Milwaukee launched their first two Packout drawer tool boxes back in 2020. At the time, one of their first marketing images showed the new drawer tool boxes attached to the bottom of the also-new Packout rolling hand truck-style cart.
What do we see here? Technically, it offered rolling bottom drawer tool boxes where you don’t need to unstack everything to access your tools.
Users and critics often express indignation and disbelief that Milwaukee didn’t think of drawers on the bottom at the start. How could they not have delivered a solution to a popular user need and demand?!
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Well, they did, and the image above is evidence of that.
Milwaukee has a new rolling drawer tool box on the way, with a large organized compartment, extending handle, and built-in wheels.
See Also: Milwaukee Packout Single Drawer Rolling Tool Box is Here!
They’ve been working on this for a few years, and the design is compatible with Milwaukee’s recently released Packout accessories.
So although they had examples of how you could access your tools without having to unstack a Packout tool box tower, users wanted a rolling drawer tool box.
It’s a complex design, with front wheels and a new locking system. Frankly speaking, I’m not sure it would have been possible 4 years ago, at the least because of the $250 price.
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Needs and wants evolve as a product category matures.
Dewalt didn’t launch have a ToughSystem organizer until 2015, or a ToughSystem rolling tool box until 2016.
Can you imagine if any brand launched a new tool box system today and it didn’t have at least one rolling tool box or a clear lid parts organizer?
Back to the point. Milwaukee’s Packout 2-wheel cart, 48-22-8415, is a very versatile product that does a lot.
It allowed for users to place drawered tool boxes at the bottom of a rolling stack.
But users wanted something else, and now you have one.
What took so long? We’ll probably never know.
The idea was there, but users asked for something different. 5 years from now, will it matter? What about 10 years?
Does anyone still remember when you couldn’t buy a Dewalt ToughSystem rolling tool box or organizer?
And as a reminder, the entire Milwaukee Packout system hasn’t even been around for a full 8 years yet. Shown above is the first wave of Packout products that were announced at Milwaukee’s 2017 media event.
See also: Milwaukee Packout Tool Boxes and Storage System 2017 Launch, in Photos.
Shown here are all 4 of the products included in Dewalt’s first wave of ToughSystem storage products – just 3 tool boxes and a hand cart. There was no organizer, and no standalone rolling tool box.
The modular tool storage category has evolved a lot over the years, and there’s room for more growth into new spaces. Tool brands try to anticipate as much as possible, but sometimes needs and wants develop organically in ways that can’t be predicted.
All I’m saying is that Milwaukee did think of ways to improve tool accessibility in a Packout stack, just not in exactly the way users have since been asking for.
William
I think it would be interesting to discuss how and why Milwaukee seems to be crushing the competition in the modular toolbox market in North America. Just the pure number of products they have is much more and varied than all the other brands it seems.
It seems Milwaukee is more focused on staying with one product line and Dewalt likes to have lots of different product lines. IE, M18 and M12 VS. 12v, 20v, 40v, 60v. Never mind Dewalt’s Tstak, ToughSystem, Toughsystem XL, stand alone parts organizers, and now their garage system.
I’m a big fan of Dewalt, all of our cordless tools are Dewalt 12, 20 and 60v. But if I had to start over I would look hard at Milwaukee. I do wish I had built my truck racks to fit Packout instead of Tstak. Tstak is so much more affordable though. Far fewer options.
eddiesky
Thanks to Toolguyds readers, I was able to source a plate-adapter to allow my Dewalt tool storage system to attach to the top of this (delivers in June btw) Milwaukee packout rolling box.
Stuart, the thing is that even though it was 5 years ago, neither tool pack makers have a storage removal system that is a drawer AND the container. Meaning that say I have the Packout Organizer, and I want to store it to pull out (not remove), I should be able to have a drawer to pull out, open lid and get parts/bits/etc. However, I should also have the ability to pull out the Organizer and take it with me (say to another part of the site/house/work place. Without unstacking all the other nested Packout/System/etc.
