10 Best Tool Chests for 2022
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A good tool chest can be the backbone of your garage, hobby area or storage room, giving you a single unified place to keep all your important tools and pieces of equipment? From rolling storage boxes to mounted shelves, there are dozens of tool chest designs to choose from, and finding the perfect size, shape, and capacity for your needs isn’t always that easy. Like all types of storage, looking for a tool chest isn’t just about how much it can hold: everything, even the quality of the materials and how it can be fixed to a wall or surface, can make a massive difference on how it can be used in your home.
Here are ten different tool chest designs that might be perfect for your needs, whether you are at home or carrying your gear in the back of a vehicle.
View the Best Tool Chest, Below.
- Goplus 6-Drawer Rolling Tool Chest
- Milwaukee Heavy-duty Rolling Tool Chest
- Craftsman 3-Drawer Metal Portable Chest Toolbox
- CRAFTSMAN 8-Drawer Rolling Tool Chest
- Giantex Chest & Cabinet Storage Toolbox
- Best Choice Products Chest Rolling Tool Storage
- Husky 5-Drawer Tool Chest
- Craftsman 6 Drawer Heavy Duty Top Tool Chest
- Husky 9-Drawer Mobile Workbench
- Craftsman CMST82765BK Tool Cabinet
1. Goplus 6-Drawer Rolling Tool Chest
This steel-based cabinet acts as a durable and easy-to-access storage space for all your tools, using rust-and-corrosion-resistant paints to ensure that it can survive common wear and tear from long-term use. This also makes this tool chest suitable for use in outdoor areas and can be cleaned easily without damaging the outside surfaces.
The chest has six separate draws - four small ones and two large ones – along with two separate slide-out trays and a large cabinet section at the bottom. The top section’s drawers can be locked with a separate key, helping you keep valuable tools safe. Not only that, but the bottom of the tool chest has four swiveling casters that make it easy to move around on flat surfaces, with two sets of brakes to keep it still.
This lockable rolling tool chest is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use, offering excellent protection and security at almost all times.
Check Price on Amazon ➞2. Milwaukee Heavy-duty Rolling Tool Chest
This heavy-duty storage tool chest uses a set of durable and reliable materials in its construction, including tough iron and steel that provide maximum protection. The sixteen various drawers all have their own pre-cut liners to provide extra cushioning for tools that might move around during transport. You can even mount Milwaukee's own battery chargers onto the side of the cabinet, and there are built-in handles to make moving this tool chest around much easier.
The entire unit has an internal locking system and a soft-close design that helps you keep your tools secure without slamming the drawers shut every time, offering a massive amount of storage capacity in a single, compact space.
This storage box is designed for maximum protection and durability, keeping your tools safe and protected while splitting its storage capacity into multiple easy-to-use sections that can hold a range of different tools and equipment.
Check Price on Amazon ➞3. Craftsman 3-Drawer Metal Portable Chest Toolbox
This highly portable steel toolbox is perfect for on-the-go storage, using a durable and lockable design that can fit into almost any vehicle or garage, offering three separate drawers and a top section that can be used to hold all kinds of important gear. The black powder coating prevents rust and corrosion damage, while the key-based lock makes it easy to secure your most valuable tools from theft.
The relatively low weight of the toolbox, combined with its small size, makes it perfect for transporting tools, but it is also great as a stationary option for smaller homes and garages without much free space.
This toolbox is a great transport and storage option, and can easily fit into a small car or be carried by hand. The lockable design and low weight ensure that this tool chest won’t slow you down or leave your tools vulnerable while you are moving from place to place.
Check Price on Amazon ➞4. CRAFTSMAN 8-Drawer Rolling Tool Chest
This two-part storage tool chest uses separate upper and lower sections, each made of durable steel. The design of the unit as a whole is incredibly strong and reliable, using EVA padding in strategic places to offer better cushioning and insulation for all of your tools. When combined, they can move easily on four synthetic rubber wheels, and you can place the upper case in the lower section to make it more compact.
When separated, the upper area offers four drawers and one open box-top, while the lower part uses four drawers as well. Each drawer has a lock rod system that stops them from slipping out completely, even if they are loaded with heavy tools.
These two separate chests work together to create a convenient, easy to use storage tool that can hold a massive range of tools without feeling over-complicated.
