Best Tool Chest for Mechanics

If you use tools on a regular basis – such as to fix and repair your motorcycle – you will soon have to go through some of the best tool chest reviews to get the information that will empower you to pick the right one.

Although a cardboard box might prove useful over the short term, you will eventually have to get a proper tool chest to keep everything in order. After all, most of your tools are too cumbersome and bulky to fit into a cardboard box.

Since there are so many tool chests out there – from multi-drawer chests to roll around tool boxes – finding the right one will take some research. Use the guide below to help you pick from the best tool chest reviews:

**Below, you’ll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon:

Best Tool Chest Reviews:

As mentioned above, tool chests are necessary. To help you pick the right one, we’ve provided the best tool chest reviews below. Go through them to find out which one will suit your needs and preferences in the best way possible:

1. Craftsman 3-Drawer Metal Portable Chest Toolbox Red

Craftsman 3-Drawer Metal Portable Chest Toolbox Red

If you require something that you can tow around with relative ease, the Craftsman 3-Drawer Portable Metal Chest might prove useful. Made of solid steel, it should protect your repair and maintenance tools from almost anything.

Pros

  • The Craftsman 3-Drawer Portable Metal Chest is simple and works through an easy open and close mechanism
  • Since it is made of steel, this chest should prove durable over the long haul
  • It has three drawers, making it easy to organize different tools

Cons

  • However, the Craftsman 3-Drawer Portable Metal Chest is hard to open since the drawers are small

2. Excel TB2105X-Blue 26-Inch Steel Top Chest, Blue

Excel TB2502X-Blue 26-Inch Steel Intermediate Chest, Blue

Blue in color, the Excel TB2105X-Blue 26-Inch Steel Top Chest has made it to most of the best tool chest reviews around. It will provide you with heavy duty storage solutions for your workspace and garage. It can also accommodate many tools.

Pros

  • The Excel T82105X-Blue Steel Top Chest comes with five drawers, which should be enough to accommodate all your tools
  • It will keep your tools safe thanks to the locks
  • It boasts a solid steel construction, meaning that this chest will be with you for a long time

Cons

  • However, the steep construction means that the Excel T82105X-Blue Steel Top Chest isn’t as portable as you might like

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3. Viper Tool Storage LB218MC 18-Inch 2-Drawer 18G Steel Mini Storage Chest w/ Lid Compartment, Lime Green

Viper Tool Storage LB218MC Viper Tool Storage 18' 2-Drawer Green Mini Chest, Lime Green

Made using 18-gauge steel, the Viper Tool Storage LB218MC Mini Storage Chest is as durable as they come. It is also resistant to wearing, scratching, and chipping while providing more than enough capacity for all your tools.

Pros

  • The drawers on the Viper Tool Storage LB218MC Mini Storage Chest come with ball bearing slides and aluminum pulls for easy access
  • It has a powder-coated finish, which will resist chemicals, scratches, and dings
  • The internal tubular cam lock system and locking bar will keep the lid and drawers secure through the use of a single key

Cons

  • However, the Viper Tool Storage LB218MC Mini Storage Chest is ranked among the most expensive of all tool chests

4. Viper Tool Storage V218MCSS 18-Inch 2-Drawer 304 Stainless Steel Mini Storage Chest w/ Lid Compartment

Viper Tool Storage V218MCSS 18-Inch 2-Drawer 304 Mini Storage Chest W/Lid Compartment, Stainless...

Built to last, the Viper Tool Storage V218MCSS Mini Storage Chest boasts an 18G steel frame as well as a stainless steel rolling construction. It also comes with limited lifetime warranty because the manufacturer is confident that this chest will serve you well over the long haul.

Pros

  • The Viper Tool Storage V218MCSS Mini Storage Chest is durable and provides high-quality tools storage solutions
  • It boasts a fresh and contemporary look
  • It offers tons of storage room within its nine drawers
  • It has heavy duty resin casters to allow for easier, faster movement
  • It comes with extruded aluminum drawer pulls

Cons

  • However, the Viper Tool Storage V218MCSS Mini Storage Chest is quite pricey given its many attractive specifications

5. Craftsman 6 Drawer Heavy Duty Top Tool Chest, All Steel Construction & Smooth Glide Drawers

Craftsman 6 Drawer Heavy Duty Top Tool Chest, All Steel Construction & Smooth Glide Drawers

The Craftsman 6 Drawer Tool Chest comes last in this list of the best tool chest reviews. Apart from the quality construction that Craftsman is known for, you can be sure that this tool chest is as reliable as it is durable.

