Thread: Toolbox quality
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Old Oct 14, 2018 | 03:06 PM
  #19  
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Halfords Advanced aren't bad - not worth the retail on them, but if you have a trade card or get one on special they're a passable box. Same with Clarke from Machine Mart, but only the HD models - don't touch the regular models. I had one, destroyed it inside 4 or 5 months, and both through misuse: my toolboxes used to live on vans and the Clarke box was such low quality, flimsy "steel" it twisted and distorted very quickly, making the drawers a pain to use. Plus, the drawers aren't very big or deep. Stay away.

As a hobbyist, I'd say your best bet is a second hand box. Sure, a nice shiny new one is a lovely thing, but for the same money, often less, you can get something twice as good quality. My Snap On box was £112 I think (could be wrong, it was 14 years ago) and it's lived on numerous vans since - it's had a hard life; it's been wedged in, bolted down, had holes drilled in it, hard it's lid and front flap removed, been stood on, "persuaded" into tight fitting spots with size 11 boots, and whilst it's not pretty anymore, with faded/missing paint and a few wounds, it's still as straight as the day it was made: every drawer runs perfectly, everything lines up, and it sits properly on every flat surface I put it on. I've had it 14 years, and I'm pretty sure it's an 80's model, so can't grumble at that.
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