Craftsman Tools: Socket Organizer Set $12.50, 4-pc 3/8" Extension Bar Set $10, 4-pc Adapter Set $10 + Free In-Store Pick Up

Quote from bendrexl : Great info, thanks! For anyone else looking, here's the link to that combo: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-13...ockType=G3 I was also looking at their flat black 2-piece combo for $350 (like the looks and the variety in drawer sizes): http://www.sears.com/10-drawer-2-...ockType=G5 And HD reviewers say this is superior to the basic Craftsman set too (50lbs/drawer): http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5...SfkBKWkpA1 Too many choices...

I tried some codes on the first set, you can get $5 off with VALPAK5, unfortunately none of the other usual ones worked. According to ChicagoTech, there's a 10% event coming up on the 25th too.

http://slickdeals.net/f/5869460-S...s-Hardware

Quote from Corwin76 : I tried some codes on the first set, you can get $5 off with VALPAK5, unfortunately none of the other usual ones worked. According to ChicagoTech, there's a 10% event coming up on the 25th too. http://slickdeals.net/f/5869460-S...s-Hardware

The Sears Hometown stores are also doing a 10% thing (excluding electronics) today and tomorrow.

Quote from bendrexl : Great info, thanks! For anyone else looking, here's the link to that combo: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-13...ockType=G3 I was also looking at their flat black 2-piece combo for $350 (like the looks and the variety in drawer sizes): http://www.sears.com/10-drawer-2-...ockType=G5 And HD reviewers say this is superior to the basic Craftsman set too (50lbs/drawer): http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5...SfkBKWkpA1 Too many choices...

i would stay away from those limited edition tool chest combo sets because they are not expandable. they usually come with a bottom and a top, but no middle and a matching middle is not available. it's the case with the flat/jet black set and the traditional black with chrome bars set.

went with my gf to the mall, i told her i wanted to take the jeep b/c i wanted to pick up the tool chest set tonight. she insisted we take her civic and said she thinks the 3 pieces will fit. women are always right......NOT

epic fail, only 2 of the pieces fit - the bottom one would not. so now i have to take a separate trip back to the Sears store to get the bottom. i was hoping to get it all assembled tonight in my garage and snap a few pics for everyone here. oh well. i guess pics aren't needed - you can check it out in the store. it's one heck of a fine tool chest. true they don't make these things like they used to - but you can't find anything even remotely close to this for just $320. i really like how the top drawer is actually divided into 3 smaller drawers - a very unique design at this price point and it really helps with organization (i already have everything planned out)

if i were you, i would pounce on this deal - it wasn't even this good during Black Friday (for the red ball bearing red 3 piece heavy duty set). the quiet glide (just a nylon coated steel slide that eventually wears down to bare metal) version of this combo set was on sale during Craftsman Club week for $299. for an extra $20 you get ball bearing - THAT's a no brainer b/c you can have 50 lbs or you can have 20 lbs and the ball bearing drawer will slide just as smooth. i loaded up a quiet glide drawer in the store with 2 of their 20lbs display weights and the drawer made a grinding noise every time i opened/closed it. if it's rated for 50lbs and it can barely hold 40lbs that's not a good sign. yeah it was a display model but hey that's real life. if it can't hold up being opened/closed by customers how the hell is it going to survive my abuses??? lol

Exactly what i needed, TY!!!

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Quote from lilboi1186 : Socket organizer isn't even worth the $10 on sale. Purchased this set a few months ago, did a terrible job at holding my sockets, even worse at holding deep sockets. Ended up getting an entire setup through Harbor Freight.

This x1000. Years ago I bought that plastic piece of garbage and attempted to use it for a month. Wasn't happening. Most of my sockets didn't fit (at the time, a mix of Snap On and Craftsman). Usually the holes were to small so the sockets had to be wedged in and out.

Those that are looking at the socket organizer, stop. Seriously, if you actually do any wrenching, spend the money on the Hansen organizers. Aside from a proper toolbox, they are the best investment I've ever made in tools. If you don't want to spend the coin on the Hansen's, get the HF set, it's almost as good. I have one full set (1\4, 3\8, 1\2) of the HF in SAE and metric and 3 full sets of the Hansens in both SAE and metric. Once the Hansen's go on sale again, I'll replace the HF setup.

