Harbor Freight’s line of US General tool storage cabinets and accessories are widely regarded as delivering good quality at an excellent value. The retailer has launched a new generation of US General tool boxes, starting with their 72″ roller cabinet and modular components.
The new Harbor Freight US General Series 3 tool boxes were first teased several months ago, with the promise of an improved drawer layout, integrated power drawer, and “much more.”
New to the lineup is a 72″ work center hutch, which sits atop the roller cabinet.
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The initial launch includes the roller cabinet, top hutch, and a top tool chest option.
When the US General Series 3 line was first revealed several months ago, the 72″ roller cabinet was showcased with the top hutch and matching side lockers. The side lockers are not yet available.
Harbor Freight made sure to address compatibility concerns. Yes, the new Series 3 top hutch will fit on top of the outgoing Series 2 triple-bank roller cabinet.
The roller cab has launched in 8 colors: red, blue, black, green, orange, grey, yellow, and white.
The US General Series 3 roller cabinet looks to have been completely redesigned.
In terms of aesthetics, the silver trim is gone, and so are the corner edge protectors. The Series 3 drawers have black drawer pulls across the line.
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The drawer configuration is also different – as promised – with two long top drawers instead of just one. The overall drawer count has decreased from 18 drawers for Series 2 to 14 drawers for Series 3.
There’s also only one central lock, rather than a central lock and independently locked drawer bank as with the Series 2 roller cabinet.
The roller cabinets still feature a side handle – with new look – and (4) 6″ shock-absorbing casters, 2 swivel and 2 fixed.
A 12-drawer top chest is available, and fits Series 2 and 3 72″ roller cabinets.
The tool chest has an easy-opening lid with gas struts on both sides.
The top hutch features a slotted back wall and comes with two trays to get you started with organizing your tools.
Shown here is a fully-loaded top hutch, with laptop, tools, and various Harbor Freight US General magnetic tool box accessories, which are sold separately.
The hutch has a pull-out cover, and can be locked closed.
Back to the roller cabinet, the power drawer features a built-in power strip, with (5) 120V AC outlets and (2) USB charging ports.
Harbor Freight says that the USB charging ports are both “fast-charging USB 3.0 outlets,” but it’s unclear what they mean by this. One is a USB-A port, and the other USB-C.
The power drawer is designed to fit cordless power tool battery chargers, and can also charge other devices such as compact worklights.
The next drawer down features a cordless power tool and air tool holder, for convenient storage of drills and impact drivers.
The deep top drawer is tall enough to fit deep sockets vertically, and long enough to hold tools such as pry bars and breaker bars.
As mentioned, you also get a long shallow drawer beneath it. The Series 2 roller cabinet only had a single extra-wide drawer.
The drawers are all equipped with full-extension ball bearing slides that support up to 120 lbs per pair.
Lastly, the drawers feature full-width drawer latches for easier opening.
Pricing and Availability
72″ Roller Cabinet – $1800
72″ Top Tool Chest – $1000
72″ Top Hutch – $700
The Series 2 72″ roller cabinets are also now on clearance, for $1300.
Harbor Freight lists all of the new Series 3 tool boxes as being available in-store only.
What do you think about Harbor Freight’s latest generation tool storage products?
Steven+B
Beautiful stuff…too bad it’s not in a size I can actually use or a price that means anything to me as a homeowner/enthusiast. And even if I had 6′ of continuous space free, and 2-3k of money…at 500lbs and no delivery option, I am out-of-luck. I’d have to hire someone locally to help me get it into my house.
Probably good stuff for professionals…not sure how this compares to the pro-brands, but HF’s lack of delivery eliminates it as an option for me, even if I had the space and money.
Now a 26″ bank cart with a workstation top? That could be a huge seller to someone like me. I could buy a few for different rooms: tools, tool-stands, printer stands, hobby-stands, art-supply storage, craft-room, etc.
Ross A Massey
You can rent a pickup truck from Lowes or Home Depot for 90 mins for less than $20 and harbor freight will usually help you load things.
TomD
The harbor freight people are the most helpful I’ve ever had with loading; only family-owned repair shops are comparable.
They even have their hydraulic lift card to help get things up to bed height, too.
Bob
Great. The 500lb box is now in the bed of your $20 rented pick up truck and your backed up to your garage. Now what? Just how do you get the box out of the pick up truck and into your garage? Am I missing something?
Dirty Dave
this is easy. me and my 65 year old dad did it with zero issues. Back it up to the curb so that your truck bed is as low to the ground as possible. You unbox it,remove a bunch of drawers to make it lighter, put a piece of osb or plywood on the ground, slide a 5 foot 2×4 through the pallet that the chest is on, pull the unit out of the bed of the truck and set it on the plywood (one guy on either side holding the 2×4, slide the 2×4 through the other end of the pallet and lift while someone drives the truck out from underneith it. once the box is on the ground you can roll it wherever you want. it was absolutely simple i could have done it with my wife and a monkey driving the truck.