Pros

  • For starters, it is completely made of steel
  • You can easily leave it in those locations where it can be exposed to sources of wear and tear but to no apparent avail over the long haul
  • Boasting six drawers, this tool chest has a high capacity to store tools
  • It also has inbuilt bearings that you can use to slide the drawers in and out as you prefer
  • The top section also opens up easily, and you can hold it up with a folding support arm

Cons

  • As with other high-quality tool chests, the Craftsman 6 Drawer Tool Chest is relatively highly priced

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Factors To Consider While Picking A Tool Chest

As you read some of the best tool chest reviews, it is imperative that you consider some factors to ensure that you eventually make the right choice. Here are a couple of the factors you need to keep in mind:

1. Storage Capacity

You will be buying the best tool chest to keep your tools. As a result, you need it to have enough space for all your tools. Therefore, you should think about how many tools you own, their sizes and shapes, as well as how bulky they are before you start shopping for a tool chest.

2. Steel Gauge

Most of the best tool chest reviews will only cover chests and boxes designed for heavy tools. Therefore, it makes sense that you should avoid anything that is made out of plastic – unless you need to keep looking for replacements every once in a while.

The preferred material used on tool chests and storage boxes is steel. That said, the steel gauge will indicate the strength of the chest/box. The higher the gauge, the stronger your steel will be, and the greater the number of tools your chest will be able to support.

3. Drawers

While shopping for the best tool chest, it is imperative that you look for something that will make it easy for you to organize all your tools in a coherent and memorable way. To this end, you should only read the best tool chest reviews that cover chests with more than one drawer.

Further, the drawers will ensure that you can divide your tools according to size or purpose before lining them up inside the chest. It also helps to get something with many drawers because this will ensure that your tools are well protected during storage.

4. Additional Features

Some of the chests you will come across will offer extra features like wheels and locks. These features make it easier to use the chests. As such, you need to think about your needs and preferences as you take your pick from the best tool chest reviews.

5. Weight Capacity

Of course, you should also consider the weight capacity of every tool chest you find. As you read the best tool chest reviews, keep in mind that high-quality chests tend to be well built. This is easy to discern from their weight capacity.

In the same way, irrespective of the number of drawers in a chest, if it can’t hold your tools without breaking down from the sheer weight, then you might be better off with a different chest.

Therefore, you might want to only consider chests with drawers that have a minimum weight rating of 50 pounds.

6. Ball Bearing Slides

Although this is not necessary, it is still important. When you load tools inside a drawer, and they get close to the 50 pound mark, you might have a hard time opening the drawer.

To ensure that this does not happen, you might want to spend a little more to get a chest that has ball bearing. After all, you certainly don’t want to keep yanking away at a drawer whenever you need tools to fix, repair, or maintain your motorbike.

7. Price

Last but not least, tool chests are available in different price ranges. In fact, some of them cost upward of thousands of dollars. Of course, this might not be practical if you don’t have to money to splurge on a chest.

Where possible, look for something that is within your budget. A good option, to this end, might be a small chest that you can carry by hand.

However, you also need to consider your plans. As a rider, you might want to get a chest that will accommodate your growing inventory of tools. This is why it might be a good decision to invest in a large stationary tool chest so that you don’t have to replace it when your inventory expands.

Who Needs A Tool Chest?

A tool chest will prove invaluable as long as you have some tools to store. Since you already spent a good chunk of your savings to procure high-quality tools, it also makes sense that you need to get a chest that is of a high quality.

That said, the better the quality of your chest, the safer and more secure your tools will be. Further, these types of chests will make it easy for you to arrange and locate your tools whenever the need arises.

Anyway, many people will require tool chests. These include homeowners, motorcycle riders, construction workers, woodworkers, auto mechanics, and motorbike mechanics – among others.

As long as you have several tools that you use when the occasion arises, it makes great sense that you should save up to get any one of the best tool chests we have reviewed in this guide.

Care Use & Maintenance

Here are a few tips regarding the safety and maintenance to keep yourself safe and your tool chest in working order for as long as possible.

Safety Considerations

In the following section, you will find a couple of safety and maintenance tips to help you use your tool chest in the right way without harming yourself or damaging the chest:

  • Try not to overfill your drawers
  • Do not step on any opened drawer or on top of the tool chest to get to higher items
  • Most tool chests tend to be heavy; as such, you should be keen of the surroundings before you move yours
  • After you get to the designated location, lock the wheels on your tool chest
  • If you wish to leave the chest unattended, ensure that you’ve locked the drawers
  • Never overload the chest drawers beyond the right weight
  • Always distribute tools of different weights across the drawers
  • Clean your tool chest and get rid of any debris
  • Repair any broken pieces or drawers before you load tools into the chest

Final Verdict

So, there you have it – the ultimate unbiased guide to the best tool chest reviews for 2023. Each of the chests described above is sturdy, reliable, and dependable over the long haul.

However, we prefer the Excel TB2105X-Blue 26-Inch Steel Top Chest, Blue. From its high capacity (5 drawers) all the way to its solid construction (made of steel), this chest should serve you well over the long haul.

That said, any of the above tool chests will go a long way in covering you and ensuring that your tools are well protected and kept out of harm’s way. Go through all of the best tool chest reviews we‘ve listed above and pick the one that will serve your needs well.

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