I have a Halfords professional at work, it is just as good as a colleague's snap on. Often on good sale prices too or if you know someone with a trade card.

 

 

 

I like those stainless ones they do with the work top. I have been looking at a foam cut out company and I am tempted to do foam cut outs for the major drawers and most used tools like the 10mm, 13mm spanners etc and a draw with the angle grinders all neatly laid out.

 

 

Halfords Industrial is their best range, normally in black but they occasionally do different colours. I have the Professional roller cabinet, mid and top boxes along with the side cupboard and drawer unit. Only problem is not being able to specify lock numbers so you might end up with all different keys.

 

 

Halfords advanced took over their professional range, not sure what happened to the industrial boxes though!

 

I would go Costco all the way anything ever goes wrong with toolbox as long as your still a member get your full money back no quibbles. (I would say that though as worked there 18 years and use the boxes in our tyrebay)

 

 

An old work colleague has just bought one of those large stainless roll cabs with hard top and to be fair it's a nice bit of kit. Used all day everyday by him and his apprentice. Ok the draws aren't very deep but there's plenty of them! He sold his snap on roll cab as it wasn't that big a model and he bought this and had ££££ left over! I paid £7k Just for my toolbox and I'm still paying for it monthly 4 years later. Never again.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry to lower the tone guys, but having a limited budget, I bought a Workzone cabinet from Aldi for 140 quid, and was really impressed by it! so much so, that I got the top box to go with it

Cabinet is still available too

 

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.