Trist

Looking at new tool chest and snap on prices are about £2500
Looking around eBay do a us pro stainless steel chest for £750.
Has any one got a us pro. And what are they like against a snap on.

Dave-Rs

iTrader: (1)

what do you use your tools for hobby or is it your job? I have a snap on box and love it but im a full time mechanic so I could justify the price but if I was just using it for at home working on my own car id get the uspro. A couple of people where I work have us pro boxes and they seem good they have ball bearing sliders and are miles better than teng, halfords, sealy boxes in my opinion.

Trist

I'm a marine engineer and would replace the 4 smaller chests I have.
As you do start with small and add on to it but IV always put off the lager one

Dave-Rs

iTrader: (1)

well if its for work then id go for the snap on as it will last a lifetime and if you want to upgrade it in the future most snap on dealers do very good trade in deals. I got my employer to buy my box for me through the company as he can reclaim the vat and he just took 50 out of my wages every week until it was paid off, it made it alot easier than paying a lump sum and you save paying vat, you could try that with your employer maby?

ajamesc

Snap on one looks better in the tool box car park lol
If the cheaper one has roller bearings on the draws and a good lock system I'd save your self a load of money I'm more into what's in my tool box than the tool box

Dave-Rs

iTrader: (1)

oh and forgot to say snap on dealers usually have a few preowned boxes in as very good condition that offer a good saving over buying brand new

saph4be

Double post

saph4be

Snap on boxs are over priced IMHO I use and but snap on tools but refuse to pay for there boxes even used daily there just a bit off willy waving in the workshop! My first box was a cheap task master which I had in 1995 second hand and was all ways full off tools I only got rid cos some twat in last garage I worked I. (2009) drove into it and nicked it flying and bent it all out off shape!

.Ross.

iTrader: (2)

Ah the crap on boxes are OK. Well the master and Epiq's.

It's like fitting fancy rims to a car. Why bother?

Crap-on boxes come with a lifetime warranty as well, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

tay14

New snap on boxes are shit!!!!!!i bought a brand new 53" roll cab around 2001,had it In the workshop then in the back of the van where it took a lot of hammer,going on building sites off road ect never had any problems. Then last year a bought a rand new 40" roll cab and it's crap!!!with in the first few weeks the roller bearing runners had dropped to bits and then the lock fell to bits as well. I still have the older box and when you compare them next to each other the older box looks better made and feels a lot stronger. I've all ways bought snap on tools but I will never buy another box.

Trist

Will look into the US pro jobs on ebay then.

bigjas280

Hello mate, I've got one of them Us pro stainless jobbies from ebay
Got to say they are excellent quality, I looked around at buying ones from machine mart and some second hand snap on ones but so glad I went with this.
My mates all have snap on boxes that they spent shit loads on but they are all in the trade and my cars are a hobby so I couldn't justify spending that amount of money on a snap on box when the money could have been put to better use on the cars.
My mates were all impressed with the quality of the us pro one and at the end of the day its only for storage.








Well worth the money.

northenhunk

They are nothing compared you may as we'll compare an apple to a cheese grater! Snap on use higher grade steel and better quality parts and thicker steel and better locks corner gussets the list goes on and on and on. Don't buy the cheap shit as it won't last and you'll end up pissed off with it and buying snap on anyway. And snap on will always be worth good money us pro isn't worth anything the second you buy it. Sorry to rant.

ajamesc

That's quite funny you saying the cheap stuff don't last lol my Clark HD bottom box has not given me any problems in the 12 years I've owned it but my snap on top box needed new runners for it's lower draw as they fell apart!!

ajamesc

ive been looking at these as I've no more room at all for tools and I'm fooked if I'm paying 2 grand for a snap on one!
What type of lock system do these have? Is the key flat or round?

