A friend says that a toolbox doesn't make you money. He's wrong. Knowing where every tool is and being able to put your hand on it immediately saves time. Imagine one to three minutes every time you take out a tool added up over the course of an engine replacement or even a whole restoration, then multiply that by labor rates.
Prior to upgrading my shop with this 26-in. Kobalt chest and roller cabinet, my tools were scattered between seven densely packed small boxes. When I needed a tool, I had to remember which box it was in, then unpack five layers in that box to find it. If I guessed wrong, I tried again. It was inefficient and messy. Plus, all the boxes were full. My storage just didn't have the sauce to keep up with what I was accumulating, and my workspace had become cluttered to the point of uselessness.
An enthusiast shopping for storage is confronted with a dizzying array of choices. Size, features and quality range from life-like miniatures to wall-sized cabinets that recall a long-haul truck. Kobalt's primary line of tool chests lies in between but is closer to the latter. It's manufactured in the U.S. by easily the most reputable American maker of tool storage. It's not the most expensive product, but it is built to last with quality features and heavy-duty construction--a 5 Series tool chest, if you will.
Kobalt is a young brand, created in 1998. It is a joint venture between Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and J.H. Williams, a tool company with more than a century of manufacturing experience. As distributed by Lowe's, this Kobalt tool chest is a significant value versus chests of equivalent features and quality from competing brands.
I decided early in my shopping that ball-bearing drawers were a must-have. Press down on a drawer to simulate a load of tools and move it in and out, and I'm sure you'll agree. Kobalt's full-extension ball-bearing slides are among the smoothest and allow access to the very back of the drawers. The slides can be quickly relocated within the cabinet to reconfigure the drawers. Kobalt uses sidewall-post construction and heavy-gauge caster support channels, giving this combination a load capacity of 1,200 lb. The heavy-duty, positive-stop side handles on this 26-in. top chest are found only on a competing brand's 40- and 52-in. equivalents. The overall look and feel of this chest and cabinet is one of quality and solidity.
Many accessories are available to provide the finishing touches to a Kobalt tool chest, from drawer liners, dividers and organizers to work surface tops. I lined each drawer with anti-slip material, helping to keep them organized neatly, as well as protecting the blue powdercoat finish from scratches and silencing the rattle of wrenches and screwdrivers.
The 26-in., eight-drawer top chest and five-drawer roller cabinet combination I chose is excellent for most enthusiasts. It has a small footprint in a garage or shop yet has the capacity to hold more tools than most people may ever own. If there's any question of running out of space, Kobalt also has 40-in.-wide versions.
My father invested in a roll-away tool cabinet when he was about my age. He still has it and plans to keep using it for the rest of his life. Likewise, my cars and projects come and go, but I expect to use my Kobalt tool chest forever.
