I found a great tool box in the most unexpected of places – an art supply store!
The ArtBin Mini Sidekick is a small gear box that I find to be well-suited for project or task-specific kits.
Flambeau, ArtBin’s parent company, makes similar tool boxes in black, but I’ve found them to very hard to find except in bulk quantities. So, I bought a couple of ArtBins.
Advertisement
The box measures 11″ long x 5.5″ wide x 7″ tall at its widest, and the base measures 9.8″ long x 4.75″ wide.
I started with one recently, and bought more once I confirmed its quality.
The ArtBin Mini Sidekick gear boxes are made with translucent plastic (polypropylene according to the recycling label), which I’m happy about. It often takes me a few tries to get my organizational scheme finalized, and so it’s great to be able to ID a box and its general contents with just a glance.
The boxes are fairly sturdy, stackable, and open with a single latch. They’re easy to move around using the fold-flat handle.
The only downside is that the colorful ArtBin logo is permanently fixed to the tool box, or at least it doesn’t feel to be a sticker or easily-removed decal.
In my eyes, this is a small but serious tool box.
Advertisement
Price: ~$15 on average
COO: USA
Advertisement
Bobby
Good find! I picked up an ArtBin tackle style box that I use for tools and it’s also well made.
Freddy
Flambeau mainly makes tackle boxes and ammo cans and dry boxes . This looks just like a rebranded ammo can.
I already own several of these in green and orange, and without that fruity logo on the cans I paid even less than $15 at my local outdoorsman shop .
I use them for ammo and other storages purposes.
Flambeau products. are solid, been using them for years so far and never even had a latch break.
I’m just glad I don’t have that logo on the sides of mine , I would just cover them with stickers anyway.
Peter
Fruity logo?
Mackenzie
I guess paint is fruity.
Bart
Ew a rainbow! Lol grow up. Trying way too hard to be masculine.
Dustin
Just sand the logo off and draw a picture of a bicep on it
ToolGuyDan
Not masculine-signaling enough. I was thinking of drawing strong, firm thigh muscles, bulging out of a short pair or shorts, or maybe a picture of a glistening naked man covered in oil.
Whatever it takes to keep my husband from thinking I’m gay for owning this box, y’know?
Steve
Almost the same thing as the Harbor Freight plastic ammo box, I’ve been using those for years. They’re pretty much the same size, available in a larger size, more rugged, and half the price.
Albert
I had the same thought — Harbor Freight ammo boxes. They have both plastic and steel, in a few sizes. And throw in a coupon.
Mike+McFalls
I second ammo boxes as a great solution.
Drew M
Exactly. It is an overpriced translucent thin plastic ammo can.
Gary Harman
But not translucent, right?
Robert
Unexpected finds in unexpected places. To organize my tool manuals and separately receipts, I asked my wife to buy 9 x 12 x 2 (maybe 3) clear document holder boxes at Michaels when they were on deep discount. They work great. The only wear and tear on them is the repeated opening and closing motion on the clasps and hinges, and those seem sturdy enough.
fred
We repurposed metal file boxes for storing/carrying pneumatic staple guns like the Bostitch LHF97125-2 and SX150-BHF-2. I think we bought them at Staples in 2005.
https://www.amazon.com/MMF-Industries-Steel-Security-227109003/dp/B00006ICA5
fred
I have 2 similarly-styled Flambeau boxes incorporating Zerust. Mine are in dark blue bought in 2006 for $14.98 each. Like you, when I looked to buy more – I found them to be as scarce as hen’s teeth.
https://www.flambeaucases.com/14-quot-zerust-dry-box-t1408-gear-box.aspx
Translucent cases, like the ArtBin – can be nice for crafts. I have used this one from Akro Mills to package some crafting gifts:
https://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-09514CFT-14-Inch-Plastic-Semi-Clear/dp/B002PNN796/
MoogleMan3
Nice find. I do the same thing when shopping; I’m still looking for the perfect driver bit cases. I’ve tried a ton, but all compromise in one way or another.
