A reader recently asked why a tool brand is entering the modular tool storage market with a 3pc combo tower.
My local Home Depot recently dedicated a sizable amount of floor space to a bunch of 3pc stacks from 4 different tool brands – Milwaukee, Dewalt, Ridgid, and Husky. Lowe’s has done the same at times, with rolling tool box combos lining a wall for holiday season deals.
You might be thinking “but I don’t want that setup!” and this is a sentiment that I am sure is shared by many. And yet these towers remain a popular way to buy into almost any modular tool box system.
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By now, you’d think that tool brands and retailers – namely Home Depot and Lowe’s – know what consumers want. However, that’s irrelevant.
To companies, it doesn’t matter what consumers say they want, what matters is what they end up buying.
Most introductory tool box combos come with a large rolling tool box, a medium-sized tool box, and a smaller tool box. Sometimes you get an organizer instead of the smaller tool box, or maybe an open-top crate.
You can always build your own combo as well, which some people do.
Frankly speaking, retailers wouldn’t keep ordering and featuring 3pc combos if they didn’t sell well.
Here’s a style of 3-tiered rolling tool box (via HD) that you can still buy today.
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You get a large storage compartment that can fit your bigger tools, such as circular saw, or other bulky tools and supplies, a medium compartment for holding your smaller tools and supplies, and another compartment for parts, accessories, smaller tools, and similar.
Sounds familiar?
You see the same type of stacked tool box setup, over and over again, even from DIY and homeowner brands such as Ryobi.
Many users will go on to buy additional tool boxes, and those that are really averse to such a setup can configure their own starter kit separately.
So why is combo tower so prevalent, at least in stores even if not at jobsites?
Let’s drift off-topic for a moment.
Back when Harbor Freight expanded their line of Hercules 20V cordless power tools, they went from having kits to selling everything a la carte, similar to what Hilti does. This was a deliberate decision, they said, and they thought it would better serve their customers.
Harbor Freight eventually switched back to starter kits that feature a tool, battery, and charger.
A lot of users seem to prefer buying into a system of products without having to think too deeply about the options.
Earlier today I was looking at this 144-count box of Staedtler pencils at Amazon. On the page, it features a bundle that gives you the box of pencils plus a pack of erasers.
When purchased separately, the pencils are $12.74 and the erasers are $3.00. Together, they’re $15.74. You don’t save anything by buying the erasers with the pencils.
Even so, that bundle option creates the chance that someone who was only going to buy the pencils is also going to get some new erasers, even if they wouldn’t have considered it otherwise.
Bundle options can encourage tool users and consumers in general to spend more.
For how long has it been a practice for cordless drills to be sold alongside something else?
My first cordless drill was just a drill kit. When it was time to upgrade, I briefly purchased (and returned) a Craftsman 2-tool combo kit with drill and right angle drill. I then went with a Hitachi (now Metabo HPT) cordless drill that was bundled with a bulb-style flashlight that I never used.
Today, how many drill and impact driver combo kits are sold compared to standalone kits of both?
Maybe people inherently prefer fitting their tools and gear into a selection of modular tool boxes, rather than having to pick the perfect tool boxes for their kit, at least starting out.
Home Depot offers both options – you can go with a 3pc combo OR pick from their walls of individual options. Or do both.
I think that the a la carte options work out better for customers who have already purchased into a modular tool box system, and maybe for users who spend a lot of time looking at individual options.
I think that we keep seeing 3pc tool box towers because that’s what a lot of new users are buying.
Retail sales trends don’t always make sense.
Amazon’s bestselling cordless drill kit is an older Dewalt brushed motor model that is significantly bested by modern options at the same $99 price point, even within the same cordless power tool system. It’s popular because it’s popular.
Bosch is launching a new modular tool box system – see Bosch Officially Revealed their New Tool Box System. Starting off by showcasing a 3pc tool box tower suggests they’re either completely ignorant about what tool users have been asking for, or perfectly informed about what remains a classic gateway purchase option.
