Tekton has come out with a new line of tool carts.
The new Tekton tool carts are customizable, kind of in the same way as a Subway sandwich, where you can have your way about nearly every aspect.
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There are 3 color options to start with – carbon (black), red, and white.
Do you want different height options? You can choose a 33″ base or a 37″ base.
Choose between 0, 1, 2, or 3 ball bearing drawers.
And for the sides, you can have solid or pegboard panels.
The result is 42 different Tekton tool cart options, ranging from a bare minimal cart with top lid to a taller cart with top lid, 3 drawers, and pegboard panels.
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Components are available separately so that you can add to or change your setup over time.
Tekton Tool Cart Components and Price List
It’s not just drawers that you can add to your cart – you can buy drawers, side panels, pegboard panels, and back panels separately.
- Drawer assembly: $110
- Solid side panel: $25
- Pegboard side panel: $30
- Rear Panel: $25
(Prices are as of April 2021)
Tekton Tool Cart Features
Each tool cart, regardless of drawer configuration or side panel, features a covered top compartment with hinged lid, pull handles (these look to be closed with no open hand loop), gas struts to support the top lid, and a liner.
The drawers have full-extension slides and also full-clearance walls, which seems to mean that you can utilize the full area for things like tool trays without them catching.
The top lid and each drawer have independent locks.
Top Pan Specs
- 16 gauge steel construction
- 200 lb max load capacity
- 25.9″ length x 20.1″ depth x 3.2″ height
Front Drawer Specs
- Steel drawer construction
- 18 gauge front
- 20 gauge body
- 16 gauge slides
- 100 lb load capacity
- 24″ length x 18″ depth x 3″ height
Bottom Pan and casters
- 16 gauge steel construction
- 200 lb load capacity
- 2.8″ casters (4″ height) – 2 locking swivel and 2 swivel
- 250 lb load capacity per caster, 1000 lbs total
- 28.1″ length x 19.1″ depth x 3.2″ height
Country of Origin
The tool carts are said to be made in Canada. The drawers are also made in Canada, the drawer slides in Taiwan, and the casters in China.
Pricing and Availability
Tekton currently has 42 different pre-configured tool cart options to choose from.
Tekton Tool Cart Options
- 0-Drawer
- 33″: 390
- 37″: $410
- 1-Drawer with Solid Sides
- 33″: $490
- 37″: $510
- 1-Drawer with Pegboard Sides
- 33″: 500
- 37″: $520
- 2-Drawers with Solid Sides
- 33″: $590
- 37″: $610
- 2-Drawers with Pegboard Sides
- 33″: $600
- 37″: $620
- 3-Drawers with Solid Sides
- 33″: $690
- 37″: $710
- 3-Drawers with Pegboard Sides
- 33″: $700
- 37″: $720
All of the prices seem to include shipping fees. The tool carts ship in separate boxes depending on the components you select.
Tekton says that the tool cart ships in multiple boxes.
Demo Video
The side handle configurations look interesting – I wonder how well they work. They also give the tool cart a very low-profile appearance.
Discussion
I… LOVE this idea. Next, Tekton needs to offer more colors (how about blue?), and maybe accessories (such as a power strip), and I suppose there’s even the potential for different drawer depths.
With a lot of tool carts these days, you get a one-size-fits-all setup unless you step up to super-premium brands, and even then I don’t think any brand has offered this level of customization before.
Drawers ordered as part of the same tool cart will be keyed-alike along with the top lid.
I’m having a difficult time finding any downsides to the design. Judging from the online imagery, everything looks well thought out. I suppose the high pricing could be a detractor, but if the price is representative of the quality, and you get exactly the drawer configuration that works for you, this could work.
Thoughts?
If Tekton takes things a step further, how do you think they’ll expand upon this idea?
Argie
Daaaang Tekton. Continuously hitting it out of the park the past few years.
