Harbor Freight recently launched their new Icon line of pro-grade tool storage products. Given the level of reader interest and my own curiosity, I traveled to the closest Harbor Freight store that had an Icon tool storage combo on their sales floor to check it out firsthand.
I would describe myself as being very experienced with consumer tool storage products. I own or have tested a variety of brands’ tool storage cabinets and chests, and have used different industrial tool and parts storage products before as well.
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I am not intimately familiar with Snap-on, Mac, and other tool truck products. My closest reference point in that regard would be the Proto 550S tool storage review sample that continues to wow me.
Keep in mind that I have only “kicked the tires” on the Icon tool storage combo at the local Harbor Freight. I don’t own one, and I don’t anticipate buying one. If I’m going to equip my garage or workspace with premium tool storage products costing thousands of dollars, I’d sooner go with Lista for stationary storage, or maybe Proto or Strictly Tool Boxes for a mobile tool storage solutions.
Still, I like to think that I made enough observations to offer some commentary and context.
First, it is without any doubt or uncertainty that these Icon tool storage products are of much higher build quality than any tool cabinets or chests I’ve ever seen at a retail store before. The cost of components are a lot higher, and there’s more attention to detail.
I can’t tell you how well the Icon tool storage system competes against Snap-on offerings, but I can tell you that Harbor Freight’s pricing (after 20% coupon of course) doesn’t really seem unreasonable.
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The fact that there’s a 20% coupon disappoints me. Right off the bat there’s a 20% off any Icon tool storage coupon. If Harbor Freight intends for Icon to be their pro offering, they could have offered introductory pricing, or some kind of bonus promos where you buy a tool cabinet and get something free as a bonus, such as a stainless steel worktop. A coupon like this dilutes the “pro” aspect a bit, at least in my opinion.
The Harbor Freight Icon coupon has a limit of one coupon per customer per day. So, if you want to build up a combo, you need to visit your local store every day for maybe a week. Icon tool storage products have free delivery, and so there doesn’t look to be any downside in having to place several different orders. Given the price of the Icon components, you won’t want to just order everything at once with the discount only applying to one of the items.
I’m not a fan of this particular red and silver trim color scheme, but the design looked very clean.
The accessory components – the locker and sidebox – could have been connected to the main Icon tool cabinet a little tighter, but that seems to be more of a minor assembly issue. The whole unit is on anti-fatigue matting, which could have played a part.
I didn’t notice any alignment issues, something I now look for after seeing a crooked Craftsman Professional tool cabinet and chest combo at a Sears store a few years ago. Ben’s review samples of that Craftsman combo were also crooked.
I was surprised that the drawers’ handle pulls were not capped at their ends, but I didn’t feel any sharp edges or corners.
The drawer slides are more massive than the ones Harbor Freight uses on their US General tool cabinets, which is expected. They feel sturdy, and the adjustable drawer retention latches seem to work well. My Proto review sample has a similar feature, but the Icon version seems to work a little better, or at least the effects are more noticeable.
One of the drawers made a racket when it was slammed shut. Before buying an Icon combo, I’d load up a drawer or two and off-the-shelf tools and close them hard. I couldn’t easily determine what was making the noise, and wasn’t about to start removing drawers from the floor sample.
The longer drawers have reinforcement underneath.
One thing I checked for was racking, jamming, or side-to-side rocking, but the drawers were very smooth to operate. There was some wiggle, which is normal, but quite frankly it was less than I had anticipated. In my opinion, they got this right. The construction and setup of these drawers didn’t scream “Beta project,” but seemed to be well-designed and properly executed.
Again, this is an in-store opinion. I want to hear from someone who loads up the drawer with 200 lbs and uses it daily for a year.
It’s also worth remembering that each pair of drawer slides are rated for loads of up to 265 lbs.
The internal power station has a power bar, which was expected, and a roller chain to tame the power cord – that part was quite unexpected. This drawer seems to be meant for charging up cordless power tool batteries or tools and worklights with built-in batteries.
I then checked out the internal power cable routing for the cabinet’s external-facing power bar. Both of my photos are dark and dim, but it looks like the cable clamp could use a second screw.
With so many modern features, I would have liked to see an electronic keypad lock. But, I guess keys are tried and true. Maybe Harbor Freight will come out with a conversion lock in the future.
The caster wheels are beefy and have spring suspensions. I didn’t try them out. Can you even move a fully-assembled combo like this?
