Husky has come out with a new 8-drawer ball bearing tool storage combo (HTBX8) that features glass see-through drawer fronts.
Basic Specs
- 27-inch width, 18-inch depth
- 4-drawer chest + 4-drawer rolling cabinet combo
- Full-extension ball bearing drawer slides with 75 lbs load capacity each
- 1000 lbs total weight capacity
- Aluminum drawer pulls
- Gas struts for assisted-opening lid
- Tempered glass door fronts
- Lockable
- (4) caster wheels – two that swivel and can be lockable, and two fixed
- Side handle
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What I find interesting is that the see-through panels are glass and not plastic. That’s definitely a plus.
It looks like the glass panels are not actually part of the drawers themselves. Each drawer has a low-profile front and full-height sides. When a drawer is extended, the glass panel frame pivots up and out of the way and rests on the drawer sides until the drawer is closed.
Price: $279
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
First Impression
Cutting down part of the front of each draw potentially means reduced strength and rigidity. But more than that, I don’t see the practicality in having see-through drawers.
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In theory, see-through drawer fronts is a great idea. In practice, much of the drawer contents are going to be hidden due to the shallowness of a drawer, non-optimal viewing angles, or simply because front-positioned tools are in the way.
Honestly, this is not something I would ever buy. Part of the reason is because the 4-drawer chest looks to have extra-deep drawers and I prefer shallower ones. I also tend to prefer choosing tool storage components from among different configuration options, but due to the glass drawer fronts there is no room for variety here. You get a 4-drawer chest and 4-drawer cabinet, as a set.
Early user reviews are mixed, with some positive and some negative.
CB
I agree about the drawers as being less useful or practical. I could see this appealing to some people who prefer deep drawers for bulky items but I think the majority of people who like well laid out and organized tool chests prefer more drawers to better categorize, hence shallower drawers.
Another thing to think about this model if the drawers are not able to utilize the glass face for unibody structural stiffening then you run into potential problems of flimsy drawers and the bottom of the drawers will be more prone to flexing under weight.
Remember all these drawers are pretty deep and when filled they will be quite heavy
They would have to make up for with thicker metal sheeting and reinforcements in the rest of the drawer. I would think the metal thickness would have to be .052″+ or greater to make it worth while but I don’t see how they could that with the cheap selling price.
I would prefer and recommend checking out the US General “PRO” tool chest (the red ones) and at Harbor Freight. The 26″ combo set can be had for $300 with coupons and the 44″ chest for a little bit more. They are getting great reviews about the quality and how well they are built.
But its me!
Glass and tool chest just sounds like trouble to me. Also, I would worry about the drawers racking and binding. If they are anything like the low end Craftsman chest I fill with tools, the glass fronts would just make the clutter more apparent, especially deep drawers, as noted.
The Harbor Freight chests do look nice, I might add. If I ever get a garage I would probably upgrade to one of their combo chests.
Kyle Rohde
Seems like the answer to a question no one was asking. This isn’t like a tackle box where you can see everything in the drawer now; you still only see the front so it’s unlikely to be real useful, IMO.
Jerry
I don’t see it for a regular tool user. The reason being frequent users know what is in each drawer. I could see someone who uses their tools infrequently, and would save time being able to look which drawers had what inside, but mixing glass with steel tools just doesn’t appeal to me.
Jon
My thoughts EXACTLY. I know where everything is in my truck. But I so rarely get to do anything in my garage that this would actually benefit me. And tempered glass really isn’t an issue for me for something that, again, gets only infrequent use.
Aaron
I just bought this set and couldnt be happier. http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-32-inch-5-drawer-premium-heavy-duty/p-00958625000P
JG
Sorry fot the offtopic but just a quick reminder – it’s been 4 months since the leatherman giveaway was announced, any news on that?
Stuart
Prizes were sent out to the winners a while back.
JG
Ah, I thought there would be an announcement or something.
Stuart
I generally don’t announce winners, but I might at some point create a public list of winners and what they won.
Yadda
Although, I have no need for this toolbox, I like the design. The clear fronts appeal to me on an aesthetic level. Not practical but I like the way it looks.
Hang Fire
I can see this getting use in a high traffic/low security/high value environment, where the case is usually kept locked and color-coded boxes or tools are kept inside for quick visual inventory.
Of course the lock on the toolbox would not prevent a determined thief, theft by breaking the lock would be prevented by keeping everything in an area where everyone can see it.
For personal use it may appeal to someone who likes having a barrister’s bookcase as well.
Stuart
High traffic/low security/high value environments use much more sophisticated products. Hospital settings come to mind, where medical professionals need quick but secure access to supplies.
Toolfreak
Looking forward to the day I can buy a toolbox made completely of glass.
Stan
Problem with glass though, as when this breaks, not only is quite the mess, but you really have to be careful not to slice yourself up. I am not fond of glass items for this reason, as glass also breaks into a vast amount of pieces as well.
Stuart
If subjected to high impact strikes, the tempered glass will likely shatter into many small non-slicing pieces.
Denise
I am looking into purchasing this for organizing my sons’ Legos. They would be able to see into the front part of the drawer and know what color/s are in there. We would be using it more for hobby activities than a true tool chest. All of your thoughts are interesting. I am looking at the one with the wood top so they could use it as a workstation. Adding some stools on the side could make it a great Lego building unit. I can’t seem to find anything else easily organize their Legos.