Welcome to www.GreatToolChest.com If you came here looking for fantastic deals, you should check these out before we go any further. In this blog we will be highlighting what we think are the best containers for those precious tools of yours, and providing the reasons why. But before we give you our picks, let’s step back a bit and ask ourselves the question: “What is a classic tool chest anyway”? That’s a good question. There are several key factors that we need to take into consideration. These factors are:
1) The Size & Mobility – We have grown up with the attitude that “bigger is better”, but that is not always the case. If you only have a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer you don’t need a 72″ gigantic chest with loads of tool chest drawers now do you? That’s a lot of wasted space, and you will be wasting time opening and closing drawers trying to finding out where everything is. Now you could spent your money filling this chest up with other tools, but if you don’t use them, why bother.
2) Drawer Sizes – Depending on the tools you own, you will need specific drawers to contain them. Some tools, such as levels and crowbars, are quite long, so you will need a tool chest drawer long enough to fit them. In case some of these tools are heavy, you will also need to take into account the drawer’s weight rating.
3) Drawer Slides – If the drawer is shallow, you will need only two. For deep drawers, on the other hand, you will need four. Once again, the weight rating is something to consider. It’s not necessary that these be ball bearing slides, but they are definitely the best.
4) Casters – If you plan on moving your tool box around, a rolling tool chest if you will, you will need to have it set on casters. If the casters are too small they will often catch (especially on uneven surfaces), and the chest can cause major injuries. Our suggestion is 4″ casters are a bare minimum, with 5″ or 6″ casters being preferred. You will also need to have two of these casters are of the locking variety (so the tool box doesn’t roll all over the place).
5) Material – Stainless Steel or Mild Steel? These are the two main choices of material. Here are the points to consider:
a) Stainless Steel. A stainless steel tool chest is impressive looking indeed, but it can be difficult to clean. They have become very popular recently, and are constructed with a mild steel frame and drawer inners. One thing to keep in mind is that stainless steel is not magnetic. If you like to stick your magnetic accessories to the side of your toolbox as you work away, don’t buy one of these chests. In addition, smudges and fingerprints tend to show up easily on stainless steel, so think what your tool box will look like after you’ve done a messy job…like changing your oil.
b) All Stainless Steel. Same as the ‘Stainless Steel’ model mentioned above, but the frame and drawer inners are also made of Stainless Steel. If you work in a sterile, salt water, or high humidity setting you will need one of these.
c) Painted Mild Steel. If the tool box is relatively inexpensive, it’s probably of this variety. Not really built to last, they will scratch and fade a lot easier than the “Powder Coated” variety (mentioned below). If you want a chest built to last, keep looking.
d) Powder Coated Mild Steel. If you plan to store magnetic tools and accessories, and are concerned about all the smudges that show up on Stainless Steel tool chests, this is the type of tool chest you should consider. The Powder coating is a “baked-on finish”…much tougher and longer lasting than a mere paint finish. Consider the “wrinkle-finish powder coat”…it resists scratches, is tougher, and just looks “professional”.
6) Warranty – If a company stands behind their product, their warranty will be good. A lifetime warranty is a wonderful thing, and you should definitely look for one.
So there you have it…the things to consider while shopping for your ” Great Tool Chest “. In our next post we will outline some of our top picks for tool chests on the market. Happy hunting for that quality tool chest to suit your needs.