Quote from bendrexl : I'm looking for a good entry-level tool chest set to replace the collection of toolboxes slowly taking over my garage... opinions on this? http://www.sears.com/craftsman-11...ckType=G10

Quote from Medic311 : those basic ones are trash. the weight rating is only 25lbs per drawer but once you approach 15lbs the thin metal sheeting starts to buckle. the ball bearing slides have huge tolerances and slide around side to side. they also don't have rubber stoppers and the slide bangs against the drawer front and makes a "clunk" every time you close it. it gets annoying after a while. plus the warranty is only 1 year you're better off spending an extra $100 to get the heavy duty ball bearing one that's on sale now for $320. it's the 3 piece red combo one in the newspaper insert. i attached it to this post. i bought that same 3 piece black one for $219...returned it the following weekend due the above reasons. i'm glad this red one came up for sale so quickly - i'm actually going to the store tonight to buy it. i played around with it a bit a few weeks ago and it's built WAY better, metal sheeting is thicker, and the warranty is 3yrs.

Definitely agree with Medic on this (to an extent). The basic boxes are absolute junk. I've owned two Craftsman boxes, one was a early 70's box that has been fantastic. Even loaded down, it still glides like it's on ice. Then I bought a larger set, ball bearing, in the late 90's. If you wrench even on a weekend basis and have a solid tool assortment, IMO it will frustrate the hell out of you. It did me. I owned it for a year before I pawned it off on Craigslist. Even the BB slides aren't that great (though WORLDS better than the friction slides), the steel gets thinner and thinner with every new box, less welds, less fasteners, etc etc.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would actually go with the HF 44" box over any of the Craftsman stuff at this point. If you can hold out and throw a few more bucks into the pot, keep an eye on Craigslist for a deal on a Snap On or Blue Point box. Even a Blue Point (Snap On's value line) is significantly better than anything you'll find, ever, at Sears. If you go hunting for Snap On, KRA Heritage are their low end line (nicer than Blue Point though), KRA Classics are a middle of the road, KRL's (Masters) are their top end line.

I'll throw in a few more opinions; if you do all of your work on your own vehicles, or maybe you have a project vehicle or are otherwise in your toolbox once a week grabbing more than just a screwdriver, spend the money on a nice box now. Especially if you're young. A nice box will last your lifetime. Buy something way bigger than you expect you'll need, you're tools will always grow. I bought my KRL1023 ~7 years ago and outgrew it to the point that I needed a top box. I went through 4 smaller boxes before I bought the KRL (including the two Craftsman boxes I talked about earlier). A bonus of buying a large roll cab now is that it will double as your workbench.

I've seen 20 year old Snap On boxes go for as little as $500 on Craigslist and no doubt I would take a 20 year old Snap On box over a brand new Craftsman. Most of even the old, old boxes still look great. The guy spent a ton of money on it and wanted to keep it looking nice. I'm pretty sure I wax my roll cab more than I wax my vehicles.

My 2c.

Quote from Corwin76 : I bought it the last time it was $9.99, and that's the exact type of scenario I had in mind when I bought it. I haven't needed them yet, but it's nice to know they're there.

Good deal I just bought the 1/2-3/8 socket on thursday for $6 and change.

Quote from LordAthens : This x1000. Years ago I bought that plastic piece of garbage and attempted to use it for a month. Wasn't happening. Most of my sockets didn't fit (at the time, a mix of Snap On and Craftsman). Usually the holes were to small so the sockets had to be wedged in and out. Those that are looking at the socket organizer, stop. Seriously, if you actually do any wrenching, spend the money on the Hansen organizers. Aside from a proper toolbox, they are the best investment I've ever made in tools. If you don't want to spend the coin on the Hansen's, get the HF set, it's almost as good. I have one full set (1\4, 3\8, 1\2) of the HF in SAE and metric and 3 full sets of the Hansens in both SAE and metric. Once the Hansen's go on sale again, I'll replace the HF setup.

Are you talking about socket drawer organizers [harborfreight.com] or socket tray [harborfreight.com] organizers [harborfreight.com]?

The socket organizer is disappointing, doesn't do a good job of holding deep wells and can waste space if you don't have a huge variety of sockets. Thought I had a good collection, but was depressed to see all of the empty spaces.
Someone with OCD might feel compelled to fill all the openings.

Quote from LordAthens : Seriously, if you actually do any wrenching, spend the money on the Hansen organizers.

What do you think of the magnetic holders, like these: http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-40120..._sbs_hi_58

Spendy, but I like the idea of being able to carry a full set of sockets around if needed.

Quote from LordAthens : I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would actually go with the HF 44" box over any of the Craftsman stuff at this point. If you can hold out and throw a few more bucks into the pot, keep an eye on Craigslist for a deal on a Snap On or Blue Point box. Even a Blue Point (Snap On's value line) is significantly better than anything you'll find, ever, at Sears.

