Any technician worth his salt has a tool box of some kind. The longer you’ve been in the business, the more tools you accumulate, and therefore, the larger the box you need. Tool boxes and tool cabinets become a bragging point for some technicians as they tend to get larger and more involved as they gain time on the job. We’ve seen some pretty impressive boxes with custom paint jobs. You can get the top box first with matching bottom cabinet. Then a few years later you might add a side cabinet. There are other accessories like storage lockers and shelves available.
When you want the ultimate tool box set up, you need to go to the right manufacturer. Waterloo has been making tool boxes, tool carts and chests for decades and is one of the premier manufactures in the industry. They have a wide selection of boxes to choose from with different lines that offer different levels of quality and features to fit any need.
There are several key things to look for in any tool box you get. There are professional tool boxes and there are consumer tool boxes. Be sure to get a box that meets your needs. For the professional, probably the most important feature is ball bearing drawer slides. You need drawers to slide smoothly. The box should also be rated to have at least a 1200 lb. load capacity. Many inferior boxes are flimsy and won’t hold up to typical shop abuse. Drawers should be rated to hold 75 lbs. each. The wheels should be on ball bearing swivel casters. The box needs to have double wall construction at a minimum. Warranty should be at least five years.
You should also get a line that allows you to exapand as you grow. Our Waterloo Tool Box has several professional lines that fit these requirements.
Don’t short change yourself or you may end up needing to buy a new box a few years later.
