Home Depot and Lowes Tool Box Storage Brands to BUY and AVOID | US General, Kobalt, Craftsman, More

[@kelliw5571]

This was very helpful. I am shopping for a nice toolbox for my husband for his birthday and as a clueless shopper, Craftsman was what I almost bought. You’ve convinced me to look into US General.

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@donaldpainter956]

Need to look at how deep the drawers are that's make a difference in a useful drawer and a wasted drawer

[@brianb82328]

Man is squatting in the tool chest aisle all of January and buying em all as soon as the markdowns happen

[@nicko978]

I have a craftsman 52 top and bottom purchased the bottom at sears in 2019 and the top at lowes in 2020, both are great boxes. The drawers don't scratch or squeak. Ever consider that for $40 you were buying factory seconds?

[@rtz549]

Lowe's would be better off if they ditched Craftsman and embraced Kobalt and pushed Dewalt.

[@Oxinder]

Love my kobalt and dewalt and you are 1000% right. The craftsman just isn’t what it use to be.

[@javiermendoza7055]

Carrying Urrea tools in store would be a better option. Some their tools are made in the USA or Mexico (better than sending my $$ overseas).

[@rtz549]

@@javiermendoza7055 I agree. That would be a good brand to carry big time. Even Bahco would be a desired brand.

[@LLCNet21]

DeWalt would be first choice over Kobalt. They are usually made in USA.

[@bike2015]

Definitely agree

[@ericpigg2689]

I picked up a Husky 36x18" 12 drawer (bottom and top) at Home Depot last weekend. With the military discount, it was $392 out the door. I bought the red one. For some reason the exact box in blue was $698. It seemed like a lot of box for $400 and so far I have been pleased. I basically emptied 2 of the US General rolling carts (like the green one in this video) into it and still I have a considerable amount of room to go. Loaded at about 80% capacity, it feels solid and not wobbly or top heavy. It is also has the no slam drawers the pull themselves in about the last 2 inches or so. Cool feature in this price range. Time will tell, but so far it seems like a good value for the money and it saves some floor space. I will probably sell one of my US General carts at this point.

[@dippitydoinit]

If you live in the Midwest and have access to a Menards then definitely check out their Masterforce tool boxes. They're priced competitively but are a bit more expensive than others because they're 24" deep. I promise you'll be happy with them.

[@JoeVan]

So that 26-in US general you have is one of the first generation. If you look on the sides of those small drawers you'll see two little levers. You push one down and pull the other one up, the drawer will slide right out. There are little detents on the end of the drawer, you may have to use a pair of pliers and manipulate them to get it to slide better. The other thing you can do is add a little grease to the bearings as it slides in and out. If you tinker with it for about 5 minutes you'll probably be able to get that drawer to function just like the others. The first generation boxes were pretty decent but a lot of them did have minor issues like this. I have one the same way and had to fix a couple of its manufacturing tolerances so to speak. The series 2 was a little bit better quality control and now they are on series 3. Still the best boxes you can get for the money that I have found though

[@SimonChatwin]

Any chest you'd be prepared to use outdoor. We'd be keeping it outdoor, occasional rain, rolling around on grass or asphalt.

[@charlescoker7752]

Have you ever considered using Filing cabinets for the large items. Face book Market place has them. 4 drawer for as low $ 25. Some sell for $50. I assume they will hold circular saws, saws all. They come in different shelf numbers.

[@JP1970]

Great video, buddy! I have a few Craftsman tool chests, and you are so right--they are not that great--the drawers are all messed up and don't slide that well. I plan to replace with the U.S. General 30" 5-drawer cart. Thanks for the video. New sub!

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Thanks 👍

[@chrisschulze8081]

I have a U.S. General 56” series 3 in green. Love it…my Craftsman is 25 years old is still works great, I keep that on at work, so far so good..maybe they made them better back then.

[@kkarllwt]

The usgeneral I bought 5 years ago has slots in the drawer handles to slid labels into . Great.

[@pugmalley]

When Sears sold Craftsman to Stanley it truly became Crapsman. Had a job a couple years ago that had a toolbox provided for shop use and it was a Sears Craftsman with ballbeering drawers I think it was purchased in 1998 and the drawers still slid well in 2021 when I left and the box itself still looked great and moved around well on its original wheels. I had brought in a cheaper toolbox to hold some of my stuff that wasn't provided that I would use. At home these days I have a HF series 2 42 bottom that I will put a older Craftsman top on it with generic slides just cause I have it there.

[@EverythingisFire]

I wish U.S. General made a top box layout like the Kobalt 26" 4 drawer. Thanks for warning about Craftsman.