It’s important to understand not only what tool users are asking for, but what they are inclined to buy.
A company recently presented me with survey results that claim many Americans prefer USA-made products, even if they cost more. However, what the survey shows is what people say they prefer.
3pc modular tool box towers are popular because they sell well. Why do they sell well? They just do.
I’m sure that in-store displays contribute to consumer purchasing trends, which then influence retail purchases and display trends.
I think it’s a loop, not unlike how Dewalt’s least-best cordless drill is their bestselling at Amazon and maybe other online platforms.
Are they perfect for getting started with a modular tool box system? No. But people keep buying them for various reasons.
Readers have for years said “I wish there were more power tool deals that didn’t make you buy another cordless drill.” Retailers finally listened, and we’ll see many other types of cordless power tool deals every major holiday shopping season.
But we still see countless drill kits and combo kits.
Every Black Friday season I hear the same complaint – “these are mostly the same deals again!” And they are, mostly because they sell well, ever year.
It is very difficult to understand what tool users want but very easy to measure what customers are buying.
People keep buying 3pc tool box combos, and so that’s what we’ll continue to see prominently featured in marketing and at home centers.
D3t
Are the manufacturers listening to consumers or are they simply following each other’s marketing?
Bonnie
If that were the case (and consumers didn’t want the combos) they wouldn’t be selling as well as they do.
John
But it’s the only combo most companies offer. Sure, most people will end up buying it. But maybe there’s a better combo that even more people would buy, but no company has tried it.
Stuart
You can create any combo you want from individual pieces, but I think this is done more online today than at retail stores.
Stuart
Yes – they’re not mutually exclusive. You also have brands listening to their retail customers, notably Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Patrick Johnson
I see it as a matter of follow the leader , in the same way as combo kits started of with a drill and saw . I’m convinced that an all drawer stack would be a hit , but one of the retailers would have to be willing to be the first to do so., meaning they would risk getting it wrong instead of waiting for the competition to get it right.
Bonnie
Doesn’t Tekton have exactly that? I don’t think it’s carried in-store though.
Stuart
With Tekton, the value comes if you want the L-Boxx components in red and from a reliable source, and if you want Tekton tool assortments.
https://toolguyd.com/tekton-modular-mechanics-tool-kits-storage-system/
Bonnie
I think the core takeaway and point here really is that what people “say” they want rarely actually lines with with what they really do want/buy. You see it across so many industries and communities. People say they’re tired of sequels, but then go flock to (and enjoy) Iron Man 23 and the third remake of a classic movie instead. So the industry goes with what they actually wanted rather than what they said they wanted.
I build software for a living, and this is a core part of our new project process. We’ll ask the client what they want, which is almost always a slight modification of what they’re always used and are comfortable with. *Then* we dig into the actual needs and processes to automate, figure out the hard requirements, soft requirements, user stories, etc. the final product almost never looks like what they initially asked for, but is far more of what they needed and does a better job than the initial ask.
Andrew
I think it also has to do with people saying what they would like imagining a perfect world, but when they see the cost of their ideal they decide to not purchase. I think a good example is the set that I think most packout users would say is a good start is the rolling packout drawer, a 3 drawer packout, and an organizer. But that’s about $600 retail if bought together, that’s more than most people are willing to spend as an entry point.
S
Just ask the online automotive community what kind of transmission they want in vehicles.
All you’d ever hear is that every vehicle type needs a manual transmission.
But manuals are amount to something like 1% of national vehicle sales every year.
taras
That’s because not everyone that buys a car is part of the online vehicle community. The needs/wants of enthusiasts/professionals rarely aligns with the needs and wants of the general public.
MM
Agreed; it’s never a good idea to assume the preferences of enthusiasts or experts line up with those of the general public.
But even more to the point, what people prefer is not necessarily the same thing as what they will end up buying. I imagine there are people who, if asked, would say that they prefer a manual transmission but they chose an automatic so their wife–who is not a gearhead–could also drive the car. I’m sure there are people who would prefer a manual but could be convinced to buy an automatic. Think about it from the dealership’s perspective: a manual car can only be sold to the subset of the population who knows how to drive one, while it’s possible to sell an automatic to anybody.