DAZZER

I got a very good box from Costco roller bearing drawers and nice locks made by Homak 36" plenty of storage and very good quality.

geordiegooner

and the best thing is you can take it back anytime for a full refund no questions asked

MikeyRobbo

Absolute bargain to be had on ebay from US Pro Tools, perfect starter kit for anybody can you imagine the cost of this lot from Snap On!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/09-US-PRO-...item54066f5b64

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Never used a US Pro box, but it looks nice. However of course, looking nice and being ncie are two different things - my Halfords box and Machine Mart boxes both looked nice, but were the most useless pieces of shite ever conceived. Ok, possibly a little harsh agains the Halfords box, which wasn't THAT bad, but the Machine Mart "Clarke" box was fucking dire, and I should have returned it the moment I took it out the box! About as rigid as a wet cake!

Snap On boxes are expensive, yes. Can't comment on the new ones quality - mine is gotta be pushing 20 years old at least, and still going strong. It's lived on vans for the past ten years (how long I've had it), and taken a lot of abuse - had it's lid removed, handles removed, had various holes drilled in it to bolt it down, got wet, been stood on, doors slammed into it, been used as a worktop bench for hammering, etc, and it's still bob on. CANNOT fault it. It's the only box that's lived up to the rigours of road life, and I'd not hesitate to buy another.

Would I buy one for sitting in a garage or shed and being used at weekends? Probably not. And there are cheaper alternatives for daily pro use that will be fine for static duties in a workshop, you don't NEED a SO box for that. I disagree it's about willy waving - usually that's said by people that want them, but can't afford them.

The other thing you have to remember about SO, and other brands like them, is the aftercare. We all know SO's no fuss exchange/replace/repair for tools, and this extends to their boxes too. Drawer slides break? SO will send you a full set of replacements, and charge you nothing. And you know you'll be able to get service backup for decades and decades - something you won't get from companies that discontinue their models, change their line up, etc. Try getting spares for a 20 year old Halfords tool box - I bet you can't!

As I said in another thread, I'm not a SO snob; many of my tools (the majority infact) aren't SO. But when it comes to boxes, nothing else comes close, and I wouldn't buy anything else, especially for life on the road.

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Looks great! But, forgetting the cost of the box, there's 224 pieces in that kit, at a cost of £499. That's an average cost of £2.24 per piece. Retail. Means cost is probably a quid a piece. I wouldn't touch that with a bargepole....

ajamesc

my Clark HD box in the pic above has served me faultlessly for 12 odd years used every day packed full of tools lol even had to replace the bottom set of draw runners in my snap on top box after they fell apart Clark on on the other hand still going strong lol

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

You mean the pic of it sat stationary in a garage? Re-read my post, where I said for life on the road in a van I wouldn't choose anything else, and also the bit where I said there are cheaper alternatives to SO for static use that will suffice. I didn't say all toolboxes other than SO are shit, I just said in my experience, I wouldn't use anything other than SO for on road duties. I also said I can't comment on the quality of newer SO boxes, and mentioned the age of mine.

ajamesc

Sat in a garage being used as a toolbox is meant to be used day in day out lol no tool box will stand up well to bouncing about in the back of a van that's why I use this in my work van! Slating cheaper boxes because they don't last in a van is silly snap on stuff is just over priced these days lol

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

I'm sorry, what? "no tool box will stand up well to bouncing about in the back of a van" ? Really?

Cos as I've also said, I've been using my SO box exclusively in the back of my vans (6 so far) for the past ten years. And other than fixing one drawer slide, that I damaged by closing the sliding door on an open drawer, it's in exactly the same shape as it was when I got it. More than I can say for the Clarke box I had, that lasted about 5 or 6 months, before it was so warped and distorted it wasn't actually useable. I literally had to break one of the drawers open on that to get my tools out before I got rid of it.

Please, actually read posts before making yourself look foolish....

ajamesc

You got a lucky one then lol at my place we do 24hr call out every 3rd week so when we are on we put are tools on the van I've been doing it for ages and I've seen the other guys put the mac and snap on boxes on the van full of all the tools you need for the week on and over the months they rattle them selfs to bits lol they use cheap trolleys like me now at 80 pounds a pop and I'm not making my self look foolish at all I'm going from my own experience for your box to last 6 years on a van is very very very lucky or you have sod all weight in tools in it

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

No, you're making yourself look foolish by making statements about things that have already been addressed - such as saying "no toolbox will stand up well to bouncing about in the back of a van". That makes you look foolish. I don't think I've been lucky; there's a user on here, in another current thread, that will tell you his toolbox (in his case, a Halfords box) has been fine in his van for ten years. The people I work with have had Snap On boxes on their vans for as long if not longer than me, and they haven't "rattled to bits" either. That's not luck, it's just buying quality, rather than tat. I've bought tat, and then I bought quality. Lucky would be buying quality, for the price of tat...