Also, I want the option in the States to have the EU black colour on Milwaukee.
Max
Systainer is pretty darn close, in racking organizers, but to have some sort of quick release slide would be pretty bulky with the existing interfaces.
Vards Uzvards
Eddie, you might want to take a closer look at the Tekton system.
These two options look very reasonably priced:
https://www.tekton.com/open-top-drawer-ls-tray-and-stacking-drawer-rack-olb94010
https://www.tekton.com/lidded-drawer-i-boxx-and-stacking-drawer-rack-olb94000
The whole system might work unless you need to pull it through the mud.
https://www.tekton.com/tool-storage/stacking-organization-system/stacking-system
Stuart wrote about it about a year and a half ago.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/tekton-modular-mechanics-tool-kits-storage-system/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Stuart
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-tool-success-theory/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Great leadership + great product design and engineering + proven strategy.
Some try to argue that Milwaukee just throws their financial weight around, and that’s why they keep winning.
Some companies are motivated by short-term returns and they won’t launch products that don’t have a direct path to measurable profits. Others leverage their brand name and sell it out, even if their licensed partners aren’t capable of on-par quality.
Milwaukee Tool seems to still be in “David vs Goliath” mode where they were doing whatever they could to win over users – not necessarily market share, but users. I think their popularity has surpassed Dewalt’s, but they’re not acting like that has already happened.
Basically, it comes down to ideology and execution.
On the end user side, Packout has enough benefits that it sells itself. There are enough promotions throughout the year that it can usually appeal to more cost-conscious users beyond the “I need a business solution now, regardless of the cost” type users. But the way they handle promotions, they don’t dilute the value.
People will say “they’re in bed with Home Depot,” and I’d say their relationship surely helped. But it’s how Milwaukee leveraged that relationship and Home Depot visibility that helped propel Packout.
Some companies get a little success with a product and count their dollars. With Packout, I don’t think they’ve stopped pumping money into their R&D.
They’re working on more. How many Dewalt ToughSystem products were launched in the last year, aside from DXL? How many products are in active development? The DXL sub-family are great products, but they don’t seem to be very popular. Are we going to see active development, or not?
Dewalt announced a partnership or collaboration with Sortimo and that they were going to launch van racking. That was in 2017, the year Packout launched. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/new-dewalt-tools-from-their-2017-media-event/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Milwaukee hinted that they were working on van racking solutions in 2022 https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-snowblower-packout-mx-fuel-pipeline-2022-teasers/%3C/a%3E, and they showed off the first wave of products last summer. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/modular-tool-box-news-fall-2024/%3C/a%3E They’re working with van outfitters beyond their typical retail channels.
What has Dewalt done to expand upon their van racking options from 2017?
Milwaukee worked with automotive schools to put together a Packout-based mechanics tool set. It’s still on the way. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/milwaukee-pipeline-2024-new-tools-full-list/#packout%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
That’s something Dewalt could have done, or maybe Proto. But they haven’t.
Milwaukee operates in a way that I think other tool brands choose not to, and it has worked out well for them.
I’d say that Milwaukee is hyper focused on end users first, growth second, and maybe profit third. Other brands in their place would think “we’ve got top market share, let’s squeeze out some more profit.”
If you look at Milwaukee Tool’s leadership and senior product managers, they’ve all been there for a long time. I don’t think they’ve shifted mentality from back when the brand was on crutches and looking for ways to grow.
Anyway, that’s my take on how and why Milwaukee has been so successful, and why they’re crushing the competition.
@Eddie, https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/bosch-l-boxx-rack/%3C/a%3E . There are industrial versions as well, such as by Durham. Sortimo has the Workmo as well.
There are smaller Packout solutions, such as Shockwave bit set cases that fit nicely in some of the drawer tool boxes, but no full-size pull-out organizer yet.
