As stated in the title, Amazon says “5K+ bought in past month” about the Dewalt Tstak deep tool box, model DWST17806.
I find that interesting.
They also sold 1K+ of the 2-drawer tool box, 1K+ of the parts organizer, 1K+ of the 1-drawer tool box, 1K+ of the briefcase-style tool box, 300+ of the long-handle tool box, and 700+ of the tool box with wheels.
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Thus, the extra-large Dewalt Tstak tool box sold as well as approximately all of the other Tstak-compatible tool boxes, combined.
This model has a removable tray. Other than that, it’s just a largeish-sized tool box.
Amazon has it priced at $31.31 at the time of this posting.
Are users buying this to be part of a modular tool box system, or just because they want a tool box of this size?
Are they stacking and latching organizers or other tool boxes to it, or are they just using it standalone?
A lot of tool users – and maybe some brands – seem to forget that modular tool box systems offer huge potential, but that potential doesn’t have to be realized.
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It’s okay to buy just one product from a system if that’s all you need.
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fred
I own 4 of the DWST17806 toolboxes – bought in 2020 to accommodate 4 different and infrequently used power tools and associated accessories – each needing a larger box to fit. I had no modular storage intent when they were purchased – but ended up stacking them 2-high in two different spots in my shop.
Stuart
That’s kind of how I’ve been using these – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/dewalt-toughsystem-compact-deep-tool-box-dwst08035/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
aaron+s
Yeah I have my roto hammer in one of those, then another with hand tools. Two still empty.
Trouble with tstack is that lots of pretty common tools don’t fit in them, toughsystem is like bare minimum if you want to fit a sawzall
CMF
I remember when you did this article, and I thought they were a cool idea, being half size and all.
I checked around and a couple of places were offering discounts for pre-orders. I bought 4 at $20(cdn) off each. They are nice boxes, but at the end of the day, this TStak deep tool box at half the price is a great buy. maybe a sawzall does not fit, but they are great tool & some accessories for so many tools.
Easy to hand carry, very simple but effective. I can see why the poster below buys these as shipping boxes….great idea.
fred
I bought them over a period of 5 months in 2020. As typical of Amazon fluctuating prices – I paid $25.94, $26.95, $28.31 and $27.41. Even at today’s price I think that that they offer spacious storage potential at a low cost.
Vards Uzvards
Last year, in mid-July and then again in late November, price dipped under $24 for these boxes.
fred
I see that HD seems to undercut the Amazon price by $1.34.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-TSTAK-VI-17-in-Stackable-Deep-Tool-Storage-Box-DWST17806/204404470
Mike
When I did professional furniture install I needed to carry a lot of different, mostly hand, tools. I didn’t want a giant setup and the T-Stak system was perfect. 1 deep box, 1 shallow box, 1 deep drawer, and 1 two drawer on the cart. It was fast easier to lug that around than using the Tough system or Milwaukee Packout. Those are both great, but the bulk was unnecessary for the work being performed.
Joellikestools
What type of furniture were you installing?
Matthew C
I own a couple tstak boxes. I use 1 or 2 as standalone boxes and keep a stak of 2-3 with a dolly for use when large amounts of tools need to leave my house for a project. They were originally a first tool box system for my dorm room and cars but now that I have more space and tools they work well for the occasional hauling around of whatever tools I need for a particular project. For non professional use I like the price and versatility. I broke one box when I had the whole stack tip, but I wouldn’t consider buying something else at this point. They serve their purpose while not breaking the bank, I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up getting more to use as a storage solution for basic tool sets I tend to give out when friends get married.
Marc
I own about 10-12 Tstaks of various sizes and put them on 4 wheel platforms that can roll around my garage. I’ve organized stuff by type of work: painting, drywall, plumbing, electrical, etc. I also use a couple of these large boxes for tool storage. I bought them long ago before all the fancy expensive modular tool box sets came out. They work fine for a DIYer.
MM
That is exactly how I organize my supplies for home/DIY and also those things I use for my work but less frequently. I’ve got a bin for plumbing, another for paint & drywall, electrical, automotive, fasteners, and so on. When I adopted this method many years ago Tstak wasn’t a thing so I used Rubbermaid totes. If I were to do this again I’d definitely go with Tstak instead. This application doesn’t need the durability, weather resistance, or portability of something like Packout, Toughsystem, etc, nor would that kind of expense be justified. Tstak has just enough of the nicer features without being overkill for that purpose or my wallet.