There’s a power and air tool holster bay, and it looked like it could be removable. The individual cups looked repositionable, giving users some customization options.
I didn’t notice anything worth discussing about the side box. The side locker seemed alright, with sturdy adjustable shelves and slide-out drawers on the bottom. I closed the door and it bounced open. If you close the door gently, magnets hold the door in place.
The floor sample was equipped with a 56″ 12-drawer cabinet, a side tool box, a locker, a hutch with door and back panel, stainless steel worktop, and an overhead compartment.
If you could move something like this, the side handle seemed sturdy enough for the job.
The Icon tool cabinet also has what I guess is intended as a slide-out worktop. The lid is easily removed. I’ve seen better featured laptop drawers on consumer tool storage, with hinged lids and independent locks.
Harbor Freight says that their Icon tool storage products are the result of thousands of hours of design, refinement, and rigorous testing. Icon tool storage products are designed to be the finest tool cabinets on the market and compete against tool truck brands but at a fraction of the price.
Harbor Freight’s US General tool storage products are generally very well regarded, and compete favorably against pricier tool storage products from other brands. Can they do the same with Icon tool storage?
Overall, I think that Harbor Freight is making a pretty impressive showing with their new Icon tool storage products.
There are other options at similar pricing to the Icon tool storage products. Forget about the “Icon beats Snap-on” language. Icon might never be an attractive lineup for many users who would otherwise choose Snap-on. I see Harbor Freight’s Icon line as being more of another option in the mid-priced tool storage market, competing against brands such as Montezuma, Strictly Tool Boxes, and Extreme Tools. Compared to some of those brands, it’s nice to be able to kick the tires of Icon tool cabinets at a Harbor Freight store, rather than shopping sight-unseen.
It’ll take time to see how successful Harbor Freight will be with their Icon tool storage products. But, one thing I find certain is that they poured time and effort into the new line, and it seems that they made a big effort to avoid cutting any corners.
While not for me, given my needs and budget, I was impressed with what I saw.
aerodawg
What are the options for upgrading to off road shocks and mud tires?
Frank D
Thank you for the thorough review, images and write-up.
Adam
No go on any storage if it doesn’t have soft close now.
Chris
Interesting, I’m not a daily user of my box but am in it weekly. It has griplatch or posilatch from Waterloo and everytime im in a soft close box I hate the tug needed to open the drawers.
Maybe I would get used to it with the benefit of the slow close not causing tools to slide overtime.
SteveW
Soft close is the worst thing ever introduced to tool chests. Maybe I’m the only one with an unheated garage, when it gets cold the closers stiffen up so much that the drawers are almost impossible to open and will not close by themselves. I’ll be removing my closers as soon as I get the time before this winter.
Chris
That’s really interesting. Aren’t they still just ball bearings with reverse pressure springs? I’m curious how temperature affects that at all. Did you throw some lithium grease on those?
SteveW
I didn’t put any grease on them. There are small hydraulic pistons that pull the drawers closed. When it gets cold the hydraulic oil gets thick.
Kilroy
Any detailed photos on the locks?
I understand that locks on a portable tool cabinet are probably meant as more of a deterrence for opportunistic, “sticky fingers walking by” type of theft, but most locks used in cabinets & similar can be picked/forced open with little (if any) skill or effort required, and I strongly suspect that the locks on the Icon tool cabinets are no different.
I’d love to see someone like Lockpicking Lawyer or Bosnian Bill on YouTube try picking the locks on these and recommend alternatives that are a little higher security.
Gordon
I would almost guarantee that there are much faster ways to open them than picking. I bet there are only a dozen different keys, and they might even have the code printed on the lock.
Jon
Having seen it on TV so many times, I was aware of drilling a lock when the key isn’t available. I finally got to try this a few years ago when my (then) toddler pressed on a “push to lock” cylinder on a filing cabinet that I had brought home from my old office. We didn’t have the key to it, and the cabinet and lock were old enough that I couldn’t find a matching key online. So -remembering how cylinder locks work, I used a 1/4″ bit and drilled along the shear line between cylinder and housing, right through the pins, and was then able to spin the cylinder with a screwdriver, opening the lock. The whole thing took about 30 seconds; a “pro” could probably have gone faster.
As Gordon notes, there probably are only a limited set of key variants too. I can imagine a thief owning a full set, and trying them out one at a time as the opportunity arises until finding the right one.