Aaron SD
Seems pricey though pleasantly surprised the pegboard sides are only $10 up-charge.
Luke H
Also comes included with a few of the tools required for assembly, a T25 torx high torque screwdriver, a T25 torx long bit socket as well as a 7/16” deep drive socket (no ratchet and they also recommend a flat tip screwdriver).
Patrick
I totally agree about colors and adding more options like a powerstrip.
One thing worth mentioning is that 10% of all purchases at Tekton come back as store credit for next time.
BradWH
if the drawers weren’t $100+ you could do all sorts of crazy stuff with a standalone metal drawer like this… if only it was closer to 50
Aaron
I am in general unclear on if Tekton is a legit brand. It seems like I didn’t hear about them until a few years ago and they keep popping up clearance on woot!
Whats the deal on them?
King duck
Legit brand started off with low end foreign stuff some still is but they are improving and starting to manufacture stuff in USA. What you see on woot is old foreign crap depending on the price it might be worth it.
Mike (the other one)
They used to be known as Michigan Industrial Tools, but added the Tekton brand a few years ago.
Their initial products were low end tools. You know the bin in the hardware/autoparts stores with all the cheap tools? They used to populate them a lot.
However, they decided to go upmarket and offer higher-grade tools, most of which are made in Taiwan, but they have quite a few USA-made tools (screwdrivers, pliers, angle wrenches).
Kent_Skinner
I have a few Tekton hand tools (t-handle metric deep sockets wrenches) and am super happy with them. Not S-O level of fit and finish, but every bit as nice as old Craftsman. I had to replace things I would definitely consider their stuff.
Plain grainy
100 pound drawer capacity is very nice. Price is outlandish! I think I’ll buy a 1963 split window Corvette. Keep my tools in that, rather than an over priced quality tool cart.
Plain grainy
It does look like a great cart though!
Plain grainy
If you don’t need the weight capacity, you might want to look at this light duty cart(500# capacity). Northern tool has a 4 drawer “Ironton” cart on sale for $190.00. Looks very similar, some reviews question the quality.
Plain grainy
One note on this Ironton cart. You can’t open any drawers unless the top lid is opened. Not sure if the Tekton is the same way?
Plain grainy
One illustration above shows the Tekton with a drawer open, and the lid is closed.
Stuart
Tekton says that there is no passive locking system that would prevent users from opening drawers; the top lid and drawers can all be opened or closed independent of each other.
ChrisP
The 63 split window has no external opening boot so unlikely to be suitable for your intended use. IMO a 59 Impala would suit you better. It is cheaper and offers a lot more space, but yeah it’s not as cool
Plain grainy
Another problem with buying cheaper carts is assembly, Many reviewers complain of holes than are misaligned, among other assembly problems. The Tekton probably assembles easily without any headaches. That’s another plus feature of the Tekton. The Tekton is probably a well built cart than you can hand down to your children when your gone.
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Eric
Price seems reasonable for a quality tool cart made in Canada.
Travis
I like the idea of it but the pricing seems a little high. Would have to see one in person before I spent that kind of money.
Nathan
yeah so far everything I’ve used out of Tekton is like a premium tool brand minus a few thrills.
Their ratchets are some of the best you’ll use. They make more and more of thier stuff in the US or canada now.
These are primum carts – and priced as such. If I needed one to rely on daily I’d consider one.
Also don’t be surprised if you see them doing this same modular add build for tool trolleys and maybe even wall mount cabinets. That’s the next move I’d make if I was them. Imagine making your own customized 33 inch rollaround. Yes I really do want 4 deep drawers and one narrow or ?
Mike (the other one)
Word on the street is these are manufactured by Rousseau to Tekton’s specifications. If so, that explains the high price, but also indicates high quality.
Jared
Geez you’re right. These look a lot like Rousseau’s “MultiTek” carts.
