VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories Another sign of the Apocalypse?

I’m an old timer, turned 67 years young this year, and I’ve been wrenching ever since I was a lad. Pop was a mechanic and the big bro was an avid street rodder his whole life. As most of us do, I’ve accumulated a lot of tools over the years. But in all that time, I never really had a toolbox, I mean a real toolbox. I just kept my tools in separate little tote boxes, 1/2 sockets in one box, 3/8 in another, Phillips in one box, Straight blades in another, pliers in their own box, I think you get the picture. With out lying I must have several dozen totes most of which I’ve inherited or picked up at garage sales for a buck. I’ve never been a big buck earner, because I’ve always been to busy learning different things and never focused my efforts on one single area long enough to become an expert. Because of this butterfly mentality and my financial fix, I just couldn’t justify spending the big bucks that those big fancy roll around toolboxes demanded.

But, and here comes the but, I taint getting any younger for sure, and the sand is running out of the hourglass and since I committed myself to tearing the old gal down over the winter in my crowded attached garage, I figured a good place to start making room was to find a home for the pile of tools that has taken up half my 8 foot work bench for the past 25years. With the sales going on this Labor Day weekend I decided to spring for a real roll about toolbox base.

Now since I don’t make a living as a mechanic and twisting wrenches has more or less been a hobby with me, Craftsman has always been the tool of choice. Fact is, the Government funded accelerator that I worked at for 27years in Batavia, IL supplied only Craftsman tools for us to use. I started buying Craftsman tools when I was in grade school. Every time I got a spare buck I’d run by the local Sears Roebuck and Co. store and pickup another wrench. About 30 years ago I did buy a 12” x 26 1/2” Craftsman 9drawer top box because I was working on midgets at the time and building an airplane and needed something that was portable and held a good handful of the tools I need on the run.

This past Friday I dropped by our big Fox Valley Sears store and checked out their sales. Their 8drawer roll about base listed for $599.99 but was on sale for the bargain price of $410. I wanted to match the red and black top box that I had, but they didn’t have a base to match it in stock and I was stuck with waiting a month for a special order or settling on black, so I took the black one. Of note, their boxes don’t have drawer liners, that’s extra and would run about another thirty bucks, which brings our 26 1/2” base up to around $450 before taxes so I gave the liners a pass. (I’m still skimping you see!)
I got it home, unboxed it, assembled it and loaded it up with a bunch the tools from the bench and discovered that THERE TAINT ENOUGH ROOM for everything.

Saturday morning I was over by a buddies house and he was showing me the box that he was gonna buy from the Menards when his ship comes in. I didn’t put to much credence in that idea, I mean a tool box from a hardware store probably wasn’t much better than one form Harbor Freight. But, on the way home I stopped and took a casual look, WOW was I impressed, is that a nicely made toolbox or what! When I got home I talked it over with my accountant and we decided that at my age I’d earned the extra tool storage that I needed and we agreed that I should get another roll about.

Here’s how the two compare. You’ve already read about the Sears base, but compare the specs on Menards box. Top box and roll about base 16” x 36”, it has much heftier handles, much heftier casters, nicely chromed handle on the base, gas struts to hold the top open, nice solid extruded handles on the drawers, smooth sides that will not catch dust and dirt, the handles and casters attached with bolts into weldnuts vs sheet metal screws on the Sears. And all fifteen drawers have liners in them, and did I mention that the metal feels much heavier than the Sears. The sears 8drawer base weight was 125lb the Menards 7drawer base weight was 190lbs. When I put the mic the thickness of the drawer, the Sears is .031” and the Menards is .050”, both are powder coated so you can take a couple of mills away for that.

Her are a few pictures that show the two together and if you happen to be out looking for a tool box, do your self a favor and take a look at this one from the hardware store. Oh and I did take a look at the Snap On boxes but that was about it, just a look, don’t see where they would rate any better than this Master Force box from Menards for three times the money.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/tool_of_the_trade
So with GM, Stanley, Levi, Sears and the rest of our old standards going down the dumper ya think this could be a sign of the Apocalypse?
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Hi Denny, Unless I missed it, your left out a very important piece of info. How much did the Menard's box cost? Beamer

Holy Cow.....my eyes are bleeding!!

Ya know, I edited the post before it locked me out but forgot to repost it.
The Menards combo was $558 on sale. Top box was $239 and the roll about base was $319. If I would have taken the Sears base back I could have had a better built base, 8" wider and been able to spend $100 on something else, really burns me up for making such a mistake. The drawer have already been scratched up because I loaded it up with tools when I brought it home and rolled it around on the concrete and threw out the box. I doubt if they would give me back my money now.
If you would rather that I not post a report to try and save someone a few bucks JYD, just say so and I'll keep it to myself. Just trying to be helpful. Seems to be better than one of those curt answers that leave a whole bunch of questions unanswered.
Denny G

Nope, it's not that....it's just that I totally read with interest your story about purchasing a tool box and I got to wondering how detailed your story might be if you purchased a house instead.

