Britool are a great make, along with a few other old time makes that are surprisingly still around, such as King Dick and Gedore (don't think the last one are still being made, and actually i think maybe they were manufactured in Germany. anyway they were good.)
last but not least that old evergreen classic make Chrome Vanadium (i'll get me coat)
Hi
been in our local Cromwell Tool trade centre today
They had some nice Kennedy tool cabinets with roller draws for under 200 notes including the vat.
David
I've got a couple of Beta tool cabinets - a bit pricey at list but worth it when they're on a promotion discount. Just bought a Beta trolley type three piece box for the van - feels a bit flimsey, but it came with a load of tools and I'm a sucker for a 'bargain'! W/A
best thing i ever bought malc like you say kept chucking tools all over the place and when you need somet you can never find it? so i took the plunge not so long back and bought a 9 drawer teng tool chest and now when finished using bits and bats i give the spanners a good old clean and polish and put em back for use another day (if you dont get one make one paint it any colour you want and put snap on stickers on it it ill be a one of speciel lol)
Malc,
as marknotgeorge has mentioned, Costco (need a card to get + not sure where abouts they are in the rest of the country - im in Machester) do a few nice tools cabinets.
The one in the manchester store at the mo is a large rolling cab with draws on top (& the draws are bb) and its all in stainless steel - if only i had the space as its a bit on the large size from my single garage !!
cant remember the price but its excellent value!! I may even get one and store it till I have 'made' space
costco sounds good theres one in chester near me. Pity im not a business and cant get in oh well they don't have my dream tool chest anyway. the snap-on keyless security system chests. will only open if it reads your special badge
I'm not sure how the prices line up with other suppliers but they seem to have a lot of items listed in different categories so it could be a usefull reference site when looking for almost any tools, etc.
I appreciate that you may not have the resources or the time, but a couple of weeks ago I made my own toolbox to the dimensions of an existing one that was falling apart at the seams from spot welds. It's nice and big and really strong and sturdy, think it was made from 1mm... can't remember exactly...
Anyway, I've been told I'll be making myself a tool chest next, and I'm happier making my own boxes and chests because I can make them to my own specifications and make it nice and strong, plus it saves me money as the company buys the metal... and you can be proud of your hard work for decades to come.
I have a few 5 draw snapon boxes I dont use any more if you want to make a sensible offer they have holes in the sides as I bolted 5 in a row so nobody could run off with them. most have no locks as keys were lost.
they are a bit dirty but they have not got battered as they did not move.
I was looking at waiting to after christmas when peopl have a bit of money again putting new locks in them cleaning them up ang putting them on ebay.
Does anyone know roughly how much a costco box (like the photo) would be? Just approx (£100, £250, £500, 1000)? Does it have the nice bearing drawers?
Plumbed in most of the compressed air piping this weekend (didn't leak or blow apart ) but the toolbox dimensions and location might finalise the position of the regulator in the workshop so ought to get moving on this one. All the black painted ones on the market at the moment look lovely too.
Think I've decided to get a niceish one that I can keep for 30 years without getting too annoyed at it. There's a super looking one close to me on eBay just now, but £500 which is steep.
Tool boxes. I have several, a huge black Mac-Tools one consisting of Macimisser roll-cab & top-box. One 7-drawer Britool roll-cab, for laptops & diagnostic equipment. One very battered small Snap-on top-box in the van. All were purchased second-hand, new tools boxes cost the earth and by the nature of their use they just get knocked about. Try to purchase boxes with ball bearing mechanisms in the drawers, not just a plan metal slide. As a matter of info, most main dealers have banned the use of mobile trolleys & tool carts due to the damage they do to customers body-paint work! My Britool roll-cab has grey foam pipe insulation glued to all four corners, to prevent me having to pay for body repairs to customers cars.
Truth is expensive tool boxes are a waste of money, but if you are going to work in motortrade, people sort of don't take you seriously on your first day at work without one.
Hand tools. If you're reading this, its very likely you will fall into one of two categories. Either fixing your own car to save money, or secondly you are in the trade, trying to earn a living! Forget tools from Snap-on, Mac and Proto. They will just cost too much money, and eat into the profit or the cost saving. Start thinking more on the lines of Draper, Laser and Sealy. In fairness it is nice to own some expensive tools & most professional motor mechanics tools kits are made up of mix of expensive and cheap tools. Forget cheap screwdrivers thou...
Oh... my workbench is a 40gallon drum half filled with sand & with a 30in sq 10mm bit of plate welded to it, vice bolted to the top. All painted up a nice shade of blue