When is too big too much ( Tool Box)
 

One of the mechanic's where I work bought this Snap-on moving skyscraper. Over 7 feet tall. Over $12,000 just for the box. Too much?

I guess my work area isn't too much better.

empty $12000? thats nuts for that kind of money i could buy fifty craftsman ones you cant tell me that theres that much technology in a roll away tool box

oldiron- you left out a zero. :D One of my mechanics has an $18,000 tool box from snap on with a built-in coffee maker and polished aluminum wheels. :D

Can't imiagine really wanting a tool box I have to use a step ladder to see what kind of junk I was keeping in the top. The top of my box is a catch-all for just about everything.:o

for 18 grand it better have leather seats and an LT1 motor in it too!!

But to hold the amount of tools need for the job you need a large storage space.
Our shop:

I want one:whine:

Repairing the gear train on a Series 40 International Engine. Tight working quarters.

Lmao, I have to agree, what exactly is too much, or is it just having to impress people? It sure can't make you a better mechanic.

Randy, please post a pic of that box ;)

I'll try to remember to take the camera to the shop tommorrow. If you ever go to a Snap-on show, $18,000 tool boxes aren't uncommon.

That has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. How exactly is it a "better" tool box? What does it "do" that is worth $12,000? I will never understand why tool boxes are so expensive. Even Sears boxes are far far over priced. From the picture, it doesn't look like it's worth any more than $500---but I must be wrong.

having a big tool box like that, allows you to lock everything up though, nothing worse then people "borrowing" you tools

I think he has a bed in the center section. It is 3 feet wide and 10 feet long. LOL!!
Most of the mechanic here have just the bottom section that way they have a work bench.

A good tool box is a must. When i worked at Cali Concept I had a little 150 buck tool boxs. It was real small and just used drawer glide things. After a month it was getting stuck, my tool didn't have enough room to be organized. it sucked my tools were on top of each other. Now the guys with the big snap-on , matco tool boxes had plenty of room and tools. Man it pays to a mechanic to have a nice tool box with everything organized. I'm starting my collection of snap on tools but doudt I'll get a snap-on box unless i find a killer deal on one. Maybe sometime down the line.

Oldiron,
I recognize the boxes in the second picture though! Stanley Vidmars. My office is full of them. I must have 40 or 50 of them for tools and parts. Those are a good tool box too. I converted a couple of shorter ones into mechanic boxes for two guys out on the floor. They like them.

MJ

Oh yeah, about the Snap-On tool box for 12k. That is too rich for my blood but I cannot condemn him. It is his money and if that is what turns his crank, not a problem. Of course, this is coming from a guy that spent over $2000 on a mountain bike last summer and then road it home from the store I bought it from (80 miles). Some people said I was crazy spending that kind of money on a bike. We are talking a pedal bike guys. Not a motor bike.
MJ

oldiron, that's nothing compared to one that a guy in our shop has. that thing has to be 16' long. i know where you're coming from about having to have a lot of space. i started a job as an RV service tech last monday. i went out monday night and bought what i thought was a decent sized box. A) it would almost fit inside most of the other guys boxes, and B) its pretty much full. my dad works in the same complex, but in the paint shop rather than service. he's getting ready to step up to a new box, so i'll inherit his Matco :D

1TonCrewCab, we use those boxes for parts storage. We have 40 of them and can stock over 3000 parts in them. They are a not as durable as a Snap-on or a Mac but do serve their perpose. For the big stuff we use shelving.

And also open racks for our brake drums.

I bought a matco box that is worth $12000. I found it in the bargin trader and payed $6100 for it and it was only 8 months old and looked like new. Its 7ft long and 30 inches wide and came with a hutch on top. I just ordered the door for the hutch today and the door is going to cost me $1000 bucks. But I will have more room to lock up my tools.

I have tool box envy mine is only 2 1/2 feet long and 4 feet tall :( but it was free.

I know a mechanic who wasted proably 10-20 thousand dollars on snap-on tools he never uses....he has one Snap-On box, some kind of a Dale Earndhart special-edition that sits in the corner with a blanket over it....and another anniversery edition or something like that Snap On box sitting next to it that also has a blanket laying over it....both are never even used for work! He has a crappy little cart that the working tools go in.

Inside the boxes i once caught a glimpse of some black chrome Snap On tools........why someone would spend that kind of money on a tool that isn't even used is beyond me.....but hey, it ain't my money :bowtie:

for 12k it better wipe your a$$ and $uck your dicker, why people spent that much is beyond me but it is thier money

A friend of mine works at a F@rd dealership, and he said that another mechanic at the shop has a huge tool box with a microwave, TV, radio, and coffeemaker in it! I guess he doesn't want to go to far for a snack and a cup o' joe.

to each there own.if i could afford one ...yeah i would do it.some people spend there money on cars,or trucks boats ,trains rc cars.some like tools i do.to say someone buys a big tool box because he likes attention,well why do people restore cars,for attention or beacase they like to,i would say i do because of both

Snap does make a good toolbox. Hard to break into then the cheaper type. When you leave your toolbox out in the open ALL THE TIME for work there are a lot of chances for someone to break into. If you have 10k+ worth of tools you want to protect them (tool safe).