Harrison
GRK boxes with the label pealed off are my current solution…
Jared
Translucence seems like the key factor for these. Otherwise there’s plenty of “ammo box” competitors, including Plano, MTM and Magnum. This looks to match up roughly with the .50 cal size – e.g. https://www.princessauto.com/en/50-cal-poly-ammo-box/product/PA0008747073
I could see a shelf of these containing project-specific kits though, or maybe specific types of supplies.
Stuart
Maybe, but I have also seen some very flimsy plastic cases sold as ammo boxes at general retailers and wholesale clubs.
This is one that should offer consistent quality, which is important to me.
Dennis
These are very close to the size of a plastic ammo can. I love ammo cans. They are very useful for storing all sort of wares. However, you can buy the semi-transparent made in the USA version at Walmart for $6.88
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-Frost-Locking-and-Stacking-Utility-Box-Durable-plastic-11-5-x-5-06-x-7-25/675298497
They also have ammo cans that are plastic and metal for sale, and a majority of them are under $15 as well.
Mopar
Despite the foreign sounding name, Flambeau (which makes the Artbin line) is an American company that’s been around for like 75 yrs. They still make most of their stuff in the USA. Considering they’re probably the largest (if not only) injection/blow molding case manufacturer in the US, and Hyper Tough is just a Walmart house brand, would not surprise me if that’s actually made by Flambeau for Walmart (and to Warmart’s specs).
Stuart
The Walmart design is too different and is unlikely to be made by Flambeau. I also haven’t seen it in Flambeau’s catalog.
There are similar-looking boxes by Sheffield, and someone here mentioned Plano, which I believe is the manufacturer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Walmart, Sheffield, and other models were all made by Plano.
The question I’ll be seeking to answer now is whether the Flambeau/ArtBin is worth the premium over the Plano/Plano-like models. I ordered a pair from Amazon.
JR Ramos
I love Flambeau cases – their small parts organizers were the best, but they seem to have mostly disappeared. I haven’t found ones quite as good (including the packout flavors) but they do have some in their fishing product line that are quite similar.
They have a lot of their products made in Malaysia these days and they were hit hard by pandemic shutdowns in that country. Speaking of Malaysia they are really an up and coming manufacturing center for all kinds of things – they’ve already gained a lot with the movement to shift out of China at least a bit.
Plano let a lot of their great items go by the wayside, too, but what they still offer is on par with Flambeau, mostly.
John Gryskiewicz
As much as I hate to support Wal-Mart, if people are looking for clear or frosted ammo boxes they currently have similar ones to these ArtBins on sale for $6.88
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-Frost-Locking-and-Stacking-Utility-Box-Durable-plastic-11-5-x-5-06-x-7-25/675298497
Amazon also has similar boxes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YBYBVX6
I have used Harbor Freight green/gray ammo boxes for years at work and they have held up well too.
https://www.harborfreight.com/030-caliber-ammo-box-63135.html
Scott K
I appreciate these alternatives! I just bought 10 of the Logix version from Amazon for my classroom. I want to be able to preload them with project supplies for projects/activities. They seem more durable than I expected. The metal latch seems sturdy and they have a rubber gasket around the inside of the lid. We’ll see how well they hold up to drops and what not…
Shawn+Y
Note that Michaels and Joann both have 40% or 50% off coupons for 1 item. They also have one that’s 20% off your entire purchase. I think the coupons change weekly so take a quick look before heading in.
For Michaels, its on their website. For Joann, unforch, its in their app.
Plain+grainy
I used to look for certain containers to repurpose. But my money now goes into the Husky professional clear tilt top totes. For another $4.98 you could purchase a 5 gallon Husky tote. If I need smaller containers I go for clear ziplock bags placed inside the Husky totes. Hefty makes some jumbo 2 1/2 gallon ziplock bags also available on your grocery shelf. This way you have a clear top tote, and clear ziplock bags to speed up finding things. It seems to work for me anyway!
Mopar
Flambeau makes injection and blow molded cases in the USA for almost every industry. I use the ones marketed to the outdoor industry for all sorts of things. The ammo boxes as described here, and also the gun cases. The handgun cases come in various sizes and include eggcrate foam. Perfect for all sorts of more delicate stuff. The fishing tackle stuff makes for nice little tool boxes and organizers.
