Milwaukee is coming out with two new 40″ mobile workbenches for 2019. One has a wood top (48-22-8539), and the other stainless steel (48-22-8540).
Similar to stainless steel work surface on other mobile workbenches, it’s stainless steel-wrapped MDF. The wood-topped workbench has a 1″ worktop.
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The new mobile workbench is constructed from 18 gauge steel and has a reinforced frame. 5″ industrial casters make it mobile; 2 are fixed, and 2 swivel and lock.
The drawer slides are rated to 100 lbs and have a soft-close feature.
Both mobile workbenches measure 40″ wide x 22″ deep x 38″ tall.
They also feature a 6 outlet and 2x USB port power strip, a bolt-on utility shelf, and a drill/driver organizer for the deep drawer.
Total weight capacity is 1800 lbs.
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ETA: January 2019 at select distributors (Home Depot has carried all of Milwaukee’s tool storage products in the past)
Price: $600
Buy Now via Home Depot (Stainless Steel Top)
First Thoughts
Milwaukee’s mobile workbench quality has been excellent.
I had their 60″ mobile tool cabinet for a time, and it was a convenient mobile workbench with spacious drawer and cabinet capacity.
I’m now wrapping up testing with their 52″ mobile workbench, and will be quite sad to see it go. It’s an innovative design, with the worktop offering clamping on 3 sides, and the drawer sizing has been spot-on.
The new 40″ mobile workbench borrows from their premium 46″ and upcoming 56″ tool storage combos, which have upgraded drawers and construction.
I only had a quick look at the new mobile workbench at NPS18, but it looked to be simple, but sturdy. There aren’t any game-changing features here – there’s no sliding pegboard, no special clamping surface, and nothing else along those lines.
I think that the drawer sizing will suit most users, and the overall footprint gives you a good amount of storage space without being so big it’ll dominate a space.
If I’m allowed to nitpick, I’d grumble that Milwaukee’s next generation 56″ tool storage combo will feature an electronic lock, but these workbenches won’t. That’s one of my most-wished-for ball bearing storage box features, but unfortunately you won’t find that on this new mobile workbench. The locks cannot be retrofitted to other boxes, either, and so it’s not even available as an optional upgrade Still, tubular locks aren’t bad.
I have had stellar experiences with Milwaukee tool storage products.
While I’m excited about the new 56″ storage combos, which I’ll post about separately, I’m more personally interested in these new 40″ workbenches. It’s smaller than most of the other Milwaukee tool storage products, except for their 30″ combo, reviewed here, while not being small. To me, that makes this perfect for specific purposes, rather than being a monstrous “holds everything” type of storage product.
Adam
Can you explain how they get to 1800lb rating, with 100lb slides & 6 drawers? Is that 200 lbs per drawer plus weight that be stored on top? Seems like you could easily hit 100lbs in one of those single drawers. Thanks.
Real glad I didn’t jump on a chest a few weeks ago. These seems much more useful.
Stuart
I take that to be an overall capacity for the frame and casters, which would mean that the 6 drawers can support up to 600 lbs of tools (more if the bottom drawer has double slides), and you can load up to 1200 lbs (minus the weight of the cabinet?) evenly distributed up top.
That’s at least how other similar products’ weight ratings are interpreted.
Brian A
$600!!! When the 52″ was $500…. Tariffs the reason maybe?
Wish the top drawers were open and taller like the 52 one.
I thought the new cabinets were supposed to be out for Holiday 2018? I know I cant fit the new 56″ without some serious garage re-org. But I can accommodate the 40″, but not at the $600 price tag, $400-450 and I’m all in.
Stuart
Heavier duty construction.
I thought they’d be out for the holiday season too. Tariffs might have complicated things, but not the tool box counterveiling tariffs, as the design would have been customized for exemption.
Nathan
Question – I haven’t looked in a long time but is china or taiwan the country of orgin for boxes like this? Reason I ask is there was a discussion the other day about the newer harbor freight options and the cost of new boxes.
Put another way – today you see fewer and fewer Snap On boxes in the hangars here. 10 years ago if it wasn’t Snap -On or MAC it was a Craftsman that was modified.
So just curious.
Adam
My 60″ Milwaukee workbench was made in Vietnam (99% certain)
Jim Felt
Most of these barious similar price point brand variants over the past few years I’ve looked at say “Made in Vietnam”.
Vietnamese Tennis shoes and Tool Chest rollarounds.
Plus many fiberglass commercial architectural installation planters.
Too funny.
Tommy
Where I work it’s 75% snappy boxes and new ones coming in every week. Either new hire or trade up to snappy.
Tim Sprengelmeyer
The 60″ workbench was $700, they added 1 inch and upped the price to $800 for the 61″. They can subtract 21″ and only reduce the price by $200 This math does not compute.
Stuart
A 20 oz top round steak is $10, a 16 oz sirloin is $12, a 12 oz ribeye is $14, and an 8 oz tenderloin is $16.
You can’t look at width alone. Drawer and frame construction is different than on earlier models.
Joe
Heavy duty is good …Craftsman (SBD) new tool box , made with all 18g steel, 6×2 casters, 120lb slides, awesome color scheme, and Made In America….$560…can get a top chest also…
Dtnel
Still rocking my Matco 48 in box from 1996 I paid $800 for used. I found a top box at Menards that’s 46 in. and was less than $400 after rebate and have a side box from Menards that was $300ish. Have yet to install the top and side box as my garage is to messy with tools in buckets, tool bags and a lot of other stuff such as carpentry, my Zeus cabinet that I got scratch n dent from the snappy guy.
Snap on and the other names such as Matco and Mac are really facing tough competition now that hardware stores and others likewise are making 72″ boxes and a little ingenuity and thought from a mechanic and they look damn good.
If I had big cash to throw around at a box I’d consider it but only if the wife had a car that was 1yr old recently purchased and the house was paid down as the snappy boxes at $20-30k can knock a lot off a mortgage.
Toolfreak
MORE Milwaukee stuff!
I wonder if Bosch is EVER going to come out with toolboxes/carts/workbenches? Or even just some more tools?
Lynyrd
Other than a Machinist Cabinet, why do manufacturers offer Rollaway Cabs with less than a 4″ drawer at the top? Check nearly any Youtube Tool Box Tour and it’s almost standard to put Sockets in that drawer.
Stuart
Variety?
William Tyler Grove
Its early February….
I really kick myself for not getting one of the Pro 46 ones when they were 899. at HD>
Where are they? 🙂
Bob
Where can I buy the -8539 (wood top) version? No one seems to have it.
Stuart
I haven’t seen it, and so it’s likely it has been discontinued. Only the metal-topped version has been in stock in recent months.
Barbara Stovern
Try Fleet Farm. They seem to be the only ones carrying the wood top.
John ILL
Any word on Milwaukee making a 72” box?
Stuart
Not yet. I don’t think they’ll make a tool box that large.
Soup
Stu,
This is the exact size workbench/tool chest I am looking for. Home Depot seems to not carry it, and if you go to Milwaukee’s website, it says it is only carried by HD. Do you know if this is being replaces or discontinued? Perfect size for me, but all I see they have now is the 36″ and 46″.
Thanks!
Stuart
One of my local stores had this on the sales floor in recent months.
They seem to sell seasonably, or it could be available at other channels in between.
There are supply shortages right now, and increased freight prices.
You could try Milwaukee customer service, but you should also be prepared to wait a couple of months and that’s IF there are any plans to restock these units before the end of the year.
Soup
Thanks, Stu. I may just wait and hope they release more. I could survive with the US General 44″x22″, but prefer this one quite a bit.