I have been testing this Craftsman 5-drawer rolling tool box for a long time now, and feel like I have fully explored it.
When it first arrived, and also after I emptied it, my first thought was the same – wow this is flimsy. The build quality feels light.
But in actual use, it was rock-solid or close enough to it.
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I loaded it with tools, parts and supplies, and then tools again. It was in my workshop, then the basement, back and forth once, and now it was time to prep it for a new user. So, as I do with other tool chests and cabinets, I removed the drawers to have an easier time carrying it between floors.
The first thing I was reminded of is that Craftsman went with mirrored left and right drawer slides. When you remove a drawer from a ball bearing tool cabinet or workbench, you often have to depress a little plastic lever to release the drawer-side slide from the part that’s mounted to the cabinet.
Almost always, and I do this a lot, brands use the same side-mounted drawer slides for left and right sides. Because of this, you have to press the plastic tab down on one side and up on the other.
Similar is true for temporarily defeating the soft-close mechanism so that the ball bearing tracks can be fully retreated into the cabinet.
Craftsman’s choice of using mirrored left and right tracks is a small but much-appreciated touch, especially considering that removing drawers isn’t something that most users will ever do.
At this time I should mention that I loved the quality of the drawer slides. No matter what I loaded into the drawers, whether light plastic parts or heavy aluminum extrusion cut-offs, the drawers opened and closed with ease.
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I was worried about the construction at first, but the Craftsman 2000 series 5-drawer rolling tool cabinet was a trouble-free joy to use.
No, you cannot (easily) rearrange the drawers. Here’s a pic from when it first arrived – the drawer slides are riveted in place.
Here’s how the casters are attached with large sheet metal screws.
Here’s a look at the full inner cabinet. If you have never removed the drawers from a consumer-grade tool chest or cabinet, know that they rarely look like this.
The inside is perfectly powder coated in red, with no splotchy or lightly rusted raw steel where the spray didn’t reach.
Does the inside need to be perfectly finished like this? Probably not, but it’s welcome.
This is the inside of one of my US General tool cabinets from Harbor Freight. You can also see the threaded inserts used for mounting the casters.
Craftsman has 2 versions of the 5-drawer tool cabinet – one that’s around 34″ tall and one that’s around 38″ tall. I tested the taller version, with the flat black handle.
I also tested some of Craftsman’s garage cabinets, and I like this mobile tool cabinet a lot better.
As mentioned, it feels a little flimsy, but it performs solidly. The user experience has been excellent.
Ideally, it would both feel and perform solidly, but the user experience is what matters more. Besides, any wobble went away as soon as I loaded the drawers and plopped some heavy equipment on top.
I forgot about the “wow, that seems a little flimsy” aspect almost immediately, until it was time to empty and move it. Not once did I think the same about the drawers while in use.
As you can see, there is only one set of slides for the bottom drawer. Often tool box makers will double up the ball bearing slides for the longest or deepest drawers. Still, it never bogged down and in use it never concerned me.
The cabinet has a footprint of 26.5″ wide (not including the handle), and 18″ deep. It’s spacious but also mobile. I see the smaller footprint – many cabinets now have 22″ or 24″ depths – as a benefit.
Here’s a view of the side with the pull handle – I like this version of the side handle better than the ones on my older Craftsman tool cabinets and the shorter model.
And here’s the back.
Would I buy this? Yes, if I were on a budget.
You can get larger rolling tool boxes, more premium ones, and certainly others that are more cheaply made.
I tested the red cabinet with black drawers, and you can also get it in black.
Craftsman manufactures these in the USA with global materials.
Thank you to Craftsman for providing the review sample unconditionally.
Al-another-Al
I’ve been looking at the 2000 series to replace a 1970s-ish red with grey drawers. I have a US General gen2 56″. I gotta say, I really appreciate the extra depth to fit more power tools and boxes of bits and blades. The 18″ is significantly less useful.
I have 4 of the 1000 series just as drawers to store parts, tape, and air hose attachments. They were more expensive than building plywood drawers. But cheaper if I had to count my time, which has been in short supply lately.
Any word if Craftsman will ever have deeper chests? I don’t move them but a couple of times a year for cleaning floors or rearranging the garage layout. So chests don’t have to be built like a tank for me. Built like my 1995 Civic would be fine. I had over 350k miles on that, and still sold it in perfect running condition.
Stuart
I don’t see Craftsman going to a deeper size top chest. They’ve tried to innovate before, and it was terrible every time.
Back when Waterloo requested FTC scrutiny on the product category – just before Stanley Black & Decker acquired the tool box manufacturer – their competitors rightfully argued that Waterloo wasn’t innovating and was just coasting along. The FTC investigation ultimately resulted in countervailing tariffs that drove up the cost of imported tool boxes. Tool box makers went with larger sizes and higher weights to satisfy loophole requirements that allowed them to escape the tariffs.
Craftsman roller cabinets are shallow, which means less material and lower shipping costs, which means lower costs and prices. Few brands can compete at this size or price point, giving them some competitive advantage.
The 3000 series cabinets were deeper at 22″. The V-Series boxes have a depth of 21″ https://toolguyd.com/craftsman-v-series-pro-tool-storage-2023/ . The similar width US General boxes are 22″ deep.
Thus, I don’t think we will see a Craftsman 26-27″ roller cabinet that is 22″ deep.
fred
Funny that when I acquired my rolling cabinets and topside tool chests, I probably did not pay attention to any of the dimensions. Both sets are Kennedy – one acquired in the 1960’s and the other about 10 years later. No internet back then to help research things – you just picked out of a catalog. What I did learn before buying the second set was that adding a 2-drawer base cabinet under the machinist chest made the very top (included a metal tray) somewhat less convenient – but I guess that because I’m 5’10” – not 6’8″
Mopar
Thanks for reminding me that sadly almost nobody makes those 2-3 drawer intermediate cabinets anymore. Tried buying one to expand a small Husky top/bottom combo I have in the basement. They still sell them in Canada, so I guess it’s a tariff or regulatory thing?