Scott ALKB
I drove stick-shift from when I started driving in 1987 until 2019. In my dealership’s used-car section, they had two nearly identical 6 year old cars, automatic with 33K miles, or stick-shift with something like 70K+.
Even though I wanted to keep driving stick and the prices were the same, I purchased the low-mileage automatic, reasoning that there would be less opportunity for previous owner(s) to abuse or neglect scheduled maintenance.
All of which is to agree that even if someone wants a particular attribute, other factors can override that.
Kilroy
Exactly. One way to think of it is, “The customer may say they want a shovel, but the best way to help them and sell to them is to give them an easy way to make a hole in the ground, even if that means renting them an auger.”
Often what people think or say they need is a few steps removed from what they really need, or from their true problems.
Good professionals take the time to ask questions to get to the ultimate needs and to make customers’ lives easier in ways they didn’t think of.
For example, my electrician did that when he installed an EV charger for me, as he specifically asked how I park my car in the garage and suggested installing the charger at a spot such that it would allow me to go from the driver’s seat, get the charging connector off the wall, put it in my EV, and walk up the steps into my kitchen, all in the same walking path I normally take from my car to the door to the kitchen. I hadn’t thought of that, and it’s minor, but it still saves me a minute a day, which adds up, and created value for me as the customer in ways I didn’t think of before.
Jared
With the Bosch example, the issue isn’t that they’re launching a 3pc tool box set, but that I don’t know if more is coming. I.e. whether or not I would start with that set, I would only buy into a new system that I knew would have drawers and other accessories. Otherwise – why? Just to get a new color scheme?
Stuart
It’s a combination of “more of the same,” “not what I want,” and “is that it?” But then you’ve also got to think “what might Lowe’s buy to feature in stores?”
Robert
Regarding the 3pc combo towers being prominently displayed on line and in store, I think it’s partly psychologically salesmanship. The 3pc combo tower is visually arresting. There’s a heft and visual mass to it that jives with the blue collar mindset of the likely customers. Because it has different box sizes, it seems thought out for different use cases. Yet, it also looks complete and self contained, you can see yourself wheeling the stack away and starting work.
Adam B.
“It is very difficult to understand what tool users want but very easy to measure what customers are buying.”- Very well said
eddiesky
Bit storage. Fastener storage. Easy recognition of contained goods and portage. Tool storage with locking and spot for tracker (see Makita) incase in an environment of contracting and/or possible theft. Mobility.
That said, dumb me… put my Milwaukee new packout in my SUV and hear CRACK! and the packout was more of a crackout as it chipped my perfectly fine brake light assembly. F—! That $250 Packout… now its $400 packout.
avi
I know I bought a DeWalt 1.0 3 piece tower back in the day because that was what went on sale, ideally I wanted a rolling box and 2 smaller boxes, or maybe a small box and a crate, but the 3 piece tower was about the price of a rolling box and 1 small box, so the medium box was basically free. This was back in the day when 3 piece towers were regularly on sale for $100, so I’m not complaining.
TomD
Buying one modular toolbox makes zero sense – without something to connect it to why pay more for modular?
Buying two makes sense, but usually in the concept of “backpack with organizer attached” or some other smaller hand-held combination.
Three is a sweet spot because it gives you the rolling base and the first time the modular design “really shines”. It didn’t hurt that at first it was an efficient way to ship with the non-collapsible handle seen in the early packout.
But without at least a nominal discount for the three-pack, it is kind of annoying; especially if you really want the drawer bottom or similar.
Aram
Your answer “feels right” at least to me. If I wanted to carry stuff around one tray at a time, I’d use some cheapo HF Stanley-organizer-knockoff for a heck of a lot less money.
Once I get up into “I don’t want to carry this, it better have wheels” territory then suddenly the 3-stack kinda makes sense. Enough storage to actually bother rolling it (rather than carry), and still the ability to carry if you want.