Check Price on Amazon ➞5. Giantex Chest & Cabinet Storage Toolbox
This miniature storage chest is designed to provide a compact storage solution for all of your important tools and has four strong wheels that make it easy to transport across flat surfaces. The detachable top chest can be removed and used separately, or kept on top of the bottom half to help it take up less space overall. The drawers once set up, are easy to use but won't slip out suddenly or jam when you're trying to get the tools out.
The bottom half of the unit has one large cabinet that can hold big tools, as well as a top surface that can become a decent mobile workstation once the other half is removed. This other half has three main drawers and an openable top section.
This is another two-part tool chest that’s perfect for varied jobs, giving you a mixture of small and large storage spaces.
Check Price on Amazon ➞6. Best Choice Products Chest Rolling Tool Storage
This multi-layered storage toolbox comes with a huge range of drawers and tools that you can use to store separate tools, using durable steel to ensure that your gear is kept safe from harm when you’re outdoors. The omnidirectional caster wheels make it easy to move around, and you can separate the bottom and top sections for a more versatile type of storage.
The inside of each drawer and tray uses soft foam that keeps your tools safe and secure, as well as a lock on the top unit that can only be opened with the right keys. This makes it much easier to protect valuable or expensive gear, especially in public areas, and help you move the upper toolbox without running the risk of anything falling out.
This combination of two different tool chests is perfect for professionals, especially ones that want all their gear in the same place.
Check Price on Amazon ➞7. Husky 5-Drawer Tool Chest
This five-drawered tool chest acts as a compact, easy-to-use storage solution that can hold plenty of tools at once, using a key-based lock to keep your most important gear safe and secure when it’s left alone. The Excellent construction lets each drawer hold up to 100 lbs. of weight, meaning that it won’t break or bend easily from long-term use. The tool chest also has side handles that make it easy to carry around, making it perfect for transporting or carrying in the back of a vehicle.
To stop the drawers from slipping out, it uses a specially-designed secure latch system that helps them stay completely closed when not in use, as well as gas-based struts for the top section.
This simple tool chest is perfect for day-to-day storage, and can be carried around easily for more portable jobs, making it ideal for a huge variety of different tasks and purposes.
Check Price on Amazon ➞8. Craftsman 6 Drawer Heavy Duty Top Tool Chest
This heavy-duty tool chest uses a special six-drawer design that’s split into three large and three small sizes, giving you a good amount of storage space while still leaving enough room for larger items. The bottom drawer is the largest, whereas the top three are the smallest, making it easy to organize your gear.
Thanks to the built-in locking system, you can keep the tools safe from theft or other hazards using a simple key, and each drawer has its own ball bearing slide that reduces the chance of tools falling out suddenly. Each one holds up to 75 pounds of weight, letting it carry heavy tools really easily.
This tool chest is small, but durable, and can work well alongside larger chests as an expansion or extra level of storage. The simple but tough design makes it ideal for dealing with heavy tools.
Check Price on Amazon ➞9. Husky 9-Drawer Mobile Workbench
The deep design of this mobile tool chest unit allows it to hold a huge amount of tools and loose items at once, offering nine different drawers split into three different sizes. The higher-than-normal storage capacity also means that its wooden-style top surface is larger, making it a bigger work surface that can double as a desk or another solid surface.
Thanks to the durable construction, the unit can hold a huge amount of weight, with the caster wheels holding up to 1,200 lb. without showing any sign of breaking or wearing out. It also uses a rust-resistant coating to prevent wear and tear, as well as an ergonomic handle for easier movement.
This drawer unit is deep and durable, allowing it to hold a huge amount of tools without being over-the-top or too large to move around reliably. The locking system adds more security, while the strong wheels make it much more mobile.
Check Price on Amazon ➞10. Craftsman CMST82765BK Tool Cabinet
This tough tool chest is perfect for holding bigger tools, offering four different drawers (three large, one small) to hold a variety of tools while letting you organize them properly. It can hold up to 500 lb. at any one time, giving it a higher weight limit than most other tool cabinets, as well as an easy-to-use locking system that secures each drawer at once with the turn of a key.
Each drawer also has a ball-bearing-based slide design that makes it easier to slide out without running the risk of tools slipping out unexpectedly. On top of that, the flat top of the design means that you can easily use it as a worktop surface, or place another smaller tool chest on top.
This cabinet makes a great base for other storage methods, but it’s also an excellent way to store bigger tools as a standalone tool chest.
