10 Best Tool Boxes in 2022
We may earn commission from our brand partners when purchasing products through our links. Learn more.
If there’s one thing that’s annoying about having tools, it’s finding a place to store them – there are so many oddly-sized pieces of equipment that the average DIY hobbyist, builder, maintenance worker or other tool-owner might need, and carrying them in a bag or backpack sometimes isn’t an option. Toolboxes are a great alternative, but finding one that suits your needs can be a lot trickier than you might think.
Size might be your main concern, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be the only one that matters – using the wrong storage box can lead to serious problems further down the line, especially if you’re in an ever-changing line of work. Below are ten tool boxes that might help you make DIY, repair, and installation jobs just a little bit easier, as well as some of the features that make them stand out.
Related Review: Best Multi Tool.
View the Best Tool Box, Below.
- DEWALT DWST17806 TSTAK VI Deep Box
- RIDGID Professional Tool Storage Cart
- Keter Plastic Portable Organizer Tool Box
- Craftsman 3-Drawer Metal Portable Chest Toolbox
- Husky Connect Mobile Tool Box
- Milwaukee Packout Rolling Tool Box
- TRINITY TXKPGR-0502 Job Site Box
- Plano 1919 Sportsman’s Trunk
- Stanley 037025H 50 Gallon Mobile Chest
- DeWalt DWST20800 Mobile Work Center
1. DEWALT DWST17806 TSTAK VI Deep Box
This heavy-duty toolbox uses a removable interior tray to give you more control over how you use it – you can either set it up two layers of smaller tools or remove the tray for a deeper, more spacious box that can carry much larger equipment.
It can carry up to 44 lbs of tools at once, giving you plenty of flexibility in what you use it for, and uses incredibly durable hinges and latches to ensure that it won’t slip open or fall apart while you’re carrying around heavy, expensive pieces of equipment.
This tool box is a heavy-duty solution for heavy-duty problems, and won’t break or crack if it’s holding a heavy set of tools.
2. RIDGID Professional Tool Storage Cart
This cart-and-box set can come in really handy for storing a lot of heavy tools in a small space, whether it's a garage, shop floor or even the back of a van. Each box is a different size, allowing you to separate small, medium, and large tools into equally-durable containers without making them mix or get stuck under one another.
The cart's all-terrain wheels make it easy to use on almost any kind of ground, and the durable materials keep the entire kit safe from the elements.
The boxes in this kit are amazing in terms of durability, and the cart means that you won’t need to carry them all by hand, especially when they’re full of heavy tools.
Check Price on Amazon ➞3. Keter Plastic Portable Organizer Tool Box
This small portable box is excellent for carrying a wide range of different tools, components and spare equipment without weighing yourself down, using an interior tray and two divided lid compartments to let you separate your equipment.
The built-in lid stopper enables you to hold open the lid without it falling shut on your hands, and the front of the box had been designed to accept padlocks, allowing you to keep your tools secure and safe without needing to do any DIY modifications to the tool box.
This box is simple, yet durable, and can hold a vast range of different tools and parts without letting them get all messed up.
Check Price on Amazon ➞4. Craftsman 3-Drawer Metal Portable Chest Toolbox
This chest-of-drawers-style storage box is heavy and durable, protecting the tools inside it from harm, acting as a great way to sort different tools and equipment without needing more than one tool box.
The drawers can all be moved independently, allowing you to stagger them if you need to access all three at once, and closing the top lid will automatically shut them all to make transporting them much easier. It can hold a surprisingly large number of tools in all four of its compartments and can even accept padlocks to keep it secure when you’re not around.
Although it looks visually simple, this tool box is great for separating your tools into four different groups for faster access.
Check Price on Amazon ➞5. Husky Connect Mobile Tool Box
This wheel-mounted storage tool box can hold a vast range of different tools and pieces of equipment, boasting a huge capacity and excellent mobility features that make it great for all kinds of terrain.
Its eight-inch wheels are able to deal with bumpy and smooth ground in equal measure, and the extendable handle lets you pull it around without having to awkwardly grab the edges and pull it along with you. The reliable tray enables you to separate your smaller items from the larger tools, making them both equally easy to access.
