Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
Our picks for the best tool chest take into account organization, application, value, and size. When dealing with tool chests we address the needs of mechanics, DIYers, home users, and even contractors. A solid tool chest helps a Pro or home user organize his or her tools in such a way as to keep them safe, make them easily accessible, and help them stay organized so they are easy to grab and replace as needed. As always, we’ve organized our picks below into several key categories to help you find the right product for your needs. cabinet workbench
Our top pick for the best tool chest has to be the Husky 56-inch tool chest and rolling workbench combo (see our review of the Husky 52-inch rolling tool chest). In addition to being a beautiful matte black, this tool chest delivers 120 pounds of support per drawer, plus a convenient soft-close feature that helps keep your tools from jostling.
You also get an 8-outlet strip with two USB ports and a nice array of handy drawer sizes—including a full-width drawer. At less than $1550 for both pieces, this represents one of the highest-quality, value-priced tool storage solutions on the market. We could easily see this in a garage, automotive shop, or any workshop.
When it came to selecting the best mechanics tool chest, I went toward the Sunex 8035XL Red Slide Utility Cart. First, this cart has an ample amount of storage in a very portable form factor that lets you take your tools directly to where you need them. Second, with the three ball-bearing slide drawers and 18-gauge steel construction, you get a super-durable cart with 500 pounds of capacity.
You also get some color and personality choices to give your shop some life. We love the sliding top that gives you two separate work areas plus access to the interior storage space. It even includes a Intregrated onboard power strip with three outlets and two USB ports. You can find a cheaper cart, but this one delivers both quality and functionality.
The Craftsman 7-Cabinets Steel Garage Storage System delivers professional-quality storage at a fraction of the price. While not inexpensive, competing products cost upwards of $6,000 or more for similar build quality and storage. This system should provide ample storage and its 126-inch width fits in the back of most 1- and 2-car garages.
With the Craftsman 6-cabinet system, you get locking storage with heavy-duty welded steel doors and walls. The entire system also comes fully assembled on a pallet—way better than the flat-pack systems many competitors use. Locking doors and drawers with a 100-pound capacity and soft-close drawers and latches round out the features.
Our recommendation for the best tool chest with tools easily goes to the Sonic Tools Next S9 toolbox. Now, with that said, we picked the best tool chest with tools…not the cheapest! We still think the Sonic Tools S9 + Tools 285-piece toolbox comes as a bargain at a bit over $5,250 loaded. You get a lifetime replacement warranty and tools that stay in place thanks to foam liners in every drawer. This tool chest works great for the auto mechanic who’s just starting out or the serious DIYer who loves to work on or restore cars.
Of course, Sonic Tools also makes larger boxes like the S12 or even the S14 if you want to go overboard. Sonic Tools lets you completely customize any of its tool boxes when you order online. They also have an almost unlimited combinations of tool combinations for the automotive, aviation, and manufacturing industries.
Of the available Craftsman tool chests, their 18-gauge 26.5-inch rolling tool cabinet and 26-inch tool chest combo might be the best thing going. For less than $500, you get a ton of rolling storage that works great in your workshop or garage. How much storage? Lots. And you get things like auto-returning ball-bearing slides with 100 lbs loading.
The rolling base features 5 drawers with 5,840 cu. in. of total storage capacity. The entire system can handle more than 1/2 ton of weight. The cherry on top? These are assembled in Missouri, USA.
Pro Tool Reviews has been writing reviews, covering tools, and reporting on industry news in the construction, automotive, and lawn care industries since 2008. Our Pro reviewers work in the trades and have the skills and experience to know whether tools can perform well in the field.
Each year, we bring in and review hundreds of individual products. Our team will put our hands on hundreds of additional tools at media events and trade shows throughout the year. We also consult with innovators in the technology and design of tools to gain a broader grasp of where these products fit and how they work.
The result is information you can trust because of the editorial, scientific, and real-world professional experience we collectively utilize each and every time we pick up and test a tool.
Gearwrench GSX 72″ 18-drawer Rolling Tool Cabinet Gearwrench pulls out all the stops with chrome drawer pulls and a stainless steel top that resists corrosion. With a 16-gauge steel body and 10 ball-bearing drawers with 150 lbs of load capacity, this GSX series cabinet aims to please. 4 heavy-duty 8″ x 2″ spring-loaded casters and a built-in charging station with 6 outlets and 2 USB ports only sweeten the deal.
Homak 41″ Pro II Combo Pro, but plain, features that don’t compromise or cut any corners. Unlike some of the more cookie-cutter brands, Homak even gives you ample color options.
JEGS 72 in. 11-Drawer Rolling Tool Cabinet with Upper Storage Where Pro meets value, JEGS provides excellent options and configurations for just about any shop or garage.
Extreme Tools RX Series RX552520CRBL 55” 20-Drawer Roller Cabinet w/Hutch Extreme Tools offers high-quality toolboxes and chests in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. We like the quick-release self-latching drawer pulls and full-extension drawers.
PROTO 13-drawer Steel Tool Roller Cabinet Proto makes solid mechanics tools and their cabinets are just as impressive. Mechanics will love the 200-pound drawer support and variety of sizes and configurations.