Eric
I own a few of the double drawer and a couple of the single drawer tstak boxes. I really like them for tools with lots of accessories or different sized fasteners. I have a single drawer for my rivet and rivnut tools paired with a double drawer for rivets and rivnuts along with some of the bolt and screws I regularly use with the rivnuts. Another single and double combo for die grinders and their accessories. Another double for t50 and narrow crown staples, and a double for 18 gauge and 15 gauge nails for my nail guns. The drawers make it easy to quickly grab what I want without digging out the boxes. And if I want to take the whole box with me it’s easy enough to grab it and take it with me. They’re not as nice as packout or similar boxes, but they’re much more affordable for those of us that aren’t working out of them everyday and dragging them from site to site.
Saulac
The half width deep boxes from the modular storage systems are the new amo cans. Right size to carry in one arm. A 5 gallon bucket w/o looking like so.
Noah
Tstak is great because it’s so versatile.. it can now connect to versastack boxes directly, tough system with an adapter, Tradestack with an adapter, and tough cases snap in to the tops of them. Also I believe I read that DeWalt’s new larger boxes can also work with them.
Personally I mix and match multiple stacks of multiple brands depending on what I need to do. I enjoy how light and portable they are compared to the other brands of modular toolboxes. Plus they are very inexpensive.
My only gripe is that tstak doesn’t come with a gasket like versastack which is ip54. It has the same groove where the gasket goes, so I just make my own.
Steven B
TStak is my favorite. All they need is some versastack-grade weather sealing and they’re perfect for “civilized” use. Packout and ToughSystem are very bulky, difficult to use, heavy, and expensive. I’d trust packout or toughsystem more in a drop test or rainstorm, but a lot of people need toolboxes for more “civilized” work. Some electricians and technicians go to muddy construction sites and may leave their tools out in the rain, but I would wager most are walking into finished houses or offices and needing to maneuver around a family’s furniture, rugs, and various obstacles to do their work.
Some, like me, do woodworking or some similar hobby in their garage or basement. We need softcore weather sealing, but not heavy-duty impact resistance…just convenient storage.
I first bought into the ToughSystem format and found myself HATING using it. They’re HEAVY…OK, well, I’m strong, but….not every surface I have available is…I have to ensure any surface I put one on is strong and stable. I can put a Tstak box on a chair or bucket, no problem.
Secondly, the bulk and weather sealing make them inconvenient to use. I can open the Tstak easily with one hand, put my tool away, and close it with one hand, on an unstable surface like a chair or bucket. That’s a definite no with ToughSystem and most packout boxes.
So…when I was on ToughSystem?…well…I basically put tools on top of them until I was done. When I did home improvement projects, I took several extra days to put them away because they’re so heavy and inconvenient, I didn’t want to remove them until I was really really sure I was done.
The TStaks are a joy to use. They’re a nice size and weight and the drawers are REALLY AWESOME. They really are nice, especially compared to Packout ToughSystem, especially at 1/3 to 1/4 the price.
I was really surprised and impressed by the Tstak drawers.
Ryan
I buy several dozen of these a month, zip tie the locks, and use them as reusable shipping boxes. They are mostly crush proof, waterproof, and surprisingly durable. Basically mini-pelicans.
Plain+grainy
I wonder why they don’t incorporate the “ One Touch “ latch, into the Tstak system.
Plain+grainy
I guess my preference would be the secure present double lock. Then add a “ One Touch “ latch for times your opening the box a lot. Make the existing double locks so they don’t flop around, when using the quick latch.
JR Ramos
Probably doesn’t make sense to go to the great expense of changing a long-existing system. New dies and molds, changes to process, etc. For something that is sound where it is but maybe not a seller in as much volume or profit as other products of theirs, spending significant coin and effort is usually frowned upon. I think of Milwaukee in this vein sometimes, too…some tools just needed minor tweaks but rather than do that they sold them as-is with the flaws for many years before finally reintroducing something that was somewhat radically changed (and not always for the better). Fact is changing the existing tool would sometimes come close to the costs of just developing a whole new model, which is what they did/do. Irritating but understandable.
Dave
Do you really trust that data from Amazon?