MM
Totally agreed, Flambeau makes all sorts of different kinds of great bins and cases and they have for years. I remember using those eggcrate foam handgun cases to protect my RC transmitters back when I was a teenager. I still have one of them to this day and now I use it for camera accessories I don’t use often enough to weigh down my camera bag. I have multiple bins similar to this Artbin for storing manuals.
Plano molding (also made in USA) makes excellent plastic bins too, I use those for electronic components, crimp terminals, fuses, etc. Their fishing tackle boxes are also great, either for their intended purpose or for building tool and parts kits.
fred
Plano was well known for fishing tackle boxes. Like Flambeau, Plano makes boxes for other manufacturers too. In our plumbing business, we had several Backflow test kits made by Mid-West Instrument that came packaged in a customized Plano 6134 toolbox.
Jorhay
In college we bought tackle boxes instead of the ArtBins from the campus store. They were easily a third the price and every cent mattered. I don’t remember much of a variety of ArtBins at the time, 25 years ago.
EC
I really need Home Depot to bring back the Homer Toolbox. Great size for power tool storage, easily spied on home job sites. Plus was a great storage piece at work (I’m a high school teacher.)
fred
That was their 109-407 orange toolbox made for them by Keter Plastics. We had dozens of them. As you say – easy to spot on the jobsite -and easy to label with a sharpie since black ink stands out well on an orange box.
RD
I’ve had these on my radar for a long time, but wasn’t sure about whether to try them — I couldn’t bring myself to try another plastic bin system that I wouldn’t stick with. I trust your experience, though. Thanks for the review Stuart!
Kurt
You can find that box at Hobby Lobby for 9.99, along with others by the same company.
Jairbearstares
These (see below) are also a great option for a similar sIe and style box and they’re available in a 6 to 8 colors. You can get a greedy box for $10 but some colors are much more expensive. (Use camelcamelcamel to set an alert and catch them when they drop in price.) I have a few in my vehicle – red for first aid stuff, orange for emergency stuff, etc.
Sheffield 12627 Field Box, Pistol, Rifle, or Shotgun Ammo Storage Box, Tamper-Proof Locking Ammo Can, Water Resistant, Made in The U.S.A, Stackable, Tan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B1WRBG8
Steven Davis
I use a box like this one to store sprinkler heads, drip system parts and misc PVC couplers.
Nick C
The ArtBin 6900AB Pencil Utility Box is perfect for Recip saw blades all the way up to 12 inches.
Frank D
Cool idea. Making it even more transparent would score top marks, in terms of seeing at a glance of what’s in which unit.
Frank D
NVM … just clicked through to the actual listing, which has in use photos.
JoeM
Totally with everyone here, that I could see. Flambeau makes amazing tool boxes. They aren’t operating their Fishing Tackle lineup anymore, at least not in Canada, but I remember they had this “Infinity” series. It’s called something different now, and it has been shifted over to the Industrial side of their offerings. Used to be a Grey top, now it’s bright yellow. Flagship box had a compartment on top for holding special small boxes using their “Infinite Divider System”, and had locks that held onto tray holders at the bottom of the main top box. You could keep buying the lower boxes and their trays and make the tool box as tall as you wanted/needed. 20+ years before TSTAK or even Systainers. I have Flambeau bookmarked so I can try to order a new set of Infinity boxes for general storage.
And, yeah… Art stores, Craft Stores, a shocking number of “Other” stores seem to carry the most useful stuff on the planet. Sometimes I harp on Adam Savage and Tested.com, for showing some of this off. Until I saw it there, I did not know that Nail and Beauty Supplier stores carry sanding sticks for fine detail work… They’re Nail/Emory Files on their shelves, but in your toolbox, they’re fine detail finishing sander sticks. We all deal with a lot of pipes and tubes of all sorts… Pipe Cleaners… Not just a craft supply, using them for their original purpose, as invented, is never a bad choice. More common in craft stores than in hardware stores for the small sized ones. Great range of diameters come from Hardware stores, and nowadays they’re making a comeback due to all those waterbottles everyone is carrying around. They clean the straws with pipe cleaners. It’s rather awesome.