This crate-style tool box can hold a lot more than other boxes, but the wheels and carry handle make it surprisingly easy to move from place to place.
Check Price on Amazon ➞6. Milwaukee Packout Rolling Tool Box
This rolling box mixes a standard toolbox with a two-wheeled cart, creating a storage solution that's easy to move and strong enough to hold a large range of different tools. It's strong frame, and reinforced corners let it take a lot of bumps and scratches without showing damage.
The reliable all-terrain wheels can deal with a wide range of different surfaces, both indoors and out. The indents at the top and bottom of the box allow it to stack with other Milwaukee products, but it's also flat enough to rest nearly any kind of box on the top.
This box is an excellent alternative to using a separate cart, but can also double as a standard large toolbox when the handle is retracted, meaning that it won't take up too much space.
Check Price on Amazon ➞7. TRINITY TXKPGR-0502 Job Site Box
This durable storage box is made with reinforced steel and a rust-resistant finish, letting it keep your tools safe in almost any situation while also providing an excellent amount of storage space.
It’s been designed with function in mind, and can be mounted to a range of different vehicles and surfaces or just left on its own like a standard tool box, and uses gas-mounted lifts to make opening and closing the lid much easier, meaning that you won’t need to worry about the weight of the lid trapping your tools inside while you’re trying to work.
This heavy-duty box is excellent for keeping your tools secure in poor conditions, and its gas-based opening lifts are a nice addition to an already excellent storage solution.
Check Price on Amazon ➞8. Plano 1919 Sportsman’s Trunk
The Sportsman’s Trunk is a very simple storage box with a lot of hidden strength behind it. One of the most useful features is its four hidden wheels, which allow it to roll around with ease on flat surfaces without scraping into the ground.
Its reinforced lid and stacking grooves let you place multiple trunks on top of one another, but it can also function as a great standalone tool box thanks to its large capacity and simple design.
This storage trunk is easy to move and boasts a large capacity, making this perfect for use around the house or in a garage.
Check Price on Amazon ➞9. Stanley 037025H 50 Gallon Mobile Chest
The massive capacity of this storage chest makes it an excellent choice for a tool box since it can hold a wide range of larger items while still keeping the smaller tools separated in its removable tote tray.
The side of the unit had a large extendable handle that can turn it into a suitcase-style rolling box at almost any time, and the durable, heavy-duty wheels will let you get across a wide range of different surfaces with ease. Not only that, but the grooves on the top surface can help you stack other boxes on it without them slipping off easily.
This storage crate is excellent for dealing with all kinds of tools, and it can hold a huge range of different items in both its normal crate mode and the rolling form.
Check Price on Amazon ➞10. DeWalt DWST20800 Mobile Work Center
The Mobile Work Center is an excellent tool box for dealing with large amounts of tools, acting like a full workstation that can separate and carry everything you might need to have readily available.
The three different storage levels are all equally durable, so you won't need to worry about one of them being weaker than the others, and they're all connected in a way that lets them slide out in a staggered style.
Even when it’s all combined into a single object, the side handles and telescopic top handle gives you full control over where it’s placed and how you move it around.
This storage tool box acts as a mixture between a regular storage box and a set of drawers, offering multiple storage spaces without being too complicated or difficult to use.
Check Price on Amazon ➞Tool Box Buyer’s Guide
Having a toolbox is rarely a bad thing, but there are definitely some types that won’t be as useful in specific situations – storage capacity isn’t always the only thing you need to focus on, and there’s a lot that you might forget to take into consideration until you’ve already made a purchase.
Size
More extensive toolboxes aren’t always better than their smaller counterparts, especially if you’re in a line of work that needs constant mobility and accessibility when it comes to your tools. It’s possible to attach some larger boxes to the insides of vans and other vehicles, but it’s often much easier to get two smaller portable boxes and use them together, instead.
On the other hand, a box that’s too small might not be able to hold specific tools properly – electric cables and wires can get damaged if they’re squished up at an awkward angle, and having to rest heavy tools on top of weaker ones can lead to them getting irreversibly damaged. Small toolboxes will also generally have fewer separated areas, so your tools will be mixed up in a single spot instead of spread across multiple individual boxes or shelves.