And no, I have plenty of tools in there thanks. In fact, more than I can actually fit in it, hence why I considering other options for more tool storage, such as a roll cab. Judging by your picture, I've three to four times the weight, and amount, of tools in my box than your plastic cart.

PS, to avoid looking foolish, I implore you again to actually read posts. I said 10 years, not 6.

MikeyRobbo

You can buy the box empty for £320 here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/38-US-PRO-...item48632edc08

So technically speaking its £180 for 224 tools which averages each tool out to £1.24 which imo, is a bargain!

mat_rss2

Ive owned a few big boxes, mac britool and finally settled on a new snap on one and its solidly built but yes the price is the bit that hurts. A colleague owns a big stainless us pro topchest and roll cab and I can say it looks very well finished but when compared to others there are some downsides, the catches to stop the drawers coming out feel very week when filled, the locks feel pretty shoddy aswell, and there's quite alot of drawer play. As above the clarke hd ones take a punishment for the price

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

£1.24 per tool average, retail, means you're looking at about 50p per tool cost price. Yup, I'd definitely skip those! I buy chocolate bars that cost more to make than that (and which are probably stronger, too)

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

One thing I wish my box had are the lift catch/latch drawers. One of Halfords' Pro boxes has lift catch/latch drawers, and they would be really useful on my SO box. Of course, mine's designed to have a lid with a front flap that stops the drawers opening, but I had to take the lid off as there wasn't room for it in my van. It's one reason I'm glad mine doesn't have roller bearing drawer slides, as they'd come open at even the thought of a corner! Once my drawers are loaded up with tools, they are quite heavy, but still slide open a bit when cornering at more than a snails pace. Lift catch/latch drawers would be nice, I must admit.

chalkey

My 2 cents, I love my us pro box, its full of snap on gear looks the part and 1 simple touch has made it my own, great value for money

ajamesc

I do like the look of that! Looks good in stainless

strada84

I've got 3 big Snap-On boxes. The oldest one of which is still the best box I own and the best box ever made as far as I'm concerned. The newer ones aren't as good as the old ones, but still decent.

But I've just bought 2 US Pro Tools boxes (low ones with worktops) to park down the side of my spray booth to use as clean workbenches and store all the larger air tools, more specialist stuff etc and for the vast difference in price, I can't tell the difference between them and the newer Snap On stuff.

Hobomc

As an apprentice in the early nineties I bought a budget tool box and cab, the wheels where crap and I sat it in a cradle made with wheels from a supermarket trolley. This year I bought a secondhand snap on set up as the box was rotting but 20 yrs use as an agricultural fitter I wouldn't say no to budget if you insist on new.

gcfcos

I had a us pro top box and roll cab but after 6 years and a few garage/job moves it starting falling apart. The draws started opening by themselves as the plastic bits that held the draws shut broke and I couldn't get any parts for it and the top lid twisted. Would have been fine for hobby use or if I never had to move it. Got this now ;



But I'm still paying it off monthly and now I'm a roadside patrol the monthly payments are stinging!! Should have just spent £750 on a new us pro box and took the knackered one home! Oh well live and learn

cossie51

Snap on boxes are nothing like they use to be unless your buying the big very expensive American boxes.
All the 26" and 40" boxes are now made very cheap in China and not Canada like they use to. Bad paint quality thin metal gauge and rust but still priced at top quality price products.

gcfcos

Very true mate, I bought a big krl a couple of years ago and think it's one of the only ones that are still made in America, I've seen some of the youngsters ones they've bought the cheaper ones and their not the greatest feel to them and stickers on the back saying made in China