Jeweller’s Suppliers… That’s a whole other subject… That’s a rabbit hole of insanity you can go down, and realize “Tool Suppliers really don’t cover everything we need!” The designs and build quality of the cheapest, of the cheap Jeweller’s tools, is probably a hundred times more efficient than anything from a Model store, or Hardware Store. Why? The designs come from the Jeweller and Watchmaker/Clockmaker world. Where the designers and engineers are so OCD about getting things perfect, on such perfect scales, that you worry for everyone’s life if they don’t get their tools exactly how they want them. So, go to a Jewellery Supplier to get some of the most comfortable, precision tools you’ve ever used in your existence. And if you ask what materials they’re made of, they’ll tell you the same as the tool industry. But they won’t tell you the percentage mixture, or the manufacturing process. That’s all proprietary. You’ll just pick up something like a $7 pair of pliers, that will last you 30-50 years or more, and only need hand sharpening maybe twice in those years. These are the kind of side cutters, ring cutters, and needle-nose pliers that you’ve been dreaming of. Downside? They don’t come in the large regular sizes. It’s all precision, all the time. But they’ll be awesome!
Seriously… check alternate suppliers around you. You’d be shocked how much they carry for your work with the bigger tools! Nobody tells you this when you start using tools, but completely unrelated industries are the ones that carry what you need! So confidently walk into those places and have a look! You won’t regret it!
1day@atime
Acetone will take care of the fruity label rather easily.
fred
Ketones (like Acetone or MEK) . Xylene and other solvents can soften and/or dissolve some plastics. Before you do a wholescale removal attempt – you should try your solvent on a small unimportant spot. Label removers like GooGone are based on oils like orange oil – and may have less impact on the plastic but less effectiveness on the label. WD40 is also sometimes effective without deleterious impact on plastic. Paint removers like GoofOff (used to be chlorinated hydrocarbon based) are now formulated with mixed solvents that can also soften some plastics. When I’m looking to remove a label from some plastic item that will come in contact with food, I first try a plastic scraper, then some light vegetable oil.
Remember that breathing in most solvent vapors (other than water) can be harmful to your lungs and some have been linked to cancer or other health problems.
MM
To add to what fred wrote, alcohol such as isopropyl (rubbing alcohol), denatured alcohol, etc, removes many adhesives and paints and is generally safe for plastics, even those which are very sensitive to most solvents, like polystyrene.
The best product I have found for removing sticky gunk is this product:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-General-Purpose-Adhesive-Cleaner/dp/B00ZIM9XPI
Do not buy it from Amazon, the price is terrible, it was just a convenient link. Most auto parts stores carry it though they often keep it behind the counter so you may have to ask for it. That is an organic solvent so use it with good ventilation but it is remarkably effective and safe for most plastics. It is made for the auto body industry so it is designed to be safe for auto paints, trim, etc. It also comes in an aerosol spray can.
Stuart
As mention in the post, the label isn’t a typical decal or sticker. There’s a clear visual transition/border, but no tactile evidence of the label.
I’m not sure how physical removal can be accomplished, but personally I don’t care.
MM
I’m aware this looks painted, but while we were on a tangent about sticky gunk I figured I’d share.
fred
The 3M adhesive remover, that you link to, seems to be illegal in about 1/4 of the states. Use of MEK is also banned in many states/localities also based on VOC restrictions.
Stuart
I got that, but felt compelled to clarify for others.
It doesn’t even feel or look painted, it seems to be indelibly molded in. If that’s the case, solvents won’t work either.
dood
Most of these artbins are made in USA too
I took my GF to an art supply store and picked up a big art bin to use in the back of my work truck
eddie sky
Artbin makes a double box that is ideal for storing sanding discs. Some Youtuber promoted them for his live-slab table builds and would have from 40 grit to 12000 grit pads in several bins. (one box for wood sanding, another box for finish of epoxy)
Supersatchel has dividers…
https://www.artbin.com/super-satchel-double-deep-with-accessory-tray.aspx