Mobility
Some toolboxes are designed to be moved around often, while others are meant to be left in one spot, like a garage or workshop. While this doesn’t stop you from using them in the other way, it often means that they’ll be less helpful or have limited functionality compared to the ‘right’ type – heavier toolboxes can still be moved around, but they will tire you out, and mobile ones with wheels might not have a way to lock them in place on sloped surfaces or difficult angles.
In general, if you are trying to find a toolbox that you can use as both a stationary and portable one, it is best to go for something smaller and lightweight. However, if you don’t need to take the toolbox anywhere or just want a place to store your tools while you’re at home, a completely stationary toolbox is often the best choice thanks to the larger average storage capacity. If you are looking for a smaller solution, you might be able to get buy with just a tap and die set.
Drawers, Tote Trays, and Dividers
Some tool boxes will simply be an empty tool chest or box that you can fill with equipment, but others might have different storage methods – dividers and tote trays are quite common, especially in larger boxes that need a separate area for small tools, and some storage units even use a conventional drawer-based setup to make different shelves that you can use to divide up your different tools and spare items.
Drawers are excellent for large amounts of individual tools but can struggle with larger items, since they can’t be removed or turned into one large space. A combination of a regular box and extra drawers can be useful, but they are often much larger than other types, making them difficult to use as a portable option.
Tote trays are incredibly useful, but only in boxes that are always upright – if you need to tilt it to use the wheels or access another part of the box, the tools will likely fall out and mix with the larger items below it, making it somewhat pointless. They’re best in conventional boxes that never get tilted and can be carried upright at all times, especially if they can be removed.
Dividers are much less common in pre-made storage boxes since they cut up space into two smaller areas, which can be an inconvenience to most users. However, if you’re lucky, you might find one that’s the perfect size for the tools you are using – but this can be quite rare.
How do I Organize a Toolbox?
There’s no universally-agreed way to sort your toolboxes, but you should still try to make sure that there’s some kind of order in the way you store your tools. With drawer units, some people like to sort each type or size of tool into a separate drawer, while others might prefer to use multiple regular boxes that they can carry independently.
Tote trays are almost always used to hold small things, like screwdrivers and nails, whereas the open space in a large box will inevitably be used to hold larger items and tools. You should always sort by common sense and avoid over-complicating the way you’ve laid everything out since you need to make sure your tools are accessible any time you need them.
How Do I Install a Truck Toolbox?
Truck tool boxes should always be installed in a place where they fit, so your first step should be to take measurements and figure out the best place to attach the box to. Not all spots will have existing holes you can use, so if you’re trying to avoid drilling new ones, you might have to limit your options a bit more.
Once you’ve chosen a spot, fit some foam padding below the area you’ll attach the box to – this will prevent damage and paint scratches to the surface of your vehicle. In many cases, you can simply attach it directly with J-bolts: you’ll need to stick them through both the box and the surface beneath, so make sure they’re at tight as possible to prevent it slipping.
Once the box is bolted on, it should be ready to use – specific box models might require extra steps, so always make sure you’ve read the instructions or guidelines that came with it, especially if it’s got features that a standard box might not have.
How do I Remove Craftsman Tool Box Drawers?
Removing the drawers from a craftsman box is quite simple once you know how to do it – to start, simply open the drawer you want to remove and make sure it’s completely empty. Pull it out as far as possible, then look at the side rails to see whether it uses tabs or levers.
If it uses levers, make sure you pull it up or down (the opposite of where it is when you first see it) so that it lets go of the drawer. With tabs, you simply have to press on them with your fingers, so make sure you don’t let them get caught in the bars.
Once you’ve done that, you should be able to simply pull the drawer out – if not, there might be something jamming it in place, or there could be an extra security latch that you’re not aware of. Be sure to check the instruction manual, since they’ll often point out where these extra parts are.
Keep your tools safe with a padlock.
Expert Tip
You can cut a layer of foam to create your own custom drawer inlays, which can help keep your tools in an organized position.
Did you know?
Metal toolboxes will generally accept magnets, so you can create magnetic labels to mark out what each drawer or box contains and move them around if you restructure them at any point.