Craftsman has come out with a new 42″ and 20-drawer ball bearing tool storage unit. While this isn’t the first or only Craftsman tool storage unit of this size, it has a couple of features that I find intriguing.
First, do you see any seams between the top chest and bottom roller cabinet? Do you see any side handles on the chest? Here’s the full ~26MP image so you can zoom in for a closer look.
Advertisement
What you should notice is that this isn’t a combo, it’s a one-piece unit! Or at least that’s what it looks like to me. Am I wrong?
Next, there are two full-width drawers in the middle section, not just one. This looks to be a very high-density-storage unit, with a good mix of shallow and deep drawers.
Update: One of those full-width “drawers” is a pull-out work surface, and not a drawer.
The partitions between left and right drawers, and top, middle, and bottom zones look to be wider than in many 2-piece combos I’ve seen. I wonder why. Added strength?
Each of the drawers can support up to 100 pounds, and the unit can support a total of between 601 to 1,000 pounds. But then the product specifications say that it has a basic up to 400 lb. capacity weight rating. It comes with 4 5-inch casters, with 2 of them being locking swivel casters.
The top compartment is held open by gas struts, and there’s a single (central?) lock. There’s a side handle on one side, and has a similar slide-into-the-frame construction, similar to the design found on Dewalt’s 40″ tool storage combo.
Advertisement
The new Craftsman unit weighs 280 pounds.
Price: $1000, on sale for $810
There’s bound to be a freight delivery fee. Right now this model isn’t available for delivery in any of the zip codes I checked, but that’s probably because it’s so new.
Buy Now(via Sears)
First Thoughts
Craftsman has tried different things over the past few years, some of them being innovative, others promotional, and others responsive to the changing market and customer demands.
The last I heard, Craftsman and Sears was still a market leader when it came to ball bearing tool storage products.
With Milwaukee coming out with a fantastic ball bearing combo at $700-$800, Dewalt offering an excellent storage combo for a little over $1000, and a massive combo for $800, and Husky offering a couple of 41″ to 52″ combos, it’s obvious that more users are looking towards bigger and higher capacity tool storage solutions.
Craftsman has offered large tool storage combos before, including a 40″ combo or two that routinely go on sale for under $1000.
Maybe it’s my imagination, or hopeful thinking, but this one looks different, maybe even better. Its one-piece construction is very unusual compared to what I’m used to. But for something this wide and heavy, does it matter?
I hope Craftsman gets its weight capacity rating straightened out. If its drawers are rated to 100 pounds, but the casters or cabinet cannot support more than 400/600/1000 pounds, that’s a shame. A 1000 pound rating would be great, but let’s not forget that the casters also have 280 pounds of toolbox that they’re also supporting. Hopefully someone at Craftsman will read this and get back to me with updated specs.
One thing I already know I wouldn’t like about this unit – the uncapped drawer handle pulls. My Craftsman Griplatch top chest scratches me if I even look at it. Plastic caps for the ends shouldn’t add too much to the cost, but too many brands eschew this nice finishing touch.
Nate 818
Always get pictures with drawers open
Jerry
I’m with you on wanting to know the true weight capacity before I’d get one.
Mark
Best bang for the buck by far is the 13 drawer at Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/44-in-13-drawer-glossy-red-industrial-roller-cabinet-68784.html
Nothing else touches it. It isn’t as good of a deal now as it used to be back when they were in the 200s and you could use your 20% off coupon but they are still very good for the price.
SteveW
The only problems I’ve had with the HF box is the lock is cheap and the drawers drift open, even when left in one spot. We use it as a maintenance toolbox and the drawers open when you roll it. I can’t lock it to keep the drawers closed because one time it took us 20 minutes to get the finicky lock unlocked. otherwise it’s ok. I just wish it had a really deep drawer to keep spray cans in, WD40, Lith grease, brake cleaner, cutting oil, air tool oil, etc…
BikerDad
Why not simply replace the lock? Or is the finickiness in the mechanism beyond the tumbler?
SteveW
I think it’s the lock itself, which we wouldn’t even use except to keep the drawers closed when we roll it from one end of the shop to the other. I don’t want to spend the money to replace the locks (it happens to the side cabinet we have on it too) when we it’s a pain to use them just to keep the drawers closed. I’d rather come up with some sort of quick flipper for the drawers.
Mark
I can’t speak to the lock much. I’ve used it a grand total of twice: once when I first bought it and once to keep the drawers closed in transit when I moved. And in neither of those instances did I have an issue opening it. Toss out the lock and it is still an incredible deal. The quality is amazing at that price point, IMHO. This isn’t a situation where you’re willing to accept crap because it is cheap; it’s actually as good as I would want it.
SteveW
Yeah, I like the box quality overall for the price. Ours was even better, one of our mechanics traded it in for a $4K Mac box and the company bought his trade in box with the side box from the Mac guy for $300 cash and an old beat up crappy smaller box that most of the drawers didn’t work on.
Morgan
looks like an end of January arrival
option to buy and ship to store states 1/25 for me. So we have a while before one might see this in the wild
I have a 52″ box currently and a smaller 26″ in the other corner that needs to be bigger. I was quite bummed when the Milwaukee 46″ set was 3″ too wide to fit. Looks like this one might be the perfect fit
mike aka Fazzman
Wierd how its one piece,I like the double full length drawer idea. I wish more boxes were like that.
Danielle
I doubt the structural integrity of this box under heavy weight and actual use.
For reference, my 41″ Proto combo set weighs a combined 505lbs. The bottom alone weighs as much as this entire Craftsman unit.
Harry
Looks interesting. I like the tower concept and would be interested in in a smaller version. What’s up with the large open storage area at the top trend? Is this where a charging station for your cordless stuff goes or is it for all of those blow molded cases mechanics get? The full width drawers are nice but, if one of them isn’t tall enough and strong enough to hold 1/2 drive deep impact sockets on rails, it’s useless to me. 240 pounds seems pretty light for a unit that size.
Nicholas
I went to Sears last weekend and I saw a 54 inch (I believe) professional toolbox. It was made in Canada too. It looked like they just came out with it. It was $3499 for the top and bottom.
Gary T.
It’s definitely a one piece unit. Is it just me, but I’m counting 21 drawers, not 20.
Stuart
Ah, M is right – one of the full-width “drawers” isn’t a drawer, it’s a pull-out work surface.
Gary T.
That explains it. Thought it might be a typo from Sears.
M
Looks like this is an international brand toolbox, been selling these in Canada for awhile now. https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.20-drawer-tool-tower-red-42-inch.1000792157.html
The top full length drawer isn’t a drawer. Is just a pull out shelf.
Morgan
good catch
$799.99 at HD available now
http://www.homedepot.com/p/International-Tech-Series-42-in-20-Drawer-Tool-Tower-Red-VRA-4220RD/203715366
Lynyrd
This isn’t new, it has been available on Sears.com off and on this past year. Made by International as some have pointed out.
Josh B.
It’s another rebranded SPG International. Sears last year had a green one from them, which isn’t available anymore. International sells them through Home Depot and Sears that I know of. I’ve seen them selling online in Red, Blue, Black, Orange, and the limited Dark Green.
Also, I believe this is in line with SPG International’s value series.
Correct me if I’m wrong. Hope this helps.
Josh B.
I forgot to mention it’s referred to most of the time as a “tool wall”. Being that it’s a single one piece, hints the name wall.