Check Price on Amazon ➞Tool Chest Buyer’s Guide
Buying a tool chest is just like buying a regular toolbox, but there are a few more features you will want to try and find if you can. Unlike regular storage, you might need to carry it around often or move it from place to place, and you’ll be holding a lot of heavier equipment than just screwdrivers or nails. This can make it hard to find the perfect tool chest for your needs since there are dozens of designs and brands on the market that you’ll have to sort through if you’re starting from scratch.
There’s an easy way to speed up your search, though: if you know what to look for, and what your needs actually are, it’s far easier to find a tool chest that meets your requirements properly.
Materials
Your tools need to be durable and long-lasting, but so does your tool chest, and it’s easy to overlook durability when you’re thinking about storage. In reality, the more wear and tear it can endure, the better it’ll be for storing all kinds of different tools and items. Tools are heavy, and a weaker design might not be able to support them for long, especially if you’re filling each drawer with heavy gear like hammers or measuring equipment.
Steel is generally seen at the best tool chest option, especially by professionals. It’s strong, durable, and very easy to handle, especially when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. This also generally means that they can hold extra weight, and reduces the chance of them falling apart under high stress. As a side note, steel is usually quite weather-resistant, so it’s often very suitable for outdoor use or in places where you don’t have consistent shelter, such as a remote construction site.
Synthetic chests also work, although they’re weaker and often still use steel to hold them together. They’re far lighter, making them much more suitable for jobs that require a lot of movement but lose a lot of strength because of this. In some cases, they might even be more of an expansion to an existing tool chest, acting like an extra bag you can strap to the side.
Finally, there’s wood, which is generally seen as the worst option by professionals. However, it’s a great choice for hobbyists and people who like to work with wood as a hobby, since they’re relatively lightweight and can be upgraded, customized and expanded very easily. In fact, some woodworkers will even build their own storage options or create wooden expansions to their existing tool chests.
Mobility
Some larger chests will have built-in wheels that let them roll across the floor, whereas others will be based around a handle that you can use to pick them up instead. In some cases, you might even have both options. While both features add more mobility, they’re very different in terms of how they function, and it’s not always easy to decide between the two.
Wheels are great for flat surfaces, and they make even the heaviest chests incredibly easy to move, regardless of whether they’re heavy or full. The larger the tool chest is, the more useful wheels will be, especially for ones that are too bulky or heavy for a single person to move. On the other hand, wheels become near-useless on open ground unless they’re big enough to deal with dirt and grass. If you’re not careful, a heavy wheeled chest might even sink into softer surfaces and get completely stuck.
A tool chest that you can carry becomes far more useful for smaller jobs, but generally won’t be big enough to hold all of your tools. Since there are no wheels, they generally have to be carried by hand (unless you have a trolley and/or vehicle to rest them in), which means that they’ll be too heavy to pick up if you fill them with too many tools.
Some tool chests are made up of two different segments: a bottom one with wheels, and a top one that’s carried. These are the most versatile, but keep in mind that it also splits your tools into two separate places, which can make it hard to track down which tools are where.
Security
Your tools can be expensive, and losing them or having them stolen is never fun. Good security, even just a lock-and-key system or padlock, can make a huge difference when it comes to protecting your gear. However, it can also be a hassle sometimes, and it won’t always be as secure as you’re hoping.
For large tool chests, a good locking system works really well. They’re too heavy to move, too durable to reliably break open, and can only unlock with one or two keys that thieves won’t have easy access to. While they could still pick the lock or try to break it open, it puts a massive delay in their theft, and might even give you time to call the police or convince them to give up trying and run away. The only real risk is losing or breaking the keys, but most chests will come with at least one spare that you can store somewhere in case of emergencies.
Smaller chests don’t benefit from this as much, though. If they’re small enough, a potential thief might be able to just take the entire tool chest, especially if it’s not secured anywhere else. They’re also going to be slightly less durable, so they’re easier to break into. Losing the keys is still a risk, too.
Expert Tip
Some tool chests come with foam cushioning, giving them an extra level of protection and keeping your tools safe from sudden impacts or other kinds of harm. If they don’t, you can always cut your own with some basic foam or padding.
Did you know?
You can buy toolbox organizers that help you keep your tools segmented and organized in a clear way. Not many tool chests come with them as standard, but they’re worth buying if you don’t want everything to get mixed up.