Jared
https://www.rousseau.com/auto_int_en/service/multitek-cart/multitek-cart-3-drawer-s-31-w-x-21-d-x-37-h-nh37a3x002b2.html
fred
I’ve been intrigued by Rousseau’s jobsite saw stands like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Rousseau-2790-Larger-Portable-REPLACES/dp/B01HXI7ED2
Nathan
I’m intrigued by them but golly they are spendy.
Jared
These look awesome! The price seems a bit high, but high only if the quality doesn’t merit it. The add-on prices all seem reasonable – except maybe the drawers. They are a bit spendy.
Can you add more than three drawers? I assume yes, but the bottom shelf might be messed up if you go too low. I would want drawers top-to-bottom if it were me. I never have anything useful to put on the bottom of my current cart (there’s just another small tool box down there and a bunch of airspace.
The most obvious add-on they missed is different-sized drawers. That would take the level of customization to a whole new level – e.g. you could organize tools exactly where you wanted them without wasting space. At least the option of a deep drawer would be nice.
Looks like the drawers lock individually – that might be a drawback for some, but is probably inherent with the modular design. For home use I’m not locking my tools anyway. But it might get annoying in an industrial environment not to have access to all drawers with one key turn. That relates to the ability to open drawers with the top closed though.
And made in (mostly) Canada! What’s not to love?
Matt
These are slick. I don’t have use for one currently but if I ever do, this will likely be my go-to. Tekton has yet to disappoint on anything I’ve purchased…sockets, ratchets, a few specialty tools. Unless you need a different brand stamped on something to make you feel good about it they seem to be hitting home runs on just about everything.
Steve
Would be cool if drawers could be pulled and replaced, like a packout module.
PW
Love this concept. Too pricey for me, but I don’t doubt there’s commensurate quality. Really love how Tekton has been finding creative angles to go upmarket AND bring onboard more US/Canada manufacturing.
I find it an interesting contrast with Harbor Freight. Both companies used to basically import the same cheap tools at similar prices. Both decided they wanted to go upmarket. HF has taken the path of importing from the next price bin available to importers. Tekton is sourcing more tools domestically, and sometimes even creating their own designs and supply chains (see their trilobal screwdrivers).
I much prefer Tekton’s approach, and have been shifting my purchases accordingly. Although I won’t be getting these boxes, they’re probably having a “halo effect” in my brain. Which is also a positive outcome for Tekton.
John
I agree, I think Tekton has the right approach. They’ve made a serious attempt to produce tools that are well made, and made domestically or in countries other than china. Their prices are going up, but it feels appropriate. As opposed to harbor freight which has just come out with very expensive lines of tools that seem to be the same made in china junk but with a little better fit and finish.
Raycr
Tekton is mainly Taiwan made which is the same quality of old Craftsman but with a better finish than classic Sears had.
I have crow foot wrenches of both (metric and standard) and the chrome is better on the T.
For a small island they are a power house of manufacturing and design. Look at the Taiwan semi conductor company which is an industry leader in the world. American companies desperately need their product with the chip shortages.
My friend’s Ram 3500 is sitting complete for a month at the Dodge factory needing chips for its computers. General Motors is having similar shortages.
HF is main land “cheap tools”. Big difference.
TxMike64
These appear to be high quality carts. I’ve become a Tekton fan of late, as the handful of new tool purchases I’ve made are Tekton and I’ve been quite pleased! I think one issue concerning tool pricing in general is that with the influx of low cost goods over the last 20 years has skewed our perception of the inherent cost to manufacture quality goods. If the cost of materials, manufacturing tooling, design and development, labor, and regulatory compliance are all considered, you would find that most consumer goods are incredibly inexpensive. And while this “Cost Of Goods” has increased over time, the retail pricing has not increased at the same rate, therefore skewing our perception of value which drives brands to offshore more products. We consumers want to complain about cost vs. quality based on a skewed perception, which actually hurts ourselves in the long run. The ol’ “buy once, cry once” cliché holds true not just to each individual, but to the greater collective of consumers: capitalism dictates the move toward low-cost/high-return for the industrialist, but with consumer responsibility could move toward a good value-to-quality ratio for the consumer.