Mosh
Alot of cam locks cab be opened with something flat (knife) even picked in a few seconds…
Some locks are harder to drill through though….
Brian A
Come on, taking it apart to determine the drawer rattle is completely reasonable LOL
Andrew
I agree… *HF employee* “sir can I help you”?
Nope got it figured out..thanks!
Evadman
I wish my local harbor freight had one I could look at. I already bought my, hopefully last, toolbox from strictly tool boxes, but I would like to compare build quality and materials. Harbor freight doesn’t have the size I needed, but they do have the piece I want that isn’t available from tool vault: the top locker.
The icon charging drawer is also a cool feature, but needs some improvements. The wire management is awesome, but I would want a lid on that drawer so that when a battery explodes, it doesn’t take the toolbox with it. A timer on that would also be very preferred.
I got my box specifically to replace the 3 craftsman boxes I had because they were no longer up to the task. The tool vault box I have is 30 drawer, 72″ wide, 110″ with the lockers, and Icon sadly doesn’t have a 72″ size. Tool vault also supports 500 lbs a drawer on almost all the drawers with a total capacity of 8,400 lbs. I don’t have a way to weigh mine, but it’s got to be at least 5k. Just the box is 1,500lbs. An interesting ‘feature’ on toolvault is that the green exactly matches the snapon green, so all the accessories (towel holder, glove holder, etc) all match. I’m curious if Icon is the same.
For folks that are commenting on the spring loaded casters, I recommend trying to move a loaded toolbox without them. My craftsman boxes could not be moved over the seams in the concrete, and certainly not out to the driveway because of the 1/2″ lip in the concrete by the door. The only way to do it was to actually lift the box over that lip or seam, and that just wasn’t possible due to the box design. Folks that have tried moving an engine hoist over seams have probably also run into this same issue. On the tool vault box I have, it has no problem moving anywhere I have needed to, even fully loaded. It honestly moves like butter, even though it weighs more than my SUV. I would hope that the icon boxes move the same way. Professional mechanics often have to supply their own tools and toolboxes where they work, so moving them is part of the job. Basically, move the tools to the job, don’t move the job to the tools.
Finally, I would not want an electronic lock on my toolbox. Those have horrendous failure rates compared to barrel or key locks with no added security. If someone wants in the box, a drill will solve that problem in a minute or 2. A lock is to stop opportunity theft, that’s about it.
Chris
I’m a cheapskate. For my home garage working on mountain bikes and woodworking, US General boxes work just great for me. If I was commercial/professional, I’d still look to the strictlytoolboxes.com variety. Man I love their Tool Vault offerings.
Chris
Icon has 72″ site on the HF site.
Rollo
I recently purchased the Icon in the 56 ” green with stainless top lft side cabnet and hutch top cover. After inspecting it at the store before purchase and comparing it to other brands on several tool trucks.. snapon, mac and matco, and extreme.
It pretty handily won out in quality and blew tool truck idiotic prices away. Been using it for a month and Im liking it more all the way to the bank.
Corey Moore
Icon aims to be the finest on the market, huh? In your kick of the tires, do you tentatively see this as true?
Stuart
My experience with top-tier brands is limited, but from what I saw, the quality is definitely pretty decent, certainly better than anything I’ve seen from Husky, Craftsman, Kobalt, or even Dewalt or Milwaukee.
The materials seem to rival that of the Proto box I still have in my possession.
With a lot of brands, you have to buy sight-unseen, going by reputations and word of mouth. You can check out tool truck brands’ offerings if you have a relationship with a driver.
Would I buy Icon products right now? Honestly, I’d wait 6 months. By that time, some early adopters will have feedback ready, and if there are any issues or minor hiccups Harbor Freight will ironed them out by then.
I like being able to see and feel what I’m getting.
If Icon tool storage products have been out for say 5 years and I was looking for a more premium tool storage system, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be on my short list.
I’ve kicked the tires of a lot of tool cabinets and combos in the past 12 years, maybe longer. I saw some personal preferential niggles about the Icon products, and a couple of minor grumbles such as with the bouncing-open locker door. It seems to me that the Icon tool storage products were designed to be visually appealing, but they also seem to be well-designed structurally. It’s hard to tell from an in-store examination no matter how thorough, but the absence of glaring issues leaves me fairly optimistic.
I tried to look at the little things that I know bug me. Are the long drawers reinforced so they don’t snag? Do they rock when open? Will the drawer pulls scratch my arm? Will the internal power cords snag? Can I reach the top lid to close it?