GREAT info, all of it. Rep'd for sure!

Opinion on this BluePoint set?
http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls...59588.html

Quote from bendrexl : What do you think of the magnetic holders, like these: http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-40120..._sbs_hi_58 Spendy, but I like the idea of being able to carry a full set of sockets around if needed.

My Dad has used those for years on some of his most common sockets and seems to like them. I've never owned them but I know Lisle makes well regarded products. My only real gripe with them, and is the direct reason I don't own them, is that they take up huge amounts of room in your box compared to the stand up style organizers.

He keeps a set of SAE and a set of Metric 3/8 drive in the workstation of his box (http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/it...ir=catalog , it's really much larger than it looks in that pic). All of my sockets live in the top full width drawer of my KRL1023. I'm able to fit (all are in both SAE and Metric); 6pt deep and shallow 1/2" drive impacts, 6pt & 12pt chrome deep and shallow 1/2" drive, 6pt & 12pt chrome deep and shallow 3/8" drive, 6pt & 12pt chrome mid deep, 12pt slim (super shallow) 3/8" drive (only SAE), 6pt & 12pt chrome deep and shallow 1/4" drive, 6pt chrome mid deep 1/4" drive. There are also quite a few sets of impact swivels, torx, hex/allen, etc. It all fits in one drawer. With the Lisle organizers I would have to stack them all to fit and I'm not a fan of that. Of course, I have way more sockets than the average guy, so the Lisle's may work out for you.

Quote : GREAT info, all of it. Rep'd for sure! Opinion on this BluePoint set? http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls...59588.html

Thank you.

As far as that BP setup, looks pretty nice. I'm the type that would rather have long instead of tall, but everyone has their own thing. IE, I would never go to a box narrower than 54", my current box is 72". I want to move into an 84", but they no longer make them in the KRL's, only the Epiq's and I'm just not a fan of them.

Anyhow.. There is a very similar setup selling here in Pittsburgh for $700; http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/...46777.html The box here is a little narrower (26" vs the 30" of your Spokane box) and it's a 6 drawer vs 7 drawer. If you could get the box near you down to the $700 range, that would be a pretty good deal.

Of course, if you don't NEED to box right this moment, hold out. A buddy of mine checked CL every day for probably 2 or 3 months and ended up with a 54" KRA roll cab and top chest for $800. The woman's husband died, she needed the money since they lived off of his pension. She originally wanted $1k for the box, but she knocked off some money since he went over and spent a few hours with her helping her get an idea of what some of his tools were worth. He started throwing out some prices on what some of the stuff was worth in the box and she had no idea it was worth so much. Apparently everything in his box was Snappy, MAC, Matco and some old Cornwell and Proto. If she would have sold everything for Craftsman prices, someone would have got a GREAT deal, but she would have lost a lot of money in it. So, if you're not in a rush, wait and keep checking.

Also keep an eye on eBay. I've seen lots of boxes go for super, super cheap, but they don't often get sold since they're almost always listed for local pickup only. The guy listing his box on ebay may have never heard of Craiglist (my Dad is a prime example of this). Local pickups are a hard sell, especially on something niche like a box. And if you're willing to take a few hour drive for it, it may really pay off in the end. It's a lot more work than stopping in at Sears and saying "I want that one", but you're certain to get a much nicer product in the end.

Quote from bendrexl : Opinion on this BluePoint set? http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls...59588.html

FYI, here is the same exact combo in Oregon that you have in Spokane; http://eaglepoint-or.hoodbiz.org/...69809.html

$650. That might give you some bargaining power with the local guy.

Also, a little tip when dealing in large dollar cash transactions, take the cash with you! When you barter him down, have the cash with you, on hand (and don't ever let him see how much cash you have with you! Keep it in the car!) Do this for two reasons; one, it doesn't let him have time to change his mind after you got him to knock off two or three hundred bucks while you're running to the ATM. This is similar to buyers remorse, but in reverse Two, there is no need for him to know that you were willing to spend $700 and brought $700, but you got him down to $500. It feels awfully good to go home with something PLUS still have $200 left over.

Last post..

Don't limit yourself to Snap On and Blue Point. No doubt (IMHO) Snappy makes the best boxes available, but MAC and Matco make some nice ones as well. Some of MAC and Matco's stuff will certainly best a Blue Point and annihilate a Craftsman. Cornwell can be added to that mix, too. Also, make sure you search multiple terms, not just "tool box". Tool chest, roll cab, roller box, tool cab are also common names.