Julian Tracy
I’ll bet those casters are 4” high – in total. If the actual wheels were 4”, that’d make the corner supports nearly 4” in diameter too, which doesn’t make any sense.
I use my tool cart in my shed and driveway – larger wheels are a huge benefit in that usage case.
Stuart
You’re right. They look too small to me to be 4″. I asked Tekton – the casters are 2.8″ in diameter with 4″ overall height including mounting.
Julian Tracy
That size is a bit silly for the purpose of the cart, but maybe in a basement or a larger factory it’s be just fine.
fred
Maybe these larger ones from Rousseau would fit:
https://www.rousseau.com/auto_int_en/pair-of-5-casters-swivel-multitek-021.html
Andy
Looking at the assembly instructions and the stamping in the legs, it looks like there is enough room to add a fourth drawer as well to them.
I have started to replace my tools with Tekton, and I have to admit, I am MORE than impressed with the tools, the company, the customer support – all of it! Nowadays, it is next to impossible to received good customer support and in my opinion Tekton really seems to be firing on all cylinders lately.
Koko The Talking Ape
Slightly off-topic, but I just came aross this rolling tool rack, and it looks pretty great. Different use case of course, but it’s very customizable, and cheaper. They even offer a bracket for mounting a wall-mount dust collector. All the shelves and accessories add up, but it wouldn’t be hard to improvise your own from plywood. For that matter, it wouldn’t be hard to make your own from angle stock and plywood.
https://www.rockler.com/rockler-pack-rack-clamp-and-tool-storage-system
Stuart
I have their previous version. It was less expensive but is not compatible (at least not without drilling holes) with the new accessories.
The clamp cart is really best used for clamp storage. You could kind of make it work for other types of tools or supplies, but it’s far from ideal for how a tool cart would be used.
Koko The Talking Ape
Sure. I would use one to stand nearby while I’m working on a project, not really for storage. All the stuff I usually have on the workbench, like clamps, a tape measure, combination square, pencil and paper, block plane, glue, etc. could all stay on the cart and off the bench, where they get in the way, fall off, get lost among other tools, etc.
Yep, I think the old one didn’t have the holes in the uprights? How would you attach shelves and things?
Stuart
The old style had these metal brackets with half-circle curve on one side to rest on the cylindrical clamp rack tubes, and a flat shape on the other for attaching to plywood.
Personally, I use my Harbor Freight cart as a catch-all. It has one semi-deep drawer for tools, and top and bottom shelves for bulky things.
I hope to replace it with a larger woodworking bench that also has built-in drawers. I was thinking of an assembly table, but I really need mobile storage and also a workbench surface.
Frank D
Pass, it doesn’t have the triple t-stack brackets on the sides 😉
Joking aside.
Great to see a manufacturer do this.
Dave P
Summer of ’19 I gave $570 plus tax FOR THREE of the Harbor Freight 5-drawer carts…… one of them is used 6 days a week for mechanic work and I would guess has had more use than one in someone’s garage would get in 10-15 years and it’s still works like new (although all scratched up).
I’m a fan of the highly-polished Tekton long pattern end wrenches but it would take about 5 guys I trust telling me how good this Tekton cart has held up for 5 years of daily use before I’d even give one a second look.
Julian Tracy
The HF 4 and 5 drawer carts are among the best values in tool storage. The smaller 4 drawer can be had on sale for $149 and the larger 5 drawer for $199 (or less in your case). The fit and finish is easily as good as most other import boxes or carts, or maybe even better.
Koko The Talking Ape
“Choose between 0, 1, 2, or 3 ball bearing drawers.”
Hah! At first I read that to mean the the drawers could have either 0, 1, 2 or 3 ball bearings in their slides . I could see how the drawers could have 0 or 2, but 3?