I’m sure there might be other complaints if I had more time with the floor sample, but from what I saw I was impressed with the details.
Ben
I’m wondering just how much market research they did on these. The pricing compared to their intended competition looks great… if you’re comparing MSRP.
I’m not sure who’s buying tool truck boxes at list (OK… actually, I do know a few) but most people I know with one got a steep discount. I bought my KRL722 at what was 50% off MSRP at the time. It wasn’t an everyday price and I put some effort into it, but then I wasn’t planning on buying it more than once (I’ve succeeded so far) and didn’t need it right away.
I guess if the hope is to snag some DIY/home side-job guys (although most of the latter I know have a relationship with the tool man) that could work… most people couldn’t walk on a tool truck and get a ton of money off. But I don’t see many pros lining up to pay cash, when the Snappy man will probably come in around the same ballpark, and get it financed for them.
Chris
THOUSANDS of hours of design?
That’s like a dollar an hour!!
Kizzle
What do you mean by “adjustable drawer retention latches”?
Stuart
There are adjustable settings for controlling drawer retention strength.
Let’s say you can open a drawer with one finger on setting number 1. Setting 2 might require two fingers. The last setting might require so much force you think the drawer is locked.
Sean
Stuart, you mentioned that the 20% off ICON coupon kind of cheapens the prestige of the ICON line but I find it comparative to Zoro offering 20% off Proto industrial professional storage solutions similar to your sample tool box.
David
The Icon brand is excluded from 20% coupons.
Stuart
Yes, but they have a 20% off Icon tool storage coupon, as shown in the post.
Danno
I’m curious to see if HF ends up running a continual, or at least semi-regular 20% off coupon for the Icon brand. Given some of the price points, it will be interesting to see if they sell. I don’t think so, and I say that as a general Fan of HF.
Bs
We somehow managed to fanagle a 25% friends and family unlimited coupon and they gave us the 10% off credit card on the entire $24,000 purchase bringing it down to $16000 from two complete multi-box and 3 carts full of tools, jacks and generators.
Bob
Had a chance to check the boxes out in person at a Harbor Freight store.
Icon boxes are heavier construction in certain areas. Example: the door on the side locker is heavier but the locker cabinet main box sides has thinner metal? Why not make it the same gage all around? Same for the hutch. Seems like a cost cutting measure.
Fit and finish was not that good. Couple crooked spot weld on some of the drawers making things out of square.
Drawer slides and the struts for the hutch door are not smooth operating and again alignment was off. Drawe slide position are not adjustable in or out to fine tune them. You can adjust the door slide tension. Seems like a gimick.
Electrical charging drawer is a good idea but seems cheaply made. I don’t see the wire strain chain holding up to daily usage.
Drill and driver storage rack was nice. Stainless top looked nice. Curious to see if this stainless will hold up to shop chemicals. Overall dimensions are decent. Would like to see it a few inches deeper but the side locker cabinet for instance is very usable.
Locks were garbage. Soft steel, not recessed into box, not high security. Looks like an easy lock to pick or even easier they had the number stamped on the lock face. You have to grind that off so no one orders that key number and can open your box.
This may seem nit picky and it is but if your charging near truck brand pricing you need to be near truck brand quality. HF is even advertising SAME quality levels for less price. Sorry they are not. For the money you can do better than icon elsewhere at this time.
I guess the jokes on me if I really believed all the marketing hype that I was really getting MAC box quality for less money. I guess it’s important to laugh at ourselves right 🙂
Rollo
Here a bit further down the road , 2022, just got off the mac truck in shock a cheaper made mac box same size for 13k. Tool truck even at 1/2 off cant touch my complete set
John
While this topic is past a month old, I thought I would throw in some anecdotal info. While purchasing a 44” US General cabinet at HF last week, I asked how sales of the Icon cabinets were going. Very nice upper staff fellow said while there has been some interest in them, they had not sold a single one yet. In Nashville, TN with 700K residents and close to 2m including surrounding area. There are 3 stores total in the middle TN area, so only referencing one of the three stores.
Regardless of the quality, Icon storage prices are way too high coming from an historically low price retailer.
Plain grainy
August 2021, I was in HF today. Looked at the new Full bank cart. Then browsed the other tool storage. The Icon rolling cart really impressed me. The drawers just seem to be at another level, compared to other H F offerings.