eBay tool cabinets...

[Rusted Pistons]

Alright fellow RR people, due to a variety of reasons I have lost my garage and all tool storage space and as such my project car is full to the headlining with curse word and my tools are badly organised in piles in various corners

As such, even a simple job is a pain in the proverbial, due to having to hunt for the right tool. I have decided I need to but a tool cabinet - of the variety that has a base with a cupboard and a couple of drawers and a removable chest on the top - the sort you see on the way into Halfords and have a go on the 'ball bearing draws'.

The catch here is I don't have the multiple hundreds of pounds that such an item demands and on a search through our favourite auction site a few have caught my attention. Has anyone got one of these?



and..



Both just over one hundred squids. However, I wonder how well the drawers will take weight? I'm also not sure how much space is available in either of them? And of course, even though this post will assist in further retro things happening at Daveyboy20 towers and therefore more retro posts in the future, it is somewhat lacking in awesomeness so, as penance.....

[optimusprime]

That 2nd tool chest looks very very similar to one had a couple of yrs back ....... i got it to use at work (used to be a service tech for a tool/plant hire comapny)
The drawers didn't pull slide very well when loaded, and they don't seem very well constructed.
After i had to lever a stuck drawer open, i binned it.

[omega]

i had one of those orange sets cost about 80 pounds and its RUBBISH the metal is thicker on a coke can the draws jam with anything in them and if you want to roll it round it was a nightmare.after about 8 months it just fell apart.you are better off useing a milk crate and a bread basket.

[Rusted Pistons]

Cheers lads, that's the sort of info I was after! What about the first one made by Sealey? I know it's no Teng tools or Snap-on but as long as its half decent?

[composimmonite]

Before I could afford a decent tool cabinet I had a small 10 drawer filing cabinet. In fact still got it but now it houses my sockets. Metal is nice and thick so they last a lifetime and worth considering.
This sort of thing -


I think I paid somehting like £12 for it.

paul H

[Rusted Pistons]

That does look smart and i may steal that idea for the future but I'd need bigger drawers and a bit more space plus storage for bigger gear (like the cupboard at the bottom) also the fact that the top half is removable is important as its goin to be in a tricky place to wheel around so I'll be lifting the top bit away quite a lot methinks. I also can't imagine it bein very stable when a top drawer is open with a bit of weight in! I have quite a lot of tools

[LowStandards]

I have an rac one, looks exactly the same as the orange one, was from Argos, about 70 quid, the drawers are fine, whole thing is sturdy, the large bottom 'drawer' is just a flap really, the doors a little flimsy, but i've never had an issue

[ruffgeezer]

I second the filing cabinet thing, you can get ones with A4 sized drawers, I paid £10 for one of mine and £20 for the other, much better built then el cheapo crapo tool boxes.

I had an American Pro one when I first started on the spanners but was scared of farting near it in case it blew away.

[8bitash]

I got a topbox from B&Q by Tactix. Was reduced to about £20 and for the money the quality is topdog. They used to do a topbox and roller chest for about £70 when on offer but not sure they do them anymore.

[8bitash]

ah the sets were a different brand so might not be the same quality. It looks a lot like the ones you've linked. -

www.diy.com/nav/fix/handtools-storage-workwear/tool-storage-workbenches/tool-storage/toolboxes___trollies/Torq-8-Drawer-Metal-Cabinet-and-Top-Chest-12227503?skuId=12758209

[colnerov]

Hi, a top box full of tools can get quite heavy to keep lifting on and off, so what I do is have 2 or 3
intermediate 3 drawer boxes. They are more manageable to move around and at about £60 you can get them as funds allow. A couple of 2 drawer filing cabs side by side on a frame with castors won't break the bank.

Colin

[composimmonite]

What about large ammo box and build your own internal compartments ?
Also check out "LAYCORN" boxes on eBay.

Paul H

[clougher95]

Could just use an old chest of drawers, if you haven't got loads of heavy equipment?
I have a cheap as chips ikea chest of drawers, plywood as thin as paper! - and that's been holding a triumph manifold and carb for a few months now, haha!

[gn3dr]

Was in halfords today (in Ireland) and their roller cabinets and tops were on sale for 249euro so likley to be much cheaper in the UK. I have about 4 of them and the quality is acceptable excluding the castors.

[sheffieldcortinacentre]

i'll second the office equipment to & get a cantilever one for moveing around.

[waveman1500]

Oct 28, 2012 19:47:22 GMT colnerov said:

Hi, a top box full of tools can get quite heavy to keep lifting on and off

This man speaks the truth! You WILL NOT be able to comfortably lift and carry your top box around the place. When full, even a small top-box is ideally a two-man lift. You could do it on your own in a pinch, but you wouldn't want to. A mate of mine is a mechanic and his top box is probably 80kg+, mine is small and half-empty but it's still a lot heavier than I would want to lift on a regular basis.

I bought mine used from my mechanic mate, it was his apprentice toolbox. I'm not sure about the UK, but in Australia every new apprentice gets a government grant for tools of $800, which they generally use to buy a basic set of tools in a small but decent quality top-box, usually with a small 2-drawer cabinet as well. Regardless of government incentives, mechanics upgrade their tools and boxes fairly often, so you should be able to get something used for a decent price.

[ToolsnTrack]

I have that orange chest as above. Keep the heavy 1/2 drive gear in the lower drawers, and spanners and screwdrivers above and it should be fine.

Only issue is i have buckled the swivel wheel on one side when moving house. Can hammer it back in place. As mentioned they are thin on quality, but treat it accordingly and it will do for a budget tool chest. As with all tools, you get what you pay for, but if you can only pay pennies, treat it with respect and it will last a while...

[sheffieldcortinacentre]

all you get from the uk govt IF you get a job is tax bills.

[masi]

I have a cheap cabinet, and now bought an upgraded thus more expensive one. Related to the cheap one , the drawers work fine, I don't use them with delicatesse but I don't go the Hulk on them either. The thickness of the metal played no role in my choice and I don't care how thick or thin it is.

For me, the most important difference compared to the expensive one is the movability. The cheap one is narrow, and the one in the picture looks like also. This means that when there are tools inside, while moving it, it is very easy to get it tilted and then falling. As I did not move it a lot (at all) I didn't care, but I wouldn't be moving it around the car. You can imagine tipping this on your car...

[pablopancake]

i've wasted plenty of £££ trying to find the perfect mobile toolbox, IMO, there isn't one.

You can't have all your kit logically arranged and have it movable as well.

I've settled on:

halfords red stuff in the workshop, roller base, mid box and top box, it holds the best of my tools in a logical fashion, plus special tools etc don't really open it up that much because...


I have a medium sized cheap plastic mobile tool box (came with a green ryobi drill in it) it holds spanner roll, socket rails, all the usual hand tools, lives in the car, gets used the most, one man carryable, then i take the long walk to the big red set if i need something that isn't in the mobile box