MikeIt
I take it you are not in the Los Angeles area since they offer delivery for $50. I bought the 56” cabinet and top box a couple of years ago and declined the offer to deliver to save $50. What a mistake. The pallets barely fit in between the wheel wells of my friends Ram pickup and if not for the forklift drivers skill it would have taken two trips. Two fit guys in their prime would struggle to unload the two boxes so imagine how much more of an effort it was for this old fat bastard. If you rent a truck, do yourself a favor and get one with a lift gate. Your back will thank you for it. Better yet check with your store if they partner with a local delivery service.
https://www.harborfreight.com/next-day-los-angeles
S
“I take it you are not in the Los Angeles area since they offer delivery for $50.”
And you’re not in the Midwest, where you can get 11% off everything at Menards!
Or in Canada and the great Canadian Tire tool store.
Despite indications otherwise, there’s an entire planet outside of LA. A lot of people happen to live out in that planet as well!
Nothing frustrates me more than a California mindset…
Chris I
Nothing frustrates you more?………nothing?……….. NOTHING????
eye roll.
John804
I really like the idea of building a 26″ unit or two into a long, stationary workbench base against a wall. It seems like a great way to add some sturdy storage. There’s a picture of exactly that on the HF site in the listing for the 26″ cabinet.
I don’t need to move a tool cabinet around in my garage. If I ever do, I’ll get one of the mechanic’s or tech carts and cut it down so it can roll under a workbench to save space when I don’t need the contents.
Anson
I’m a fan of the 44″ units myself, I do use the 26″ units where I have less space. Garage Journal has bunch of various builds from 2x4s to aluminium framing.
My favorite is still this one.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/harbor-freight-tool-cabs-how-i-did-mine.158342/#post-2440113
This is what I use as reference for 2x4s.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/my-24×28-auto-shop-build.254538/page-2
Matt
My only beef with these is that they’re too tall, and not deep enough. I’m 5’8 and the best working height for me is 40″, and these are 43″. I know they’re matching the majority of tool boxes out there, but having a box that’s too tall is uncomfortable and unergonomic.
The depth is also an issue. The specs say 22″, and the comparison Snap-On box is 24″. I consider 24″ the absolute minimum for a big roller box these days, with 30″ being preferred. Anything less results in a cramped drawer, especially the main business socket drawer.
I know I’m a picky dude, but the dimensions just don’t work for me in a production environment. I *may* consider it for a home shop, but would probably modify it or go with something else with better dimensions.
TomD
One “simple” modification is to change the wheels, they’re 6 inches high and you could either remove them entirely (fixed location toolbox such as against a wall) or replace them with something much shorter (if you have a clean garage floor, very small wheels will work).
I’ve never actually worked out what you’d need, but at worst case you could have something fabricated.
Chris I
I’m with you. My 22″ deep setup was way too narrow. So I built a 30″ tabletop for the chest to sit under. Hutch or not, 22″ is just not good enough
Lynyrd
Does anyone know if HF will release a Series 3, 56″ Hutch, Bottom and Top Boxes?
MikeIt
56” roll cabinet, work hutch and top chest are coming late summer 2023 according to a post by Den of Tools guy. I saw this as a repost but did not find it on HF site so idk where he got it.
https://imgur.io/vJArZxo
Tc
Needs to be deeper and 12″-16″ taller so don’t need an upper cabinet, and a ladder to see in top drawer and I’m 6’1″
Hutches look nice but offer no space or storage to speak of.
Joseph
Laid hands on one last night, I was less than impressed with the display model. Latch mechanism was kludgy at best. The long drawer would pull out a couple inches on the unlatched side.
Gady
I’m excited about the trays and wall mounted organizers. These look like they will fit my pegboard. Hopefully HF will start selling them individually soon.
eddie sky
Its like, Dang, if Craftsman or Kobalt/Husky made this Series 3, I would start with the bottom cabinet, and get a hutch. And the color (red/black…) is just what I like. But… I was at the nearest HorrorFright and they just feel… cheaper than Craftsman.
Which brings me to, who designs the Craftsman tool chests because I think they are stuck in 1989. The same models, cheap side pull, cheap wheels, particleboard tops, … come on Craftsman, go buy a Dragonfiretools chest and see if you can make a cheaper one… (PS…Dragonfiretools makes some wicked tool chests and on par with pricing of Snapon/Mactools but starting at $4400…)
Julian Tracy
That’s odd – because every craftsman box I’ve put my hands on at Lowes the last 5 years, even the most premium models are as cheaply made and feel as could be. The lowly US general tool carts feel more solidly built.