Saulac
Product DNA. They did their research to come up with good traits then have the leadership and discipline to maintain and develop those traits. Too many good thing get ruined in the name of new/change.
LGonToolGuy'd
That reply was worth its own post, essentially. Bravo!.
Kompahko
Sure drawers at the bottom was doable with their big dolly. But it couldnt store large bulky tools like a rolling box. Which is why people demanded a big single drawer.
Luke
It’s also 35 pounds [and that’s before adding any packout options]. While 35lbs isn’t break-your-back heavy, it’s a bulky unit and awkward to load into a truck bed even while empty. I have and love the dolly, but let’s not pretend it’s the convenient set of wheels that packout drawers have been missing.
Justin Latva
Maybe not the right post for this but anyone else find majority of rolling toolbox tires grossly under sized? I go up stairs and rough terrain a lot and the wheels just don’t cut it.
Saulac
Good wheels are expensive. I would just replace them to suit my needs. I do wish for a modular approach from OEMs to make swapping faster, such as you would swap to in/outdoor wheels when you go in/outdoor.
Tom Williams
I actually invented the two wheeled modular tool chest in 1991 (built a working prototype); applied for a patent in January 1992 which was granted August 1993. It consisted of 3 tool boxes; the bottom one with rollout drawers and built in fold-out over sized wheels (for rough surfaces and stairs); the middle one with rollout drawers; and the top one with a top lid. The handle was segmented (it could be taken apart and the sections placed inside the box to allow for airline travel etc) and slid down into open shafts at the rear of the boxes (which locked them all together). Folding out the wheels automatically locked the handle into the unit (you could pull it up stairs). No need to unstack anything to access the contents.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5240264A/en?oq=us5240264a
Dustin
I bought the 2wc day one and never used it as packout. To start, folding the unit required 3 hands. Which I fixed by installing a cable system to pull up on the levers.
More importantly, the bottom plate was too thin and would deform making it impossible to land a box on the base.
Great dolly though. One of the best imho. Just utterly pathetic out of the box and for its intended purpose.
PlatinumComCo
Let me see your cable system, I’m still using all three of my hands!
Luke
Man, it really is a pain to collapse. I put a hand on each lever and then use my face to push it over. A rare terrible design from Milwaukee.
Jim Felt
Having personally tried two systems including Packout I’m (not professionally) ever going to used a wheeled system.
Instead I use the smaller Packouts for easy to grab all in one storage for specific tools with specific accessories. And for flexibility I only use (new) red shop rags for padding.
Best use so far in my multiple tool applications.
Small parts storage is an entirely different issue and solutions.
(I imagine I’m not even remotely their target user though).
Frank D
I have loved most things about PackOut except the premium price ( as a diy user), the lack of extra drawer dividers for a few years … and the original bottom box.
It was just a heavy large dumb box with odd shapes, always had to unstack above to get anything and seemingly no easy way to actually make that a proper organized unit. I was motivated to get some organization with bins and trays in it … or set it up for some saws, without banging into each other … but too much work to develop it, would have to add rails and/or styles to the inside. So … it sat unused for a few years and I sold it.
chip hershberger
I use and believe packout has the best latch system (most easily adaptable via 3d printer) ,and the most diverse.
However a large single bulk drawer was an absolute fail.
Most tracksaws will just fit sideways in the cabinet, although they need to lay on the side shield…sideways.
Constant using stacking when using daily was a pain.
The handtruck is poorly designed for rolling,and tips over very easy.
Rear storage for levels and guide rails overcomes it’s deficiencies, for me at least.
Like all brands the rolling box has its good and bad points….still as a base unit,I’ll reiterate it lost many customers.
I’ve talked to many who switched for that reason alone.
Same with the lack of a tracksaw for many years,bought the Makita and added many more of their tools instead of red.
There are primary and secondary tools that influence tool buying …just saying.