuma box with the blue trimmings. Just ask around you can take all your trims of your box and have them anodized to that exact same blue. The aliminimum itself is blue instead of silver which is pretty cool and if not mistaken there is a guy that sells plastic drawer covers on ebay for this specific box.
Good review!!! Thank you.
You know what your thorough like I am I will shop around before I buy smart deal I have the 44 in roller with the locker on the right and in cabinet on the other side extension unfortunately before I bought the last piece they change the but what I was going to still buy the box the way it was and both of thembut something else I'm fortunately happen where I'm going to replace the whole box and I'm trying to figure to go with the 56 or 72 with the locker and the other side the cabinet after I completed the toolbox system I wasn't planning on buying another one anytime soon I've had this box for about three and a half years by the way the new icon nice but I think it's overpriced
Can you swap the locks out with like snap on or matco locks so all the locks take one key
you can order replacement locks, so you should be able to get them all the same. However, I don't think its as easy as a truck box.
@@texacajundiy ok cause I like to have all them the same key