Harbor Freight 16 Drawer Tool Chest Review
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Harbor Freight has come out with a new 34″ "full bank service cart." At first glance, the new US General full bank service cart looks very different from a traditional service cart, and much more like an enhanced rolling single-bay tool box.
Harbor Freight advertises that these new tool boxes feature the storage capacity of a roller cabinet, but with the mobility of a tool cart.
Compared to a standard single-bay tool box or roller cabinet, these service carts also have all swivel wheels – instead of 2 swivel and 2 fixed – and a deep top lid compartment. Compared to a service cart, the full bank cart is taller, and with drawers top-to-bottom.
Sections
Features & Specs
Color Options
Pricing & Availability
Benefits of a Full Bank Service Cart? – Added 7/21/21
US General Price Comparison – Added 7/21/21
Compared to Snap-on – Added 7/21/21
Discussion – Added 7/21/21
Intro Video
Full Bank Features and Specifications
The new US General service cart tool boxes measure 34-1/4″ wide x 23-1/4″ deep x 46-1/2″ tall. The top compartment has a 7″ depth and 90° lid that's supported with 2 gas struts.
An integrated locking lever, located at the rear of the top compartment, allows users to quickly secure the drawers for when the tool cart needs to be moved. There's also a pass-thru grommet so that you can place a power strip inside the top compartment and still be able to close the lid.
There are also 20 holes of different sizes on both sides, for fitting pry bars, screwdrivers, or long extensions up to 31″ long.
There are 6 drawers. The top 5 drawers are each 3-3/4″ tall, with 100 lb weight capacity, and the bottom drawer is 6-3/4″ tall with a 200 lb weight capacity thanks to its double set of slides.
The carts have 5-inch soft roll swivel casters (2 locking), and a total load rating of 1200 lbs.
Each tool box also features corner guards, an ergonomic handle, and keyed barrel lock.
US General Tool Cart Color Options
- Black: 57517
- Red: 58073
- Blue: 58072
- Yellow: 58743
- Orange: 58744
- Green: 58071
Pricing and Availability
All of the colors are now available for online or in-store purchasing. If you order online, freight shipping fees will apply, and there's also an in-store ordering option for free pickup.
Price: $700
Buy Now via Harbor Freight
Drawer liners are included.
A variety of color-matched accessories are available, including power strips and magnetic trays and holders.
Harbor Freight covers these US General tool cabinets with a 90-day warranty.
Update: What are the Benefits of a Full Bank Service Cart?
I reached out to Harbor Freight with some questions after this post was first published, and they shared some additional details and insights.
On the surface, this looks like a larger single-bay roller cabinet but with 4x swivel casters, a top compartment with hinged lid, and inner lid drop-in storage for pry bars, screwdrivers, and similar tools up to 31″ long.
What's the big deal about these service carts? Who are the target users? These service carts are also double the price of the single-bay Series 2 cabinets. Are there any differences in quality or construction?
From strictly a width perspective we can understand your point but it is so much more than that. The full bank cart is 6″ taller and 1-1/2″ deeper than the 44″ , the storage capacity on the full bank is 18,700 cubic inches vs the 44″ at 14,000 cubic inches.
Hold on a second. This cart holdsmore than the 44″ tool box? Up to 33.6% more?!
Combining some of the images from Harbor Freight's intro video, I can definitely now see where their "storage capacity of a roller cabinet, but with the mobility of a tool cart" claim comes from.
The full bank storage cart has considerably more storage capacity than the 44″ rolling cabinet, with much of the difference being located in the cart's top lid compartment.
This isn't a new category of hybrid tool cart, and I can definitely see its appeal – this looks to be the best of both worlds as far as mobile tool storage goes. With all swivel casters and an almost 2:3 rectangular form factor, it's going to be highly mobile. That's also why it also has corner guards, to help protect the tool box and any vehicle, project, or anything else in the work environment.
This is a tool box that's meant to be moved around. The same can't be said about every tool box just because they have casters.
The cost per cubic inch [of storage capacity] on the 44" is $.0357, the cost per cubic inch on the full bank cart is $.0374.
For $.0017 more per cubic inch ($31.79) the customer gets the flip up lid, two gas springs, full width drawer pull system, prybar storage, 4 swivel casters, the ability to add power not to mention the integrated bumper system.
While this does make sense, storage volume isn't everything. Factors such as drawer count, with each drawer requiring additional construction and its own set of ball bearing drawers, can add to a tool box's pricing.
There do look to be a lot of added components and production steps that go into the cart, but is it enough to justify the price difference?
The full bank cart has been a carefully thought-out product, targeting the automotive technicians, and we've added the most sought after features for a large full bank cart. We feel the price for the amount of storage capacity and all of the features I mentioned make this cart a tremendous value.
US General Tool Box Price Comparison
The hugely popular US General Series 2 double bank rolling cabinet tool boxes are currently priced at $500. This puts it $200 lower than the new full bank tool cart. It features 13 drawers, 5-inch casters, and a total storage capacity of 14,000 cubic inches.
The single-bay US General rolling tool box features 8 drawers, 5-inch casters, and a $310 price tag. it has a total storage capacity of 9,800 cubic inches.
At $700, the new full bank service cart is more than double the price of the single bay tool box, but it also wider, taller, deeper, and it offers up to 18,700 cubic inches of storage capacity.
Compared to Snap-on
Harbor Freight advertises that their new US General service carts compare to Snap-on's KRSC326 tool storage carts, which are priced at $1750.
The USA-made Snap-on carts have slightly different measurements – they're 32-11/16″ wide x 20-1/2″ deep x 46″ tall. In other words, the Harbor Freight US General tool box is taller, wider, and deeper.
I am also told that the lid on the US General cart is made with thicker metal.
A comparison of the overall weights show that the Harbor Freight cart is heavier, possibly due to the dimensional differences.
Here's a summary:
Discussion
Now that we've had some time to digest more of the details and insights surrounding the new US General full bank service cart, it does look to be a very compelling solution for users seeking a spacious tool box that's also highly mobile.
The pricing seems a little high, when you can get a 13-drawer 44″ tool box for $200 less.
Harbor Freight put things into interesting perspective, showing that there's a very slight difference when comparing things in terms of dollar per cubic inch of storage capacity.
The 34″ full bank service cart has a product weight of 258 lbs, and the 44″ tool cabinet has a product weight of 291 lbs.
The 44″ roller cabinet has more drawers, while the 34″ tool cart has added features and maybe also greater complexity.
It's a moot point to really compare various US General products like this, however, given how differently they are intended to be used.
I think there's a limit as to how easy it is to move a 34″ cart around, but the all-swivel casters and soft-roll wheels are going to make a difference, compared to trying to move a 44″ roller cabinet around.
Even 26″ roller cabinets are not typically highly mobile. This full bank service cart is larger, and it also has a 7″ deep top storage compartment.
I think we've all become hung up on cost. Is this new service cart proportionally priced compared to Harbor Freight's other US General products? No, unless you only look at pricing with respect to total storage volume.
While we all tend to look at component costs, we shouldn't lose sight of how different this cart is compared to roller cabinets and traditional service carts.
If this type of tool storage works for you, that's what matters. Well, that, and how the pricing compares to other like-featured models.
It will be interesting to see if these full bank service carts become as popular as some of Harbor Freight's other US General tool boxes and carts.
I also wouldn't be too surprised to see a coupon or price change at some point, which is what happened with the ICON series of tool storage products.
Intro Video
Harbor Freight 16 Drawer Tool Chest Review
Source: https://toolguyd.com/harbor-freight-us-general-service-cart-tool-box/
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