Snap-On Double-Bank EPIQ Utility Vehicle with SpeeDrawer Made for NASCAR-level professionals, this system defies all budgets and capabilities with 17″ diameter wheels and 8 tons of load capacity!
We tend to organize our tool chests in several key categories. We’ll go over each, as some may be more practical than others, depending on your situation.
With so many different drawer sizes in tool chests, you want to make good use of them. The thinnest drawers are excellent for wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers. Medium-sized drawers work well for tape measures, meters, larger hand tools, and socket sets.
Full-width drawers hold larger tools like long pry bars, 2-foot levels, and even conduit benders. Lastly, tall bottom drawers are perfect for power tools or anything else demanding additional storage.
You also want to take into account accessibility. If you constantly reach for your wrenches and sockets—don’t put them at a level where you need to constantly bend down to grab them. Conversely, place your least-used tools in the drawers that are furthest out of reach.
You Might Like: Check out our articles on the best screwdrivers and the best pliers.
Nearly all good-quality tool chests include drawer liners. The problem is that these drawer liners immediately slide around on you when opening and closing the drawer. It doesn’t matter whether you have tools loaded in the drawer or not—drawer liners slide. We recommend applying spray adhesive to your drawer liners.
To do this, just pick up some spray adhesive (we recommend Gorilla Heavy-Duty spray adhesive). First, clean or vacuum out the drawers (we try to do it as soon as we get the tool chest). Next, spray the adhesive on the drawer bottom and also on half of the drawer liner. Wait a minute to let the spray tack up a little bit. Then, apply the glued half of the liner to the drawer—back to front. Finally, spray the remaining portion of the bottom of the liner and smooth it into place.
You can’t move these around once they come together, so try and ensure you’ve positioned them carefully before letting them make contact. Now, your tools can set on the liners and the shifting motion from opening and closing the drawers won’t cause the liners to crumple, slide, or fold.
Don’t worry if your system doesn’t come with foam inserts—it likely doesn’t. You also don’t have to buy special tools and watch 16 hours of YouTube to roll your own. You can order custom foam inserts from Kaizen Inserts.
Custom foam inserts (like those in the Sonic Tools S9) help you keep track of your tools. If you do try and roll your own, it just takes some discipline. You have to lay out your drawers and decide where you want your tools to live.
Having used foam inserts, I find it difficult to go back. As soon as you see that empty hole—you know you’re missing that 10mm socket. Without the foam insert, you’re often on your own until you need a tool that you didn’t even realize was misplaced. You can outfit an entire 26-27″ tool chest for around $100. Of course, you still have to add in the tools and manual labor to customize those inserts the way you want them.
We judge tool chests on a variety of factors. It’s the sum of the whole—along with the desired application—that ultimately guides our decision. We also run these by professionals in various fields to see what they think and get their input. Once we’re done, we feel we have a list you can rely on and trust.
One thing we don’t like: cheap tool chests with sagging drawers or thin metal that flexes and rusts. For that reason, you don’t see any “Amazon-special” recommendations—we don’t care how many people give them top user ratings. If you’re worried about whether you can slam a drawer closed or if the locking mechanism will hold up over time—you’ve got the wrong product.
Some tool chests have tons of thin drawers that do great for small wrenches and drivers but fail when it comes to larger tools. We prefer a decent mix. Your particular needs should dictate the style you choose, however. Auto mechanics typically favor a higher number of thinner drawers to hold all those specialty picks, wrenches, and hand tools that make their job easier.
We also like the presence of power strips on the top of tool cabinets. That allows for easy charging of phones, meters, scanners, and even cordless tool batteries when needed. Those gimmicky boxes with integrated Pioneer radios and small refrigerators? Leave them alone. They might be fun for a spell, but we prefer tool chests that focus on their core use: tool storage.
Advanced features aren’t required—but they are sometimes very nice to have. We love the safety lockout feature on the Sonic Tools boxes. You can’t open more than one drawer at a time. This keeps the box from ever tipping over on you. It’s not a feature you find on less expensive boxes, so you get a bit more for your money when you go high-end.
Value matters. How much you need to invest in a good tool chest affects your bottom line. That might explain our excitement over Husky tool chests and workbenches that compete on features with the big dogs but do it for less. It’s also why you don’t see a lot here from the likes of Snap-on or Mac Tools. If you need commercial-level quality, you may want to consider those products, but when you can buy 2-3 toolboxes for the price of one of those, it’s hard for us to seriously recommend them.
Speaking of value—we recommend Husky a lot on this page, but if you have a Northern Tool store nearby, you can find decent products from the likes of Homak. They aren’t quite the bargain we find with Husky, but they beat pricing from most of the name brands. You can find a similar value to our most affordable picks at Harbor Freight. Their U.S. General series provides several great options (and colors!) to handle almost any application.
When he's not playing with the latest power tool, Clint DeBoer enjoys life as a husband, father, and is an avid reader—especially the Bible. He loves Jesus, has a degree in recording engineering, and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
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