[@puterg0d]

New Craftsman is junk, but the old school Craftsman boxes are great. I have a stainless top, bottom, and middle drawer 41" combo with ball bearings and grip latch that is over 20 years old and still looks great and works great. Never had a single issue with it. I also have three of the black with yellow trim Craftsman Pro Series boxes (26", 42", and 52") and they are great! Very close to what you can get from Snap-On and Matco, but at a MUCH lower price. All of these are American made by Waterloo Industries before Craftsman sold out. I also have a 52" Husky from Home Depot - the "heavier duty version", and it's complete garbage.

[@fallenbullseye]

how did you attach the ply wood to the tool box?

[@brandonkimball8688]

I have the bigger Craftsman box and I've had no issues. I love that box

[@leshenderson5746]

How do they hold up in the back of a truck??

[@bradydowling1749]

master craft is a Canadian brand and they still make them today and they are just as good as they once were. you can buy them from Canadian tire in Canada

[@alexallen6395]

Mastercraft = Mastercrap only good thing is they're cheap tools to replace with life time warranty. First year apprentice in automotive and all I use and buy is Mastercraft and honestly the tools aren't bad but just dint work the best or break a little bit easier.

[@swiftraider759]

A tin can on wheels...lol...I agree with you. I would love to get a deal on the Kobalt with the wood top..I dont see them much in store anymore.

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Seems they are no longer made, Lowes is going full Craftsman now.

[@swiftraider759]

@@UltimateToolReviews I'm thinking of getting the Dewalt DCD800. it's very similar in size to the 12v drill but basically twice the power. Going to pair with the power stack batteries. Have you tried that drill out?

[@UltimateToolReviews]

I have not

[@rrt08]

My local Lowes is full of Kobalt tool boxes.

[@charlessanders1342]

I have a craftsman top 5 drawer box made in 2001-2002 and it's very solid as it has the roller ball bearing drawers which operate flawlessly and they Do not rub. The box empty prob weighs 80-100 pounds so it was made very well back then. I wouldn't buy one now as I do not shop at Lowe's and as how u showed how much cheaper they are made.

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Yeah, the modern Craftsman stuff is just not the same. It’s all junk.

[@donaldpainter956]

Some of the cheap boxes need to be twicked but they can be decent boxes it depends on the layout and drawer depth you don't have to put 200 pounds of tools in each drawer

[@saltylocal6917]

Do all of the 26” or 42” US General Series 2 & 3 chests have the latch to open drawers? Only thing turning me off on them.

[@JoeVan]

Only series three but the problem you're going to run into is there aren't that many series two boxes left to purchase. It is worth noting that the series 3 also has the standard detent along with the locking latches

[@TT-dp8qh]

Never, never order a tool chest online. They always get damage by the shipping!

[@donaldpainter956]

Like that red us general box the top drawers are so shallow picks Allen wrench screwdriver markers little stuff is all they will hold

[@jontnoneya3404]

That US General you have is like Series 1 or even Series 0. They just released Series 3 boxes which have A LOT of features. SO....uh....you know......might need to go out and refresh all your boxes and do the comparison again. You know, in the interest of science.

[@tonym.4547]

Thinking you may have got a defective/return on the S2000. I got my set at only a slight discount, but it came with mats and it's overall pretty quality with none of the imperfections shown in this video. Not that my one anecdote is any hard evidence but not coming with the mats strikes me as a red flag.

[@UltimateToolReviews]

I did get it for only $40 so..

[@captainvlog]

I want that Kobalt tool chest. Did you have to ask for the discount or was it a listed discount?

[@martinneps9387]

I bought a crashman for draw chest on casters. I've had it now 4 months the draw. The bottom drawer, it's garbage. The tracks are garbitch. I want to bring it back. And they would not take it back because their stores said they only had a 90 day, weren't she? I warranty on crashman. Crossman is supposed to be lifetime warranty. If I am wrong please comment back and let me know. Thank you but I would not give a crashman brand new toolbox to my worst enemy.

[@WC3fanatic997]

The Makita falling off the wobbly Crapsman was doing you a favor by accentuating the point even further

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Haha, that's why I left that clip in!

[@roninbushito]

Lol

[@claysomething8720]

Mastercraft is a brand sold by Canadian Tire in Canada and is still sold today. ( most of my tools and my box are by this brand )

[@RyldUp-uo3pc]

mastercraft is the in house brand of retail store in Canada called Canadian tire

[@ek8652]

I’ve always wanted a nice craftsman set and now I’m gonna have to choose something else.

