(Cross posted on Performance-Shop.com)

Product review time: I just bought the 56" wide, two-piece roller cabinet & top box combination from Costco. This isn't the flimsy-feeling 41" shiny stainless jobbie they've got on display, in fact they don't have this one on display at all, nor is it on the website. I don't remember the name brand (ha!) but it's something I'd never heard of before. $999.99, which is a pretty dear price to pay for anything, sight unseen, but less than half of any other box this size out there.

Well, I got a hell of a lot more than I was expecting, and even more than I was hoping for. First of all, it's BIG and heavy. I'm not a great judge of steel gauges, but it's probably 50% thicker than the ones on display. Pretty decent looking black wrinkle finish coating (powder coat or paint, I'm not sure, but it seems pretty tough). It's got all the good features: full-depth upper box, gas struts on the lid, dual roller slides on the trays, individual trigger releases, beefy 6" casters, and it comes with tray liner material and a bunch of hooks for the narrow & tall side cabinets. You're going to need a full-size long box pickup to get it home, and you're going to need at least one strong buddy to get it down: the lower cabinet has to weigh close to 400 lbs, emptied out and off the pallet. The upper lid is sturdy as hell, with a bunch of reinforcing that unfortunately takes up a bunch of the space beneath it.

I haven't loaded it up yet, and I have no idea how to organize it yet, but eventually I'll get around to that. It's certainly no Snap-On, but the Snap-On equivelant to this set would be about $5600 so you'd better not expect it to be in the same league. I know: it's Costco crap (eww) to most, but I'm not hauling it around to different jobsites, I'm not taking it from garage to garage, I'm not bringing it to the race track or the oilfield... it's just holding my tools, and it'll get rolled across my garage floor once in a while. For that, it's all I need and more. Craftsman and Mastercraft don't offer anything this width for top and bottom combinations, and even the 41" roller bottom piece from either place is the same price that I paid for the complete 56" set. House of Tools' Waterloo brand is even further off, at $1100 for a 41" bottom. Boss Tool Supply has a 56" top and a 56" bottom box, Clarke brand, but you're looking at $1900 plus shipping from Ontario for both of those.

I bought the last one they had in stock, but I know they were getting 4 more of them tonight (Dec. 18), so if any of you were in the market for one, I'd seriously think about it. If you're just looking for the lower piece, they had one similar to mine but with a nice butcher's block top, for $549 or some such. Compare that to $999 for a Craftsman of similar spec but cheaper looking casters.

Thought you folk might like to know.

My back thanks you... Jeezus that thing was heavy...

sexy.

Awesome! I have waited waaaaay the hell too long. Found one of the black flavor with nice robust drawers for $300 that my boss bought. I. It is SUCH a help. Previously, I had just a mountain of tools piled such that the 3-tier cart was sagging dangerously. Then my JY divin' toolbox lol.

You will be tickled pink. I lay them out sort of by weight. On top are calipers and measuring stuff, a spark gapper, feeler gauges and little wacky light weight clean tools.

Below that are all wrenches, ratcheting wrenches and brake wrenches.

Below that are screw drivers, pliers, vice grips and dental picks.

Next down isn't that full, but has ratchets, and sockets and the like.

Below that is the air impact, tire filler, common size thick/thin volvo sized impact sockets, air ratchet (handy for 850s...not much good on a redblock), and tire gauge.

below that is a bilstein strut tool (big welded tubular thing that attaches to the impact for blasting gland nuts off from the top without damaging things), various crow bars, big hammers and heavy junk in a big drawer.

Seriously though, you will LOVE it. The costco aluminum racing jack is also pretty good with some 6-ton stands. The earlier version of that jack made by torin (torrin sp?) have kinda weak arms. Costco has a better deal on them than harbor freight and carries the updated version. I wish I had John Lane's tool collection....he almost has so many I'd have trouble remembering which to use, but then, he has been mechaniging a long time.

Here, you can deal shop and find a lift for about 750 bucks used or about a grand installed and done. Not a rotary, but a challenger 7000lb can be had and they are pretty decent and pick up a heavy car no problem. Doing a clutch in 1.5-2 hours is a beautiful thing.

Nice but "this thread is useless without pictures!!!"

Sorry, Ian. Didn't get a chance last night. I remembered the brand though: Torin.

Edit - FOUND IT! Here's a link:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... _200321997

Edit #2 - that guy standing with it is kind of wee... The top of the box comes to about my eyeballs, and I'm 5'-10"

Edit #3 - Ian, would you cross-post this info into the thread on P-shop for me? I can browse at work but can't post there, due to the multiple apperances of banned words over the past few months.

WOW you could rent that thing out as an apartment

http://www2.northerntool.com/product/200321997.htm

note to self...never get that toolbox...i'd need a stepladder to get at the tools!!!!

Very - Very cool and all for under a grand - SMOKIN.

Damn you found that at Costco?

That is pretty sweet man.

Looks a bit tall to be functional at the top (sockets).

But I am in the market for a box when I get back to work in January. I was thinking about the stainless steel one. A lot of guys at school picked them up and seem to like them. I mean shit if they are 1200 bucks, I can replace it 7 times in my life time before I meet up with a Mac Box.

Jordan

I'm thinking that I'll put gloves, goggles, a trouble light, and a few other things up there that don't require so much visual inspection.

I posted this info on another forum and I've heard some other people with good things to say about it. I don't think it's been the most popular seller 'cause the kind of people who are in the market for something this big are usually concerned with looking good at work, and will spend the extra 5 grand on one of the "big boys". Still, I haven't heard anything negative about them, and it's WAY better built than the other boxes I've got.

However, the drawer slides aren't as nice as some toolboxes I've seen (might get better with use and lube), nor is the drawer count up there with the better boxes. I'm still not 100% sure what to do with those tall blocky ones up the right side: they slide out and have a vertical partition down the length of them. They've got a bunch of movable hooks that I guess you can hang stuff on. I'll probably hang my paint guns, shutz gun, and a few other awkward pieces up there.

Holy tamoli!! That thing's massive! Nice find Matt.