Big Richard
Nope. Every month they supposedly sell 20,000 DeWalt DCD771C2 kits. I just find it hard to believe DeWalt makes 20k+ kits a month, let alone that amazon is selling those 20k+ kits each and every month.
Or maybe I just want to think that in 2024 people are not still buying that kit.
T Biggs
I rolled my pickup on the highway last March (lucky to walk away)—more of my Tstack boxes survived than my Tough System.
Goodie
Glad you walked away from the accident. Good to know on the durability of Tstak. I’ve often thought that Tough System and Packout are the to the Tstak what “Yeti” coolers are to “Igloo” and “Coleman. They all work quite well; but the former have a reputation for ruggedness that may matter that much in the real world.
Goodie
*may not matter that much in the real world.*
Chris Shelton
Those “5k bought in the past month” notifications are COMPLETELY B.S. It HAS GOT to be a fabricated algorithm multiplied by 100 or more. If they sell 5K per month we would see them everywhere… across all industries… and I don’t see anyone using them. Dewalt is my choice of brand to use since I started using tools in the 80’s. I have the TStak 2.0 set up, roller rack and all. So, I’m not just hating on Dewalt. I see the “sold quantity fabreication” all across Amazon. Don’t trust it. It just there to make the impulse buying decision easier. And they know it. Cause it works.
Chris Shelton
Dang, I didn’t spell check. I need to slow down. Ha!
Stuart
You underestimate how many DIYers and homeowners just need a tool box or two to keep in their closet, basement, garage, etc.
fred
While I don’t take everything that Amazon says of face value – I can see how the 5k number is plausible. If 1 out of 26,000 US households bought one box each – that would account for the numbers. I’m not sure what percentage of the 131.43 million US households shop on Amazon – but that’s a big marketplace – and Amazon’s worldwide market could be even larger. I bought 4 in one year for home shop use – so I helped contribute to the statistics.
Steven B
Do you “see” every toolbox sold? I don’t “see” them because I don’t go in many homes other than close friends.
I see MANY packouts on jobsites in my neighborhood. I don’t see any other kids…I used to see DeWalts before Milwaukee dominated the modular storage arena. But I don’t think anyone buys TStak to take to an outdoor job site and leave them out.
As others said…it’s meant for home users…maybe some indoor contractors, like repair technicians…although most of them tend to prefer bags.
I honestly use them as storage bins more than toolboxes. They’re perfect for basement tool storage.
Alex
I bought 3 tstak organizers in the last month alone. I’m not a construction worker but a DIYer. 5k is not an unrealistic number.
Dan
Like the $10 and under bottle of wine. It’s mostly about price point.
Allen
I’m a remodeling carpenter and I use these for my tools that didn’t come with a case. I’m completely tooled up with Dewalt cordless tools. I don’t even have an extention cord in the truck. I have my sidewinder circular saw in one, with all kinds of blades. Drills in another, with all my bits and accessories. Another has my 4 inch side grinder, plane, and multitool, with everything that goes with them. Reciprocating saw and jigsaw in another. “Worm drive style” saw in another. Five boxes I can stack up however I want. I’ll probably buy more.
JoshtheFurnaceGuy
The last Dewalt box I bought needs replaced after 2 years. (Pro use, but not abuse.) I probably wouldn’t trust another for riding in a work truck, especially at that price.
fred
Interesting to know what failed. My commercial experience is getting old, but we had failures of plastic items (sawhorses and toolboxes notably) in cold weather. Bouncing around (or tossed in and out of) the truck they would crack or split open in sub-zero weather. The guys wanted to try an early generation of SBD sawhorses – and ended up hating them for this reason. Maybe newer ones are better. We also had plastic toolboxes where the guys would swear at the handles for failing under load (perhaps overload). I recall that sticky and broken latches were another complaint – with toolboxes tied up with rope to temporarily salvage them.
doneanddusted
Kinda deep for a bunch of hand tools, not wide enough for wide things, I’m not sure what this is for.
As a person who keeps power tools in a used lateral file cabinet that cost less than a small plastic box, this kind of storage is always sort of a mystery to me.
I’ve got a couple of those Rubbermaid 26″ toolboxes for the occasional times I need to temporarily haul tools somewhere, but admit they don’t have big ol’ logos on them. Just imagine the money to be made by printing ‘Milwaukee’ on the side of plastic buckets.