Are you saying there is something wrong with this?



[/img] [/img] [/img]

Man...that looks great to me!

I think the Apocalypse has already hit my garage.

People ask me how I find anything. Oddly enough, I know where stuff is within a foot of where I knew it should be...

Yep, and if you moved a tool to a different spot you would probably never find it!

I think you understand what is about then! If you're anything like myself, you are never "Done" with anything, and it just keeps going and going, so the need to clean up never arises cause your at it again the next morning, right where you left off.

Well thanks for baring your soul to us Cookie. Now I'm not quiet that disorganized, almost but not quite. There's a show on the A&E T&V that can help guys like us.

Hey JYD, you don’t know how big of a move this was for me. My Scottish background keeps me from over spending but every once in a while the Irish in me rears its ugly head and I go a little nuts and have to cut the mattress open.
DG

Kinda funny, when gramma died, Good Lord told the family to go through her fridge very carefully. In the Back of the freezer, she had lotsa money in old Klondike Bar Boxes. Evidence of the Depression still evident.

Denny. Thanks for your post on the tool boxes. I have an old Craftsman and its not much of a box. Cheap but not very good.

Love it when you go into great detail. Keep it up. Shows good judgement on your purchasing.

Am older than you, not much, but a little, and I would like a good box, but am unwilling to spend the money at my age right now, but definately will look at Menards box.

To me, the "Bleeding Eyes" comment from Mr. Dog was a great compliment to you.

Have a great weekend.

Jim.

DG,You gotta pretty good start for a youngster of 67. Us dudes that worked too many hours a week and didn't get into "fixing up" old cars and trucks while raising a houseful of rug rats have a way of doing stuff with a lot of different tools and stuffed in some odd places.

Style guy47 Keep your mind nice and orderly and don't worry about the containers for the materials. After all they are just containers.

Talk about wild thinking. Build a $500,000 house to shelter two old folks that sit around in their bathrobes, order in a pizza and watch The Price is Right! on a 27' Boob-Tube! While their 37 MPG Rice Rocket sits in the double car garage with a hammock and a super litterbox for the cat!

I have my tools organized thanks to my step-daughter who gave me a Sears gift card a few years ago and I used it to purchase yet another large tool box. Actually, I have more drawer space than tools despite my over 50 years of collecting them plus having a lot of my deceased father-in-laws tools! Unfortunately, my basement is full or other stuff! Anyone know how to get rid of 40 years worth of Popular Mechanics? I thought of grinding them up for mulch but that seems a waste. After that, we can discuss disposing of a ton of very old books (some pre-civil war) ----- ad nauseum!! Whoops! I think I am straying out of this Forum. Beamer

Ebay!

Denny et al.,

Just writing to confirm Denny's discovery about the Menard's Master Force tool boxes. I bought the slightly bigger units last year after comparing them to lots of other brands, including Craftsman--it makes the Craftsman box look like a rather cheap piece of tin. I've been extremely pleased with the tool box this past year.

Yours,

Jim

And that 40" set just went on sale for something like $648. A real bargain if ya ask me. I just don't have the room for a four foot long tool box, the thirty six foot one is about the limit for me.
Anyone ever try returning something like this base roll about to Sears after you have had it for a few days and opened the box???
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Sears has always been considerate when taking something back. Haven't done it since they became K-Mart.

Well the more I look at the two together the more iratated I get with myself for not shopping around last week. I think I might give it a try later in the week and see if they will take it back.
DG

A thirty six foot long tool box?? Man, that's a big one!! It would take a tow truck to move that tool box around!

Man!! That ol' Mr. Dog don't miss nothing!! Best be real careful about spelling and the use of the English language or he will git ya. He shuda been a school teacher along with his talent and knowledge of old Cheeeves.

Jim.

Dawgy Dawg,

I was wondering about that myself. I just figured out I guess Denny meant inches, not feet.

Oh well....

Being the real top flight master mechanic that I am, I can fit most all my tools in a 12 inch box. No big deal, just the way things worked out for me....

Bill.

Denny,
I'd try taking it back. Did you ever see that little fenced in area out back of Sears where they keep lawn mowers and such? I know the one here in Joliet has one. Anyway's, a buddy was looking at pressure washers a couple of years back and the salesman took him back there. They had a few "returns" there for a considerable discount. The salesman told him every year they have people buy them, use them once for whatever they needed the tool for, then return them for whatever reason. Sears then has to test them and sell it at a steep discount, since they're used.
Just tell them your daughter bought you one as a gift and ya don't need two.

Bob