That is a very nice box, thats very similar to what i want. My father has the bottom portion, not of that identical box, his is red, but i can understand how someone could pay 12,000 for a box with NO tools in it. #1. When you lock that box, a persons chances of getting into it are virtually eliminated, its not gonna happen. When you've got 30k worth of tools locked up in it, you definitely want them to be there when you get back. #2. The diffrences in a snap on, matco, or mac box is quite extreme when compared to a craftsman box or the like. The load capacity on that box is probably 10-12 times the weight of the box itself. When my father needs to look into the top portion of his box ( he's kinda short) he pulls the bottom drawer of his box all the way out and steps into it, not to mention his other tools and stuff thats in the drawer. I would not even attempt that on a craftsman box. Now on another note, if you don't make a living working out of a box of tools, then one of these boxes isn't for you. A craftsman box is more than enough for the home projects, even if your a hardcore hotrodder. We have 2 craftsmans at the house, the drawers aren't as smooth and stuff like that but, time isn't money at the house.

Dang phoenix you beat me too it, i was typing when you were posting. lol

:bowtie:

NICE BOXES .... SPENDING $12,000 ON A TOOLBOX MAKES A WHOLE LOT MORE SENSE TO ME THAN BUYING A $40,000 4WD TRUCK THAT WILL NEVER SEE A DIRT ROAD, OR SPENDING $50,000 ON RESTORING A 40 WILLYS TRUCK, & NEVER DRIVING IT.:D :D JOHN

I have that bottom box myself at work. i had a husky box and a craftsman box at some points too. aside from the fact that they are much smaller, there are other things to address. homeowners will open and close the drawers 5 times a week, i go in EVERY drawer several times a night. believe me, after you spend $1500 for a craftsman top and bottom box and have to replace it after 2 years because the drawers are shot, and the chassis is sagging, you start to do the math. 2 years a set, im 28, so i have a good 30+ years ahead of me....quality is not cheap up front, but it is cheap in the long run. also, the wheels can't hold up to being rolled around several times a day. the cheaper boxes also have a tendency to cave in above the wheels when you load them up. security is an issue, but i have to say, if someone wants your tools, they will get to them, but i'm not gonna make it easy for them.
Another thing i hear plenty is the craftsman lifetime warrantee. Trust me when i tell you, they will not replace your tool box every 2 years. they won't even replace it once. Sliders are easily replaced, but when a drawer, or the chassis sag, they tell you that you overloaded it and you have to fight them to get things replaced. that gets old real quick.
After spending $2500 on 2 box sets in 5 years, i find it easy to spend $7600 for my box, and an addtional 1500 for a side locker. it's a damn good investment. guys at my job have 25 year old snap-on boxes, and they still hold up well.

By the way, remember, you don't have to put snap on tools in a snap on box, i'm still using mostly craftsman tools. Some items are worth the extra money for snap on, but that is limited to specialty tools, or the tools that are really head and shoulders above the craftsmans.

By the way, Nice box, i got the same bottom in blue:D

I don't need a box that big, I have a garage

My68, you hit every nail on the head, there are so many people that think there is no way a toolbox is worth that much, when you can buy one thats almost the same size for 5k less. They often wonder where that 5k goes, you just cleared up most of it.

For 12k you could buy a truck that has a tool box bed and take the tools any where you want. That is way to much for a tool box.
You could probably start your own business making tool boxes for 12k.

Mine Snap-On boxes cost 11k in 1995 when I bought them.

Any man who's ever owned a Snap-On box will understand that they are worth it. I've never once been sorry I spent that much on a box. My tools are worth 4+ times what the box is.

Any man who has a Snap-On box and is sorry he bought it, raise your hand.............

i have never in my life heard anyone have a complaint about there snap on box cept when space is a factor and the boxes are too big lol. but all you have to do is pull out a full drawer on a snap on box then pull out a full drawer on a craftsmen box and you will feel the difference. the steel the snap on box is made out of is heavier than any others. the drawers are deeper than any others. they are best. and dont forget you get what you pay for

I beleive I could weld up a very nice LARGE tool box for alot less than what a Snap on cost. The quality is great but the mark up is unreal.

well said tx firefighter,and cableguy,12000 for my box is cheap compared to the 200,000 dollors worth of tools that are stored in them.try opening your socket door on a craftsmen box 30 or 40 times a day and see how long it last.
Like the sign on the side of the snapon truck says,Nothing even comes close.

Tool box can never be too big!!!

TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN. ALL THE PEOPLE SAYING THERE IS NO WAY THEY COULD BE WORTH THAT MUCH HAS DEFINATLY NEVER OWNED ONE.
SHOOT... WHY SPEND $35,000 ON A NEW BURB, WHEN A YUGO FOR 6,000 IS AVAILABLE???:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: JOHN