Plain grainy
With all the Packout products currently out there( mounting plates, drawer units). You can pretty much make your own customized tool cart.
Stuart
True, but at much higher cost or much lower capacity.
Beepy
Wooooo doggies!! The price makes Milwaukee Packout system look like a STEAL!! Try taking this out doors and you have a top heavy tip-o-matic (and not the good kind).
Stuart
Why would this be taken outdoors??
How much would a comparably sized Packout setup cost?
JoeM
*Shudders* Quebec… The price is due to the parts being manufactured in Quebec… It’s the giant French Speaking province on a map of Canada.
Can I assure you, as a Canadian, that these are made with Quality and Durability in mind? Yes. Can I comfort you about the price? Quebec. Everything from Quebec directly seems to be more expensive than the rest of Canada. Add in the new trade agreement between Canada and the USA… The price for the USA is likely a magnificently marked up number due to some sense of “Canada First” or more likely “Quebec Doesn’t Stand For That!” sentiment.
At first I thought the sentiments over the prices of the Tekton carts were a bit harsh. Now I see the source company, and they’re not cheaper in Canadian, despite the lack of Border Duties. I looked up the head office, and saw it was where it was… And frankly that’s where it all started making sense.
You’re paying for Quebec. As a Canadian, I apologize for this. The Quebequois do not play nice.
But I do see a potential for the Cart to be replaced with a Carry-Frame, or Van Mount. No long pull-out pegs, just… a case and hook system you bolt into your vehicle permanently. These would make fantastic mobile-shop storage solutions. And I am with Stuart on this, I Love the Design, and its idea.
Oh, and Stuart? If you order direct from Rousseau, there’s 20 colours to choose from, and more peg-board related accessories. If these do well for Tekton… I think you’ll get your wish for more colours. Lots more colours.
Plain grainy
I think this is a dedicated shop cart. Something you move from machine to machine. Filled with special tools, wrenches. Maybe setup bars, gauges , all kinds of gauges. Small squares. Extra blades, dado blade set. Perhaps router bits. A backbone of your shop!
Stuart
Yup. Tekton specializes in mechanics tools, and so this is likely aimed at automotive users, but tool carts are generally very well suited for general workshop use.
CS
This post finally convinced me to pick up a tool cart — ordered one on Friday, was shipped out the same day, and it showed up on Sunday.
Overall pretty happy with it, or at least happy after the two hours of assembly (lots of cutting threads into sheet metal with screws at somewhat awkward positions). Though I don’t know that I needed 8 matching keys (2 came with the top, 2 with each drawer).
One weird thing is that someone could easily mount one more drawer (for 4 total), at least on the 37″, the only issue being the panels wouldn’t cover the mechanisms from the outside. Maybe they didn’t want to have to stock different sizes of side and back panels? Another of their standard panels _might_ fit stacked vertically but that would fully block getting into the bottom from the sides / back. Anyway they don’t have any single drawers in stock so that’s an academic question for now.
Stuart
Thanks for sharing your experience! 2 hours of assembly doesn’t seem too bad for something like this, although I’d be a little worried about stripping sheet metal screws.
CS
Thanks for sharing the product info in the first place!
Honestly I’m not too worried about that. Given that I had to unscrew and redo a couple of places after getting overeager (upside down panels), I think the whole thing is tough enough to survive a few rounds of assembly and disassembly without becoming loose. (Not that doing so sounds like a fun time.)
Only real complaints were: the text on the instructions that isn’t always clear (diagrams make up for it though), a minor enamel ding on the lid, and the big dirty footprint someone at the warehouse must have left stepping on one of the internal drawer boxes (but fortunately they didn’t bend anything).
jacob
Apologies for rezzing a old post, but is there any update to these? I can’t find them on their website. Thanks!
Stuart
They disappeared from Tekton’s website, and without any indication as to why. Maybe sales were too soft?