…in other words, I feel like the 3pc combo kinda sells the idea of modular storage, via the stack being wheeled, if that makes sense?
Tdot77
People also see the 3 piece toolbox combos as a package deal instead of buying 3 separate components for more money, which they are. It’s also a ‘starter’ for buying the additional other boxes, crates, drawers, radios, and everything else they come out with to stack onto them. It just makes sense to do it this way if you get the starter 3 piece for a deal on sale or something then add the other pieces you want when they are needed or on sale.
As for that best selling DeWalt brushed drill that ‘so popular’, it’s mostly the homeowner, beginner DIY people that see a yellow DeWalt tool and just assume it’s the same tool the contractor they saw on their favorite HGTV show was using. They don’t know what brushed, brushless or XR, XR max, or any of DeWalt many differentiations actually mean. They see a DeWalt tool that’s a ‘best seller’, it’s reasonably priced, has good reviews and click the ‘buy’ button without questions or additional research. We all know DeWalt model numbers are not very easy to figure out without extensive research. You also have to consider the gift buyers(wife\girl friends, moms) who hear their bf\son saying ‘I want a DeWalt drill so I can start doing xyz’, then goes to Amazon and just buys the first ‘best selling’ drill that pops up. Why look any further after seeing it’s sold 20k this year(or whatever # it is)?. Those of us that are experienced users know this drill is not the one we want and buy accordingly.
Tdot77
Ps: Who knew you could get already sharpened #2 pencils for only 9¢ a piece!? I’ve never looked to buy bulk pencils but that’s pretty good!
I am constantly amazed at the things I happen to come across while going down the bottomless Amazon rabbit hole! I continue to find all these things I didn’t know even existed! The sheer amount of different things that are available(mostly with reviews) is staggering!
TomD
Presharpened pencils are one of those luxuries you don’t know you need until you have it.
Unsharpened ✏️ feel positively barbaric.
We ignore that the presharpened ones also make it obvious that you lose or break them before needing to sharpen again …
Matt_T
“So why is combo tower so prevalent, at least in stores even if not at jobsites?”
Interesting question. I don’t see much of this stuff locally. And the only pros I’ve seen buying packout were the ones working on the new Milwaukee plant that were basically forced to buy everything Milwaukee.
Just based on online comments it seems like some dyiers are buying the stuff for garage organization. Is that a significant chunk of the market?
Jody
Think so.
I’m not rolling anything on interior residential jobsites or finished commercial spaces outside of gravity stands if required. It’s easier and faster to carry bags or modular boxes snapped together with handles.
See reasons for weather tight rollers and tougher systems, new makita boxes, in building buildings and places where there is no real “inside”.
chip hershberger
Where the bulk is sold is also baked into the cost.
Probably more 3 pc are sold at big box,and more variety is sold at PE-HVAC suppliers.
I personally went from a roller,to the hand truck,and finally dollies and drawer roller.
Many years ago I used the large cavernous husky.
Kompahko
I remember in my early years, i had to walk to my car once with my 28 in stanley fatmax toolbox and I told myself, there’s no way I’m doing that again.
That evening I bought the ridgid 3 pc tower. Once you reach that point where you need space and a rolling option a 3 pc tower is the perfect upgrade.
Now that I have way more tools and know more about how I want to organize them I expanded on that platform without getting any other 3 pc tower combo. If i were to switch to another type of box, I wouldn’t get any 3 pc tower combo.
My point is, I’ve been there, at the part where that standard 3 pc tower is what I want. As do a lot of people I’m certain.
Dustin
People buy the 3 pc combo and then get home to find out that they need something slightly different so they go out get those extra pieces and spent more in the long run
Jason. W
I’ve had a gen1 rigid three piece combo for 12 years. its served me really really well. for several years it was dragged in and out of job sites. now its just part of my garage tool storage and RC car parts organization. The top small parts container is my carry case when i take the RC cars out for the day.