[@JoeVan]

They were fine up until the early 2000s, mid-2000s maybe. There was Craftsman professional and you could get really nice boxes. US general picked up where that level of craftsman left off. Now they are basically the go-to for an affordable toolbox that's actually made with a decent gauge of steel. You can see it if you compare the weights between those and some of the other low-cost offerings

[@ek8652]

@@JoeVanin looked at the $500 craftsman and the $500 Home Depot boxes and compared. The craftsman lists a heavier gauge steel but when looking at them and touching them, for some reason the Home Depot husky box feels better made and more rigid and sturdy.

[@Ed-sh8jt]

There is a also Craftsman V series very nice

[@chizuck3322]

what rack are the drill/divers on?

[@smohhking6578]

the craftsman box bottom you showed fell flat on its face on me at the end of the day at work , also sliced my hand during assembly due to the terrible, almost aluminum foil they used to construct it, I like the slow open drawers but its not enough to justify injury to consumer + lost time.

[@jasonc4537]

The US General box for the money you cant beat them. I have a 72in gen 2 top and bottom. The bottom has the same layout as the older Snap-on 72in. I only wish they were deeper. The new 3rd gens are great and like the drawer layout better. I also have 2 US General carts, 1 is a 4 drawer and 1 is a 5 drawer. For the money you cant go wront... The 4 drawer is a little wobbly out of the box, needed some tweaking. I also have a Husky special edition (purple color) 36in top and bottom, this is great box too. Good info and agree with your reviews, spot on.

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Definitely US General is the best quality for the price, they hold up better than any box I've seen at HD/Lowes. Thanks for watching!

[@dangrimes5078]

This is funny to me because I have Craftsman bottom box that I must've bought at least 40 years ago. This box is so heavy and strong. It's really beautiful. I only wish it wasn't pitted with rust on the drawer faces. My shop had a problem with the roof where the box sat. Plus my shop has so much humidity in the winter. I just don't have time to take care of my things.

[@bradleyyounger8499]

It's a shame. Craftsman use to be the best tools and boxes other than tool truck brands

[@ryandoe9278]

Your craftsman tool box from 40 years ago is American made 18 gauge. Not the same anymore. New ones are assembled here, but the parts and metals are from foreign countries.

[@Oxinder]

Craftsman isn’t what it use to be.

[@rlv5344]

Same here, before Craftsman sold out the American worker, they used to be the best, my boxes are all 30 plus years old and still work like they did new. Paint even still looks good. Shame everything moved to china.

[@tmghn1]

I got an old craftsman thats about 25 years old, it still work great. It used to be the best brand out there that wasnt off a tool truck

Appreciate the reviews. Waiting until Jan or Feb or maybe black Friday to pick one up.

[@SilentCanary]

Wow!!! Those are amazing prices!! I hope I can hold out until January-February lol

[@Jeepsteve1982]

What has happened to craftsman should be a crime. I wish people would be punished for what they did to us. It's so sad.

[@madone8993]

scratch and dent deals are the best!!!!!

[@thedjinn13]

Mastercraft is Menards home brand I believe

[@michaelleitold2446]

Just to give you a little update, the Mastercraft brand is part of the Canadian tire store chain. So there’s a good chance that toolbox came from Canada. How it got down to Florida or California, Lord knows. Mike from Montreal.

[@charlotteantiquepowerengin6277]

Don't judge a wheel by its appearance. I have never been able to figure out weight ratings on them.

[@TheMajictech]

Not gonna touch icon?

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Too expensive for my garage.

[@patricksquires77]

Bro you got those kobalts for crazy cheap 😂. Nice work! I highly approve!

[@thomassciurba5323]

US General for the win!

[@HumberNorton]

Hey Indy ~ Nice primer on some tool boxes. Mostly useful. I think the emphasis on how to get a great deal on a closeout or damaged ("hit with a forklift") box is irrelevant here and misleading regarding value-for-dollar. Your garage is so clinically clean though, and your tools so perfectly arranged (and you have the hands of a surgeon, not a mechanic), I wondered-"what the heck does this guy actually work on?" LOL Whatever, I do agree with you on the Crapsman (did I misspell that?). I've had mine for a decade and the joke is, the tools I need to repair it are stuck inside it and I can't get them out! Screw it, I'm going Matco. Snap-on quality at under 3/4 the price. For all their tools. Rolls-Royce has one of the most brilliant mottos of all time, penned in the 1930s: "The quality remains long after the price is forgotten." I rest my case.

[@HiFiInsider]

my vintage ball bearings craftsman feels a lot better than the current stuffs. they are junk today.