XRH07
if Craftsman were making a cabinet like this it’d be built so flimsily it wouldn’t even be worth any serious consideration for anyone who wants to store a lot of tools without going broke. Nothing is cheaper built to get that “Made in US” sticker slapped on it than a Craftsman 1000/2000. Flimsiest sheet metal, worst drawer layouts imaginable, 100 lb slides, plastic casters. That’s all you get out of their largest 52″ Cabinet as it is
Not that the larger U.S. General boxes aren’t without faults. Their drawer latches still absolutely suck and 22″ depth isn’t great either. But Craftsman has no actual “latch” except the one built into the slide and their deepest boxes are still only a paltry 18″.
Thankfully HF didn’t add those godawful soft-close drawers, but latches like Napa Carlyle boxes would’ve been the perfect Series 3 addition.
RichardTheGreat
When lowes bought the craftsman name the quality took a shit, back in the day they had pro tool chest 24″ deep and sturdy as a brick wall, really tough in competition with snap-on 14 guage steel 6 casters and stainless steel tops. Made to order from there catalog I miss them days
Erik
How do you feel harbor freight is cheaper than craftsman? The craftsman have horrible drawer layouts. Ever drawer feels like you can bend them in half. A lot of the husky boxes only rated for 120 lb for there large drawer.
Munklepunk
If you want a good initial hands on review questionable garage on YouTube has one. It’s not long term of course.
If you want a deeper box it’s going to cost a lot more.
Bob
Definitely some improvements over the series 2 however everyone has their own personal choices some people gonna like stuff some people aren’t.
I like the deep then shallow long draw up top. Sockets up top wrenches on bottom.
Power (charging) drawer and impact drawers are nice. Lockers are good assuming they are wider than series 2? I think 24” wide would be about perfect. Not a fan of hutches personally but they serve a purpose. Quick spot to dump your stuff and lock it up during lunch or if you don’t have time to put everything away. Offering a 72” top box is nice. Filled a gap in the offering. Single lock is nice.
Personally not a fan of blacked out latch styling or lack of aluminum trim bumpers. Powder coat not gonna be as durable as anodized aluminum. Especially if your surface cleaner of choice is brake clean. Yeah I know we shouldn’t be using it but you know everybody does. I’d say it’s a cost cutting measure but I duno grip latches have to add cost so maybe it was a trade off or target demo likes “murdered out” look? I like grip latches in theory if they’re executed well. Not a fan of the plastic latches on my series 2 but I’ve got used to them.
Overall looks like they made some nice improvements. I’m guessing the street price will be around 1600 after the newness wears off. Still looks like the best value out there. Just wish they kept the aluminum latches/trim. Shiny things make me happy 🙂
Gus
I will never understand why companies just don’t sell drawers and bearing rails individually so you could just ditch a deep drawer and replace with 2 shallow ones or vice-versa.
It would allow anyone to customize their cabinets according to their preference of more shallow drawers for things like pliers, screwdrivers, etc or more deep drawers for things like drills, drivers, etc.
You can tailor your cabinets to your liking and companies sell more items like rails, drawers etc. Everyone wins but yet nobody does this. So many missed opportunities out there.
Bob
Lista and Vidmar and the only ones that do this I think. I’ve never tried to buy drawers individually from them but I’m sure you can. Each cabinet can be customized with the drawer size you want from the factory. If you change your mind later the draw tracks can move up and down inside the cabinet to accommodate different configurations. The only problem is these are built to industrial grade, built with no expense spared, wow these are sturdy and oh my God these are expensive specs lol.
I wish other brands/manufacturers would make it easy to move around drawers.
If one was so inclined it could be done you’re basically just moving around drawer slides where they attached to the overall cabinet. I did see a tech swap out the deep drawers on the side of the early HF cabinets and make it a dedicated impact gun and charging station.
Maybe HF saw the popular thread on garage journal and copied it for the series 3. Or they copied it from the tool truck guys. Either way nice addition to the box.
James
HF sells drawers for the 26″ series 2 cabinets. We’ll see whether they do this for the Series 3. I bought some to add more short drawers to mine and am going to try this.
David
Does anyone have experience with Menard’s Mastforce boxes? They’re 24 inches deep.
Duane
I have taken delivery of a slate gray 72” US Gen Series 3 roll cab and hutch. Happy to answer any questions that the existing videos may not answer.
Chris I
Thoughts on it still?
Thomas Mazgaj
Is there any release date for the side lockers ? They advertised this box with the side lockers but it’s kind of crummy they’re not available .
Stuart
I haven’t heard anything yet.