Lowes recently came out with new Kobalt 3000-series tool cabinet carts. They have a few new tool cabinets as well, but these carts, or cart-like cabinets, are more noteworthy due to their new unique designs.
To start, several people have asked about or mentioned the new lock, which features Kwikset Smartkey tech. This allows you to rekey your tool boxes to existing Kwikset keys.
Advertisement
Featuring Kwikset Smartkey locks that allow you to easily and quickly match your work cart lock to your house, shop or store key; re-key tool included.
That’s pretty neat. Even if you don’t have other Kwikset locks, this should still allow you to key multiple tool boxes to the same keyset. That’s possible with other brands’ tool boxes, but you often have to call for or order matched lock cylinders.
The new Kobalt tool cabinet has modern conveniences – gas spring lifts for the top lid, a magnetic power supply with USB charging ports, and what I can only describe as better-looking casters.
There are 7 drawers – 6 of them being half-width, and one being a deep full-width drawer. Beneath that, there’s an open shelf. There are recessed handles and pegboard surfaces on both ends. The product photos also show a pegboard surface on the inside of the top lid, but I imagine that you’ll only want to use it if you keep the lid open all the time.
Kobalt equipped the drawers with 100 lb soft-close ball bearing glides. This model measures 45″ wide x 18″ deep x 47″ tall, weighs 192 lbs, and has a total weight capacity of 2000 lbs.
This model has a black finish. There’s also a 41″ stainless steel cart ($499), and a 35″ cart ($349), also in black.
Advertisement
Price: $499
Buy Now(via Lowes)
First Thoughts
Kobalt has been trying out new tool storage designs, but with these cabinets, I cannot tell if this is an attempt to explore a new design, or to get around the new tariffs.
I can see the benefit of the design. A lot of potential users will love the large full-width drawer, which looks to be nicely sized for parts, large tools, or boxed-up supplies. But a higher drawer-count cabinet might better serve someone who has a lot of smaller tools to store.
The Kwikset Smartkey is an interesting concept, one that I cannot quite find any objections to. Well… what happens if you lose your key? I suppose then you’d have to call a locksmith. With other lock styles, you might only have to call up the brand and tell them the number on the cylinder.
As I mentioned the other day, I’m really interested in keypad locks. But this Kwikset Smartkey system seems like a convenient middle-ground, halfway between that and the factory-set keys that are currently available.
Nathan
looks more like the top is designed as a rolling work table. Short of having a light in there which you could add and have a plug for.
I like the idea I guess – not so sure I’d buy one. I’d certainly consider it. bottom shelf maybe for consumables. towles – oils etc. lesser used – ok to be outside.
The yeti
So just yesterday i was changing locks at home and on my shop. Weiser also makes the smart key technology. Not sure who invented it . I think Kwik set may be a subsidiary of Weiser. Or maybe other way around not sure.
fred
Both Kwikset and Weiser are part of Spectrum Brands.
Spectrum brands also licenses the Stanley and National Hardware names to put on some of the hardware that they sell. They also own or have licenses to produce and sell small kitchen appliances like George Foreman grills, Black &Decker toasters, irons etc. (B&D had bought this line from GE then divested it), Remington shavers, Rayovac batteries, Farberware pots – plus a plethora of other household, garden and pet items.
The yeti
Well i was intrigued so i did a bit of research. thank u wikipedia.
Kwikset is part of the Hardware and Home Improvement Group of Stanley Black & Decker, which also owns lockset manufacturers Weiser and Baldwin. Kwikset locks have now evolved to include many Weiser features, and Weiser locks now use Kwikset’s “SmartKey” self rekeyable lock technology and Kwikset keyways.
fred
I believe that Stanley B&D is just the licensor of the brand names:
http://www.spectrumbrands.com/OurBrands/
The yeti
They also make Ezset and i do not know how many others. Interesting how convoluted the manufacture of something like locks has become. Appears no matter the brand you think you might be buying. There are only a few actual different companies in the game.
fred
Yep
Its hard to keep up.