[@syco4035]

You got the craftsman box and top for $60????

[@syco4035]

Just the bottom is $450 at my lowes

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Yes, during the clearance times at Lowes

[@shawnoen1029]

Proto seems to be a good "made in the USA" option.

[@roninbushito]

Yes good industrial box but overpriced my snapon was cheaper

[@TheMajictech]

Craftsman in general has went to hell in the last 30-40 years

[@beefweiner]

mastercraft is from sears, canadian tire still sells them. you should put the lifetime warranty to the test

[@gregblau8082]

I have a probably 10 year old husky sitting out in the shed that I'd describe like you did the craftsman. Some of their boxes seem much more solid though

[@karlschauff7989]

Husky has two grades of tool boxes. The more expensive ones are made better. Probably about the same quality as the Kobalt boxes. The Craftsman box is really just a rebranded Waterloo tool box. Waterloo's cheaper boxes had the same wobbly nature. It's due most to the weak way the casters are mounted to the box. Better boxes have reinforced sections that the casters bolt to, whereas the Craftsman lacks most of those reinforcements. If I was on a budget and the Craftsman was the best I could do, I would cut a piece of 3/4" plywood and bolt it to the bottom of the box to add some stability. I'm really disappointed that SBD and Waterloo overlook such obvious weakpoints in the product.

[@elicash315]

Harbor freight selling boxes for huge money now. That a no for me dawg

[@craigdave3266]

I have the old Craftsman grip latch and on offer up they have a better resale i have seen them go for 1500$ but you are right 👍 the new Craftsman tool box suck and kobalt have the worst resale value

[@coltonjacobs5383]

We have a Husky HD 72 inch that's been disappointing. Its the black box with the stainless top. It only has 1 slide per side for the big top drawer, and it's already struggling. The soft-close mechanism has gone out already for that drawer. And, the drawer handles themselves are all very inconsistent. Half of them rub the box when closing, or theyre not cut square, etc. Feel like I shouldve gotten way more box for the money, and with it being the HD version What's funny about the slides, is some of the Standard Duty 52 inch boxes even have double slides for the top drawer

[@joelopez7459]

You'd think Kobalt would be as decent as Husky, but I'm finding they are not. I wonder how Icon would compare with Milwaukee.

[@JoeVan]

Better. Icon is much better, go into the store, touch them, look at the thickness of the steel. The general feel. They aren't even in the same ballpark

[@ibitaRaptor]

I have mostly Husky, but I prefer Kobalt compared to Craftsman if buying from Lowe's.

[@UltimateToolReviews]

I wish husky had better deals, most I've seen is like $50 off.

[@rawdawgg_]

Damn this makes me wanna cancel the work bench box I just ordered from Craftsman..😪 I love how they're made in America tho

[@UltimateToolReviews]

Did you see one in person? They definitely are the worst boxes I’ve ever seen.

[@mylivinghell9595]

if i can get a set of boxes for 60 bucks a piece I'm not sure id care what brand it is.

[@andrewluberto]

Husky and kobalt tool chest are the same but I hate kobalt so husky it is 😂

[@markto3606]

I do agree craftsman is not great. The funny is that I still have my 20-year-old toolbox over the years I did minor repairs to make it sturdy. But now I am thinking of upgrading to something simple a workbench toolbox vs a stacked huge toolbox if ever I decide to move in the future cause moving a huge toolbox isn't fun but still debating.

[@bradleyyounger8499]

Dang. Never seen a first gen us general lol

[@joelopez7459]

I'm wondering how old it is

[@roninbushito]

Husky kobalts Crapsman all rubbish. I think homaks are better. I got a snapon roll cab that holds 2400lbs way more than those boxes. Got it half off list.

[@fuxbox]

200 for all those kobalt!? Lucky

[@jacobwilliamson4777]

I wonder if he likes Makita….

[@jdawg219dawson8]

Gotcha be luckiest guy around with paying them prices

[@ellasfella1205]

hands down the US GENERAL is the way to go if you are a machanic by trade if you are a DIY/homeowner a HUSKY is the way to go just remember it's exactly what it is A TOOL BOX not a car not a home only a moron would pay more for the tool box than the tools that are in it another thing all these top name brand tools offer a lifetime replacement the question IS how much do you wanna pay for that lifetime warranty?

[@user-zq4ck2em8i]

Let me buy some tools I'll make videos and say I got them from you! And I'll work on stuff with them!

[@Onedeepdrew]

Ask my wife, 3 inches is alot

[@15DurangoRT]

"boughtin"???