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/husky-standard-duty-27-inch-w-3-drawer-intermediate-tool-storage-chest-in-gloss-black/1000831248
Andy
Interestingly enough I was just looking at intermediate cabinets last night.
Acme Tool has a few options, the most affordable being a 3 drawer, red 26” wide Craftsman CMST98246RB for $120 or a 2 drawer, black 26” Stanley STST22625BK for $150.
Both are decent on their own but I was shopping to add to a black craftsman setup I inherited, so neither was the right fit for my setup
Al-another-Al
So I ended up ordering a 2000-series middle chest from Acme. It was super cheap, around $115 with a code. Shipped straight to the house without incident.
https://www.acmetools.com/craftsman-26-inch-3-drawer-intermediate-tool-chest-red-2000-series-cmst98246rb/S0000000089574.html
The overall height made the top drawers above my eye level. So I ordered a Bora mobile base and cut plywood to the exact size I needed. This dropped everything 4″ lower.
As expected, the red is a little brighter, and the black is darker than the dark grey drawers of the 1977 chest. But the size fits perfectly.
This was much more affordable than shopping for a new stack.
Install hint#1: Use wood scraps taller than your fingers as cribbing to place the top chest. Then tilt each end up to remove the wood. Prevents scratches, bent lips, and smashed fingers (especially when you use more muscles than brains, and didn’t empty the top chest).
Install hint#2: Remove bottom drawer of bottom chest. Lay it on it’s side on some 4x or a work surface. Clamp the base in the exact final position. Use the innermost holes from each of the old caster locations to drill a 3/8″ hole through the plywood. Install bolts to hold the plywood tight. Without stiffening that connection to the base, it just flexes when you step on the wheel levers.
MKY
Stuart –
“Here’s a view of the ***side with the side*** – I like this version of the side handle better than the ones on my older Craftsman tool cabinets.”
Stuart
Thank you! *fixed*
TomD
“one set of drawers for the bottom drawer”
Either we’re missing an underwear shot or that should be slides 😜
Stuart
Brain: “Maybe I should say ‘slides’ instead of ‘drawer slides,’ to avoid redundancy.”
Hands: “drawers”
Thanks, fixed!
Jared
It sounds like good design and manufacturing techniques are adequately compensating for thin materials. That’s not a bad thing – probably lets SBD hit a certain price point while still selling a functional product. The inside of that cabinet certainly looks better than my Husky chests.
I’ve had occasion, more than few times, to remove drawers, and I just look to see which way the tabs go. So on the one had, that’s such a tiny issue that I can see why pretty much nobody making cheap tool chests would bother to have separate left/right slides. Still, that’s a tiny detail that is certainly better.
Irving
I’ve got one (the 38″ version), bought it for a different use – spices and seasonings. I use a large number of both, and kitchen cabinet storage led to the one I wanted always at the back of the shelf, where I couldn’t get to it, or couldn’t find it, etc. which led to buying another….which inevitably wound up at the back of the shelf, Lather, Rinse, Repeat, etc.
The top 2 drawers are the same size so small bottles and jars lay on their sides, making them easy to find. The third drawer is deeper, so the larger stuff lays flat there, too. The fourth drawer is taller so medium (and some large) bottles and jars sit upright, and the bottom – the tallest drawer – holds the large and bulky infrequently used kitchen tools that, if in a cabinet drawer, are the ones that always seem to jam the drawer. I replaced the rubber mat for the top with a custom-fitted cutting board that’s easily removable for cleaning.
I’m not stressing the drawers with weight, but the slides are getting a workout. So far, a little oil on the sldies when it was new – 3 years ago – is holding up well.
Now, if I could find a suitable replacement for the garage tool chests (a 1970 MAC MB910 sitting on a MB920- the largest tool chests MAC offered in 1970, both are 31″ wide) with a 42″ set that had the full width drawers the MAC has, I’d be all set. I think Snap On has something that might work, but they want more than the national debt for it. And, yes, I’ve looked at the new IKON offerings, some of their stuff comes close, but the “all drawers must be full width, and the right depth” seems to always be the deal killer.
Andy
Tekton’s tool boxes offer full width drawers in all of their box sizes. On the pricier end of the range but apparently very well made (by Rousseau). They have 36” or 48” wide, no 42” option right now.
https://toolguyd.com/tekton-rolling-tool-cabinets-raise-the-bar/
Matt
Appreciate the detailed review. In line with my existing opinion of Waterloo – solid value
A W
I have had the 52″ version (two sets of drawers) since 2018 and have had a similar good experience. It is solid and I’ve had no issues. The narrow depth gave me a few more options when figuring out where to put it in my basement.
EBT
I watched a ThisOldHouse where Kevin OConnor visited the Craftsman plant that made these (Unless I was halucinating). Pretty decent assembly line.
I would buy this model if I needed it.
BUT I would have liked if Craftsman would make the handle option a paper towel holder too.
Could one drill the rivets out and relocate the drawers?
Karlen
Stewart,
Do you also have the top chest for this unit? The S1000 or S2000 I believe. I am looking at getting one and doing a bit of a repourpose by removing the drawers and was curious if the build quality is the same.
Stuart
I’m sorry, I have not tested the top chest.
Karlen
No worries, figured I’d ask! And sorry for the name auto correct 🙂