I believe that Schlage and Ives – were sold by Ingersoll Rand to Allegion (an Irish company that also make Kryptonite bike locks)
Master lock is part of Fortune Brands and Yale is owned by a Swedish company Assa Abloy
Framer joe
I don’t see the reason behind this cart..HF has a smaller version, 5 drawer,open bottom shelf, lid on struts… seems to sell well.. I think the HF version is probably the max size for rolling around…
This seems to large for that use.
Nathan
cart term keeps it out of the tool cabinet or tool chest for whatever that new tarriff crap is going about that started from a law suit by waterloo. IIRC – there was a thread on it previously
Pete
I wish it was cool but….. The bottom looks like its opening is the same size at the bottom drawer. At that point you may as well have another drawer or you should make the shelf opening taller.
Toolfreak
I actually really like this design, since it’s basically a top chest with casters on it, which is perfect to keep your most-used tools in and at the ready and roll around to the job area in the shop.
As mentioned, I don’t really care for the low-height bottom “shelf”, but obviously that’s there to make it a cart. Really a whole lot of wasted space that’d be better as another drawer. The shelf on carts tends to gather a lot of clutter and I’d rather just have another drawer for the largest/heaviest tools that I might need to grab, plus I’d rather it be a bottom drawer so you can pull it out and reach into the back for something than have to stoop or crawl down to reach into the bottom shelf.
Harry
I commend Lowes for coming out with something different but, I think they could have done better. The shallow bottom shelf space is useless. There’s no screwdriver or pry bar storage. The large open till and lid is nice though. I like the flat black color. Don’t really care about the lock though.
Stuart
I really do think that the shelf is to make this a “cart,” to escape the tariffs. Otherwise it would have to be deeper, driving up the price and space requirements.
e. baker
I’ve looked at these in person, as my local Lowes has them all on display. They are built very well, considering it’s a Kobalt box, however, the bottom shelf truly is useless. The clearance for it doesn’t allow for anyone to put anything of substance on that shelf standing up…everything would be laying down.
Sneaky way to get past the tariffs, but it made for an entirely unusable shelf.
Outside of that…a very well built cart, finish was good and drawers operated smoothly. I wish they would have put the single long drawer on the top instead of the bottom, but that’s a minor issue.
I could see fabricating an extension on the legs to make the shelf more usable and then this could be a killer cart. At the price point it’s selling for though + any probable modifications you could make on the legs…it starts to put you into a price point where there’s many other offerings.
e. baker
As an addendum, I’m somewhat surprised this is only 18″ deep. With the width offered on these tool carts…they could’ve really knocked it out of the park by making it 20″ or 22″ while still maintaining the mobility of it.
Stuart
I’m thinking that the depth was a judgement call. They already have deeper cabinets. So in the context of the 3000 series lineup, these are complementary. Adding to the depth would have added to the size and footprint, and it might have overlapped too much with the other similarly-sized offerings.
mike
The bottom shelf is terrible functionally, but I will admit a clever way around the tariffs.
..now the best thing would be if lowes happened to sell a small drawer kit that just so happened to fit in that gap.. then we would be in business.
Andrew
can’t really use it as a cart since you’d lose access to the top storage area if you set anything on top of it. It looks kind of large, and it’s certainly priced too high for a tool cart. It’s more of a rolling toolbox, but I don’t see rolling something that big around. carts are supposed to be small enough where it’s easily maneuverable
John
I actually think the bottom shelf thing is a great idea. I have a bunch of the flat-pack organizers – you know, the ones that are stackable with lids and multiple compartments that hold screws, nails, bolts, parts, other stuff – looks like they would slide in perfect there. Then when I wheel around this “tool cart”, I got the tools and the stuff I use the tools with as I do stuff.
John
Is there a way to still buy this cart? Lowes has it on their site, but it can’t be purchased.
Stuart
Not that I know of. You can sign up for notifications but there’s no guarantee as to if or when it’ll be back in stock.